A beacon of hope for farmers: How Dawoodi Bohra community is tackling water scarcity in Maharashtra

In Yavatmal, villagers are celebrating a remarkable turnaround in agricultural fortunes as they've witnessed a substantial increase in crop yields compared to the severe drought conditions they endured just a few years ago.

The global water scarcity crisis has not gone unnoticed. "The overflowing dams, as well as the heavy outflow of river water, made it impossible to store for a longer duration. The water capacity dripped until December ended, and then water was scarce during the summer season," said Ravindra Rathod, 29, a farmer from Kapra village in Yavatmal.

In recognition of the global water scarcity crisis, the Dawoodi Bohra community has stepped forward, taking proactive measures to tackle this pressing issue at the grassroots level. "The rainwater harvesting technique, restoration of the water canal, creation of small check dams, and recharge shafts built in the village to store the water and use it throughout the year have helped me, as well as at least 100 other farmers in the village, grow crops across the season," said Rathod. "It has also helped to reduce the flow of water. There has been a positive change in the land use patterns leading to an increase in net sown area."

Most of the farmers grow cotton and soybeans during the rainy season, wheat during the winter season, and peanuts during the summer season. There needs to be a growing awareness of the need for grassroots solutions to address water scarcity challenges. Through the Dawoodi Bohra community's Project Rise water security program and Burhani Foundation's global initiative to conserve water and recharge the groundwater level, the rainwater harvesting techniques have been installed in rural parts of Maharashtra and other states across India.

Water scarcity often affects the livelihoods of farmers along with the global food supply chain. Farmers often need access to water-efficient farming practices, financial support, and sustainable water management strategies.

Mohammed Hasanji, a villager who installed a rooftop rainwater harvesting system on the outskirts of Amravati, said, "The water table was initially at a low level when rainwater harvesting was implemented, but it has since risen, promising significant long-term benefits for us."

The local and national governments, as well as international organisations, play a critical role in providing assistance and implementing policies to mitigate the impact of water scarcity on farmers.

The Dawoodi Bohra community is putting in efforts to empower rural villagers to effectively combat this challenge. "Following the instructions of Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, a team of over 200 community officials was mobilised to visit more than 250 villages, towns, and cities in India to study the strain on existing water supplies and provide support for building a more resilient and sustainable water management system", said Shabbir Najmuddin, Associate Executive Trustee of Burhani Foundation, the community's 30-year-old environmental body, which is leading this initiative in collaboration with other organisations.

"As part of the first phase of the water conservation program, we targeted water-challenged areas in India by guiding them to harvest rainwater in their backyards, wells, ponds, and other local catchment areas," Najmuddin stated, adding that awareness programs were also held at community centres to showcase various methods of rainwater harvesting and their benefits in revitalising depleted groundwater levels.

Speaking about the involvement of the local stakeholders, Najmuddin added, "Various stakeholders in the water management field and municipalities were also consulted and involved in the survey to gauge the local conditions."

In another Yavatmal-based village, the watershed programs reduced the extent of soil erosion. In Chinchghat village (Yavatmal), soil erosion was reduced to 25 - 50 per cent in the target area.

According to the community members, the watershed activities have increased agricultural land area from 436 acres to 2124 acres (4.87 times) in Chinchghat and 526 acres to 627 acres (1.19 times) in Wadner village (Wardha).

The project further benefits farmers in terms of creating more agricultural opportunities and jobs within the villages, which aims to reduce seasonal migration for work.

As part of the rainwater harvesting initiative, in the past three months, over 16 rainwater harvesting systems have been installed in about 10 households and about six RWH systems at community properties across Maharashtra, covering upwards of eight cities, towns, and villages in Maharashtra.

For the long-term rollout of the program, the Burhani Foundation is identifying project coordinators/villagers from each area who will be tagged as experts to troubleshoot issues and facilitate the installation of rainwater harvesting systems in their regions.

During the survey of rainwater harvesting in households, 43-year-old Ismail Raja from Shahada, a town in Nandurbar district, stated, "We installed a rainwater harvesting system in our backyard two years ago to recharge our borewell. Since then, we have never faced a water shortage, as our borewell provides water not just to our families but also, at times, to our neighbours."

Another community member, Jaffer Shabbir (36) from Savda village next to Burhanpur in Madhya Pradesh, is using a simple yet effective solution to recharge the nearby well which had run dry in 2017. He says, "By collecting rainwater from the roof of our hall and parking area, which we give on rent for weddings and other functions, we're harnessing the power of rain to replenish the groundwater in the neighbourhood."