Water scarcity, exacerbated by factors like droughts and erratic rainfall, poses a significant challenge to societal development, particularly in regions like Bundelkhand, India. This scarcity impacts agriculture, industries, and livelihoods, necessitating a comprehensive approach to water resource management. Adopting a watershed management strategy, including rainwater management and afforestation, is crucial to addressing water scarcity and ensuring potable drinking water, agricultural productivity, and sustainable livelihoods. Integrating water management with environmental conservation and community development is key to tackling complex water scarcity challenges. The Northern Central belt, which includes Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra, faces water scarcity due to geographical factors, impacting agricultural activities. The Bundelkhand districts (Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Damoh, and Sagar) in Madhya Pradesh are particularly prone to drought, affecting around 1.25 million people who rely heavily on monsoons for cultivation. Increased temperatures cause increased evapotranspiration rates, resulting in soil moisture loss, reduced groundwater recharge, and surface water levels. Loss of forest cover and irregular rainfall have led to significant reductions in surface and groundwater supplies, resulting in droughts and floods. Approximately 85 percent of the region’s annual rainfall (800-900 mm) is lost as runoff, with only 15% stored locally or seeping into the ground. Groundwater recharge rates vary by location and substrate type. Traditional rainwater harvesting methods, such as tube wells and hand pumps, have led to a decline in groundwater levels. As groundwater levels fall, women and girls must spend more time fetching water from hand pumps and open wells. – Key programs or projects: Participatory Groundwater management, Project Swajal, Samriddh Gram Pariyojna, Water and Sanitation Project, Watershed development, Construction of Stop dams and check dams, Construction of farm ponds – Our achievements – More than 47000 people benefitted from the WATSAN project now they have access to clean drinking water. – More than 2000 farm ponds have been constructed for easy access to irrigation water. – 500+ stop dams and check dams are constructed to conserve water and for irrigation purposes. – 1000+ watersheds are developed that provide irrigation facilities to almost 7000 villages. • Climate Change: – Climate change is significantly impacting rural communities in India, causing frequent droughts, floods, cyclones, temperature fluctuations, and irregular rainfall. These conditions create uncertainty for smallholder farmers, whose livelihoods heavily rely on agriculture. To address this, Haritika has enhanced its agricultural livelihood improvement program to tackle the new challenges posed by climate change. Our commitment is to ensure nutrition security, income stability, and sustainability for smallholders in our primary regions. Our program design centers on empowering smallholders.