Introduction Alaburu Gram Panchayat is located in Hagaribommanahalli block of Ballari District, and it has been facing water shortage issues. As a result, the families living there are prone to distress migration. In order to recharge the groundwater table and to increase the irrigation potential of the locality, the villagers of the Gram Panchayat have decided to harvest the rainwater by constructing multiarch check dams so that the effects of the drought are mitigated and durable water conservation assets are created. The check dams would help to prevent soil erosion, conserve soil moisture and recharge aquifer.

Government Senior Secondary School in Makha of East Sikkim has started a new initiative titled – Mero Khata translated My Copy, with a view to reducing paper wastage on account of unnecessary margins.The initiative is a brain child of school teacher Lomas Dhungel, (Founder Cum Developer, Hariyo Makha) under whose leadership the Hariyo Makha – Sikkim against Pollution is being led in the school.

Introduction Nagulapally village is situated in Nagulapally Gram Panchayat of Julapalli block in Peddapalli District, and it is one of the drought-prone regions in the state. Due to low groundwater levels and rocky terrain, the villagers faced severe water problems. In monsoon, all the water drained to the nearby stream limiting the scope of recharging borewells and open wells. In Gram Sabha, it was decided to conserve rainwater by digging the staggered trenches and continuous contour trenches on various locations of the village.

In order to initiate a workable water conservation drive, while enriching the groundwater-table and restoring traditional water bodies, the district administration of water stressed Rewari in Haryana has come out with a district water conservation plan. To begin with, all Gram Panchayats took inventories of existing water related infrastructure in their villages. The data was then integrated at block level and further integrated and compiled at the district Level. This facilitated the development of Rewari District Water Conservation Plan.

INTRODUCTION Badera Bharas Gram Panchayat falls under Bhitarwar block in Gwalior District. Occurrence of low rainfall over many years had created a situation where the villagers could not fulfil their domestic and agricultural needs. During summer, the villagers had to walk around 3 km to fetch drinking water. All the hand pumps and wells had dried up due to depletion of groundwater. Consequently, agricultural productivity declined, and the land had started turning fallow. Overall, the situation was such that the villagers were compelled to migrate. Therefore, the Gram Panchayat decided to undertake different water conservation and harvesting works by constructing check dams, canals and renovation of ponds.

The Union Territory (UT) of Dadra and Nagar Haveli in western India that consists of two separate geographical entities: Nagar Haveli – wedged between Maharashtra and Gujarat, and the smaller enclave of Dadra, to the northwest, which is surrounded by Gujarat; was declared open defecation free (ODF) in February 2018. Sustainability of ODF status has been maintained through convergence with all departments for both physical and financial support.

Oliamba village is located in the Chhota Udepur District of Gujarat,which is predominantly populated by the Rathwa tribe. To the north of the villagelies the Orsangatributary, which is an important tributary of the Narmada River. The village has undulating land interspersed with small hills, rivers and nallas. Two-thirds of the land in the village is under agricultural use, most of which (91%) is rainfed. In rabi season, when work is not available in the village, people migrate with their families to other parts of Gujarat, mainly to Saurashtra, for their livelihood.

Ahead of the monsoons, about 250 people, mainly women from the village of Thanwala in Ahore panchayat of Jalore district in Rajasthan got together and cleaned up the historic step well. The barely used step well had been dry for a few years but the exercise helped clean the well of accumulated debris and waste. It is hoped that the monsoons will help recharge the well. This was observed by a Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) team that visited the step well and other water bodies and assessed the water conservation efforts of the district administration on 30th July, 2019. Jalore district comprises 8 Blocks all of which are water stressed.

The residents of Bramhonon ki Sareri village, which is situated in Asind block of Bhilwara District in Rajasthan, have been facing severe water shortage, especially during the summer season. The annual rainfall in the region has remained less than 500 mm since 2008. The minor dams that are constructed in the early years have also dried up due to erratic rainfall because of which the women are forced to travel a long distance to fetch drinking water. The village has a pond called Dharmi Talav, which is filled with sand mounds and wild babul trees making it unsuitable for any use. So the villagers requested for its renovation in the year 2017.

Chhattisgarh which was declared open defecation free (ODF) in October 2017 has adopted a comprehensive plan, tailored to the needs of the local communities to sustain its ODF status. Among its activities are beautification of former open defecation spots with planting of Tulsi and Peepal saplings which are considered holy; and promoting the use of rich manure from pits that are emptied. The move is in anticipation of the single and twin pits that will be ready for emptying in due course. The state which is made up of 27 districts, 10971 Gram Panchayats, 19567 villages and 44,29,138 rural households is preparing people for this exercise, encouraging them to use the manure for their kitchen gardens.