Water conservation

project insights
River Icon
Proven Track Record – Rivers

70+

Rivers/Streams
Being Rejuvenated

90,500+

Recharge Structures
Built

10,00,000+

Trees Planted Along
River Basins

3.45 crore

People
Benefited

59,000+

Sq Km
Area Influenced

19,000+

Villages
Covered
in 5 states

JalTara Icon
Proven Track Records – JalTara

140

Villages Impacted

57,480

Recharge Structures
Built

90,000+

Trees Planted

1,212 Crore litre

Ground Water
Recharge
 

2,01,200

Acres of Land Covered

14 Feet

Ground Water
table increase

JalTara Icon
Plan 2023 - JalTara

250

No. of Villages

1,25,000

No. of JalTara
Recharge Structures

7,575 Crore Litre

Ground Water
Recharge

2,50,000

Trees to be
Planted

JalTara Water Drop Water Drop
Vision for 5 Years - JalTara

100,000

No. of Villages

5 crore

No. of JalTara
Recharge Structures

15 Trillion Litres

Ground Water
Recharge

10 crore

Trees to be
Planted

Quote Picture Our survival depends on water, it is the basis of the life force. We need to protect the source of water.Quote Picture

- Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Quote Picture Our survival depends on water, it is the basis of the life force. We need to protect the source of water.Quote Picture

- Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

India Faces Water Crisis

At least 54% of the sub-continent has turned into a water-stressed dry-land with many rivers rapidly drying up. Experts opine that by 2025, the country will be facing an acute water crisis if no preventive measures are taken today. Interestingly, most parts of the country receive generous amounts of rainfall, but still there is an acute shortage of water for agricultural and domestic use throughout the year. Contrary to general belief, rainfall fulfils only a fraction of India’s total demand for water. Only 20% of India’s agricultural and domestic requirements are met by rain and water bodies like rivers, lakes etc. The remaining 80% is dependent on groundwater for sustenance.

This groundwater is continuously depleting at an exponential rate since the past 20 years owing to the disrupted hydrological cycle leading to a water stress in many areas in the country. Loss of forest cover and vegetation all over the country in the past years has alarmingly reduced the recharge rate of the ground water table. Moreover, developmental activities like the expansion of the road network, construction of hydroelectric projects have impacted the water bodies, rivers and their basins. The most common problems which have been identified include reduced water flow in the rivers, fragile ecology, river bank and soil erosion, siltation etc. All these issues have led to the poor health of the rivers, which is reflected in both the quantity and quality of water, which affects agricultural productivity, livelihood security, public health, and aquatic. And matters are made worse by the blind extraction of water from this already depleting source. According to the Central Ground Water Board of India (CGWB), 239 trillion litres of groundwater is extracted every year. Rainfall over natural catchment areas is the only source of recharging this ground water, but research data from the Central Water Commission of India (CWC) shows that 78% of the water from rainfall runs off the surface and flows in to the oceans, rendering it incapable of domestic use as well as augmentation of the ground water recharge.

These numbers clearly indicate that the existing rainwater recharge mechanisms operating in nature, as well as those few already undertaken by the people of the country will not be sufficient to tackle this problem.

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78%

Amount of monsoon rainwater flows
into the ocean every year

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6%

Amount of annual rainwater saved
and stored every year

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239

Trillion Lts
Of Groundwater extracted every year

Contribution to India's Water Security

The Art of Living Water Conservation Team was formed in 2013, inspired by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s vision to mitigate water crisis and develop a sustainable & long-term solution to revive dried rivers, and conserve water.

With meticulous planning, the assistance of experts, and consistent efforts, the river rejuvenation team started restoring dried-up rivers and other water sources like ponds, wells, canals, and temple tanks.

70+ Rivers/Streams have been rejuvenated and 90,500+ Structures Built in 5 States - Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh in a short span of time and are flowing perennially.

The results proved to be a boon for farmers. It increased groundwater levels, optimized crop production, increased soil fertility and doubled farmers' income.

Increase of Water Level in Wells

70+ Rivers/Streams

Being Rejuvenated

Farmer Income is More Than Doubled

90,500+ Recharge Structures

Built

Increase in Crop Yield

6,57,000+ Trees

Planted Along River Basins

Eliminated Crop Spoilage

3,45,00,000+

People Benefited

Increase in Employment

19,000+ Villages

Covered

Improvement in Land Usage

59,000+ Sq Km

Area Influenced

Eliminated Crop Spoilage

8 States

Work-in-Progress

Increase in Employment

Community Engagement and
Employment Generation

Generated 6.5 lac days of rural employement

Improvement in Land Usage

Sustainable

Resolved immediate needs created systems that ensure reliable supplies in the future

Our Multi-pronged Approach Consists of

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Extensive Community Mobilization
and Capacity Building

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Construction of Groundwater
Recharge Structures

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Area and Drainage
Line Treatment

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Extensive
Afforestation

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Soil Conservation
Measures

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Sustainable
Agriculture

Karnataka

22 Rivers/Streams

being rejuvenated

34,000+ Recharge

structures built

1,557,000+ Trees

Planted

13,000+ Villages

Benefitted

96,685+ Sq Kms

Area Desilting

Tamil Nadu

24 Rivers/Streams

being rejuvenated

65,000+ Recharge

structures built

1400+ Villages

Benefitted

4,84,000+ Lives

Impacted

18,085+ Sq Kms

Area Impacted

Uttar Pradesh

6,500+

People Attended Water Literacy Programs

141+

Recharge Shaft Built in 56 Ponds

41

Villages Benefited

1

Sub-surface Dyke

Maharashtra

37 Rivers/Streams

being rejuvenated

23,600+

structures built

7,28,900+ Trees

Planted

20,75,000+ People

Benefited

27

Districts

2,39,29,900+

Cubic Meters Desilted

941+ Sq Kms

Area Influenced

Andhra Pradesh

River Rejuvenation work has been started in Penna & Papagani river basins located in the Cuddapah and Ananthapur districts.

JalTara Approach Validated Across Multiple Projects

To eradicate the water crisis in India, The Art of Living's JalTara has made undisputed efforts across multiple areas of water conservation. More than 50 villages are benefitted from the scientific approach of JalTara, where 20,000 recharge structures have been established in the past 2 years in Maharashtra.

140

Villages Impacted

57,480

Recharge Structures Built

90,000+

Trees Planted

2,01,200

Acres of Land
Covered

A Scalable Approach
To The Groundwater Crisis

Transforming Impervious Earth Into
An Absorbent Sponge

The prime difficulty in the groundwater crisis is the inability of the impervious ground to hold and conserve rainwater in monsoon. To eliminate this problem, the JalTara approach create multiple recharge structures in the arable plots that can be functioned to let the rainwater bypass the impenetrable topsoil and nourish the underground aquifers.

Our scalable answer to this challenge:
"One Recharge Structure Per Acre" The unique JalTara approach is to create Recharge Structure - 6 feet deep and 4 feet across

  • At the lowest point within arable acre-plot of land
  • With two fruit bearing trees on the two sides of pit which enables rainwater to bypass the dense, impervious topsoil and recharge underground aquifers
  • An average of 500 Recharge Structure per village

Hear it from the source