Community members - men, women and children - in Jharkhand’s Ringnitoli village gather for village level meetings to talk about issues that affect them and commit to resolve problems at the community level by dedicating time and effort, voluntarily. Difficulty in access to water, for instance, is an issue that affects them severely every year. Inspired by another village that had similarly addressed such a problem, Rignitoli’s residents, therefore, decided to take matters in their own hands last year and, guided by WOTR, dug an earthen dam on a key water drainage line in their village. This, they hope, will raise the groundwater level and resolve their water woes in the near future. Despite receving a high average annual rainfall of 1100 mm. this rain water does not replenish the earth as much as we would like to think because of high run-off. This is why, when Ringnitoli’s residents saw that in Arakaram, a model village where they were taken to for an exposure visit by WOTR during July 2024, people had adopted a simple water harvesting technique to reduce run-off, it appealed to them. Highly motivated to take matters into their own hands, the residents of Ringnitoli decided to convene a meeting the very next week after their return. After extensive consultation, it was decided that they would make an earthen dam on a water drainage line that the villagers use in order to conserve water. Each household had to volunteer one member of their family to do this work. Over the next 25 days, the people of Ringnitoli worked together to dig the earth and use that earth - along with rocks and pebbles - to make a compact wedge that would slow down the flow of water downstream. Although water would continue to seep through, the idea is to reduce run-off and give enough time for groundwater recharge. Although it’s too early to see the effect of their collective effort, the people of Ringnitoli are now motivated to take up other initiatives to solve their water problems. Written by Azera Rehman Read story here: WOTR website