Community-led water systems and technology-enabled planning are emerging as important tools to strengthen water security and climate resilience in rural India, according to an official fact sheet released on Wednesday.
The government said rising water demand, uneven distribution and climate variability have increased pressure on groundwater resources, highlighting the need to move from supply-based management to planned and demand-based water use systems.
Programmes such as the Atal Bhujal Yojana, the National Water Mission and state-led initiatives in Rajasthan and Maharashtra demonstrate the effectiveness of participatory water management models in improving long-term water sustainability.
The Atal Bhujal Yojana, launched in 2019, promotes decentralised water governance through annual water budgeting at the gram panchayat level and is being implemented in 229 groundwater-stressed blocks across seven states.
The government said assessments conducted during 2023-24 and 2024-25 showed significant improvement in groundwater levels in 180 out of 229 participating blocks.
The programme also supports the revival and strengthening of traditional water conservation systems such as gokata, baori, johad, tanka, kalyani and diggi, adapted to local conditions.
As of March 2026, approximately 81,700 water conservation and recharge structures have been constructed or renovated, while 8,203 annual water budgets have been prepared in participating gram panchayats.
Officials said declining groundwater levels, seasonal shortages and growing water use disputes underscore the urgency of integrating water budgeting into local development planning.
The National Water Mission similarly recognizes water budgeting as a key element of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), in line with national priorities on conservation and long-term water security.
The Mission’s “Nari Shakti to Jal Shakti” initiative also promotes women-led institutions, including self-help groups and water user associations, to strengthen community participation in water conservation.
Technology is increasingly supporting these efforts through digital planning tools such as the Varuni web application, developed under the Indo-German Water Security and Climate Adaptation in Rural India (WASCA) project. This platform integrates official data on rainfall, land use, cropping patterns, population, and water resources to generate block-level water budgets, enabling data-driven local planning and intervention strategies.