This article has been published in partnership with Tata Capital.
For years, uncertainty shaped everyday life in Manganallur village, where farming depended almost entirely on rain.
“When there was no water, we could manage only one crop,” Krishna (62), a farmer from Manganallur village in Tamil Nadu, tells The Better India. “Because of that, I had to send my two sons for temporary work outside the village.”
Water scarcity influenced every decision in Krishna’s household. Wells ran dry before harvest season, rainfall was unpredictable, and groundwater levels were unreliable. With farming unable to sustain the family year-round, migration became unavoidable.
“We didn’t want to leave agriculture,” he says, “but without water, we had no option.”
That began to change in 2017-18, when work under the JalAadhar programme — an initiative by Tata Capital — reached Manganallur. At first, the community was unsure. Plans to restore tanks, build bunds, and harvest rainwater felt extensive and unfamiliar. But the approach was different from what villagers had seen before.
Instead of starting with construction, the partner organisation National Agro Foundation (NAF) began by listening.
“For any watershed project, the first step is understanding the village through the community itself,” explains Agalshri, Assistant Director of NAF. “Local knowledge combined with technical planning makes the solutions last.”
As tanks were desilted, bunds were built, and rainwater-harvesting structures put in place, the impact unfolded gradually. Rain that once flowed away was now stored. Even small showers began to make a difference. Over time, groundwater levels improved, and water remained available well beyond the monsoon months.
With improved water access, farmers like Krishna are now cultivating multiple crop cycles in a year.
For Krishna, the change showed up in his fields.
Over the last two years, he has been able to cultivate two to three crop cycles, even in a year of below-average rainfall. With water security came the confidence to invest in farming again, and to welcome one of his sons back home to work on the land.
Manganallur’s journey reflects what long-term water conservation can achieve when communities are placed at the centre. It is one of many such stories captured in Tata Capital’s decade-long CSR journey, now brought together in a coffee-table book that traces how villages once constrained by scarcity are rebuilding their futures around water.
Why India’s water challenge needs long-term solutions
India’s water crisis is rooted in its heavy dependence on groundwater, which supplies nearly 85% of rural drinking water and over 60% of irrigation needs.
Erratic rainfall, prolonged dry spells, and over-extraction have pushed many regions into water-stressed and overexploited categories, making farming and daily life increasingly uncertain. In dry and semi-arid regions, water tables are falling faster than they can be naturally replenished.
Water insecurity doesn’t remain confined to fields. Crop failures become more likely, household incomes shrink, and families are often forced to choose between staying on the land or migrating to towns and cities for work.
This is why long-term solutions matter. Short-term relief — such as tankers or temporary supply fixes — can ease immediate distress but do little to strengthen water systems. Programmes like JalAadhar work differently.
By revitalising traditional water structures, building rainwater-harvesting systems, and improving groundwater recharge, they help communities build resilience within their own landscapes, support more reliable livelihoods, and adapt better to changing climate patterns.
How JalAadhar works: From watersheds to water security
Launched by Tata Capital in 2016, the JalAadhar programme works across Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan, focusing on long-term water security rather than short-term relief. Today, it spans over 335 villages across more than 11 districts, benefitting over 5.4 lakh individuals. Its deepest impact has been seen in Tiruvannamalai district, Tamil Nadu, where the programme covers more than 80 villages and over 50 micro-watersheds, primarily in the Vandavasi block.
“What we are doing here is not a single activity; it is a layered watershed approach. Water, agriculture, livelihoods, and community institutions are all working together,” Agalshri adds.
At the heart of JalAadhar is a three-part model adapted to local geography and community needs.
1) Integrated watershed development
This includes building bunds, trenches, and farm ponds, along with soil conservation measures. These structures improve groundwater recharge and allow farmers to shift from mono-cropping to inter- and multi-cropping systems.
2) Waterbody rejuvenation
In Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan, the focus has been on desilting tanks and ponds to restore their storage capacity. The nutrient-rich silt is reused on farms, improving soil health and crop yields.
3) Water access
Solar-powered pumps, piped systems, overhead tanks, and tap points ensure equitable access to water for both households and irrigation, reducing the burden on women.
The impact of this integrated approach is visible at scale: over 790 water bodies treated or created, over 5.4 lakh individuals benefited, more than 45,000 lakh litres of water-harvesting potential created, and an average 5.5-metre rise in groundwater levels across project areas.
At the heart of JalAadhar’s watershed work is a holistic approach — enhancing water recharge and availability, boosting agriculture, empowering communities through training, and supporting sustainable livelihoods.
With over 790 water bodies restored and created, the programme is rebuilding ecosystems while supporting thousands of farmers.
“Waterbody rejuvenation helped improve groundwater levels and move the block from an overexploited category to semi-critical,” Agalshri says.
Once farm water availability improved, agriculture improved too. Farmers began cultivating an additional crop season and learned to use fertiliser inputs more judiciously.
The impact of this approach is visible in individual lives as well. In Veliyambakkam village, Devi, a widow and single mother, used loan assistance from the JalAadhar project to build multiple livelihood activities — including a nursery garden, flour mill, Xerox machine, and petty shop.
Today, she supports her family independently while ensuring her son continues his education.
Beyond water: Investing in people, health, and the planet
While JalAadhar addresses water security, it is part of a broader, long-term CSR strategy through which Tata Capital works across education, healthcare, and climate action — designing programmes that scale while staying rooted in community needs.
“Tata Capital has been engaged in CSR since its inception, but over the last 10 years our work has become far more mature. We began designing and testing our own project models and scaling them across contiguous regions to create deeper, sustained impact,” says Neha Bhagtani, Deputy VP, Corporate Sustainability, Tata Capital.
At Tata Capital, the CSR efforts are anchored in creating catalytic change through measurable, long-term utilitarian projects for communities across India. “Through initiatives like JalAadhar, we are not just conserving water — we are strengthening livelihoods, resilience, and inclusive growth at scale,” adds Rajiv Sabharwal, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Tata Capital.
In education, the Pankh Scholarship Programme has supported over 25,000 students from low-income families, enabling them to pursue higher education and reduce dropout rates driven by financial constraints.
In healthcare, Tata Capital’s Aarogyatara eye-care programme has screened over 14 lakh individuals, facilitating over 1.37 lakh surgeries and vision corrections, helping restore livelihoods and dignity, particularly among older adults in rural areas.
Restored tanks and newly built bunds have turned even small showers into a reliable water source for farmers.
Under climate action, initiatives include JalAadhar; Green Switch, which has brought solar-powered electricity to over 99 unelectrified hamlets in Jharkhand; and VN (Vanaropan for Neutrality), an afforestation programme restoring eco-sensitive urban and peri-urban spaces.
Neha notes that while India faces no shortage of social and environmental challenges, Tata Capital’s presence across more than 1,300 branches and its growing rural and microfinance footprint place it in a unique position to work closely with underserved regions.
Drawing from her experience across sectors, she adds that environmental initiatives, especially those focused on water, require patience and sustained engagement to witness the real change.
“Impact in water is never immediate. It takes at least three years before results begin to show, but when they do, the change is lasting,” she says.
In Tamil Nadu, where Tata Capital has worked continuously since 2017–18, an entire block of 89 villages once classified as overexploited has seen a transformation.
“When you desilt tanks, build check dams, and work closely with farmers, the change becomes visible after two or three monsoons. Seeing dry water bodies come back to life is incredibly heartening,” Neha shares.
Community ownership has been central to this shift.
“The scale of work in Tamil Nadu was possible because the community stayed receptive and involved over the years. We’ve even seen the formation of farmer producer organisations, with thousands of farmers coming together,” she adds.
With many CSR projects located in remote regions, Tata Capital documented this decade-long journey through its coffee-table book, CapiTales.
The book brings together stories from the field, tracing how projects are piloted, scaled, and sustained, and how economic resilience gradually takes root in communities.
“When you read the stories of community members, you see how every resource, activity, and training ultimately leads to growth. That catalytic approach is what truly defines our work,” Neha says.
From uncertainty to abundance
For Krishna from Manganallur village, life before JalAadhar was defined by uncertainty. Limited groundwater meant farming depended entirely on erratic rainfall, allowing only one crop season a year and forcing his family to look for work outside the village.
That reality began to shift over the past two years after he became part of the JalAadhar project.
JalAadhar’s integrated approach shows how community participation and long-term planning can create lasting change.
As water-harvesting structures and watershed works began to show results, groundwater levels slowly improved. What once felt like an ambitious plan translated into visible change on the fields.
With assured water availability, Krishna moved from single-season farming to two, and now even three, crop cycles a year.
“Earlier, because there was very little water, we used to grow groundnut and pulses like black gram. Now that there is sufficient water, I am cultivating paddy, and I have also planted a small patch of sugarcane on my land,” he says.
The transformation has restored more than income. One of Krishna’s sons has returned to farming, confident that agriculture can once again sustain the family.
With water available for longer periods, farming is no longer a gamble. It is a future Krishna can now plan for.
His story is one among many documented in CapiTales, reflecting how long-term, in-depth programmes are reshaping rural livelihoods across India.
Through five on-ground stories, see how focused support and community engagement by long-term CSR initiatives can drive sustainable change here.
All images courtesy Tata Capital team
