NEEDS ASSESSMENT SURVEY - ANALYSIS REPORT
under the project
Building Women’s Leadership in Water Conservation:
Alwar, Rajasthan
funded by
prepared by
Gender, Water and Climate Change Department,
Centre for Social Research,
2, Nelson Mandela Marg, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi 110070
i
CONTENTS
P. No.
List of Tables
iii
List of Figures
iv
About Centre for Social Research
v
Preface
vi-vii
Acknowledgement
viii
Foreword
ix
Chapter I: Introduction
1-2
1.1
Introduction
1
1.2
Need and importance of the study
1
1.3
Objectives of the study
1
1.4
Scope of the study
2
1.5
Data and methodology
2
1.6
Chapterisation Scheme
2
1.7
Limitations of the Study
2
Chapter II: Alwar District An Introduction
3-5
2.1
Administrative set-up
3
2.2
Topography and Climate
3
2.3
Rainfall
3
2.4
Geology and Aquifers
3
2.5
Stages of Groundwater development and Depth of water level
4
2.6
Groundwater Chloride distribution
4
2.7
Groundwater Fluoride distribution
4
2.8
Groundwater Nitrate distribution
4
2.9
Depth to Bedrock
4
2.10
Unconfined aquifers
5
2.10.1
Unconfined aquifer in alluvial areas
5
2.10.2
Unconfined aquifer hard rock areas
5
Chapter III: Overview of Govt. of India & Govt. of Rajasthan policies and programmes
related with Water
6-12
3.1
Introduction
6
3.2
GoI schemes and programmes at a glance
7
3.2.1
Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the rain (2023)
7
3.2.2
Jal Jeevan Mission (2019)
7
3.2.3
‘Sahi fasal’ campaign (2019)
7
3.2.4
Atul Bhujal Yojana (2019)
7
3.2.5
PMKSY - Accelerated irrigation benefits programme (2015)
8
3.2.6
National Aquifer Mapping and Management Program (2012)
8
3.2.7
The Command Area Development and Water management Program
(1974-75)
8
3.3
Groundwater Policies and Governance in the State
9
3.3.1
Rajasthan River Basin and Water Resources Planning Act, 2015
9
3.3.2
Rajasthan Water Resources Regulatory Act, 2012 (Rajasthan Act No. 38
of 2013)
9
3.3.3
Rajasthan State Water Policy, 2010
9
3.3.4
The Rajasthan Ground Water Management Bill, 2006
10
3.3.5
Roof Top Rain Water Harvesting (RTRWH) in building bylaws, 2005
10
ii
CONTENTS
P. No.
3.4
Other Initiatives to promote water conservation
10
3.4.1
Mukhya Mantri Jal Swavlamban Abhiyan
10
3.4.2
Indira Gandhi Canal
11
3.4.3
National Rural Drinking Water Programme
11
3.4.4
Watershed Development Programme
11
3.4.5
Jal Swarajya Abhiyan
12
Chapter IV: Situational Analysis/ Needs Assessment
13-30
4.1
Data and Methodology
13
4.2
Survey Results
16
4.2.1
Socio and demographic details of the respondents
16
4.2.2
Major Source of Household Income
18
4.2.3
Participation in Local Governance
19
4.2.4
Decision-making Role in the family
20
4.2.5
Status of water availability in the households
22
4.2.6
Water Conservation through Pond Renovation
26
4.2.7
Status of Current Water Conservation and Management Structures
26
4.2.8
Willingness to work to construct water management/ conservation
structures
27
4.2.9
Training and Capacity Building Requirements
28
Chapter V. Summary Discussion
31-35
Chapter VI: Conclusion and Way Forward
36
References
37-38
Annexures
39-51
I
Environmental Indicators Alwar District
39-43
II
Questionnaire
44-51
iii
LIST OF TABLES
P. No.
Block, Gram Panchayat and Village Details for the Study
15
Socio and demographic details of the respondents
17
Decision-making Role in the family
21
Water Conservation through Pond Renovation
26
Status of Community Water Supply Systems
27
Satisfaction with government for water measures
27
Will creation of “Nadies/Pond/Anicut/Earthen Paal” support existing structures
28
iv
LIST OF FIGURES
P. No.
4.1
Blocks Covered under the Needs Assessment
14
4.2
Block wise Major Source of Household Income
18
4.3
Average Monthly Household Income
18
4.4
Member of an SHG
19
4.5
Major source of water
22
4.6
Availability of safe drinking water
23
4.7
Common practice(s) for water storage
23
4.8
Block wise Water for drinking purpose (distance from home to source)
24
4.9
Block wise Supply of water tanker
25
4.10
Community Water Conservation Techniques Followed
25
4.11
Rain Water Storage at the Household Level
25
4.12
Willingness to work on the water structures
27
4.13
Training imparted by any other agency on water conservation and management
28
4.14
Willingness of women for skill enhancement programme or training on water related
issues
28
4.15
Preferable training days as suggested by the women respondents
29
4.16
Preferable training hours/ day as suggested by the women respondents
29
4.17
Preferable Subject or Topic for the Trainings/ Workshops
29
v
ABOUT CENTRE FOR SOCIAL RESEARCH
For nearly four decades, the Centre for Social Research (CSR) has been at the forefront of the women's
movements in India. Addressing gender justice in India entails confronting a myriad of intricate social,
cultural, and economic challenges simultaneously. These encompass, but are not restricted to, issues
such as violence against women, pre-natal sex selection, gender-inclusive governance, women's
participation in the economy, and fostering gender sensitivity and mainstreaming across all sectors of
society.
The Centre for Social Research strongly advocates for the equal rights, privileges, and opportunities
for all individuals. We believe in the pivotal role women play as catalysts and agents of social change.
Recognizing that reshaping gender dynamics necessitates involvement from diverse stakeholders,
including women, men, youth, and individuals from various levels and sectors, both public and private,
we strive for gender justice across all domains.
Concentrating on Gender, Water, and Climate Change, our objective is to emphasize the roles of
women as stakeholders, decision-makers, educators, and experts in this realm. Recognizing women's
contributions to climate change discussions facilitates a gender-transformative approach to
addressing both mitigation and adaptation to climate challenges.
ABOUT GENDER, WATER & CLIMATE CHANGE DEPARTMENT
The Department endeavours to promote environmental sustainability, tackle climate change through
both mitigation and adaptation measures, and conserve forests and wildlife. CSR's goal is to enhance
climate action by advocating for gender equality. Acknowledging the significant roles women play as
decision-makers, educators, stakeholders, and experts across various sectors and levels can pave the
way for effective, sustainable solutions to climate change. CSR collaborates with Self-Help Groups
(SHGs), Elected Women Representatives (EWRs), community members and leaders, technical experts,
local practitioners, and government officials in Bihar, Nepal, and notably across multiple districts in
Rajasthan.
www.csrindia.org
Credits
This report is developed by GWCC Department at the Centre for Social Research.
Lead Authors: Dr. Naveen Kumar and Nehul Goyal
© Centre for Social Research, 2024
Published by the Centre for Social Research with generous funding support from the Embassy of the
Federal Republic of Germany, New Delhi.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system or
transmitted, in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or
otherwise without prior permission from Centre for Social Research, New Delhi.
vi
PREFACE
India has 17.5 per cent of the world’s population but less than 4 per cent of its water resources, making
it among the most water-stressed country in the world. Rajasthan is one of the most water-scarce
states in India and Alwar is one of the districts, where the groundwater level is consistently decreasing.
An in-depth analysis of water level data before the monsoon season spanning from 2002 to 2011
revealed that Alwar's groundwater has been receding at a rate of 25 cm annually.
India stands as the world's foremost consumer of groundwater, with over 60% of its irrigated
agriculture and 85% of its potable water supply relying on this vital resource. Since the 1990s, there
has been a notable reduction in the extent of land under canal and tank irrigation in India. In contrast,
the acreage benefiting from groundwater-driven irrigation has seen a consistent increase over the
years. Farms that utilize groundwater for irrigation boast a twofold improvement in crop water
productivity compared to those reliant solely on surface water and rain water. This marked advantage
arises from the enhanced control that groundwater affords farmers, enabling them to dictate when
to irrigate their fields and the precise volume of water to employ on each occasion. Consequently, the
accessibility and efficiency of using groundwater resources have prompted numerous farmers in India
to transition from canal or tank irrigation to tube well or bore well irrigation.
A committee constituted by the government of India to review water governance in the country led
by Dr. Mihir Shah in his report in 2016 observed that the public finance on water resources after
independence largely focused on surface water. Huge amount was invested on creating surface water
infrastructure. Infrastructure to recharge ground water resource remained neglected despite it
replacing surface water in agriculture as well as for domestic use in the last few decades. However,
farmers invested hugely in ground water extraction infrastructure especially after the green revolution
as it is a reliable source of water, i.e., can be extracted as per the need of the farmer, and can be used
in any way desired. The technological advancements along with growing availability & affordability of
power also helped individual investors (largely farmers) to create groundwater structures like
borewells and tube wells. Currently there are around 30 million groundwater structures in India, with
little to no regulation on the amount they are extracting.
Despite the valuable nature of the resource, approximately one-third of the groundwater aquifers are
semi-critical, critical, or overexploited, and the situation is deteriorating rapidly. This is because, across
the country groundwater is being extracted at a rate which is more than its recharge rate through
precipitation. Climate change changing pattern of rain - will further strain groundwater resources.
This will have serious implications for the sustainability of agriculture, long-term food security,
livelihoods, and economic growth of the country. It is estimated that over a quarter of the country’s
harvest will be at risk.
A complex web of factors determines groundwater extraction such as the size of landholdings, density
of population, water-intensity of crops planted, water users’ behaviour, irrigation method, legislation
and administration of groundwater, power subsidies for pumping irrigation water, and economic
policies.
Groundwater extraction is a quintessential example of tragedy of the commons, as it can be recharged
only at community level but is extracted as a private resource leading to its exploitation. Thus, a
practical and non-controversial intervention, which can be implemented in the current environment
is community management of ground water wherein the user community is the primary custodian of
the resource and focusses on recharging ground water by implementing management and
conservation measures. This can be achieved by constructing, rejuvenation, reviving water harvesting
vii
structures that are suited to the local geographical and environmental conditions. Traditional water
structures are often perfect examples of this, from Baoris of Delhi, Johads of Rajasthan, Kunds of
Gujarat and Eris of Tamil Nadu.
Thus, the project aims to revive the traditional water harvesting structures of Alwar district, Rajasthan
while building women’s leadership. The survey was conducted with the aim to understand the ground
realities regarding water uses and practices, local knowledge of these structures, and gaps to and
willingness for reviving them.
Dr. Naveen Kumar,
Head of the Department,
Gender, Water & Climate Change
Centre for Social Research
viii
Acknowledgement
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all those who contributed to the successful
completion of this needs assessment report. This undertaking would not have been possible without
the collaboration and support of numerous individuals and organizations.
First and foremost, we would like to acknowledge the support and guidance received from Dr. Ranjana
Kumari, Director, CSR whose insightful feedback and constructive suggestions played a pivotal role in
shaping the final report.
We also extend our thanks to the participants and stakeholders who generously shared their time,
perspectives, and experiences during interviews, surveys, and focus group discussions. Their input
played a crucial role in shaping the findings and recommendations presented in this report.
Additionally, we acknowledge the generous funding support from the Embassy of the Federal Republic
of Germany, New Delhi for providing the necessary resources and support to carry out this needs
assessment. Their commitment to addressing community needs has been instrumental in the success
of this initiative.
We would like to thank all the interns Managam Singh, Saisha Bhatnagar, Saqib Zameel, Vibhuti Jain
Mohammad Kaif, Mobashira Fatima for supporting the work throughout this assessment. We would
like to thank Dr. Suresh Chand Aggarwal and Gunjika V. Misra, Shipra Deo for their initial feedback on
the questionnaire for this needs assessment.
We want to express our gratitude to the entire filed level support team, Ratan Singh, Naseeb, Sushma,
Shyam, Gourav, Taruna, Manju and Manisha whose dedication and hard work contributed to the
thoroughness and accuracy of the information presented in this report.
Finally, this report stands as a collective effort, and we are truly thankful for the collaborative spirit
that characterized this undertaking. We would like to thank colleagues at the Media Department
Jyoti Vadhera and Tanya Thankur; Research And Knowledge Management Department Dr. Manasi
Mishra and Abhishek Sharma; Organisational Development Department Valerie Hohman; Admin, HR
and Finance - Bala Krishnan, Sandeep Gupta, Anil Jha; IT team Manoj; Office Support Staff - Sanjay,
Policarp, Vijay, Jameel, Suresh and Waseem.
We also would like to thank Shailender working at the Adarsh Enterprises for printing and binding the
report.
This project would not have been successful without the collaborative spirit of all involved. Thank you
for your dedication and commitment to the pursuit of knowledge and improvement.
ix
Foreword
This report delves into the Centre for Social Research's (CSR) multifaceted role in advocating for
gender justice, particularly in addressing water scarcity issues. It outlines CSR's belief in gender
equality, stressing the importance of women's active participation and recognizing their role as agents
of social change. Additionally, it emphasizes CSR's focus on gender, water, and climate change, aiming
to position women as stakeholders and experts in these domains.
The report presents a comprehensive analysis of water scarcity in Rajasthan, India, highlighting the
alarming rate of groundwater depletion. It points out the increasing dependence on groundwater for
agricultural irrigation and potable water, attributing it to improved crop productivity but also raising
concerns about over-extraction and its impact on sustainability. The report also highlights government
expenditure on surface water infrastructure over groundwater recharge mechanisms, leading to its
neglect.
The escalating groundwater crisis, exacerbated by climate change, poses a significant threat to
agriculture, food security, livelihoods, and economic growth in India. It attributes groundwater over-
extraction to a complex interplay of factors including landholdings, population density, crop water
requirements, and existing policies. The report addresses the tragedy of the commons phenomenon
and proposes community-based management of groundwater resources as a practical intervention to
counter over-extraction, emphasizing the need for local, context-specific water harvesting structures.
Moreover, the project aims to revive traditional water harvesting structures in Alwar district,
Rajasthan, while empowering women's leadership. The study intends to analyze local water practices,
assess gaps in infrastructure, and revive these traditional structures in partnership with women
leaders. Additionally, the project aims to build capacities for women's leadership in water
conservation, agricultural practices, and network strengthening among Civil Society Organizations
(CSOs) in Rajasthan.
The introductory chapter highlights the significant role of women in managing water resources at
home and within communities while underscoring the urgency to engage women in climate change
solutions. It emphasizes the need for inclusive planning processes and empowering women leaders to
address water scarcity and climate variability.
Overall, the report sheds light on the critical issues of water scarcity, gender equality, and climate
change adaptation while outlining initiatives to empower women's leadership in addressing these
challenges.
Dr. Ranjana Kumari
Director,
Centre for Social Research
Chapter I:
Introduction
1
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction
Women in rural India are primary managers of water at home. Whether surplus or scarce, women are
responsible for appropriate use of water in households. However, they are often neglected during
water management at the community level. Moreover, climate change is causing variability of water
in Rajasthan, increasing the burden of women for fulfilling water needs of the house. There is a need
for greater social inclusion and for engaging women’s leadership in developing solutions to climate
change.
In light of this, the project aims to build capacity of women leaders in leadership and governance skills
for local water conservation planning. Trainings will be conducted to advance women’s participation
and decision-making in the management of community water resources. Local capacity will also be
developed to manage water conservation at village level with trainings for concrete improvements to
water infrastructure. Further, trainings will be conducted focusing on technologies to enhance water
conservation in agriculture and increasing productivity. The projects also aim to strengthen a network
of CSOs within Rajasthan to integrate best practices of water conservation at the state-level. With this,
the project hopes to narrow the gap in understanding the impact of environmental problems on
women, and mainstreaming them in the planning process.
1.2 Need and importance of the study
Even though women bear a primary burden of water management within homes, communities, and
agricultural systems, they are often excluded from developing solutions for water conservation and
broader environmental issues. Training on technological aspects of conservation is also limited and
the gendered impact of environmental problems are seldom mainstreamed in planning processes.
In 2019, the Hon’ble Prime Minister set out five-year objectives for the upcoming term of his new
government. In this plan, addressing the current climate change issues and water management were
key target areas. Rajasthan is a state of focus for water conservation since it faces serious water
shortages. This plan also addressed the need for greater social inclusion and for engaging women’s
leadership in developing solutions to climate change.
Moreover, the study also focuses on the following Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - SDG 5 to
promote gender equality through women’s leadership in community decision-making, SDG 13 focused
on developing socially sustainable solutions in climate change and SDG 6 to increase access to water,
sanitation and infrastructure development.
1.3 Objectives of the study
The present needs assessment tries to assess the following
Women’s participation in the local governance
Women’s decision making at the household and community level
Current situation of water in the study area
Status of traditional water conservation structures
Status of capacity building initiative/s on water conservation and management
2
1.4 Scope of the study
The needs assessment covered 7 blocks of the district. The blocks are Umren, Kishangarh Bas,
Ramgarh, Thanagazi, Tijara, Bansur, and Mundawar.
1.5 Data and methodology
The needs assessment is based on the primary data collected through a questionnaire during June to
August 2023 using simple random sampling technique. The questionnaire covered the following broad
sections - socio-economic and demographic details like age, marital status, education, household size,
income, etc.; membership in SHG and PRI; participation in Gram Panchayat meeting. To know the
status of current situation of water questions like - sources of water, water availability, storage, and
status of existing structures were assessed. Qualitative questions focused on health issues due to
fetching water; knowledge and involvement of women in water management and conservation at
community level; willingness to develop water management and conservation structures; and training
requirements were also assessed.
The primary data have been analysed using simple statistical tools and techniques such as
percentages, averages, etc. and is presented with the help of charts, bar diagram, pie diagram, etc.
1.6 Chapterisation Scheme
Chapter I: Introduction
Chapter II: Alwar District An Introduction
Chapter III: Overview of Govt. of India and Govt. of Rajasthan policies and programmes related
with water
Chapter IV: Situational Analysis/ Needs Assessment
Chapter V: Summary Discussion
Chapter VI: Conclusion and Way Forward
1.7 Limitations of the study
The needs assessment was carried out only in 7 blocks of Alwar district in Rajasthan. It is to be noted
that after the initiation of the study there were new blocks formed as well as some blocks merged
with newly formed district in the state of Rajasthan. Thus, generalisation of the study results is focused
only for 7 blocks of Alwar district. While selecting the study villages in the gram panchayats of 7 blocks,
availability of water conservation structures has been kept at the centre of the priority so that based
on the study assessment, a participatory women led development for rejuvenation or renovation work
can be carried out for the identified water conservation structure in the selected villages.
Chapter II:
Alwar District An Introduction
3
CHAPTER II: ALWAR DISTRICT AN INTRODUCTION
Alwar district is located in the eastern part of Rajasthan. It is bounded in the north by state of Haryana,
in the east by Bharatpur district, south by Dausa and in the west by Jaipur district. It stretches between
27⁰ 02’ 33.21” to 28⁰ 13 46.14” North latitude and 76⁰ 06’ 50.32’’ to 77⁰ 15 31.79’’ East longitude
covering area of 8,382.9 sq. kms. Major part of the district has a systematic drainage system, as whole
region is part of basins namely ‘Shekhawati River Basin’,’Sabi River Basin’,’Ruparail River Basin’ and
‘Banganga River Basin’.
The below information is compiled from the Hydrological Atlas of Rajasthan, developed by
Groundwater Department of Rajasthan & Rolta India Limited under the European Union State
Partnership Programme in the Year 2013 (Annexure I).
2.1 Administrative set-up
Alwar district is located in the eastern part of Rajasthan. Alwar has 14 blocks namely Bansur, behror,
Kathumar, Kiahangarh bas, Kotkasim, lachhmangarh, Mundawar, Neemrana, Rajgarh, Ramgarh, Reni,
Thanagazi, Tijara, Umren. Among all the seven districts taken for our study Umren came to be the
most populated block with 4.82 lakhs population as per 2001 census with 12% of the district area.
However, Tijara had the maximum number of the towns and villages among all the blocks that is 207.
2.2 Topography and Climate
The district lies in the north-easterly part of Aravalli range and presents an excellent arch type of
folded mountain belt. In the east and southeast, the district has an undulating topography. The
general elevation range of the district is 250 m to 375 m amsl. Elevation ranges from a minimum of
190.3 m amsl in Tijara block in the northeastern part of the district to a maximum of 771.1 m amsl In
Bansur block in western part of the district.
The climate of the district is moderate and Is part of sub-humid region. The district has a hot dry
summer and a bracing cold season. Generally, winter season begins from November and lasts up to
February while rainy season from July to the first half of September. While temperature continuously
rises in the season from March to June, it goes down after mid November till it declines up to the
minimum in the month of January. The mean annual rainfall of the district is 668.6 mm.
2.3 Rainfall
The district received fairly good rainfall in the majority of blocks and slightly less in some of the blocks
(as per year 2010 data). Average annual rainfall in Alwar district was about 761.1 mm based on the
data of available blocks. The highest average annual rainfall in the district is noticed/ recorded in
Thanagazi block (887.7 mm)
2.4 Geology and Aquifers
Geologically, the district is covered primarily by rocks belonging to Aravalli and Delhi Super Group of
rocks. Pre Delhi rocks of the district comprise of quartzite with interlayered schist and phyllite, impure
marble & granite. Delhi Super Group starts with a basal conglomerate which is arkosic at places. The
entire sequence shows a facial change from calcareous members in the lower to arenaceous members
in middle and to a predominantly argillaceous nature in the upper portion. There is distinct type of
Post Delhi intrusive viz. sills and dykes of amphibolites and meta-dolerite.
4
In Alwar district, aquifers are formed primarily in Older alluvium and Quartzite. Weathered and
fractured parts of the massive quartzite contribute to aquifer formation whereas the sandy, gravelly
and other granular parts of alluvium constitute aquifers. Quartzite forms about 22% of the area and
occurs along the fringes of hilly parts in the southwestern parts of the district. The alluvium is the
principal aquifer in this district as it occupies more than 67% of the district occupying eastern, northern
and western parts. Typical sandy horizons constitute aquifers in alluvial areas.
2.5 Stages of Groundwater development and Depth of water level
All the seven blocks of our study fall under the ‘over-exploited ‘category indicating that the
groundwater is under stress and exploitation exceeding recharge. Depth of the water (Pre-monsoon-
2010) level varies significantly from less than 10m below the ground level (bgl) to more than 60 bgl.
10m interval has been adopted to depict the depth to groundwater levels in Alwar district. Ramgarh
and Tijara shows water depth at 10-20m bgl for maximum area whereas rest of the blocks shows
maximum areas under 20-30m bgl and then reaching up to >60m bgl in some areas.
2.6 Groundwater chloride distribution
High chloride concentration in groundwater also renders it unsuitable for domestic and other
purposes. Approximately 65% of the district area has low chloride concentration <250mg/l and is
suitable for domestic purpose with Umren having the largest area under suitable category that is 707.0
sq. km. The area with moderate chloride concentration(250-1000mg/l) occupies approximately 31%
of the district area with Ramgarh having the maximum area that is 346.2 sq. km. Remaining small part
of the district approximately 4% falls under high chloride category(1000mg/l).
2.7 Groundwater Fluoride distribution
The area with the low concentration (<1.5mg/l) occupies 80% of the area of the district which makes
it suitable for domestic purposes with Umren having the maximum area falling under this category
that is 696.7sq. km. Ramgarh has the significant area with moderately high concentration (1.5-
3.0mg/l) among other blocks. Remaining small part of the district approximately 5% has high Fluoride
concentration(>3.0mg/l).
2.8 Groundwater Nitrate distribution
Low nitrate concentration occupies 59% of the district area which is suitable for agriculture with
Umren having the maximum area that is 653.0sq. km. Tijara and Ramgarh has maximum area under
moderately high nitrate concentration(50-100mg/l) and in total this category occupies 29% of the
district area. Remaining part of the district is covered with high nitrate concentration (100mg/l) which
is not suitable for agricultural purposes.
2.9 Depth to Bedrock
The beginning of massive bedrock has been considered for defining top of bedrock surface. The major
rock type occurring in the district is quartzite. These rocks are overlain by alluvial deposits of sand,
clay, silt etc. It varies from up to 60m bgl to more than 120m bgl. Shallow bedrock is found in the
northernmost part of Tijara block (less than 40m bgl). Deepest occurrence of bedrock is found in
northern part of the district (more than 120m bgl).
5
2.10 Unconfined aquifers
2.10.1 Unconfined aquifers in alluvial areas
Most part of the district has thick cover of alluvium. In unconfined conditions the alluvial aquifers
attain a thickness of more than 70m. the general thickness is up to 40m. The data reveals that this
aquifer is spread in most part of the district with moderate thickness of up to 20m and in some pocket
attaining more than 40m thickness. The maximum thickness of alluvium was noticed in Tijara block.
2.10.2 Unconfined aquifers in hard rock areas
Weathered, fractured and jointed rock formation occurring at shallow depths constitute good
unconfined aquifers. Such zone ranges in thickness from less than 10m to slightly more than 20m.
Umren shows the maximum hard rock areas at <10m.
Geographically Alwar is located in the eastern part of Rajasthan and is primarily covered by rocks
belonging to Aravalli and Delhi Super Group of rocks. The aquifers are formed primarily in older
alluvium (67.2%) and quartzite (21.8%). The block wise comparison shows that Umren block has the
maximum amount of the hard rock aquifers with thickness of <10m. It has a total population of approx.
30 lakhs with the most populated being Umren with population of 4.82 lakhs (as per 2001 census) and
also has the maximum area and 12% of district area.
The climate of the district is moderate and is part of a sub-humid region. The district receives fairly
good rainfall in the majority of blocks like Kishangarh bas, Thanagazi and slightly less in some blocks.
The highest average annual rainfall is seen in Thanagazi that is 887.7mm. All seven blocks, even after
receiving fair amount of rainfall, falls under ‘over-exploited’ category, indicating that the groundwater
is under stress and exploitation exceeding recharge which in turn, signifies the importance of
implementation of rain water harvesting methods.
High chloride concentration in groundwater also renders that it is not suitable for domestic and other
purposes. Based on the chloride concentration 65% of the district area has low (<250mg/l) chloride
concentration and is found suitable for domestic purpose but Ramgarh falls under high chloride
concentration that is >1000mg/l, which is not suitable for domestic purposes. Groundwater fluoride
distribution shows that 80% of the area is found suitable for domestic purposes based on the low
fluoride distribution that is <1.5mg/l. However, based on the distribution of low Nitrate concentration
(<50 mg/l) in the groundwater, which occupies 59% of the district area, it is found suitable for
agriculture purposes.
The area irrigated by wells is very significant in Alwar districts. There are large numbers of wells, with
average of one in every 5.8 ha in Alwar. The district uses groundwater intensively and experiences
over-exploitation
1
.
1
Aquifer Mapping and Ground Water Management, District Alwar, Rajasthan (Under XII Plan), 2017
Chapter III:
Policies & Programmes
related with Water
6
CHAPTER III: OVERVIEW OF GOVT. OF INDIA AND GOVT. OF RAJASTHAN POLICIES AND
PROGRAMMES RELATED WITH WATER
3.1 Introduction
Rajasthan is one of the most water-scarce state in India, with a semi-arid to arid climate and an
average annual rainfall of only around 300 mm. The state is home to the Thar desert, which covers
much of the western and northwestern regions and has a low water-bearing capacity. The scarcity of
water in Rajasthan is further exacerbated by the increasing population, rapid urbanization, and
industrialization, leading to over-exploitation of groundwater and depletion of water resources.
Groundwater replenishment in the State mainly takes place through monsoon rainfall. Annual
groundwater availability thus varies with rainfall condition during a particular year. The projected
groundwater draft and stage of groundwater development will thus further be modified
corresponding to rainfall condition and management activities taken up in the near future.
Alwar district, located in the eastern part of Rajasthan, is one the most water-stressed district in the
state. The district has a predominantly rural population and is known for its dry, hilly terrain. The
district faces water scarcity due to several reasons, including:
Low rainfall: Alwar district receives an average annual rainfall of around 650 mm, which is much lower
than the national average of 1170 mm of annual rainfall.
Over-exploitation of groundwater: The district heavily relies on groundwater for its water needs, but
the increasing demand for water has led to over-exploitation of groundwater resources, causing a
decline in groundwater levels.
Poor water management: There is a lack of proper water management practices in the district, with
water resources being poorly maintained and managed.
Climate change: The district is also facing the impacts of climate change, with increasing temperatures
and changes in rainfall pattern leading to further water stress.
The water scarcity in Alwar district has had severe impacts on the lives of the people, particularly those
living in rural areas. Women and children, who are primarily responsible for water collection and
management for household purposes, have to travel long distances to fetch water, often facing
physical and social hardships. The lack of water has also affected agriculture, which is the primary
livelihood for many people in the district.
To ensure long term groundwater security in villages a decentralised, demand driven, and
community managed water supply system where local communities, especially women need to be
oriented and engaged in an intelligent water management, is the need of the hour.
To address the water scarcity in Alwar district as well as at the national-level, several initiatives have
been taken by the Government and NGOs. These include rainwater harvesting, watershed
management, and the promotion of water-efficient practices in agriculture. There is also need for
greater community participation and awareness-raising to ensure the sustainable management of
water resources in the district and the country.
7
3.2 GoI schemes and programmes at a glance
Name of the Scheme
Salient Features/ Brief about the Scheme
3.2.1 Jal Shakti
Abhiyan: Catch the
Rain
1
(2023)
Launched on March 2023 and focuses on (1) rainwater harvesting &
water conservation (2) enumerating, geo-tagging & making inventory of
all water bodies; preparation of scientific plans for water conservation
(3) Setting up Jal Shakti Kendras in all district (4) intensive afforestation
and (5) awareness generation.
25 districts in Rajasthan have received the first instalments of funds
Water conservation and rain water harvesting- 41907 (total)
Check dam: 5586; Pond/Tank:33900; Trench:537; Rooftop water
harvesting structures:313; Other rainwater harvesting structures:33;
Other water conservation structures:1538
Reuse and recharge structures-1986 (total)
Soakpit:1625; stabilization pond:3; others:358
Watershed development-5026 (total)
Gully Plug: 34; Percolation tank:712; Staggered Trenches:86; Other
watershed construction activities:4194
Intensive Afforestation-1570510 (total)
Nurseries:162; Seedlings planted:173960; Plantation:3960; Samplings
planted:1392428
3.2.2 Jal Jeevan
Mission
(2019)
To have secure tap and sewer connections at household level;
rejuvenation of water bodies and creating circular water economy, JJM
launched in 2019 under Jal shakti Ministry and it envisages supply of 55
liters of water per person per day to every rural household through
Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC) by 2024.
Contribute to gender equality by reducing the burden of water
collection on women. Community based mission for water and includes
extensive Information, Education and Communication as a key
component of the mission.
Implementation involves formation of Paani Samitis that include 10-15
members, with at least 50% women members and other members from
Self-Help Groups, Accredited Social and Health Workers, Anganwadi
workers, etc.
Its status in Rajasthan is that 43.8% of the household has tap
connections.
3.2.3 ‘Sahi fasal
campaign
(2019)
This campaign was launched by National Water Mission, Ministry of Jal
Shakti in 2019 to nudge the farmers in the water stressed areas to grow
less water intensive, economically remunerative and environment
friendly crops.
A series of workshops have been organized in Amritsar, Aurangabad &
Kurukshetra and with technical experts in New Delhi for awareness
generation.
No specific data is available on number of farmers shifted to less water
intensive crops and amount of water saved due to ‘Sahi Fasal’ campaign.
3.2.4 Atul Bhujal
Yojana
(2019)
Launched in 2019, it is a Centre sector scheme worth Rs.6,000 crore for
sustainable management of groundwater with community
participation (Water User Association) implemented by Ministry of Jal
1
Source: https://jsactr.mowr.gov.in/PublicDashboard.aspx
8
Shakti. It is funded by Government of India and the World Bank on 50:50
basis.
The identified over-exploited and water-stressed areas for the
implementation of the scheme are Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka,
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.
In Rajasthan, this scheme is applicable in 1139 water stressed gram
panchayats.
3.2.5 PMKSY
Accelerated
irrigation benefits
programme
(2015)
Launched in 2015, has three main components viz. AIBP, HKKP and
Watershed Development.
AIBP launched in 1996 with the aim of accelerating the implementation of
irrigation projects that exceed the resource capabilities of states.
Har Khet ko Pani aims to create new water sources through Minor
Irrigation. Repair, restoration and renovation of water bodies,
strengthening carrying capacity of traditional water sources, construction of
rain water harvesting structures.
Watershed Development is the effective management of runoff water and
improved soil & moisture conservation activities such as ridge area
treatment, drainage line treatment, rain water harvesting, in-situ moisture
conservation and other allied activities on watershed basis.
Convergence of investments in irrigation at the field level.
To expand the cultivable area under assured irrigation (Har Khet ko
pani).
To improve on-farm water use efficiency to reduce water wastage.
Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare is implementing the Per
Drop More Crop component of PMKSY that mainly focus on micro
irrigation (drip and sprinkler irrigation).
To enhance recharge of aquifers and introduce sustainable water
conservation practices that will increase agricultural output.
3.2.6 National
Aquifer Mapping and
Management
Program (NAQUIM)
(2012)
Launched in 2012 and implemented by Central Ground Water Board
(CGWB) under Ground Water Management and Regulation (GWM&R)
Scheme, a central sector scheme.
Maps aquifers (water-bearing formations), characterizes them, and
develops Aquifer Management Plans.
The scheme aims for sustainable management of groundwater
resources across the country.
In Rajasthan, for 216430 sq. km. area aquifer maps and management
plan has been prepared.
3.2.7 The Command
Area Development
and Water
management
Program
(1974-75)
The programme was started as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme in the
year 1974-75 with the objective to bridge the gap between irrigation
potential created and utilized through participatory irrigation
management.
The key objectives of the Command Area Development Programme
(CADP) are to improve irrigation efficiency, increase agricultural
productivity, and foster socio-economic development.
The implementation of the CADP involves a step-by-step process that
includes planning, execution, monitoring, and evaluation done by the
state government.
Irrigation will improve farming activities which will cause socio-
economic upliftment.
There are two projects running under this scheme in Rajasthan.
9
3.3 Groundwater Policies and Governance in the State
Rajasthan has enacted number of legislations in the recent time to regulate water resources and
incentivize rainwater harvesting. Major legislations enacted by the state includes the Rajasthan Water
Resource Regulatory Act, 2012 and the Rajasthan River Basin and Water Resources Planning Act, 2015.
Moreover, the state had adopted state water policy in 2010. To regulate the groundwater resources,
the state had drafted The Rajasthan Ground Water Management Bill in 2006. However, it is still in the
draft form. Brief description of major legislations and policies enacted by the state are highlighted in
the following table.
Major Policies and Legislations Governing Groundwater Resources in Rajasthan
Name of the Policy/
Legislation
Salient features
3.3.1 Rajasthan
River Basin and
Water Resources
Planning Act, 2015
An Act for the establishment of the State Water Resources Advisory
Council and the Rajasthan River Basin and Water Resources Planning
Authority to adopt an Integrated Water Resources Management
approach for the management and development of river basins and sub-
basins on sustainable basis by planning of for all watershed, irrigation
and drinking water projects covering the basins, subbasins, aquifers and
watersheds to develop state-level water resources plans to ensure
optimal and efficient utilization of groundwater and surface water,
including inter-basin water transfer, interlinking of rivers from surplus to
deficit basins, sub- basins and to amend the Rajasthan Water Resources
Regulatory Act, 2012.
3.3.2 Rajasthan
Water Resources
Regulatory Act,
2012 (Rajasthan Act
No. 38 of 2013)
An Act to provide for the establishment of the Rajasthan Water
Resources Regulatory Authority, to regulate water resources within the
State of Rajasthan, facilitate and ensure judicious, equitable and
sustainable management, allocation and utilization of water resources,
fix the rates for use of water for drinking, agriculture, industrial, and
other purposes, and matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
3.3.3 Rajasthan
State Water Policy,
2010
The policy describes the critical status of water in Rajasthan in terms of
the growing imbalance between demand and supply of water,
uncertainty in availability of water, inequity in access to water, low
operational efficiency of water resource development projects,
depleting groundwater resources and deteriorating quality of water,
high cost of service, low-cost recovery and low level of expenditure, and
lack of ownership among stakeholders.
Radical shift from predominantly engineered-based solutions to local
community-based water management solutions. Shift towards
community level empowerment and responsibility for their own water
management under the process of ‘Integrated Water Resources
Management’. Bottom-up decision making and top- down technical
support within a much more holistic conceptual framework for water
management.
Water allocation according to a decreasing order from priority starting
from human drinking water, livestock drinking, other domestic uses,
commercial and municipal water uses, agriculture, power generation,
environmental and ecological, industrial, non-consumptive uses, and
others.
10
The new policy document addresses issues related to water supply and
development, integrated Water Resource Management, irrigation,
water resources infrastructure, water conservation, water quality,
environmental management, water pricing, legal enablement, capacity
building, research, and monitoring and evaluation of water policy and
action plans.
Exploitation of groundwater for agriculture and purposes other than
drinking will be managed by public participation so as not to exceed the
average long-term recharge potential.
The current ethos of uncontrolled groundwater extraction as an
“individual right‟, will be discouraged. It will be replaced by an ethos of
community responsibility for the long-term sustainability of the aquifer
as a community resource.
A programme of water metering for water management purposes will
apply to all significant water users irrespective of source and water
ownership.
Differing stepped water rates may be charged for agricultural, industrial,
commercial, and municipal purposes. In all cases, the highest rate will be
a strong disincentive for profligate water usage.
3.3.4 Rajasthan
Groundwater
Management Bill,
2006
Draft
3.3.5 Roof Top Rain
Water Harvesting
(RTRWH) in building
by law, 2005
The Govt. has made provision of compulsory installation of rainwater
harvesting system in all newly and existing construction building and
Govt. offices vide order dated 31.05.2000 and 12.12.2005 disconnection
of water supply, has also been made.
3.4 Other Initiatives to promote water conservation
The government of Rajasthan, in collaboration with various NGOs and civil society organizations, has
implemented several initiatives to promote water conservation in Alwar district. Some of these
initiatives are:
Name of the Scheme
Salient Features/ Brief about the Scheme
3.4.1 Mukhya Mantri
Jal Swavlamban
Abhiyan
2
Launched in 2016 across 295 Blocks of 33 districts. It was four-year
programme, each phase of one year making villages self-sufficient in
water & creating Islands of Excellence.
Construction of low-cost water harvesting structures on watershed
through use of technology. Mobilizing financial resources from multiple
sources Line Departments, NGOS, Corporate houses, religious trusts,
non-resident villagers, Social groups, etc.
To increase groundwater level, availability of surface flow in the main
stream of watershed, availability of drinking water, increase in irrigated
area, cultivable area and crop production.
This scheme was started by the Government of Rajasthan on 27 January
2016 from village Gardankhedi in Jhalawar district. Through this
campaign, a target was set to provide benefits to 3000 priority villages
in 2016 and 6000 villages every year for 3 years.
2
https://mjsa.water.rajasthan.gov.in/content/raj/mjsa/en/home.html#
11
No data on work progress were found/ or made available.
3.4.2 Indira Gandhi
Canal
3 4
Canal project was constructed in 1983 and finished in 2010. It was 445
km in length. It has been constructed for starting agricultural activities
in the Rajasthan fields. Built on Sutlej and Beas rivers and connected
with Rajasthan and Punjab.
It provides water for irrigation in Sriganganagar, Bikaner, and Jaisalmer,
covering a total area of 12.58 lakh hectares. It provides drinking water
service in eight districts of western Rajasthan. Agricultural production
has increased significantly as a result of the availability of sufficient
water for irrigation. Agriculture-related industries have also flourished.
The state has established industrial cities and markets as a result of this
canal. The availability of green fodder and agricultural products has
resulted in the states livestock and fisheries development. As a result
of the canal, the forest area has grown. The pasture grounds have been
expanded, and the desert areas expansion has been checked.
The development of barren land has become possible due to the
availability of water. Suratgarh and Anupgarh branches have three
micro hydropower plants that provide electricity to the state. Other
benefits include famine control, increased human settlements, mineral
industry development, and increased per capita income.
3.4.3 National Rural
Drinking Water
Programme
(NRDWP)
5
Aimed at providing safe and adequate drinking water to rural
communicates. Under this scheme, rainwater harvesting structures
such as rooftop rainwater harvesting systems, recharge pits, and
percolation tanks are constructed in rural areas to improve water
availability.
With a major emphasis on ensuring the sustainability of water
availability in terms of adequacy, affordability, portability, convenience
and equity, the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP), a
centrally sponsored scheme was launched in 2009.
The NRDWP guidelines were further updated in 2013 with focus on
piped water supply, increasing household tap connections and raising
drinking water supply norms.
NRDWP is implemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with costs
being shared between the Central and State Governments.
The cost incurred on implementing the programme is decided to be
shared between the Centre and the States in the ratio of 50:50. The
scheme has been merged with Jal Jeevan Mission since 2019.
Under this scheme, rainwater harvesting structures such as rooftop
rainwater harvesting systems, recharge pits, and percolation tanks are
constructed in rural areas to improve water availability.
In Alwar district, several villages have benefited from this scheme, and
many households have installed rooftop rainwater harvesting system.
3.4.4 Watershed
Development
Programme
The Watershed Development Programme is a community-driven
programme that focuses on watershed development and management.
Under this programme, soil and water conversation measures are
3
https://unacademy.com/content/railway-exam/study-material/geography/a-short-note-on-indira-gandhi-
canal/
4
https://prepp.in/news/e-492-indira-gandhi-canal-project-geography-notes
5
https://byjus.com/free-ias-prep/national-rural-drinking-water-
programme/#:~:text=The%20primary%20objective%20of%20NRDWP,times%20and%20in%20all%20situations.
12
implemented to increase the availability of water for agriculture and
other purposes.
In Alwar district, several villages have implemented this programme
resulting in improved water availability and increased agriculture
productivity.
3.4.5 Jal Swarajya
Abhiyan
The Jal Swarajya Abhiyan is a national programme launched by the
Ministry of Jal Shakti to promote water conversation and management.
Under this programme, rainwater harvesting structures and other water
conversation measures are promoted in rural areas to increase water
availability.
In Alwar district, several villages have implemented this programme,
resulting in improved water availability and reduced dependence on
groundwater.
These government initiatives, along with the efforts of NGOs and civil society organizations, have
helped in promoting rainwater harvesting and improving water availability in Alwar district. However,
there is still a long way to go in ensuring sustainable water management and addressing the water
scarcity in the area.
Chapter IV:
Situational Analysis/
Needs Assessment
13
CHAPTER IV: SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS/ NEEDS ASSESSMENT
4.1 Data and Methodology
To assess the ground realities of water management, social context, and the beneficiary concerns, and
to design a demand-driven plan of action, a needs assessment survey was conducted. The household
survey was designed to investigate and explore the current situation of water resources and gender
issues in the identified villages of Alwar district of Rajasthan. To address the depleting groundwater
concerns in Alwar district of Rajasthan the following processes were followed, by the CSR team
(a) Reconnaissance Visit a reconnaissance visit comprising of three team members from the Centre
for Social Research was conducted during May 2023. The team comprises of HoD-Gender, Water and
Climate Change, HoD- Research & Knowledge Management and a Technical Expert. The
Reconnaissance Visit was to determine the identification and feasibility for the project
implementation area. The CSR team travelled extensively before finalising the 7 blocks as project
intervention areas.
(b) Based on the extensive field travel and the interaction with different stakeholders, an eight-page
questionnaire (Annexure II) was developed in English and translated into Hindi.
(c) Field testing of the questionnaire the changes were incorporated in the questionnaire based on
the field testing of the questionnaire.
(d) Based on the primary data available from the groups of Sarpanches (village head this may include
one village or several villages to form one gram panchayat, this is primarily based on the population).
A total of 2-to-3-gram panchayats were selected for the project implementation. In each and every
gram panchayat a total of 2 to 3 villages were selected based on the inputs from the stakeholders,
village women and also based on the need for the rejuvenation/ renovation/ repair work for
traditional water conservation structure in that village.
(e) Training/ Orientation to the data collection team (investigators and supervisors) a team of 8
investigators and 2 supervisors were involved in data collection. All the investigators and supervisors
were oriented and trained about the objective of the study and the geographical setting of Alwar
district and water situation in different blocks.
(f) Data collection it took close to three months during May to June for data collection from 7 blocks
and a total of 363 women were included in the primary survey.
(g) Data entry and data validation data entry, data validation and any inconsistencies between and
among the responses were assessed and it took close to two-three weeks to complete this exercise.
(h) Reliability test The reliability of the questionnaire was also tested with the help of Cronbach’s
Alpha method. Thus, to assess the internal consistency in the responses Cronbachs alpha test
1
, also
known as rho-equivalent reliability or coefficient alpha, is a reliability coefficient and a measure of the
internal consistency of tests and measures, was conducted. The general rule of thumb is that a
Cronbach's Alpha of 0.60 and above is good.
1
Cronbach's alpha is a way of assessing reliability by comparing the amount of shared variance, or covariance,
among the items making up an instrument to the amount of overall variance. The idea is that if the instrument
is reliable, there should be a great deal of covariance among the items relative to the variance.
14
= tau-equivalent reliability
k = number of items
= covariance between Xi and Xj
= item variances and inter-item covariances
Results of Cronbachs alpha test Scale reliability coefficient: 0.8369 (high value for alpha satisfy the
reliability test).
(h) Data analysis data was analysed using statistical software STATA (version 13) and Excel (version
10) and for better presentation some figures were included.
Figure 4.1: Blocks Covered under the Needs Assessment
Study blocks for needs assessment
15
Table 4.1 presents the total sample of 363 women from 19-gram panchayats from 39 villages in 7
blocks of Alwar district in Rajasthan. The blocks selected for the needs assessment are Umren,
Kishangarh Bas, Ramgarh, Thanagazi, Tijara, Bansur, and Mundawar.
Table 4.1: Block, Gram Panchayat and Village Details for the Study
Name of the Block
Gram Panchayats
Villages Covered
Total Survey
Bansur
Rampur
Rampur
22
Sabalpura
Sabalpura
16
Kalyanpura
Kalyanpura
12
Total
50
Kishangarh bas
Kolgaon
Kolgaon
29
Khoiro pipli
1
Khanpur mewan
Khanpur mewan
20
Jhirandiya
Dadarheda
3
Ichhaka
1
Jhirandiya
3
Khedla
2
Tehatda
3
Total
62
Mundawar
Jindauli
Jindauli
25
Sorkha kalan
Sorkha kalan
22
Badi
2
Total
49
Ramgarh
Neekach
Neekach
13
Kota kalan
8
Chhota gaon
1
Neekach Bada bas
1
Taj ka bas
1
Ghadi dhaneta
Ghadi dhaneta
15
Khoeda karmali
Khoeda karmali
8
Ishan ka bas
7
Total
54
Thanagazi
Bamanwas kankad
Tola bas
9
Bamanwas kankad
14
Bhadana ki bal
6
Kanpura lodge
Kanpura lodge
7
Maana vaas
14
Total
50
Tijara
Hameeraka
Hameeraka
13
Navinagar
12
Jojaka
Khadkhada vaas
11
Palpur
Palpur
7
Baliya vaas
9
Total
52
Umren
Chandauli
Chandauli
13
Kasba dehra
Rundh mas ka tiraya
3
Tehadpur
7
Todiyar
6
Kasba dehra
6
Nandihere
Nanglasedhu
9
Nandihere
2
Total
46
Grand Total
19
39
363
16
The survey was a mixed-method questionnaire which focused on demographic and socio-economic
details like age, marital status, education, household size, income, etc., membership in SHG and PRI,
participation in Gram Panchayat meetings. Few technical questions spanned details regarding sources
of water, water availability, storage, and status of existing structures. Qualitative questions focused
on health issues due to fetching water, knowledge and involvement of women in water management
and conservation at community level, willingness to develop water management and conservation
structures, and training requirements.
4.2 Survey Results
The survey results have been broadly classified into nine broad categories demographic and socio-
economic details of the respondents, participation in local governance, income, decision making role
in the family, status of water availability in households, knowledge, attitude and practices regarding
water conservation, status of current water conservation and management structures, willingness to
work on water conservation structures, and lastly, training and capacity building requirements.
4.2.1 Socio and demographic details of the respondents
Caste: Majority of the respondents were from OBC category (55.10%) cumulatively in all the blocks.
Only in two blocks, Kishangarh Bas and Umren, most respondents were from SC category with 58.06%
and 76.09%, respectively. In other 5 blocks OBCs were the most prominent with 48.98% population in
Mundawar, and 75.93% in Ramgarh (Table 4.2).
Age: 34.99% women belonged to the age group of 41-60 years, followed by 33.06% of 31-40 years old.
21.76% of the respondents were in the age group of 19-30 years. 7.71% and 0.83% belonged to Above
60 and Below 18 age groups, respectively. Most of the respondents were in the age group of 18-60
years comprising 89.81% of the total sample.
Marital Status: 87.33% were married, while 9.09% were widowed.
Household size: 74.93% women respondents lived in households with more than 5 family members.
As per average of the district only 17.91% households had 4 members, ranging from 9.26% in Ramgarh
to 28.00% in Thanagazi.
Educational Qualification: 59.78% of respondents have had No Schooling, 22.59% have completed
their education only till 5
th
standard, 8.82% have completed till 10
th
, 4.68% have studied till 12
th
class.
Only 4.13% have done Graduation/ Post-Graduation (Table 4.2).
17
Table 4.2: Socio and demographic details of the respondents
S. No.
Attributes
Sub-attributes
Bansur
Kishangarh Bas
Mundawar
Ramgarh
Thanagazi
Tijara
Umren
Total
I
Caste
General
2 (4.00)
2 (3.23)
3 (6.12)
7 (12.96)
3 (6.00)
2 (3.85)
0 (0.00)
19 (5.23)
OBC
34 (68.00)
23 (37.10)
24 (48.98)
41 (75.93)
30 (60.00)
40 (76.92)
8 (17.39)
200 (55.10)
ST
4 (8.00)
0 (0.00)
3 (6.12)
1 (1.85)
8 (16.00)
0 (0.00)
0 (0.00)
16 (4.41)
SC
10 (20.00)
36 (58.06)
19 (38.78)
4 (7.41)
7 (14.00)
10 (19.23)
35 (76.09)
121 (33.33)
Others
0 (0.00)
1 (1.61)
0 (0.00)
1 (1.85)
2 (4.00)
0 (0.00)
3 (6.52)
7 (1.93)
Total
50 (100.00)
62 (100.00)
49 (100.00)
54 (100.00)
50 (100.00)
52 (100.00)
46 (100.00)
363 (100.00)
II
Age
< 18
0 (0.00)
0 (0.00)
0 (0.00)
2 (3.70)
0 (0.00)
1 (1.92)
0 (0.00)
3 (0.83)
18 30
13 (26.00)
14 (22.58)
8 (16.33)
11 (20.37)
10 (20.00)
13 (25.00)
10 (21.74)
79 (21.76)
31 40
14 (28.00)
16 (25.81)
16 (32.65)
17 (31.48)
20 (40.00)
16 (30.77)
21 (45.65)
120 (33.06)
41 60
19 (38.00)
27 (43.55)
18 (36.73)
17 (31.48)
14 (28.00)
18 (34.62)
14 (30.43)
127 (34.99)
> 60
4 (8.00)
4 (6.45)
6 (12.24)
5 (9.26)
5 (10.00)
3 (5.77)
1 (2.17)
28 (7.71)
No Response
0 (0.00)
1 (1.61)
1 (2.04)
2 (3.70)
1 (2.00)
1 (1.92)
0 (0.00)
6 (1.65)
Total
50 (100.00)
62 (100.00)
49 (100.00)
54 (100.00)
50 (100.00)
52 (100.00)
46 (100.00)
363 (100.00)
III
Educational
Qualification
No Schooling
31 (62.00)
35 (56.45)
25 (51.02)
35 (64.81)
34 (68.00)
37 (71.15)
20 (43.48)
217 (59.78)
5
th
Passed
8 (16.00)
15 (24.19)
15 (30.61)
13 (24.07)
7 (14.00)
11 (21.15)
13 (28.26)
82 (22.59)
10
th
Passed
5 (10.00)
5 (8.06)
5 (10.20)
3 (5.56)
5 (10.00)
1 (1.92)
8 (17.39)
32 (8.82)
12
th
Passed
1 (2.00)
3 (4.84)
2 (4.08)
1 (1.85)
4 (8.00)
2 (3.85)
4 (8.70)
17 (4.68)
Graduate
5 (10.00)
4 (6.45)
2 (4.08)
2 (3.70)
0 (0.00)
1 (1.92)
1 (2.17)
15 (4.13)
Total
50 (100.00)
62 (100.00)
49 (100.00)
54 (100.00)
50 (100.00)
52 (100.00)
46 (100.00)
363 (100.00)
IV
Marital
Status
Married
39 (78.00)
55 (88.71)
41 (83.67)
47 (87.04)
44 (88.00)
50 (96.15)
41 (89.13)
317 (87.33)
Widowed
8 (16.00)
6 (9.68)
6 (12.24)
4 (7.41)
6 (12.00)
0 (0.00)
3 (6.52)
33 (9.09)
Separated
2 (4.00)
0 (0.00)
0 (0.00)
0 (0.00)
0 (0.00)
0 (0.00)
0 (0.00)
2 (0.55)
Divorced
0 (0.00)
0 (0.00)
0 (0.00)
1 (1.85)
0 (0.00)
0 (0.00)
0 (0.00)
1 (0.28)
Single
1 (2.00)
1 (1.61)
2 (4.08)
2 (3.70)
0 (0.00)
2 (3.85)
2 (4.35)
10 (2.75)
Total
50 (100.00)
62 (100.00)
49 (100.00)
54 (100.00)
50 (100.00)
52 (100.00)
46 (100.00)
363 (100.00)
V
Household
Size
One
0 (0.00)
1 (1.61)
1 (2.04)
0 (0.00)
0 (0.00)
0 (0.00)
0 (0.00)
2 (0.55)
Two
2 (4.00)
0 (0.00)
1 (2.04)
0 (0.00)
2 (4.00)
0 (0.00)
1 (2.17)
6 (1.65)
Three
5 (10.00)
3 (4.84)
1 (2.04)
2 (3.70)
3 (6.00)
3 (5.77)
1 (2.17)
18 (4.96)
Four
9 (18.00)
10 (16.13)
11 (22.45)
5 (9.26)
14 (28.00)
6 (11.54)
10 (21.74)
65 (17.91)
Five & above
34 (68.00)
48 (77.42)
35 (71.43)
47 (87.04)
31 (62.00)
43 (82.69)
34 (73.91)
272 (74.93)
Total
50 (100.00)
62 (100.00)
49 (100.00)
54 (100.00)
50 (100.00)
52 (100.00)
46 (100.00)
363 (100.00)
18
4.2.2 Major Source of Household Income
Cumulatively in all the blocks, based on the multiple responses, income from Own Farm (18.09%) and
income from Animal Husbandry (18.66%) contribute the same amount to the household income
(Figure 4.2). This was followed by Agricultural Wages from other’s farm at 16.10%, MGNREGA work at
14.68%, 12.88% income from Daily Wage Labour work in the village, 6.25% from Small Businesses, and
5.30% from Crop Trade and Other work including driver, government job, electrician, etc include
8.05%.
Figure 4.3 presents the average monthly household income, 4% of the households fall in the poorest
of the poor category since their monthly household earnings are less than Rs.3000. 11% of the total
respondents earn less than or equal to Rs.5000. The households that earn more than Rs.5000 but less
than Rs.10000 form a majority i.e., 41%, a similar percentage also earns more than Rs.10000 per
month as a household (40%).
Figure 4.2: Block wise Major Source of Household Income
Figure 4.3: Average Monthly Household Income
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Bansur Kishangarh
Bas
Mundawar Ramgarh Thanagazi Tijara Umren Total
Daily Labourer MGNREGA Own Farm Agriculture Wages
Crop Trade Small Business Animal Husbandry Others
4%
11%
41%
40%
4%
< Rs.3000 Rs.3001-Rs.5000 Rs.5001-Rs.10000 > Rs.10000 No Response
19
4.2.3 Participation in Local Governance
All 363 respondents were asked whether they are part of a self-help-group in their village, as well as
if they are also part of the elected body i.e., gram panchayat, either as a ward panch or sarpanch.
The National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) is a poverty alleviation project implemented by the
Ministry of Rural Development, a branch of the Government of India. This Mission is focused on
promoting self-employment and the organization of rural poor. The idea behind this programme is to
organize the poor into Self Help Groups (SHGs) and make them capable of self-employment
2
.
‘Panchayat’, being a “Local government”, is a State subject and part of the State list of the Seventh
Schedule of the Constitution of India. Clause (3) of Article 243D of the Constitution ensures
participation of women in Panchayati Raj Institutions by mandating not less than one-third reservation
for women out of the total number of seats to be filled by direct election and the number of offices of
chairpersons of Panchayats. Bihar was the first state to reserve 50% of the seats for women in
Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIS) in 2006. Rajasthan adopted this in 2010. As 0n 23
rd
September 2020,
there are 20 States namely Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh,
Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim,
Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand and West Bengal, have made provisions for 50%
reservation for women in Panchayati Raj Institutions in their respective State Panchayati Raj Acts
3
.
Member of an SHG: Overall, 51.24% women were not an SHG member and remaining 48.76% were
members. Kishangarh Bas and Umren had most membership at 79.03% and 73.91% respectively.
Whereas, Thanagazi (26.00%), and Bansur (26.00%) blocks had the least SHG membership. This also
shows that these blocks may have low/ no penetration of SHG initiatives (Figure 4.4).
Member of PRI: Only 16 women from the entire sample were Ward Panch, or Sarpanch, i.e., elected
women Representatives of the Panchayati Raj Institution. Of which, 5 were from Kishangarh and
Umren blocks each, followed by 3 from Tijara, 2 from Bansur, and a single woman from Ramgarh block.
Figure 4.4: Member of an SHG
2
Source: National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) under Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India.
3
https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1658145
48.76
26.00
79.03
38.78
51.85
26.00
40.38
73.91
51.24
74.00
20.97
61.22
48.15
74.00
59.62
26.09
Total
Bansur
Kishangarh Bas
Mundawar
Ramgarh
Thanagazi
Tijara
Umren
Yes No
20
4.2.4 Decision-making Role in the family
It is widely recognized that women play a significant role in the progress and development of any
nation. Unfortunately, in many underdeveloped and developing countries, womens involvement is
limited due to entrenched traditional values and negative actions from their families and society as a
whole. There is a prevailing belief that women are less capable than men, which greatly hinders their
participation in various aspects of life, relegating them primarily to domestic responsibilities. It is a
known fact that women possess all the necessary abilities to make and execute important decisions,
but they often lack the empowerment required to play an active role in decision-making processes.
The position of women in society is indicated by their legal entitlements, educational opportunities,
health, well-being, employment opportunities, and participation in decision-making processes.
Various societal, cultural, and religious beliefs have led to the enactment of biased laws and the
perpetuation of discriminatory practices that hinder women from fulfilling their rightful roles in both
society and the economy. In many traditional and developing countries, persistent discrimination
against women, from a very young age to old age, has consistently hindered their access to education,
opportunities for income generation, and economic independence. This discrimination has, in turn,
led to a decline in their societal standing.
In addition to women’s role in strengthening a family financially, they also perform significant home-
making duties and fulfils various important responsibilities according to their socio-economic status.
As members of a family and as parts of society, women are involved in various professions with various
natures, which are governed by different factors (Reddy & Narayan, 1987). In many important social
commitments, such as marriage decisions, dowry issues, selection of the male partner, education of
children, expenses and overhead management of marriage etc., the contribution of women is
significantly high.
According to a study on “Women Empowerment: A Key to Human Development,” Barkat (2008), it
was noted that ordered women empowerment can only be obtained by enriching their social as well
as economic position. This can be materialized only via taking or implementing several important
economic and social policies in line with the full growth of women. In addition, it is also very crucial to
help them recognize the fact that they have the perspective to be resilient personalities.
Sharma (2007), has noted that women empowerment is commonly associated with women’s struggle
for social justice and equality. This has proved to be disadvantageous in disregarding women and also
implanted negative changes in the direction and nature of society. In order to gain the capabilities of
decision making and fulfilling them with substantial knowledge, self-respect as well as full confidence,
the empowerment is considered to be a strong approach. Maral & Kumar (2017), suggested that
womens role is an essential constituent which develops the human structure of family and society.
The inclusive development of society and nation greatly depends upon womens participation in the
majority of the socio-economic and political activities.
In a study, Das (2011) reported different limitations of women empowerment in Karbi tribes of Assam,
which are related to societal, political, economic, technical and spiritual. He also mentioned that ‘lack
of knowledge about new technology and information is one of the key reasons responsible for the
deprived women empowerment in this community.
Pandey & Rai (2017), explained that women empowerment is essential for sustainable economic
growth and reduction of poverty in developing countries. Although women’s empowerment is not a
sufficient condition, it is still a necessary condition for the development process. Economically
empowered women play a more active role in household decision-making, with greater bargaining
power and increased spending on education and development.
21
The crucial parameters regarding women, such as their freedom of movement, involvement in family matters, the decision in the purchase of home assets,
agricultural investments and family planning such as expenses on education of children, expenses towards marriage of children, etc. are chosen to ascertain
the degree of women empowerment in the study area.
From the data, it is evident that in health care, agriculture, livestock, land, and vehicle purchase, it is the husband and other family members of the household
except for the women, who make the decisions. It is noteworthy that despite certain activities like caring for sick persons in the family, laborious agriculture
work like sowing, weeding, planting, post-harvest work, and livestock rearing being the responsibility of women in household, they are given little to no
power over making decisions for these crucial aspects of their lives. Only regarding household and kitchen expenses, women predominantly are liable to
make decisions. In matters regarding children, whether marriage or education, mostly the women is also part of the decision-making process along with her
husband, and/or other family members (Table 4.3).
Table 4.3: Decision-making Role in the family
Health
Care
HH and
Kitchen
Agriculture
Livestock
Land
Purchase
Marriage of
Children
Other Expenses
of Children
Vehicle
Purchase
Bansur
Husband &
Others
Self
Husband &
Others
Husband &
Others
Husband &
Others
Both
Both
Husband &
Others
Kishangarh Bas
Husband &
Others
Self
Husband &
Others
Husband &
Others
Husband &
Others
Husband &
Others
Husband &
Others
Husband &
Others
Mundawar
Husband &
Others
Self
Husband &
Others
Husband &
Others
Husband &
Others
Both
Both
Husband &
Others
Ramgarh
Husband &
Others
Both
Husband &
Others
Husband &
Others
Husband &
Others
Husband &
Others
Husband &
Others
Husband &
Others
Thanagazi
Husband &
Others
Self
Husband &
Others
Husband &
Others
Husband &
Others
Both
Both
Husband &
Others
Tijara
Husband &
Others
Self
Husband &
Others
Husband &
Others
Husband &
Others
Both
Both
Husband &
Others
Umren
Husband &
Others
Self
Husband &
Others
Husband &
Others
Husband &
Others
Husband &
Others
Husband &
Others
Husband &
Others
Note: Analysis for decision making is based on the maximum responses recorded for an attribute.
22
4.2.5 Status of water availability in the households
According to a recent report by UNICEF and the World Health Organization, 2.2 billion people around
the world do not have safely managed
4
drinking water services. The report reveals that 1.8 billion
people have gained access to basic drinking water services since 2000, but there are vast inequalities
in the accessibility, availability and quality of these services. It is estimated that 1 in 10 people (785
million) still lack basic services, including the 144 million who drink untreated surface water. The data
shows that 8 in 10 people living in rural areas lacked access to these services and in one in four
countries with estimates for different wealth groups, coverage of basic services among the richest was
at least twice as high as among the poorest.
Closing inequality gaps in the accessibility, quality and availability of water should be at the heart of
government funding and planning strategies. To relent on investment plans for universal coverage is
to undermine decades worth of progress at the expense of coming generations. Thus, Governments
must invest in their communities if we are going to bridge these economic and geographic divides and
deliver this essential human right.
(i) Major Sources of Water
The survey results show that majority of the households were dependent on borewells (86%),
followed by 7% of the households were getting their water needs fulfilled through piped water supply.
The sources of water for domestic purpose were hand pumps (1%), pond (1%), water supply through
tanker (2%), and there were 3% of the households depending on well for their water consumption
needs (Figure 4.5).
Figure 4.5: Major Sources of Water
4
Drinking water from sources located on premises, free from contamination and available when needed
(https://www.who.int/news/item/18-06-2019-1-in-3-people-globally-do-not-have-access-to-safe-drinking-
water-unicef-who, accessed on 7
th
November 2023)
3%
1%
86%
1%
7%
2%
Well Pond Bore Well Hand Pump Piped Water Supply Water Tanker
23
ii) Availability of safe drinking water
In all the blocks except Ramgarh, safe drinking water was available to more than 80% of the
respondents, with highest proportion in Thanagazi (94%). In Ramgarh, only 2/3
rd
respondents had
access to safe drinking water (Figure 4.6).
Figure 4.6: Availability of Safe Drinking Water
iii) Common practice(s) for water storage
Almost all the women responded that they regularly store water in their households. All respondents
used more than one method to store water. A similar trend of water storage was found in all study
blocks (Figure 4.7). Based on the multiple responses, it was found that the majority store water in
buckets, followed by water drums and utensils. Almost an equal percentage use water bottles as well
as underground water tank to store water.
Figure 4.7: Common practice(s) for water storage
88.00
93.55
81.63
66.67
94.00
96.15
84.78
12.00
6.45
18.37
33.33
6.00
3.85
15.22
Bansur Kishangarh
Bas
Mundawar Ramgarh Thanagazi Tijara Umren
Yes No
245
248
94
125
207
89
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
Water Drums Buckets Water Barrels Water Bottles Utensils Ungerground
Water Tank
24
iv) Water for drinking purpose (distance from home to source)
For 65.29% respondents, the distance from their home to the source of water was less than 500
meters, for 14.33% it was between 0.6 to 1 km, and for 11.57% it was more than 1 km. Also, 8.82%
women were not required to go fetch water as there was some kind of water supply available at home
(Figure 4.8).
Figure 4.8: Block wise Water for drinking purpose (distance from home to source)
v) Health issues due to fetching water
172 (47.38%) of 363 have said they experienced health issues due to fetching water. The most
common issues faced by the women were overall body pain and tiredness. Some women suffered
from neck pain, back pain, headaches, pain in hands, and/or hair fall (due to carrying water vessels on
head for long duration and at several times in a day).
vi) Supply of water tanker
Overall, 61.98% women responded that there was no supply of water tankers in their village. Only
34.71% women had access to a tanker (Figure 4.9).
vii) Water conservation techniques followed by women
Based on multiple responses, 306 women responded that they use Johad for their water needs,
followed by Kund/ Water Tank (52 responses). Responses for Earthen dam/ mitti ke paal and Jhalara/
step well are 36 and 21 respectively (Figure 4.10).
viii) Storing rain water at household level
80.72% of the total respondents across all seven blocks did not store rain water in their homes (Figure
4.11).
62.00
67.74
55.10
38.89
86.00
80.77
67.39
65.29
20.00
16.13
20.41
18.52
10.00
3.85
10.87
14.33
14.52
4.08
40.74
2.00
1.92
15.22
11.57
18.00
1.61
20.41
1.85
2.00
13.46
6.52
8.82
Bansur Kishangarh
Bas
Mundawar Ramgarh Thanagazi Tijara Umren Total
< 0.5 Km 0.5 - 1 Km > 1 Km No Response
25
Figure 4.9: Block wise Supply of water tanker
Figure 4.10: Community Water Conservation Techniques Followed
Figure 4.11: Rain Water Storage at the Household Level
50.00
37.10
40.82
11.11
36.00
3.85
69.57
34.71
50.00
58.06
55.10
87.04
56.00
92.31
30.43
61.98
4.84
4.08
1.85
8.00
3.84
3.31
Bansur Kishangarh
Bas
Mundawar Ramgarh Thanagazi Tijara Umren Total
Yes No No Response
22.00
11.29
16.33
25.93
16.00
13.46
32.61
19.28
78.00
88.71
83.67
74.07
84.00
86.54
67.39
80.72
Bansur Kishangarh
Bas
Mundawar Ramgarh Thanagazi Tijara Umren Total
Yes No
26
4.2.6 Water Conservation through Pond Renovation
Table 4.4 presents that 68.04% of the total respondents know about the pond rejuvenation work in
their area/ village. Little more than 50% also shared that the community has benefited from the pond
rejuvenation work in the past, some of the benefits listed by the respondents are (a) more water is
available for their livestock to drink and bathe in, this was followed by (b) wages, which they got due
to MGNREGA work, that was availed to rejuvenate ponds, (c) increase in the groundwater level, which
led to better water supply in their borewells. However, in villages where previously rejuvenation work
had been done, many respondents also mentioned that pond rejuvenation had not been a success
due to overall lack of rain and water scarcity (Table 4.4).
A total of 238 women who responded that women were involved in pond rejuvenation work
mentioned that the primary benefit they felt from the work was that they got MGNREGA work. This
shows that employment opportunities are a priority to the community, this reflects a disconnection
from the understanding of how water availability can directly and indirectly enhance sources of
income and livelihoods (Table 4.4).
Table 4.4: Water Conservation through Pond Renovation
Attributes
Response
Total
Knowledge on Pond Renovation/
Rejuvenation in the Area
Yes
247 (68.04)
No
116 (31.96)
Grand Total
363 (100.00)
Benefits to community in the past
from pond rejuvenation
Yes
194 (53.44%)
No
163 (44.90%)
No Response
6 (1.66%)
Grand Total
363 (100.00)
Involvement of women in pond
rejuvenation
Yes
238 (65.56)
No
120 (33.06)
No Response
5 (1.38)
Grand Total
363 (100.00)
4.2.7 Status of Current Water Conservation and Management Structures
(i) Current status of Medhbandi, Check Dams, Earthen Paals and other water structures
43.52% responded that the status of current structures is good, 20.12% responded that there are no
built structures for water management and conservation in their village. 28.10% responded that the
built structures were not good and did not benefit them. Few other issues (8.26%) noted by
respondents were that structures are breaking down; hold very little water due to lack of rain; need
renovation; were getting destroyed in events of heavy rain; were even used to put garbage by a few
residents of the village; hence decreasing the quality of water; etc.
ii) Community involvement in cleaning and maintenance of water supply systems
Approximately two-third of the respondents (68.32%) mentioned that most of the community water
supply systems are clean and maintained (Table 4.5). The main reason mentioned for not maintained
structures that has been recorded is that the structures had over the course of time giving muddy
water as there had been no de-silting, and garbage was also thrown by other villagers in those
structures. 19.83% responded that they were willing to contribute towards maintenance of these
water structures. Of those 19.83%, most have said that they would help by cleaning the structures,
de-silting, along with not putting garbage in them.
27
Table 4.5: Status of Community Water Supply Systems
Status Clean & Maintained
Total
Yes
248 (68.32)
No
102 (28.10)
No Response
13 (3.58)
Grand Total
363 (100.00)
iii) Satisfaction with government for water measures
61.71% have mentioned that they were unsatisfied with the government on their work regarding
resolving water issues in villages. Primary reason for this was government’s inaction towards any
water-related initiative in the respective villages. Other reasons included huge distance from borewell,
pipe installed but no water supply was ensured, water quality was low, sarpanch did not cooperate or
heed to their requests for better water measures, access to tanker was difficult due to price or
distance, and many such more. Only 38.29% of the 363 respondents were satisfied with government
interventions, most of these houses have piped water supply or borewell connections (Table 4.6).
Table 4.6: Satisfaction with government for water measures
Status
Total
Satisfied
139 (38.29)
Not Satisfied
224 (61.71)
Grand Total
363 (100.00)
4.2.8 Willingness to work to construct water management/construction structures
(i) Willingness to work on the following water structures
Based on the multiple responses, Johad (151 responses) was the most desired water structure,
followed by Anicut (73 responses). The willingness for water tank, borewell, and piped water
connection stands at 37, 38 and 66 responses, respectively. This shows that a significant number of
women would prefer having personal water connections than community water resources, this
indicates lessening dependency on agriculture, livestock, or other livelihood sources that require
community water resources (Figure 4.12).
Figure 4.12: Willingness to work on the following water structures
34
38
29
73
37
151
66
Other Structures
Bore Well
Medhbandi
Anicut
Water Tank
Pond (Johad)
Piped Water Connection to each House
28
ii) Will creation of “Nadies/Ponds/Anicuts/Earthen Paals” support existing structures
Table 4.7 presents that 85% of the respondents opined that the creation of “Nadies/ Ponds/Anicuts/
Earthen Paalswill certainly support the existing water conservation structures.
Table 4.7: Will creation of “Nadies/Pond/Anicut/Earthen Paal” support existing structures
Response
Total
Yes
307 (84.57)
No
51 (14.05)
No Response
5 (1.38)
Grand Total
363 (100.00)
4.2.9 Training and Capacity Building Requirements
(a) Any training imparted by any other agency on water conservation and water management
Only 53, i.e., 15% women responded that they have received some kind of training on water
management or conservation (Figure 4.13).
Figure 4.13
Training imparted by any other agency on
water conservation and water management
Figure 4.14
Willingness of women for skill enhancement
programme/ training on water related issues
(b) Interest in having a training/skill enhancement programme on water resource management and
conservation.
310 (85%) women responded that they are interested in availing training for water management and
water conservation (Figure 4.14).
(c) Preferable training days and hours
Figure 4.15 shows that out of 363 women, a total of 248 (68%) were willing to avail training for one-
to-three days.
On the other hand, while asking about the no. of hours in a day, 237 (65%) women respondents
preferred one-to-three hours training in a day. While enquiring the reason for the same, most of the
women opined that since they need to complete household chores as well as some agriculture field
related activities also, thus it would be very difficult to spare more than 4-5 hours per day for training
(Figure 4.16).
15%
85%
Yes
No
85%
15%
Yes
No
29
Figure 4.15
Preferable training days as suggested by the
women respondents
Figure 4.16
Preferable training hours/ day as suggested by the
women respondents
(d) Preferable Subject or Topic for the Trainings/ Workshops
Figure 4.17 captures the multiple responses from the respondents. The figure shows that while
preferring the topic or subject for the training most of the women opted for (a) how to store
rainwater (b) how to maintain and take care of a Johad (c) how to increase groundwater level and (d)
how to rejuvenate other water conservation structures such as anicut and so on.
Figure 4.17: Preferable Subject or Topic for the Trainings/ Workshops
After analysis of the data collected through the Needs Assessment Survey, it has been found that
working on one’s own farm and livestock was the major source of income for these households, and
adding agricultural wages to that comprised of more than 50% of the total household income. This
shows that there was great dependency on natural resources for income and livelihood in the area.
The average income of the sample was low, with 46% households earning between Rs.5000 to
Rs.10,000 per month.
16%
30%
22%
9%
5%
18%
1-Day
2-Days
3-Days
4-5 Days
> 5 Days
No Response
12%
33%
20%
11%
9%
15%
1-Hour
2-Hours
3-Hours
4-Hours
5 & Above Hours
No Response
208
238
143
235
How to increase groundwater level
How to store rainwater
How to rejuvenate unattended anicut
How to maintain & takecare of Johad
30
Husband and other family members were decision-makers, while women were excluded from making
decisions in core areas of their own lives where they devote the most time and labour, which reflects
the devaluation of unpaid labour work, care work, and house work that women provide.
Borewells were the major source of water for both drinking as well as agricultural purposes, as
deduced from the data and observed during field visits. Moreover, storage of water was a common
practice. The distance of water sources from houses was less than 500 meters for 65% of the
responses. Half of the women reported that fetching water multiple times had caused a variety of
health issues ranging from body aches, tiredness, to hair fall.
Women seek pond rejuvenation for primarily three reasons. First, community ponds will allow their
livestock to drink and bathe easily, increase milk production, and eventually increase income from
livestock and even add more livestock in their homes. Secondly, rejuvenation work will bring along
wage work which will aid in temporary income increase. Lastly, increase in groundwater level will
provide more water to them in borewells.
From the plethora of traditional water structures that exits in the area, most willingness shown by
women was in rejuvenating Johads, followed by Anicuts.
Chapter V:
Summary Discussion
31
CHAPTER V: SUMMARY DISCUSSION
The survey results have been broadly classified into eight broad categories demographic and socio-
economic details of the respondents, participation in local governance, decision making role in the
family, status of water availability in households, knowledge, attitude and practices regarding water
conservation, status of current water conservation and management structures, willingness to work
on water conservation structures, and lastly, training and capacity building requirements.
I. Socio and Demographic Status
Majority of the respondents were from OBC category (55.10%) cumulatively in all the blocks. Only in
two blocks, Kishangarh Bas and Umren, most respondents were from SC category with 58.06% and
76.09%, respectively. In other 5 blocks OBCs were the most prominent with 48.98% population in
Mundawar, and 75.93% in Ramgarh. It was found that 34.99% women belonged to the age group of
41-60 years, followed by 33.06% of 31-40 years old. 21.76% of the respondents were in the age group
of 19-30 years. 7.71% and 0.83% belonged to Above 60 and Below 18 age groups, respectively. Most
of the respondents were in the age group of 18-60 years comprising 89.81% of the total sample. Data
shows that 87.33% were married, while 9.09% were widowed. Survey results shows that 74.93%
women respondents lived in households with more than 5 family members. As per average of the
district, only 17.91% households had 4 members, ranging from 9.26% in Ramgarh to 28.00% in
Thanagazi. Most of the survey respondents (59.78%) have had No Schooling, however, 22.59% have
completed their education till 5
th
standard, 8.82% have completed till 10
th
, 4.68% have studied till 12
th
class and 4.13% have done Graduation/ Post-Graduation.
II. Economic Status
Cumulatively in all the blocks, based on the multiple responses, income from Own Farm (18.09%)
and income from Animal Husbandry (18.66%) contribute the same amount to the household income.
This was followed by Agricultural Wages from other’s farm at 16.10%, MGNREGA work at 14.68%,
12.88% income from Daily Wage Labour work in the village, 6.25% from Small Businesses, and 5.30%
from Crop Trade and Other Work including driver, government job, electrician, etc. include 8.05%.
Data shows that 4% of the households fall in the poorest of the poor category since their monthly
household earnings are less than Rs.3000. 11% of the total respondents earn less than or equal to
Rs.5000. The households that earn more than Rs.5000 but less than Rs.10000 form the majority i.e.
41%, a similar percentage (40%) also earns more than Rs.10000 per month as a household.
III. Participation in Local Governance
All 363 respondents were asked whether they are part of a self-help-group in their village as well as if
they are also part of the elected body i.e., gram panchayat either as a Ward Panch (Ward Member) or
Sarpanch (Village Head). Overall, 51.24% women were not an SHG member and remaining 48.76%
were members. Block wise analysis shows that Kishangarh Bas and Umren had most membership at
79.03% and 73.91%, respectively. Whereas, Thanagazi (26.00%), and Bansur (26.00%) blocks had the
least SHG membership. This also shows that these blocks may have low/ no penetration of SHG
initiative. A total of 16 women from the entire sample were Ward Panch, or Sarpanch, i.e., Elected
Women Representatives of the Panchayati Raj Institution. Of which 5 were from Kishangarh and
Umren blocks each, followed by 3 from Tijara, 2 from Bansur, and a single woman from Ramgarh block.
32
IV. Decision-making
It is widely recognized that women play a significant role in the progress and development of any
nation. Unfortunately, women’s involvement is limited due to entrenched traditional values and
negative actions from their families and society as a whole. The position of women in society is
indicated by their legal entitlements, educational opportunities, health well-being, employment
opportunities, and participation in decision-making processes. Various societal, cultural, and religious
beliefs have led to the enactment of biased laws and the perpetuation of discriminatory practices that
hinder women from fulfilling their rightful roles in both society and the economy. In many countries,
persistent discrimination against women, from a very young age to old age, has consistently hindered
their access to education, opportunities for income generation, and economic independence. This
discrimination has, in turn, led to a decline in their societal standing.
Some researchers suggested that women’s role is an essential constituent which develops the human
structure of family and society. The inclusive development of society and nation greatly depends upon
women’s participation in the majority of the socio-economic and political activities. Another study
explained that women empowerment is essential for sustainable economic growth and reduction of
poverty in developing countries. Although women’s empowerment is not a sufficient condition, it is
still a necessary condition for the development process. Economically empowered women play a more
active role in household decision-making, with greater bargaining power and increased spending on
education and development.
The crucial parameters regarding women, such as their freedom of movement, involvement in family
matters, the decision in the purchase of home assets, agricultural investments and family planning
such as expenses on education of children, expenses towards the marriage of children, etc. are chosen
to ascertain the degree of women empowerment in the study area. From the data, it is evident that
in health care, agriculture, livestock, land, and vehicle purchase, it is the husband and other family
members of the household except the women who make the decisions. It is noteworthy that despite
certain activities like - caring for the sick person in the family, laborious agriculture work like sowing,
weeding, planting, post-harvest work, and livestock rearing being the responsibility of women of the
household, they are given little to no power over making decisions for these crucial aspects of their
life. It is pertinent to mention that regarding household and kitchen expenses women predominantly
are liable to make decisions. In matters regarding children, whether marriage or education, mostly the
woman is also part of the decision-making process along with her husband, and/or other family
members.
V. Status of Water
According to a recent report by UNICEF and the World Health Organization, 2.2 billion people around
the world do not have safely managed drinking water services. The report reveals that 1.8 billion
people have gained access to basic drinking water services since 2000, but there are vast inequalities
in the accessibility, availability and quality of these services. It is estimated that 1 in 10 people (785
million) still lack basic services, including the 144 million who drink untreated surface water. The data
shows that 8 in 10 people living in rural areas lacked access to these services and in one in four
countries with estimates for different wealth groups, coverage of basic services among the richest was
at least twice as high as among the poorest.
Closing inequality gaps in the accessibility, quality and availability of water should be at the heart of
government funding and planning strategies. To relent on investment plans for universal coverage is
to undermine decades worth of progress at the expense of coming generations. Thus, Governments
33
must invest in their communities if we are going to bridge these economic and geographic divides and
deliver this essential human right.
The survey results show that majority of the households were dependent on borewells (86%),
followed by 7% of the households were getting their water needs fulfilled through piped water supply.
The sources of water for domestic purpose were hand pumps (1%), pond (1%), water supply through
tanker (2%), and there were 3% of the households depending on well for their water consumption
needs. In all the blocks except Ramgarh (67%), safe drinking water was available to more than 80% of
the respondents, with highest proportion in Thanagazi (94%). For 65.29% respondents the distance
from their home to the source of water was less than 500 meters, for 14.33% it was between 0.6 to 1
km, and for 11.57% it was more than 1 km. Also, 8.82% women were not required to go fetch water
as there was some kind of water supply available at home. A total of 172 (47.38%) of 363 have said
they experienced health issues due to fetching water. The most common issues faced by the women
were overall body pain and tiredness. Some women suffered from neck pain, back pain, headaches,
pain in hands, and/or hair fall (due to carrying water vessels on head for long duration and at several
times in a day).
Almost all the women responded that they regularly store water in their households. All respondents
used more than one method to store water. Based on the multiple responses, it was found that
majority store water in buckets, followed by water drums and utensils. Almost equal percentage use
water bottles as well as underground water tank to store water. Similar trend of water storage was
found in all study blocks. Overall, 61.98% women responded that there was no supply of water tankers
in their village. Only 34.71% women had access to a tanker.
Based on multiple responses 306 women responded that they use Johad for their water needs,
followed by Kund/ Water Tank (52 responses). Responses for Earthen dam/ mitti ke paal and Jhalara/
step well are 36 and 21 respectively. Data shows that 80.72% of the total respondents across all seven
blocks did not store rain water in their homes.
Analysis shows that 68.04% of the total respondents know about the pond rejuvenation work in their
area/ village. Little more than 50% also shared that the community has benefited from the pond
rejuvenation work in the past, some of the benefits listed by the respondents are (a) more water is
available for their livestock to drink and bathe in, this was followed by (b) wages, which they got due
to MGNREGA work, that was availed to rejuvenate ponds, (c) increase in the groundwater level, which
led to better water supply in their borewells. However, in villages where previously rejuvenation work
had been done, many respondents also mentioned that pond rejuvenation had not been a success
due to overall lack of rain and water scarcity.
A total of 238 women who responded that women were involved in pond rejuvenation work
mentioned that the primary benefit they felt from the work was that they got MGNREGA work. This
shows that employment opportunities are a priority to the community, this reflects a disconnection
from the understanding of how water availability can directly and indirectly lead to enhance the
sources of income and enhanced livelihoods.
VI. Water Conservation through Pond Renovation
Survey results shows that 68.04% of the total respondents know about the pond rejuvenation work in
their area/ village. Little more than 50% also shared that the community has benefited from the pond
rejuvenation work in the past, some of the benefits listed by the respondents are (a) more water is
available for their livestock to drink and bathe in, this was followed by (b) wages, which they got due
to MGNREGA work, that was availed to rejuvenate ponds, (c) increase in the groundwater level, which
34
led to better water supply in their borewells. However, in villages where previously rejuvenation work
had been done, many respondents also mentioned that pond rejuvenation had not been a success
due to overall lack of rain and water scarcity.
A total of 238 women who responded that women were involved in pond rejuvenation work
mentioned that the primary benefit they felt from the work was that they got MGNREGA work. This
shows that employment opportunities are a priority to the community, this reflects a disconnection
from the understanding of how water availability can directly and indirectly lead to enhance the
sources of income and enhanced livelihoods.
VII. Status of Current Water Conservation and Management Structures
Survey results shows that 43.52% responded that the status of current structures is good, 20.12%
responded that there was not any built structure for water management and conservation in their
village. 28.10% responded that the built structures were not good and not benefitted them. Few other
issues (8.26%) noted by respondents were that structures are breaking down; hold very little water
due to lack of rain; needed renovation; were getting destroyed in events of heavy rain; were used to
put even garbage sometimes by few residents of the village; hence decreased the quality of water;
etc.
Approximately two-third of the respondents (68.32%) mentioned that most of the community water
supply systems are clean and maintained. The main reason mentioned for poorly maintained
structures that has been recorded is that the structures over the course of time had muddy water as
there had been no de-silting, and garbage was also thrown by other villagers in those structures.
19.83% responded that they were willing to contribute towards maintenance of these water
structures. Of those 19.83% most have said that they would help by cleaning the structures, de-silting,
along with not putting garbage in them.
Analysis shows that 61.71% have mentioned that they were unsatisfied with the government on their
work regarding resolving water issues in villages. Primary reason for this was government’s inaction
towards any water-related initiative in the respective villages. Other reasons included huge distance
from borewell, pipe installed but no water supply was ensured, water quality was low, sarpanch did
not cooperate or heed to their requests for better water measures, access to tanker was difficult due
to price or distance, and many such more. Only 38.29% of the 363 respondents were satisfied with
government interventions, most of these houses have piped water supply or borewell connections.
VIII. Willingness to work to construct water management/construction structures
Based on the multiple responses, Johad (151 responses) was the most desired water structure,
followed by Anicut (73 responses). The willingness for water tank, borewell, and piped water
connection stands at 37, 38 and 66 responses, respectively. This shows that a significant number of
women would prefer having personal water connections than community water resources, this
indicates lessening dependency on agriculture, livestock, or other livelihood sources that require
community water resources. It was found that 85% of the respondents opined that creation of
“Nadies/Pond/Anicut/Earthen Paal” will certainly support the existing water conservation structures.
IX. Training and Capacity Building
Only 53, i.e., 15% women responded that they have received some kind of training on water
management or conservation. A total of 310 (85%) women responded that they are interested in
availing training for water management and water conservation. Survey results shows that out of 363
35
women, a total of 248 (68%) were willing to avail training for one-to-three days. On the other hand,
while asking about the number of hours in a day, 237 (65%) women respondents preferred one-to-
three hours training in a day. While enquiring the reason for the same, most of the women opined
that since they need to complete household chores as well as some agriculture field related activities
also, thus it would be very difficult to spare more than 4-5 hours per day for training.
Based on multiple responses from the respondents, it was found that that while preferring the topic
or subject for the training most of the women opted for (a) how to store rainwater (b) how to
maintain and take care of a Johad (c) how to increase groundwater level and (d) how to rejuvenate
other water conservation structures such as anicut and so on.
Chapter VI:
Conclusion and Way Forward
36
CHAPTER VI: CONCLUSION AND WAY FORWARD
After analysis of the data collected through the Needs Assessment Survey, it has been found that
working on one’s own farm and livestock was the major source of income for these households, and
adding agricultural wages to that comprised of more than 50% of the total household income. This
shows that there was great dependency on natural resources for income and livelihood in the area.
The average income of the sample was low, with 46% households earned between Rs.5000 to
Rs.10,000 per month.
Husband and other family members were decision-makers, while women were excluded from making
decisions in core areas of their own lives where they devote the most time and labour, which reflects
the devaluation of unpaid labour work, care work, and house work that women provide.
Borewells were the major source of water for both drinking as well as agricultural purposes as deduced
from the data and observed during field visits. Moreover, storage of water was a common practice.
Distance of water source from houses was less than 500 meters for 65% of the responses. Half of the
women reported that fetching water multiple times had caused a variety of health issues ranging from
body aches, tiredness, to hair fall.
Women seek pond rejuvenation for primarily three reasons. First, community ponds will allow their
livestock to drink and bathe easily, increase milk production, and eventually increase income from
livestock and even add more livestock in their homes. Secondly, rejuvenation work will bring along
wage work which will aid in temporary income increase. Lastly, increase in groundwater level will
provide more water to them in borewells.
From the plethora of traditional water structures that exits in the area, most willingness shown by
women was in rejuvenating Johads, followed by Anicuts.
The survey has been able to give important insights into the knowledge gap regarding water
conservation and management in the study area, the current practices, as well as interest of women
of the area.
As per the data, only 15% women had received any kind of training earlier regarding water
management and conservation. About 86%, a significant proportion of the sample, were interested in
being trained. However, they requested that the training be organized at village level or block level,
as it will become challenging for them on various aspects if trainings are kept at district level in Alwar.
The topics that women were most interested in were rainwater harvesting, Johad rejuvenation,
groundwater level increase, and anicuts in decreasing order of preference.
After analyzing women’s low decision-making power in vital aspects of their own lives, and low socio-
economic status, they must be empowered to have more control over private and public spheres of
their own lives. Thus, the trainings must go beyond technical knowledge on water conservation and
management, and also focus on empowering them to realize themselves as key stakeholders in water
management and conservation at the community level.
References
37
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39
Annexure – I: Environmental Aributes – Block wise Environmental Aributes
Broad Category
S.
No.
Aributes
Block Name
Alwar
Total
Tijara
(1)
Kishangarh
(2)
Bansur
(3)
Umren
(4)
Mundawar
(5)
Ramgarh
(6)
Thanagazi
(7)
Administrave
Set-up
1.1
Populaon (2001 Census)
2,80,772
2,08,973
2,14,351
4,82,387
1,97,582
2,20,219
1,89,977
29,86,982
1.2
Area (sq km)
680.2
507.5
693.2
1017.1
590.2
638.0
843.4
8,382.9
1.3
% of District Area
8.1
6.1
8.3
12.0
7.0
7.6
10.1
100.0
1.4
Total No. of Towns & Villages
207
142
132
156
142
173
159
2,003
Topography
2.1
Minimum Elevaon (m amsl
1
)
190.3
244.0
308.2
239.2
260.7
213.8
328.3
2.2
Maximum Elevaon (m amsl)
433.9
514.7
771.1
677.4
609.4
447.7
716.3
Rainfall
3.1
Minimum Annual Rainfall (mm)
495.2
728.2
538.6
761.2
533.2
748.6
805.7
3.2
Maximum Annual Rainfall (mm)
839.5
871.8
903.5
884.5
947.7
980.8
937.3
3.3
Average Annual Rainfall (mm)
648.6
807.3
756.8
830.4
747.3
854.7
887.7
Categorizaon
2
on the
basis of stage of
development of ground
water
4.1
Over Exploited
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
4.2
Noed
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
Depth to Water Level
(in metre bgl
3
)
(Pre-Monsoon-2010)
Area coverage (sq km)
5.1
<10
1.9
5.9
6.6
24.8
5.2
10-20
470.6
78.3
75.1
130.0
24.1
301.3
237.8
2,532.4
5.3
20-30
162.9
191.2
317.6
109.5
316.5
163.8
341.9
2,588.8
5.4
30-40
143.5
166.7
263.6
209.9
109.2
67.6
1,368.8
5.5
40-50
56.7
50.9
231.4
30.0
11.8
5.1
625.9
5.6
50-60
11.5
281.9
5.7
>60
3.7
37.9
Water Table Elevaon (m
amsl) (Pre-Monsoon-
2010)
Area coverage (sq km)
6.1
<200
10.9
329.7
6.2
200-220
9.7
117.7
238.9
1,115.2
6.3
220-240
9.6
137.3
192.5
331.6
1,056.1
6.4
240-260
224.7
132.0
187.7
114.4
10.6
1,340.1
6.5
260-280
231.4
190.5
1.8
78.7
321.6
1,292.9
6.6
280-300
145.8
0.2
59.5
77.7
127.2
611.0
6.7
300-320
22.0
212.8
30.7
17.3
406.7
6.8
320-340
151.9
25.5
11.8
288.8
6.9
340-360
172.8
13.5
111.3
361.2
6.10
360-380
28.6
5.8
180.0
248.3
6.11
380-400
2.9
164.8
196.8
6.12
400-440
1.8
190.9
213.3
40
Broad Category
S.
No.
Aributes
Block Name
Alwar
Total
Tijara
(1)
Kishangarh
(2)
Bansur
(3)
Umren
(4)
Mundawar
(5)
Ramgarh
(6)
Thanagazi
(7)
6.13
>440
0.2
0.4
Water Level Fluctuaon
Range (in metre)
(Pre to Post Monsoon
2010)
Area coverage (sq km)
7.1
<-6
0.8
0.8
7.2
-6 – -4
2.8
2.8
7.3
-4 – -2
9.9
0.4
1.2
25.6
7.4
-2 0
87.9
24.8
106.5
94.7
26.0
7.9
9.4
747.0
7.5
0 2
418.4
250.5
408.8
209.0
530.7
260.7
163.4
3,787.6
7.6
2 – 4
127.2
194.4
81.2
322.8
23.8
318.4
148.0
1,940.2
7.7
4 6
17.4
107.6
5.0
228.0
729.6
7.8
6 8
109.0
189.5
7.9
8 – 10
23.2
7.10
10 12
10.6
7.11
>12
3.6
Ground Water Electrical
Conducvity Distribuon
Electrical Conducvity
Ranges (µS/cm at 25⁰C)
(Ave. of years 2005-09)
Area coverage (sq km)
8.1
<2000
633.5
(100%)
398.4
(84.8%)
620.0
(98.8%)
734.5
(100%)
444.6
(76.5%)
326.2
(55.1%)
624.4
(94.7%)
5,522.7
8.2
2000 – 4000
67.6
(14.4%)
7.4
(1.2%)
105.3
(18.2%)
213.2
(36.0%)
32.7
(5.0%)
1,507.8
8.3
>4000
3.7
(0.8%)
30.6
(5.3%)
52.6
(8.9%)
1.9
(0.3%)
430.0
Ground Water Chloride
Distribuon Chloride
Concentraon Range
(mg/l)
(Ave. of years 2005-09)
Area coverage (sq km)
9.1
<250
631.4
(99.7%)
354.1
(75.0%)
596.7
(95.0%)
707.0
(96.3%)
397.6
(68.5%)
194.8
(32.9%)
582.0
(88.3%)
4,828
9.2
250 – 1000
2.1
(0.3%)
115.4
(25.0%)
30.7
(5.0%)
27.5
(3.7%)
169.3
(29.2%)
346.2
(58.5%)
77.0
(11.7%)
2,297.5
9.3
>1000
0.2
13.6
(2.3%)
51.0
(8.6%)
334.7
Ground Water Fluoride
Distribuon Fluoride
Concentraon Range
(mg/l)
(Ave. of years 2005-09)
Area coverage (sq km)
10.1
<1.5
605.5
(95.6%)
444.2
(94.6%)
537.0
(85.6%)
696.7
(94.9%)
500.3
(86.2%)
296.8
(50.1%)
604.6
(92.0%)
5,966.4
10.2
1.5 – 3.0
21.1
(3.3%)
25.5
(5.4%)
81.7
(13.0%)
37.8
(5.1%)
80.2
(13.8%)
235.9
(39.9%)
54.4
(8.0%)
1,142.8
10.3
>3.0
6.9
(1.1%)
8.7
(1.4%)
59.3
(10.0%)
351.3
41
Broad Category
S.
No.
Aributes
Block Name
Alwar
Total
Tijara
(1)
Kishangarh
(2)
Bansur
(3)
Umren
(4)
Mundawar
(5)
Ramgarh
(6)
Thanagazi
(7)
Ground Water Nitrate
Distribuon
Nitrate Concentraon
Range (mg/l)
(Ave. of years 2005-09)
Area coverage (sq km)
11.1
<50
145.5
(23.0%)
198.2
(42.2%)
414.8
(66.1%)
653.0
(88.9%)
295.3
(50.9%)
324.2
(54.7%)
411.6
(62.5%)
4,425.8
11.2
50-100
292.7
(46.2%)
161.7
(34.4%)
167.7
(26.7%)
63.8
(8.7%)
246.2
(42.4%)
140.0
(23.7%)
186.6
(28.3%)
2,171.2
11.3
>100
195.3
(30.8%)
109.8
(23.4%)
44.9
(7.2%)
17.7
(2.4%)
39.0
(6.7%)
127.8
(21.6%)
60.8
(9.2%)
863.5
Depth to Bedrock
(m bgl)
Area coverage (sq km)
12.1
<40
18.2
(2.9%)
18.2
12.2
40-60
38.1
(6.0%)
164.6
(35.0%)
118.9
(19.0%)
177.3
(24.1%)
16.1
(2.8%)
9.0
(1.5%)
577.8
(87.7%)
1,219.8
12.3
60-80
117.7
(18.6%)
301.0
(64.1%)
279.5
(44.5%)
556.3
(75.8%)
345.7
(59.5%)
313.1
(52.9%)
81.2
(12.3%)
3,052.4
12.4
80-100
165.5
(26.1%)
4.1
(0.9%)
229.0
(36.5%)
0.9
(0.1%)
148.5
(25.6%)
269.7
(45.6%)
2,206.1
12.5
100-120
196.4
(31.0%)
70.2
(12.1%)
0.2
744.6
12.6
>120
97.6
(15.4%)
219.4
Unconned Aquifer
in alluvial areas
Thickness (m)
Area coverage (sq km)
13.1
<10
78.1
221.5
422.7
396.2
423.8
147.7
146.9
3,031.1
13.2
10-20
284.4
152.8
164.7
79.6
118.3
257.6
2.3
1,953.9
13.3
20-30
153.2
9.5
30.2
4.2
25.8
137.3
652.7
13.4
30-40
83.9
1.5
49.2
258.5
13.5
40-50
30.2
57.2
13.6
50-60
2.0
6.5
13.7
60-70
1.0
1.1
13.8
>70
0.5
0.5
Unconned Aquifer
in hardrock areas
Thickness (m)
Area coverage (sq km)
14.1
<10
0.2
55.0
3.4
130.9
7.8
0.2
177.7
850.8
14.2
10-20
24.5
4.9
123.6
4.8
328.7
638.3
14.3
20-30
6.4
3.4
9.9
14.4
30-40
14.5
40-50
14.6
50-60
14.7
60-70
42
Broad Category
S.
No.
Aributes
Block Name
Alwar
Total
Tijara
(1)
Kishangarh
(2)
Bansur
(3)
Umren
(4)
Mundawar
(5)
Ramgarh
(6)
Thanagazi
(7)
14.8
>70
Notes:
1
AMSL-above mean sea level
2
Basis for categorizaon: Ground water development >100% - Over-Exploited. In Noed blocks development of ground water is not permied.
3
bgl – below ground level.
Figures in the parenthesis are percentages of the total column in that category.
Ground Water Electrical Conducvity Distribuon - Electrical Conducvity Ranges (µS/cm at 25⁰C) - (Ave. of years 2005-09): The areas with low EC values in
ground water (<2000 µS/cm) is suitable for domesc purpose. The high EC values in ground water (>4000 µS/cm), is not suitable for domesc purpose.
Ground Water Chloride Distribuon - Chloride Concentraon Range (mg/l) - (Ave. of years 2005-09): (<250 mg/l) is suitable for domesc purpose. The high
chloride concentraon (>1000 mg/l) in the ground water is not suitable for domesc purpose.
Ground Water Fluoride Distribuon - Fluoride concentraon range (mg/l) - (Ave. of years 2005-09): The areas with (<1.5 mg/l) are suitable for domesc
purpose.
Ground Water Nitrate Distribuon - Nitrate concentraon range (mg/l) - (Ave. of years 2005-09): Low nitrate concentraon (<50 mg/l) in ground water is
suitable for agriculture purpose.
Depth to Bedrock (m bgl): The bedrock depth from the ground level - The areas in the central part of Alwar have moderately deep bedrock at around 60 to 80
meters below the ground level.
Unconned aquifer in alluvial areas: Most part of the district has thick cover of alluvium. In unconned condions the alluvial aquifer aains a thickness of
more than 70m. The general thickness is up to 40m. In most parts of the district aquifer is spread with moderate thickness of up to 20m, in general, and in
some pockets aaining more than >40m thickness. The maximum thickness of alluvium has noced in the Tijara block.
Unconned aquifer hard rock areas: Weathered, fractured and jointed rock formaons occurring at shallower depths constute good unconned aquifers.
Such zone ranges in thickness from less than 10m to slightly more than 20m and occurring along the fringes of hills in the southwestern parts of the district.
43
Environmental Aributes – Exploratory Wells (CGWB and RGWB)
Broad Category
S.
No.
Aributes
Block Name
Total
Tijara
(1)
Kishangarh
(2)
Bansur
(3)
Umren
(4)
Mundawar
(5)
Ramgarh
(6)
Thanagazi
(7)
Exploratory wells
(in Nos.)
15.1
CGWB
3
3
1
3
6
7
23
15.2
RGWB
24
26
12
78
9
14
7
170
Ground water
monitoring staons
(in Nos.)
16.1
CGWB
6
4
4
4
7
6
2
33
16.2
RGWB
12
9
9
6
6
10
12
62
Recommended
addional wells for
opmizaon of
monitoring network
(in Nos.)
17.1
Water level
-
3
8
1
15
27
17.2
Water quality
23
13
24
17
25
26
6
160
CGWB: Central Ground Water Board
RGWB: Rajasthan Ground Water Board
The district has a well distributed network of large number of exploratory wells (310) and ground water monitoring staons (177) owned by RGWD (268 and
116 respecvely) and CGWB (42 and 61 respecvely). The exploratory wells have formed the basis for delineaon of subsurface aquifer distribuon scenario
in three dimensions. Benchmarking and opmizaon studies suggest that ground water level monitoring should be strengthened by adding 54 addional wells
in six blocks and 232 addional wells to eecvely monitor the water quality
Aquifers:
Aquifers are formed primarily in Older alluvium and Quartzite. Weathered and fractured parts of the massive quartzite contribute to aquifer formaon whereas
the sandy, gravelly and other granular parts of alluvium constute aquifers. Quartzite forms about 22% of the area and occurs along the fringes of hilly parts
in the southwestern parts of the district. The alluvium is the principal aquifer in this district as it occupies more than 67% of the district in eastern, northern
and western parts. Typical sandy horizons constute aquifers in alluvial areas
Aquifer in Potenal Zone
Area (in Sq. Km.)
Descripon of the unit/Occurrence
Older Alluvium
5,629.0 (67.2%)
This litho unit comprises of mixture of heterogeneous ne to medium grained sand, silt and kankar.
Quartzite
1,831.5 (21.8)
Medium to coarse grained and varies from feldspathic grit to sericic quartzite.
Non-Potenal Zone (Hills)
922.4 (11.0)
-
44
Annexure – II
NEEDS ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE
  /  
GWCC DEPARTMENT, CSR INDIA
Target group: SHG Leaders & Elected Women Representaves
Please ll in the blanks or put a (ck mark) next to the word or answer the phrase that best
matches your response.
        ( )         
      
Locaon: Alwar, Rajasthan: : , 
Date: 
Block: :
Gram Panchayat:  
Ward No.:  :
Village Name:   :
Data Collected by (Interviewers Name):
  
Signature: 
General Quesons:  :
(1) Name of the respondent:

 :
(2) Caste 
GEN
OBC
ST
SC
Others
Code
1
2
3
4
9
(3) What is your age?
?
Under 18
18 ( )
19 30
31 40
41 60
Above 60
(60  )
Code
1
2
3
4
5
(4) Are you a member of any SHG
      
         
Yes (
No (
Code
1
2
What is the name of your SHG.
   
   
(5) Are you a Sarpanch/ Ward Panch?
  /   ?
Yes (
No (
Code
1
2
45
(6) What is your marital status?
    ?
Code
Married 
1
Widowed 
2
Separated    
3
Divorced 

4
Single 
5
(7) How many members are there in your family?
     ?
Code
1
1
2
2
3
3
4
4
More than 5 (5  )
5
(8) Household Monthly Income
   
Code
Below 3000 (3000  )
1
3001 – 5000 (3001  5000)
2
5001 – 10000 (5001  10000)
3
More than 10000 (10000  )
4
(9) Major Source of Income
 
 
Code
Daily labour work in the village   /   
1
Working under MGNREGA     
2
Income from own farm     
3
Agricultural wages from others farm
   
 

4
Trading of crops   
5
Engaged in small business     
6
Engaged with animal husbandry 
 
 
7
Others 
9
46
(10) Educaonal Qualicaon

Code
Graduaon   
1
12th Pass 12 
2
10th Pass 10 
3
5th Pass 5 
4
Never went to school  
 
5
(11) Who makes major decision of the family?
 
    ?
Self

Husband &
Others
Healthcare expenses ,   
1.1
1.9
Household & Kitchen Expenses 
   
2.1
2.9
Agriculture related expenses
  
3.1
3.9
Livestock related expenses 
 / 
4.1
4.9
Land purchase
/  / 
5.1
5.9
Marriage of o springs      
6.1
6.9
Expenses for children      
7.1
7.9
Vehicle purchase  / 
8.1
8.9
(12) Women’s parcipaon in Gram Panchayat Meeng
       
Code
Never  
1
Somemes 
2
Always 
3
Technical Quesons: :
(13) Major Source of Water
  

Code
Well
1
Pond 
2
Bore well  
3
Hand Pump  
4
Piped water supply     

5
47
(14) Is safe drinking water available in your area or village?
     
   ?
Code
Yes ()
1
No ()
2
(15) Do you store water regularly?
     ?
Code
Yes ()
1
No ()
2
(16) If yes, then how do you store water?
 ,        ?
Code
Water Drums  
1
Buckets  
2
Water Barrels    
3
Regular Water Boles     
4
Utensils  
5
Underground water tank  
 
6
(17) Do you follow any water conservaon techniques? If yes, choose from below?
        ?  ,   
?
Code
Taalaab 
1
Johads 
2
Kund
3
Jhalara 
4
Nadi / 
5
Earthen Dam/ Earthen Paal   /   
6
(18) What is the importance of water in your life?
       ?
48
(19) Do you store rain water?
      ?  ,   
?
Code
Yes ()
1
No ()
2
(20) Do you have piped water connecon (Govt. water supply) in your house?
       ?
Code
Yes ()
1
No ()
2
(21) From where do you fetch water for drinking purpose? How far is it from your
house or village (in kms)?
      ?       
 ( 

)?
Code
0.50 Kms  
1
0.60 to 1.00 Kms  
2
Above 1.00 Kms  
3
(22) Do you have supply of water through water tankers in your area? If yes, how
much do they cost/ rate per tanker?
       ?  ,    ?
(23) Have you suered from any health issues due to fetching of water? If yes, please
specify the kind of disease.
           ?  , 
   
  
(24) Do you have any knowledge on the Pond Renovaon/ Rejuvanaon work
implemented in your area?          
(       ?
Code
Yes ()
1
No ()
2
49
(25) Do you think that has beneted your neighbourhood? If yes, why and if no,
why?          
?  ,   
   ?
If yes, why  ,  
if no, why?    ?
(26) Were women involved in the pond renovaon/ rejuvenaon acvies? What role did
SHGs (women) play during the project?
        ?    
  
  
 ?
(27) How are the exisng merbandi/check dams/ Earthen Paal status - running?
/        ?
(28) Is the neighbouring area of water supply systems maintained/ clean by communies
so that clean drinking water can be collected? If so, which iniaves are you aempng to
take?
 
  
     
      
    
(29) Are you sased with the measures taken by government to deal with the water
related problems in your area or village? If no, why?
                 
   
 ?  ,  ?
50
(30) What new construcons related to water conservaon would you like to work upon/
see?                 ?
(31) Will creaon of “Nadies/ Pond/ Anicut/ Earthen Paal” help or support the exisng
water conservaon structures?   /  / / 
  
      ?
(32) Is there any training programme conducted by any agency on water
conservaon and water management in your area/ village?
  /             
    
Code
Yes ()
1
No ()
2
(33) Do you want any skill enhancement programme/ training on water resource
management and water conservaon acvies?
           

/   
Code
Yes ()
1
No ()
2
(34) If yes, for how many days and how many hours per day?
 ,      ,   /   
No. of days   
No. of hours per day     
51
(35) On what subject/ theme/ topic, you would want to learn
  / /    
Code
How to maintain and take care of a Johad
        
1
How to rejuvenate unaended anicut for beer water conservaon?
    
     
()  
2
How to store rain water, some techniques?
      ,
 
3
How to increase the ground water level?
    /   
4
Any other area?
   -    /   
9
(36) Do you know/ are aware of water related schemes in your area (Alwar,
Rajasthan)?
    (, )         
1. Name of the Water scheme
   
1
2.
2
3.
3
4.
4
(37) Any further suggesons on water resource management and water conservaon from
the parcipants.
 

Photos from the field while data collection was carried out in Umren block
Ms. Sushma, from Alwar Team of CSR,
conducting survey in Tijara block
Mr. Gourav from Alwar Team of CSR conducting
sruvery in Ramgarh Block
Gender, Water and Climate Change Department
CENTRE FOR SOCIAL RESEARCH
2024