Indescriminate use of ground water affects millions in India. BAPS Charities has implemented the following programs to help alleviate the problem and create an awareness on the proper use of water.

These programs not only aim to create sustainable water supplies, but also aim to develop entire communities in the form of skills training, seminars on farm management and health check-ups. Every project BAPS Charities undertakes is run under advisement by the local villagers who stand to benefit the most from a successful water conservation project.

Rainwater Harvesting (RWH)
Rainwater is a vital resource. Utilized properly, it mitigates water shortages, controls flooding and drastically decreases the load on sewage systems.

BAPS Charities has completed 497 RWH projects:

Well Recharging Project
Drought and famine hit Saurashtra, North Gujarat, year after year. The water level has been descending to lower and lower levels in the past several years. Only 15% of rain water percolates into the ground whilst the rest is washed away into the sea and salty water permeates the ground. Some 2.5 million acres of arable land in Saurashtra has been rendered unproductive due to the increased salinity and in addition about 40,000 wells have been flooded with salty, unusable water.

In some areas, wells have been drilled up to 500 feet to obtain drinking water, but the effort has not always proved fruitful. With conditions deteriorating, the well-recharging method has evolved.

Well-recharging involves construction of a pooling tank into which surface water is drawn. Heavy particles and mud naturally settle at the bottom. When the water reaches a certain height, it is automatically drained into the nearby well through an underground connecting pipe.

In 1994, BAPS CARE printed 20,000 information leaflets and fanned out in the worst hit areas with teams of volunteers. 4,593 wells were recharged in 240 villages of North Gujarat. In total, 91,860 feet of donated cement pipes and invaluable technical expertise were given for the good of the rural populace.

De-silting Dams
BAPS Charities center in Gondal aided the Gondal Municipality (District Rajkot) to excavate silt accumulated in the dry Veri Dam nearby. The excavation would help increase the depth of the dam by which more water could be stored. The project began on April 5, with volunteers and vehicles excavating 1,500 tractorloads of silt everyday. BAPS initially provided 55 tractors which were carting away rich silt for nearby farmers who needed it. As the work progressed, more than 100 tractors were on the job. In over 50 days, 125,236 tractorloads of silt were excavated costing over Rs.6.5 million, which was donated by BAPS Charities. More than 7 feet of silt was cleared from the entire stretch of dam before the rains arrived - creating 170 million liters of stored water.