In the drought-prone villages of Rajasthan, where dry wells, barren fields and long journeys for water once shaped daily life, philanthropist Amla Ruia began working on a community-led water conservation model in the early 2000s. Her approach centres on traditional check dams that capture rainwater, recharge groundwater and restore agricultural activity.
In 2003, Ruia founded the Aakar Charitable Trust with a broader vision of rural development through water conservation. Rather than treating villagers as beneficiaries, the model requires communities to contribute at least 30% of a project’s cost through labour, materials or pooled savings, giving them ownership of the infrastructure. By June 2025, Aakar had built 1,308 water bodies, including 814 check dams and 494 ponds, impacting more than 1.8 million villagers and irrigating over 6.7 lakh acres of farmland, according to the information provided.
The model has also expanded beyond Rajasthan, with projects being taken up in other parts of India. Ruia says the real strength of the initiative lies with communities that participate in creating and maintaining their own water resources. “I’m just the facilitator. The real heroes are the communities who believe in change,” she says.
Water Scarcity To Opportunity
The roots of Ruia’s work lie in her visits to drought-stricken villages in Rajasthan during the early 2000s. The conditions she encountered were stark: wells had dried up, agricultural land remained uncultivated and many men left their villages in search of employment. Women often had to walk long distances to collect water for their families. Rather than approaching the crisis only through financial assistance, Ruia began looking for a solution that could help communities become self-reliant. Her research led her towards traditional Indian water-harvesting systems, particularly check dams.
These structures slow and retain rainwater, helping it seep into the ground and recharge nearby groundwater sources. According to Ruia, the impact can extend well beyond the immediate location of a dam. In areas where rainfall remains consistent, replenished water sources can support streams, wells and agricultural activity for longer periods. The benefits are not limited to farming. The article says improved water availability can allow villages to consider cultivating multiple crops, support animal husbandry and create opportunities for ancillary livelihoods.
In some communities, Ruia says, land under cultivation increased dramatically, from just 2% to as much as 98% after check dams were constructed. Better access to water has also changed the daily lives of women and girls. Women who once spent considerable time collecting water can devote more time to income-generating activities and other responsibilities.
Girls, meanwhile, can spend less time fetching water and more time attending school. Ruia also highlights animal husbandry as an important source of income for women, who traditionally manage the activity and retain its profits. With improved household incomes, families may have greater opportunities to invest in children’s education and other needs.
A Community-Built Model
In 2003, Ruia established the Aakar Charitable Trust, giving an institutional structure to her work on water conservation and rural development. A central feature of the trust’s approach is that villagers are expected to contribute to the project rather than simply receive a completed structure. The model requires a minimum 30% contribution from the village, which can include money, labour, materials or pooled savings. The remaining project cost is supported through the trust and its donors. This contribution is intended to create accountability, responsibility and a sense of ownership.
The construction process also involves local communities. Experts assess the area’s topography alongside villagers before identifying an appropriate location for a check dam. The structures are generally built using a combination of masonry and an earthen bund, with villagers participating in the construction along with labour provided through the trust. According to the information provided, a check dam generally takes around two to three months to construct, while repairs, when required, can take between one and one-and-a-half months. Sponsor funding for a typical dam is around ₹7-8 lakh, with additional contributions from villages, while larger structures serving several villages can cost substantially more. Aakar’s work extends beyond physical infrastructure.
Villages participating in the programme are asked to take pledges against practices such as child marriage, dowry, alcohol and tobacco consumption, and extravagant funeral rituals. The idea is to link access to a productive resource with wider community development. By June 2025, the trust had built 1,308 water bodies across its work, comprising 814 check dams and 494 ponds. These projects had impacted more than 1.8 million villagers and irrigated over 6.7 lakh acres of farmland, according to the material provided. The model is also being replicated in states beyond Rajasthan, including Bihar and Chhattisgarh.
Ruia has further explored the possibility of developing “water credits”, an emerging concept through which the water resources created by such projects could potentially be quantified and used to attract additional funding. She describes the idea as being at a very early stage in India.
The Logical Indian Perspectives
Water conservation is often discussed through the language of infrastructure, rainfall and groundwater, but the story of Amla Ruia’s work also underlines its deeply human dimension. A check dam is ultimately a physical structure, yet its impact can extend into a family’s livelihood, a woman’s daily routine, a child’s education and a village’s confidence in its own future. What stands out in this model is the emphasis on participation rather than dependence.
When communities contribute their labour, resources and effort, water conservation becomes a shared responsibility rather than an external intervention. At a time when water scarcity can intensify economic and social pressures, solutions that combine traditional knowledge, local participation and long-term stewardship deserve meaningful attention.
At the same time, lasting change requires communities to remain central to decisions about their own resources and development. Ruia’s journey offers one example of how restoring water can become the first step towards restoring opportunity.
What can India do to make community-led water conservation a stronger part of its rural development story?
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