Introduction Nagulapally village is situated in Nagulapally Gram Panchayat of Julapalli block in Peddapalli District, and it is one of the drought-prone regions in the state. Due to low groundwater levels and rocky terrain, the villagers faced severe water problems. In monsoon, all the water drained to the nearby stream limiting the scope of recharging borewells and open wells. In Gram Sabha, it was decided to conserve rainwater by digging the staggered trenches and continuous contour trenches on various locations of the village.

INTRODUCTION Badera Bharas Gram Panchayat falls under Bhitarwar block in Gwalior District. Occurrence of low rainfall over many years had created a situation where the villagers could not fulfil their domestic and agricultural needs. During summer, the villagers had to walk around 3 km to fetch drinking water. All the hand pumps and wells had dried up due to depletion of groundwater. Consequently, agricultural productivity declined, and the land had started turning fallow. Overall, the situation was such that the villagers were compelled to migrate. Therefore, the Gram Panchayat decided to undertake different water conservation and harvesting works by constructing check dams, canals and renovation of ponds.

Ahead of the monsoons, about 250 people, mainly women from the village of Thanwala in Ahore panchayat of Jalore district in Rajasthan got together and cleaned up the historic step well. The barely used step well had been dry for a few years but the exercise helped clean the well of accumulated debris and waste. It is hoped that the monsoons will help recharge the well. This was observed by a Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA) team that visited the step well and other water bodies and assessed the water conservation efforts of the district administration on 30th July, 2019. Jalore district comprises 8 Blocks all of which are water stressed.

The district administration of Jhunjhunu organized Kisan Melas in Buhana and Nawalgarh blocks to apprise farmers about crop rotation, technologies for round-the-year green fodder availability under scare water conditions; and about Azolla farming. The events provided a vital platform for farmers to discuss their challenges and for agricultural experts to disseminate information about improved practices and technologies.

From 16th -31st July, 2019, a team of central government officers visited the most water stressed villages of Khammam district in Telangana, namely Gurralapadu, Arempula, and Kondapuram (Khammam Rural Mandal), Mallemadugu village (Khammam Urban) and Pindiprolu (Tirumalayapalem) to assess their water conservation measures. The team comprised Central Nodal Officer (CNO) – Sri Rajiv Ranjan Misra, DG NMCG; Sri Vijaya Prakash (BNO), Sri Ravinath Singh (TO), as a part of the Jal Shakti Abhiyan (JSA).