Status and Potentialities of Rainwater Harvesting and Conservation in Rural Rajasthan: A Study of Shahpura Block, Jaipur District, Rajasthan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48165/prakriti.2026.3.02.12Keywords:
Rainwater collection, water preservation, Shahpura region, Jaipur district, Rajasthan, subterranean water, conventional water systems, rural water sustainabilityAbstract
Rajasthan, the most expansive and water-scarce state in India, has traditionally relied on a complex array of native rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems—johads, nadis, tankas, khadins, and anicuts—crafted over centuries to address inconsistent rainfall and the lack of continuous surface water. This study analyzes the present condition and prospective opportunities for rainwater harvesting and conservation in the Shahpura block of Jaipur district, a semi-arid administrative region on the northern edge of the Jaipur urban area, which illustrates the overarching challenges confronting rural Rajasthan: swift groundwater depletion, increasing competition for water between urban and rural areas, and the gradual disregard for traditional water systems amid the spread of borewell irrigation. Utilizing a mixed-methods research framework that integrates secondary data analysis, structured household surveys, key-informant interviews, and field observations of rainwater harvesting systems in a deliberately chosen sample of villages, the study evaluates the physical state and operational efficacy of both traditional and contemporary RWH structures, the socio-institutional dynamics influencing their upkeep, and the barriers and prospects for enhancing conservation initiatives. The results present a varied yet predominantly alarming scenario: although individual rooftop and tanka harvesting demonstrates considerable resilience, community-level infrastructures like johads, nadis, and percolation tanks suffer from substantial siltation, encroachment, and institutional disregard, with fewer than fifty percent deemed fully operational. Groundwater levels in the block reflect the broader decrease observed throughout Jaipur district, which is among the most excessively used groundwater regions in the state. The study asserts that rejuvenating rainwater harvesting in Shahpura block necessitates a synthesis of community institution development, sediment removal and structural refurbishment, catchment safeguarding, and enhanced alignment with state government initiatives, providing tailored recommendations for this purpose.
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