Each year 500,000 Indian children die from water borne diseases.

The Need for the Desert Rainwater Harvesting Initiative

The Rajasthan Water Crisis

Rajasthan is a desert state in India with a geographical area equal to 10 percent of the country, but with only one percent of the country's water resources. The scarce and fragile water resources in this semi-arid environment are under threat from frequent droughts, increasing groundwater salinity and falling water tables.

In some villages women are walking over 4km each day in over 40 degree heat just to bring the families water supply.

The region's recent drought has lasted over 4 years, today almost all bore wells are dried up or providing water that is so salty that it is not fit even for irrigating plants and crops, let alone for drinking.

The bulk of Rajasthan's annual rainfall, (54 to 82cm) falls during the monsoon season followed by months of dry hot days that typically yield only several centimeters of additional rain.

These rural areas are also faced with increasing desertification as a result of over grazing and wide spread tree cutting by local people. A combination of both wind and monsoon rains create severe erosion of up to 3000 tonnes per hectare.

The state's poor rural communities, which account for 77 percent of the population, need access to fresh water for drinking and agriculture.

The Desert Rainwater harvesting initiative will provide a wholistic approach that addresses the freshwater needs of local communities, as well as promoting sustainable agriculture, reforestation and increased biodiversity.

A reliable water supply underpins the success of industry, health and environment and therefore is one of the crucial factors in the alleviation of poverty.