[As a graduate student in Virginia Tech’s Executive Master of Natural Resources (XMNR) degree program, Allison Mihalich participated in an International Residency trip to India. In Part I , Part II, and Part III of this four-part series, Mihalich described the importance of empowering women in the Thar Desert region, the development and operations of the Jal Bhagirathi Foundation (JBF), and profiles of the women JBF has helped to empower.]

Profiles of Empowered Women

The Sambhra Lions

“We are the lions of the home” said Pani Devi in response to a question about what men think about an all-women Jal Sabha. Devi is member of the Bheel caste, and is an activist and water champion serving her village. It is not surprising, then, that her name means “water goddess” in Hindi.

JBF decided to work with Pani Devi and the Sambhra village when they heard about the village’s plight and witnessed Pani Devi in action. Before JBF began working with Pani she already had the spirit of a leader – she stood up for what she valued and what was right and supported others to do the same.

Devi and a small group of women were determined to fight a man who was removing water to sell to other villages, because in a few short months, Sambhra would likely have to buy that water back from those villages just to survive. The villages main source of water was the Kumharya talab and could only hold water for approximately half of the year. If the village was fortunate enough two other seasonal sources could provide Sambhra with two to three months’ worth of water.

desert women with children

JBF intervened to soothe all parties involved in the fight and quickly learned that “here were strong, vociferous women who were passionately trying to save the water in their village.” Pani Devi soon joined JBF and worked closely with them to learn how to organize the other women in her community to “fight for their water rights and promote the concepts of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) and community ownership” (Moment for Action, 2015).

In February 2012, a Jal Sabha was formed with the 38 female members  and, naturally, Pani Devi was appointed President. The new Jal Sabha immediately went to work and developed an action plan to construct a talab or pond to improve the access to potable water.

Monthly meetings were held to gain the trust of the village and collect money to build the pond. Household contributions ranged from as little as  400 rupees to large sums over 10,000 rupees and eventually reached a total of 58,722 rupees from 185 houses in the village. Eventually, in late 2011 the women had enough to contribute their share of support for the project and receive the grant money from JBF.

Sambhra completed construction of the pond in 2012 with 12,485 cubic meter capacity. Women supported men in the construction and development of the pond and contributed to cutting down of surrounding invasive to maximize water harvesting potential. This project was successful due to women like Pani Devi  and their deep understanding of water conservation practices.

As a result of JBF’s actions and the leadership of the empowered women, Devi has become a role model with women of other villages to pursue development goals for themselves, their family, and their villages. Sambhra is now working to construct natural rain catchment tanks to each house in the village.

Pani Devi is now exploring how to help other villages accomplish similar successes. Since JBFs involvement in villages like Sambhra, women’s access to and control over natural resources has improved substantially reducing the time and effort spent in collecting water. Despite the historically patriarchal culture existing around decision-making, the success of this all-women led group showcases the newly trained and empowered women.

Results to Date

As a result of JBF’s efforts to promote women in leadership roles, women’s access and control over natural resources is palpable in over 450 villages. An increase in the formation of all-women Jal Sabhas, as seen in the Sambhra village, has ensured female participation in the decision making of water management.

In single-caste village Jal Sabha’s, there is an overall average of 34 percent female participation. JBF has ensured at least 20 percent female participation in the Jal Sabhas, shifting the patriarchal nature of Rajasthan’s rural villages towards acceptance of women leaders. Women no longer face the drudgery associated with fetching and hauling water and the distance walked to retrieve water everyday reduced has been by 2.6 km on an average.

JBF now works with 1,650 rural women through the Jal Mandals to help provide them with access to economic resources to further address water and sanitation issues facing the villages.

rural Indian women

Future Steps

For a public trust that has been in existence less than fifteen years, it is remarkable what JBF has set out to do and the measurable impact they have had on the livelihoods of rural women in the Marwar region of Rajasthan. Harish, Dahiya, and Devi are three examples of empowered women associated with JBF who have dedicated their lives to enhancing the lives of others.

By working with JBF these women not only improved their understanding of best practices in water management, they have spread knowledge to others. By using the platform provided and supported by JBFs work and reputation these three women have inspired hope and prosperity that should be looked to as best practices for future work in rural water development projects.

Indian women

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Allison Mihalich

Allison Mihalich is a graduate of Virginia Tech’s Executive Master of Natural Resources program, and an analyst at the U.S. Environment Protection Agency (USEPA). Some key responsibilities include supporting the development of USEPA’s strategic plan,  implementing USEPA’s Cross-Agency Strategies aimed at improving sustainability, community-based work, building partnerships, and working as a high performing organization. Allison has also worked as a performance analyst specializing in Air issues and as a budget analyst.  Allison lives with her husband and dog in Falls Church, Virginia. 

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