{"id":41915,"date":"2025-09-10T17:10:02","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T15:10:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wearewater.org\/insights\/climate-independence-the-power-of-small-watersheds\/"},"modified":"2025-09-10T17:19:59","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T15:19:59","slug":"climate-independence-the-power-of-small-watersheds","status":"publish","type":"waw_insight","link":"https:\/\/www.wearewater.org\/en-in\/insights\/climate-independence-the-power-of-small-watersheds\/","title":{"rendered":"Climate Independence. The Power of Small Watersheds"},"content":{"rendered":"
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“We used to rely on the rains: if they came on time, we had good harvests; if not, the crops would dry up. Now we can harvest twice a year. We can continue living in our own village. We no longer need to migrate<\/em>.”<\/p>\n

These words from a farmer in S. Gundala, a village in the Nandyal district of Andhra Pradesh, summarise a widespread reality affecting millions of smallholders\u2014and also the hope sparked by viable solutions that, step by step, can transform even the most disadvantaged regions.<\/p>\n

In S. Gundala, around 110 acres were irrigated using borewells, while another 520 acres depended entirely on rainfall. When the monsoons were late or insufficient, the losses were devastating. This extreme climate dependency, worsened by a steady drop in groundwater levels\u2014particularly acute between 2000 and 2016\u2014led to soil degradation, crop failures, and, in many cases, seasonal migration of entire families in search of livelihoods.<\/p>\n

By the end of 2023, in collaboration with the Vicente Ferrer Foundation, we completed a groundwater recovery projec<\/a>t essential for both farming and domestic use. It was our 17th agricultural water access initiative in India\u2014already benefitting over 142,000 people\u2014and part of an integrated approach shaped over 14 years of close engagement with farming communities struggling against monoculture, drought, and reliance on the wet season to survive.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

\"We

The simple restoration of abandoned water bodies can transform the lives of small-scale farmers.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

One Year Later, a Different World <\/h2><\/div>

The project focused on cleaning surface water bodies, restoring the local stream Gundalaiah Vanka, and rehabilitating two small government-built dams that had fallen into disrepair.<\/p>\n

The technical result was aquifer recharge and a rise in the groundwater table. But there was much more. A year after completion, the available data offers reason for hope.<\/p>\n

Groundwater recovery not only secured irrigation but also ensured that families could remain in their territory. The impact has been particularly significant for around 280 families in S. Gundala and the surrounding areas.<\/p>\n

Rising groundwater levels have reduced the cost and effort required to access water.<\/p>\n

“Before, we had to drill 40 meters to get just 2.5 cm of water. Now, after the dam was built, the water table has risen, and we can get 5 cm at only 27 meters,<\/em>” reports a local farmer.<\/p>\n

The results are striking:<\/p>\n