In the heart of India’s arid Thar Desert, where water scarcity has long stifled livelihoods, Social Action for Rural Advancement (SARA), a Rajasthan-based grassroots NGOwith support from Anandana, The Coca-Cola India Foundation, is providingwater accessibility by reviving traditional water harvesting structures such as ponds and building check dams. For almost a decade, the project has transformed lives of 18,000+ residents across six villages in Rajasthan: Rajpura, Balyawas, Karad, Khora, Dungri Khurd, and Chhota Narena.
With annual rainfall averaging just 550 mm and more than 70% of the region’s groundwater unfit for drinking, communities in Rajasthan’s desert belt have faced a daily battle for survival. SARA recognized that water needed to be addressed not just as a physical resource—but as a catalyst for dignity, self-reliance, and rural prosperity.
Lauding the initiative, Mota Ram, Director, Social Action for Rural Advancement (SARA), said, “What makes this project different is not just the structures we built—but the mindset we helped shift. We didn’t come in with machines and leave behind concrete. We worked with communities. Families contributed, some gave ₹100, some gave labour, others gave land. That ownership changed everything. We insisted on equal pay for women, trained them as barefoot engineers, and helped form Village Development Committees that now manage the water systems themselves. Even nineyears after project completion, they’re still maintaining, adapting, and innovating. With the support from Anandana, The Coca-Cola India Foundation, we created more than just recharge structures, we created local stewards of sustainability.”