ion. However, workers here note that the moment water becomes available, some farmers expressed their desire to plant cane. Despite that dream, acreage under cane has fallen from some 2.5 acres to less than an acre just when water availability has increased. This can be attributed to the Pani Panchayat actively discouraging the planting of crops that require huge amounts of water.
Borawake was clear that the work has just begun: it takes a decade for the water table to stabilize. Along with repairing the bunds, they are also seeking to repair the damaged social fabric of these remote villages.
"The damaged social fabric has meant that a sense of community is lost. All these villagers used to have a sense of community so that community- owned spaces were looked after by all of them, be they bunds, the schoolyard or the village temple. Through the water bunds, we are seeking to bring back that sense of community ownership," he told VillageSquare.in.
For the villagers in Kumbharwalan, it's more than just about the water.
Gouri Agtey Athale is a Pune-based journalist.
This article was first published on VillageSquare.in, a public-interest communications platform focused on rural India.