Check dams

Amid India’s growing water crisis, meet five inspiring water warriors who are restoring ponds, building check dams, and bringing clean water to millions. This September, The Better India Showcase 2025 is honouring their impact.

Amid all the videos of Gurugram being flooded by heavy rains, this video went viral for showing a simple solution to not just avoid water logging, but also to recharge the underground water table.

Ajay Sharma, founder of Sewa Welfare Society, has introduced check dams made using gunny bags, in Khunti district of Jharkhand

Around 3,500 residents of Hingangaon village in Maharashtra came together to raise Rs 1 crore as funds to conserve rainwater. The village is now tanker-free, and recorded 300 acres of sugarcane cultivation for the first time in 40 years

Yogesh Chavan, an HR professional in Pune, took up water conservation efforts in his native Dahigaon village to recharge groundwater table and make village water tanker-free

From harvesting rain and reviving wells to showcasing the tribal 'flavours of the forest', Vanvadi is far more than a digital detox destination.

Today, Saravanan Thiyagarajan is working in tandem with 20 districts spread across Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh where every district has at least 5-6 people actively engaged in lake rejuvenation.

What inspired Premji Patel to leave city life behind and spend the rest of his life nurturing nature? A story of an African shepherd who accidentally planted a forest on barren land!

Through traditional water conservation methods, they have been able to resuscitate six check dams across the Artilahalla rivulet.

Residents of water-scarce village of indigenous people in Mokhada have collectively built a concrete embankment on a dry rivulet to harvest rainwater and become water-sufficient. Nidhi Jamwal takes a closer look.