Decreased rainfall and escalating water usage in made agriculture around Vadner Bhairav -located some 45 km from Nashik- problematic over the last decades. The Jambutke Dam, the only water source for irrigation in the area, became incapable of meeting the growing demands of the farmers.
The water shortage led to a reduction in land cultivation. By 2010, the water crisis had started becoming severe. And by 2015, the situation had aggravated, to the extent that not even groundwater levels could meet the irrigation needs.
However, villagers knew they had to band together to mitigate the crisis. Since 2017, collective resolve has helped them construct over 1,000 farm ponds and 150 barrages to arrest and percolate water. The efforts have helped villagers save over 500 mln litres of water. The surplus resource allowed them to shift cultivation to grapes and export 600 tonnes of the fruit.
