People’s water management

Awareness programmes through workshops & saminars

In order to find answers to the growing water crisis in India, CSE initiated a campaign in 1996 to ‘make water everybody’s business’. The central idea of the campaign was that each and every person should take control over his or her own water resources by using the traditional and simple technology of rainwater harvesting. This idea, therefore, would mean bringing about a sea change from the current strategy where the government is the sole arbiter on all matters of water management.

Reportage to inform and to inspire…

In the short span of six years, CSE has brought about a complete mindset change in the country – everyone, from the common man to ministers are talking about and practicing rainwater harvesting. There is a growing public interest in conserving water and reviving tanks and other traditional systems of water harvesting in different parts of the country. Rainwater harvesting is today on the political and policy framework of the country.

To achieve all this, CSE has undertaken a variety of activities – (1) creating awareness widely through reports in the media, lectures, exhibitions, paani yatras (study tours) to see and learn from successful community efforts, exhibitions and films; (2) undertaking research and generating more knowledge on this subject disseminated through books and articles; (3) undertaking advocacy through lobbying ministers, parliamentarians, industry managers, media and other opinion makers; (4) building capacities through training workshops for plumbers, masons, architects, professionals, water administrators; (5) facilitating a wide exchange of information and experiences by setting up a national water harvesters’ network; and, also in some cases, (5) funding small communities or individuals to construct water harvesting systems.

Exhibitions…

To enable people to adopt the novel idea of rainwater harvesting, CSE scoured the country to find good examples of social mobilisation in water harvesting in rural areas, publicised these efforts widely and brought them centrestage to stimulate replication of such efforts and also to push for the adoption of this paradigm by policy makers. CSE’s campaigns have had impact; there is today enormous interest in both the government as well as among people in harvesting rainwater.