In this guide
In a village in western Rajasthan, the most valuable structure is often not a house or a temple but a round, plastered pit in the ground with a domed cover — a tanka. When the few monsoon showers come, the family sweeps the surrounding catchment clean so that the rain runs into it; the stored water must last for drinking through the long dry months. The tanka is one of many ingenious systems that Rajasthan's people developed to live with extreme water scarcity — systems that are now being rediscovered as the state faces a serious groundwater crisis.
The scale of scarcity
- Rajasthan has about 10% of India's geographical area and a large share of its population and livestock, but only about 1% of its surface water resources.
- Much of the state receives low and highly variable rainfall (see our post on climate).
- Groundwater has become the main source for irrigation and drinking water — and it is being extracted far faster than it is recharged.
Groundwater crisis
- In the Central Ground Water Board's assessments, a large majority of Rajasthan's assessment units (blocks) are classified as over-exploited, among the highest proportions in India.
- Water levels have fallen sharply in districts such as Jaipur, Jodhpur, Nagaur, Sikar, Jhunjhunu and Alwar.
Water quality
- Fluoride — high levels in groundwater in many districts, causing dental and skeletal fluorosis.
- Salinity — especially in the west.
- Nitrate — from fertilisers and sewage.
Traditional water harvesting systems
| System | Where | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Tanka | Western desert (Barmer, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Churu) | Covered underground cistern that collects rainwater from a prepared catchment; for drinking water |
| Kund / Kundi | Western desert | Similar to a tanka, with a saucer-shaped catchment sloping towards a circular pit |
| Khadin | Jaisalmer | An earthen embankment across the slope of a field traps runoff; the soil stays moist for a rabi crop. Associated with the Paliwal Brahmins from the fifteenth century |
| Johad | Alwar, eastern Rajasthan | Crescent-shaped earthen check dams that capture rainwater and recharge groundwater |
| Nadi | Western Rajasthan (Jodhpur region) | Village pond that collects runoff from a natural catchment |
| Talab | Across Rajasthan | Larger tanks or lakes, often built by rulers or communities |
| Beri / Kui | Western desert | Small, deep wells dug near tanks to tap the seepage water held in the sand above a gypsum or clay layer |
| Baori / Jhalra | Across Rajasthan | Stepwells and step-tanks — see our post on architecture |
| Virda | Desert areas (shared with Gujarat's Banni region) | Shallow wells dug in depressions to collect rainwater floating above saline groundwater |
| Anicut | Across Rajasthan | Small check dam across a stream |
A revival story: the Arvari river
In the 1980s, the organisation Tarun Bharat Sangh, led by Rajendra Singh, began working with villages in Alwar district to rebuild johads. As thousands of johads were built and restored, groundwater recharged, wells filled again, and the Arvari river — which had been dry for years — began to flow again. Rajendra Singh, often called the "Waterman of India", received the Ramon Magsaysay Award (2001) and the Stockholm Water Prize (2015). The villages along the river formed an Arvari Sansad (river parliament) to manage its water.
Government programmes
| Programme | Details |
|---|---|
| Mukhyamantri Jal Swavlamban Abhiyan | Launched in 2016; aimed to make villages self-reliant in water through water-harvesting structures, watershed treatment and revival of traditional sources |
| Jal Jeevan Mission (Har Ghar Jal) | Piped drinking water to rural households |
| Atal Bhujal Yojana | Community-led groundwater management in water-stressed blocks (Rajasthan is one of the participating states) |
| Watershed development | Check dams, contour bunds, farm ponds |
| Micro-irrigation subsidies | Drip and sprinkler systems |
| Rooftop rainwater harvesting | Mandatory in certain buildings in cities |
A strategy for water security
| Area | Measures |
|---|---|
| Supply | Revive traditional structures; build recharge structures; complete canal and river-link projects |
| Demand | Micro-irrigation; shift away from water-intensive crops in over-exploited blocks |
| Regulation | Groundwater regulation and metering; community water budgets |
| Quality | Defluoridation; safe piped water |
| Cities | Rooftop harvesting; reuse of treated wastewater; reduce leakage |
| Community | Water user groups; village water committees |
Practice
Prelims-style:
- Which community is associated with khadins in Jaisalmer?
- What is a tanka?
- Which river in Alwar was revived through johads?
- When was the Mukhyamantri Jal Swavlamban Abhiyan launched?
- Which groundwater quality problem causes fluorosis?
Mains-style (50 words): What is a johad?
Mains-style (100 words): "Rajasthan's traditional water wisdom holds the key to its water future." Discuss.
A note on dates and numbers. Exam patterns, vacancies and schedules change from year to year. Always confirm the current details in the latest notification on the Rajasthan Public Service Commission website .
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