Project area

The term Marwar is derived from the Sanskrit word Maruwat, which means the Land of Death. The region is the most densely populated arid zone in the world, with a population density of 84–90 people per sq km. It covers an area of 13.5 million hectares and comprises the seven districts of Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Jalore, Barmer, Nagaur, Pali, and Sirohi. This constitutes 39.4 per cent of the total geographical area of the state of Rajasthan. The region is characterized by limited seasonal precipitation, high atmospheric temperatures with seasonal variation, intense solar radiation, strongwinds, saline groundwater, and sparse vegetation. Ten per cent of the eco-region is composed of sand dunes, and the other 90 per cent consists of craggy rock forms, compacted-salt lake bottoms, and dune areas. The climate is extreme, with annual temperature ranging from near-freezingin the winter to more than 50oC in the summer. The region experiences one lean year in every three years and at-least one year of famine in every eight years.

The economy of the Marwar region has traditionally revolved around animal husbandry and subsistence agriculture. Its primary ecological resources have been water bodies, pasturelands, grazing lands, and sacred groves. The land-use classification reveals that there is very little forest cover, less than 1 per cent; barren and uncultivated land accounts for around 10 per cent; pastureland for 4 to 7 per cent; and cultivable wasteland for up to 5 per cent. More than 60 per cent of the net sown area, , is cultivated under rain-fed conditions.

Water is a scarce resource in Marwar. The region has the lowest water endowment in Rajasthan, while the state itself falls in a zone of extreme water scarcity. Rainfall in the region is sparse, with an annual average of 200 mm. Groundwater is saline and unsuitable for drinking or agriculture. Given the absence of surface water sources, the crisis manifests itself in drinking water scarcity for animal and human population. Severe ecological degradation and increasing desertification have compounded this scarcity, especially for poor communities. It is estimated that 74 per cent of Indian villages with multiple water quality problems are in Rajasthan.1 With the increasing pace of climate change, droughts have become recurring phenomena; on an average, the region witnesses six drought years in a decade. In spite of this, there is no holistic drought-proofing strategy in the place yet.

Due to the scattered habitation pattern and the desert topography, government water schemes are unable to reach a large population. As per the National Habitation Survey, 2003, about 51 per cent of the total rural habitations in the region does not have government water supply system, 16 per cent are partially covered, and only 33 per cent are fully covered by optimum water supply system. Due to the absence of participatory approaches and location-specific strategies, the government schemes have resulted in communities neglecting traditional water-harvesting and conservation systems, which have been developed over centuries and which have helped desert communities to survive. Centralized planning has pushed this traditional knowledge to the margins of development processes, resultant the region is now facing acute water shortages.

The region’s water challenges could be addressed effectively through a bottom-up approach that acknowledges and incorporates various coping mechanisms developed over the centuries. Such an approach will help people adapt to the present climate variability using experience accumulated over the years and then develop strategies to initiate responses to future climate variability; it will also contribute to the reduction of poverty among the communities.

The drinking water crisis in Marwar has worsened due to the centralization of its supply, resulting in poor coverage, inadequate supply, and water of poor or compromised quality. Traditional systems must be revived and rejuvenated along with the adoption of modern systems to make drinking water supply in Marwar sustainable, equitable, and community based. Hence, JMF supports desert communities in building traditional systems of water management, which employ low-cost, user-friendly local techniques and can be sustained by local communities. Such traditional community-based structures contribute to social cohesion and self-reliance.

In Marwar, water insecurity affects every aspect of people’s lives, including health, finance, and personal and social well-being. Water insecurity is linked to the deteriorating quality of life and to chronic psychological stress. JMF aims to address these problems by ensuring water security so that people’s vulnerability and poverty are directly reduced.

Sanitation needs to be addressed at both the individual and household levels. This can be achieved with the help of health and hygiene education, that is, by designing appropriate communication strategies that encourage awareness about this issue and that educate people about how better sanitation and hygiene practices can eradicate or reduce instances of diseases. JMF has built a communication strategy to impart information on hygiene behaviour, sanitation practices, and water conservation and purification.

Traditional gender bias and caste discrimination have led to the social exclusion of women and people from the lower castes from decision-making forums on water resource management. Low literacy rates further hinder their ability to participate in development processes. It has been found that women and the marginalized communities in the region are often unaware of their basic rights. Public awareness campaigns, workshops, and trainings conducted by JMF constitute an empowering process that educates women and other marginalized people about their rights so that they can rightfully claim the services to which they are entitled.

Availability of water and the local hygiene practices have a strong impact on the educational profile of the people of Marwar. Water scarcity affects the attendance of girls in schools, as they have to help their mothers fetch water over long distances. This time-consuming activity leaves little time for other chores, leading to irregular school attendance and eventually to the girls dropping out.

Further, the scarcity of water affects hygiene behaviour. Many people in water-scarce Marwar are able to bathe only once or twice a week.

In addition, the poor quality of water has an adverse impact on the health of children, which in turn affects their school attendance. JMF identifies schools as institutions with tremendous potential to impart awareness about water, health, and sanitation. Hence, one of the priorities of the Foundation is to make schools and villages self-sufficient in drinking water.