These 5 Indian Villages Are Catching Monsoon Rain & Saving It for Dry Months

Catching the Rain

When heavy rain falls, many places try to drain it away quickly. But some Indian villages are doing the opposite. They are slowing down the rainwater, storing it in ponds, and letting the ground soak up more of it. This helps them save water for dry months.

Dhaspad, Uttarakhand

In Dhaspad, villagers in Almora built small basins called khanties and hilltop ponds called chal-khals. These structures hold water before it can run downhill. The village now has many small ponds, basins, roof-water tanks, and check dams. These structures help store water all year long.

Samra, Rajasthan

In Samra village, Alwar, monsoon rain used to rush away into larger rivers. This meant wells got deeper, and irrigation was uncertain. Villagers decided to build a check dam across a seasonal stream. They formed a local committee to plan the construction and even organized community maintenance for it.

Bekhadiya, Gujarat

Bekhadiya has hilly land, so much rainwater used to flow away. Villagers built 21 check dams and ponds, creating a chain to hold monsoon water. Nine of these check dams are linked together, and 12 others feed into another stream. Small canals then carry this stored water to farms for irrigation.

Karode and Ponnumkulam, Kerala

In Karode, an eight-acre pond called Ayirakulam was filled with silt and weeds. Villagers cleaned it out and connected it to the Neyyar Left Bank Canal. Nearby in Ponnumkulam, a collapsed bund had turned a pond into a marsh. Villagers pushed for repairs, and the bund was rebuilt. Outlets were added, and the pond was refilled with canal water.

A Shared Solution

These villages use different methods and structures, but they all share the same goal. They slow down the rain, store the water, let some of it soak into the ground, and then release the rest for farms when it's needed. This approach helps them manage monsoon rains and prepare for dry periods.