WATER: Guidelines for sustainable irrigation development & climate resilience in Central India
Water is the lifeline of rural communities, shaping livelihoods, food security, and resilience to climate change. In Central India, where agriculture remains the backbone of the economy, challenges such as water scarcity, erratic rainfall, and degraded natural resources are deeply felt. Addressing these issues requires not only technical solutions but also participatory approaches that enable communities to plan, implement, and sustain interventions.
This manual, developed with support from HDFC Bank Parivartan, brings together years of field-based learning, technical expertise, and participatory planning practices. It is designed as both a reference and a practical guide supporting program design, capacity building, implementation, and review. By combining conceptual frameworks with detailed technical guidance, it bridges the gap between theory and practice, enabling context-specific and informed decision-making.
Intended for a diverse audience including field practitioners, project managers, technical experts, NGOs, government functionaries, and CSR institutions, the manual offers tools and insights for work at multiple levels. It introduces key concepts such as climate resilience and integrated water-agriculture systems, while also detailing interventions like farm ponds, wells, solar irrigation, and micro-irrigation. Together, these elements equip stakeholders to design and implement sustainable water management solutions with clarity and confidence.