Hiware Bazar village builds resilience to drought in Maharashtra
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In the early 1990s, most residents of Hiware Bazar, a village in Maharashtra, India, had migrated due to water scarcity and limited farmland. Popatrao Pawar, the village’s sarpanch, led efforts to reverse this trend by using drought relief funds to build water-harvesting structures and restore farmland.
The village prioritised public works programs, paying residents to construct contour trenches and other infrastructure. After India’s Independence, drought relief programs evolved into Scarcity Manuals, emphasising local wage labour and early warning systems.
Hiware Bazar also drew inspiration from Ralegan Siddhi, another village in the region that successfully addressed water scarcity. Between 1995 and 2000, the village implemented a five-year plan for watershed development, supported by various agencies. By 2006, the village had increased irrigated land from 120 to 260 hectares and attracted returning migrants, with 40 families returning from cities like Pune and Mumbai between 1992 and 2002.
Hiware Bazar now manages its water resources through annual budgeting, advising farmers on crop choices based on available water, and has banned water-intensive crops like sugarcane. Groundwater levels have remained stable at 11 to 12 metres since 1995, a significant improvement from the 37 metres recorded earlier. The Maharashtra government is now trying to replicate Hiware Bazar’s approach in other villages.
