magine a land of sand dunes, where scattered communities strive to survive amidst the challenges of frequent drought, poverty, basic healthcare facilities, quality education, and drinking water.

In Tharparkar, just such a place, people rely on rains. Women gracefully carry mud pitchers and pots on their heads, trekking to deep-dug wells to fetch precious water. Children are also engaged in water-fetching activities. The entire community anxiously watches the skies.

In this parched region, access to water is a valued blessing, not just for the people but also for their livestock. The thirst for water leads the residents to embark on long journeys, traveling miles to obtain drinking water. In their unwavering hope for rain, they come together in prayers and communal gatherings, seeking the joyous celebration of the needed showers to sustain their way of life.

Rainwater is a blessing for the people of Tharparkar. When there is no rain they use brackish to saline underground water sources, mainly deep dug wells. The challenges posed by the water quality in Tharparkar have serious health implications, particularly due to the high total dissolved solids (TDS) content and fluoride concentration in the groundwater.

Generally, the total soluble salts in groundwater in Thar desert range between 636 parts per million (ppm) and 9,543 ppm. The water table varies between eight and 61 metres below the ground surface. The pH is reported to range between 7.1 and 8.6. This results in waterborne diseases and fluorosis, a condition that results in weak and deformed bones and teeth.

When droughts persist, many of the dug wells also go dry, exacerbating the water scarcity issue. As temperatures rise, the water levels deplete, compounding the challenges faced by the communities in obtaining sufficient water for their daily needs. “The burden of water collection disproportionately falls on women and children, who often spend a significant portion of their day fetching water from distant sources,” says Partab Shivani, the CEO of Thar Education Alliance. “This hampers their ability to engage in other activities, including education and income-generation, leading to socio-economic disparities and reduced quality of life.”

An officer of the Pakistan Council for Research on Water Resources (PCRWR) says that the Tharparkar desert receives sufficient rain for the needs of its residents. He says that with effective rainwater harvesting practices adhered to for three years, the domestic water needs of the locals and their livestock can be met.

Addressing water scarcity in Tharparkar requires a multifaceted approach, including sustainable water management practices; rainwater harvesting; groundwater recharge initiatives; and water conservation efforts. Additionally, improving water infrastructure and promoting community-based water management can help alleviate the challenges posed by water scarcity and improve the quality of life for the people of Tharparkar.

About 15 years ago, the Sukaar Foundation, an NGO working in Tharparkar, in collaboration with WaterAid Pakistan, implemented a communal rainwater harvesting pilot project in the Dedhsarh village of Diplo. The innovative project combined modern technologies with local wisdom to create effective rainwater harvesting structures at the village level. Remarkably, these dedicated rainwater harvesting structures continue to serve their purpose and provide valuable benefits to around 150 households in the community.

The project aimed to provide safe drinking water to villagers who had no reliable water source other than old, non-potable dug wells. These wells would often run dry during periods of high temperatures in the sand dunes. To address this issue, NGO Sukaar Foundation constructed a communal pond and six separate underground ponds, each dedicated to a specific community.

Together, these structures have a water capacity of 1 million litres. For the past fifteen years, a community-level organisation has been maintaining and funding the repair of these structures.

Indigenous rainwater harvesting practices have been instrumental in sustaining the local communities in Tharparkar for generations, enabling them to cope with water scarcity and unpredictable rainfall patterns.

Such indigenous rainwater harvesting practices have been instrumental in sustaining the local communities in Tharparkar for generations, enabling them to cope with water scarcity and unpredictable rainfall patterns. They are an integral part of the region’s traditional knowledge and have proven to be effective in conserving water resources over generations. Moreover, these practices often promote community participation and cooperation in managing water resources, making them culturally and socially significant.

Kesar Singh Sodho, a primary school teacher in Bewato, a village located west of Mithi, was the first person to have thrown up the idea of durability of a cylindrical structure that was later widely agreed upon. Habibullah alias Hakim, also a primary school teacher and the chief of Dedhsarh village also supported the idea saying earth, the most stable structure in the world, is also round. Sukaar Foundation introduced a flat-bottomed bowl-shaped large pond in the village with a diameter of the upper rim of the bowl measuring 80 feet and the bottom 16 feet with a depth of 12 feet.

Allah Bachayo, an activist from the village says, “Different communities have different problems; we, in Dedhsarh, had a drinking water problem. It has been resolved to a great extent. Previously the women and children had to travel up to three kilometres across the dunes, spending four to six hours daily to the next nearest village for fetching ‘potable’ groundwater. We have seven dug wells in the village, but all of those have brackish water which is not suitable for drinking. The problem will be fully resolved once we have freshwater available throughout the year.”

Historic references suggest that traditional rainwater harvesting practices sufficed to fulfill the water needs of Tharparkar desert before the influx of groundwater exploiting pumping-enabled modern water schemes in the area. The rainfall data of the last few decades of specific Tharparkar also confirms that there is still potential for rainwater harvesting to mitigate the water crisis in the region. Rains can not only provide drinking water for human/ livestock and domestic water needs but also adequately recharge groundwater.

The Dedhsarh village case study is a worthy reference case and a lesson for wider replication. “This rainwater harvesting pilot project was launched fifteen years ago in 2008 by Sukaar Foundation in village Dedhsar (for drinking of human/ livestock and domestic water needs), employing several innovative rainwater harvesting methods building upon indigenous knowledge blended with tested scientific engineering techniques and community engagement approaches,” said Dr Ashok Suthar, who holds a PhD in rainwater harvesting. He initiated a pioneering pilot project in 2008 through the Sukaar Foundation in Dedhsar village.

“While revisiting this innovative and low-cost community-driven rainwater harvesting model after fifteen years, it is learned that the model works well and is widely replicating as an easy and affordable water solution for Thar,” Suthar adds. Moreover, the lessons from various experiences in the neighbouring Thar desert and references of relevant research indicate that the scope of rainwater harvesting in the Thar desert can be increased, providing a supplementary water source for groundwater recharge which can enrich agroforestry as a means of livelihoods and improve arid ecosystem and climate.

Suthar believes that properly managed rainwater harvesting systems can contribute to water conservation and the overall resilience of communities in mitigating drought calamities as a frequent phenomenon in Tharparkar.

Krishan Sharma, executive director of the DDAT, recommends the construction of community-level rainwater harvesting ponds equipped with geo-membrane sheets to prevent seepage. He says that implementing these cost-effective techniques could lead to abundant water reserves, catering to year-round needs without the burden of ongoing maintenance costs. He urges the government to consider adopting these methods for sustainable water harvesting instead of investing in high-maintenance schemes.

“Obtaining drinking water in Tharparkar is a challenging task. Women and children have to travel miles to fetch water. This burden adversely affects their health and hinders access to education,” says Kiran Daudpoto, a women’s rights activist. Unfortunately, when the government introduces water schemes in the region, women, who are the primary stakeholders in water fetching, are often excluded from the planning and designing process.

Daudpoto suggests that to address this issue, it is crucial to adopt an inclusive policy that involves women in the decision-making process concerning water schemes in the region.

The writer is based in Islamkot, Tharparkar. He tweets at @MukeshRajaThar