Community-Based Adaptation Through Rainwater Harvesting
In my community, a notable locally-led adaptation practice is the revival of rainwater harvesting and household-level water storage systems in drought-prone rural areas. The initiative addresses increasing water scarcity, irregular rainfall, and declining groundwater levels driven by climate change.
Local people were engaged from the beginning through village meetings, women’s self-help groups, farmer committees, and youth volunteers. Community members helped identify water-stressed households, selected storage locations, contributed labor, and participated in maintenance planning. Decision-making power remained largely with community institutions rather than external agencies, aligning strongly with LLA principles.
This initiative has led to improved household water security, reduced burden on women and girls, greater resilience during dry seasons, and reduced dependence on distant water sources. Traditional knowledge played a central role, elders shared earlier practices of mud-lined ponds, stepwells, and seasonal water storage, which had gradually disappeared with the expansion of tube wells.
These practices are deeply connected to local identity and values around collective water sharing and stewardship of natural resources. However, they are increasingly threatened by migration, loss of traditional skills, preference for “modern” solutions, and limited policy recognition.
Integrating these practices into formal LLA strategies would require:
financing directly to community institutions
technical reinforcement (e.g., safer storage materials)
inclusion in local government climate plans
documentation of indigenous knowledge
Some successful programs already exist where NGOs partnered with village councils to combine traditional ponds with modern filtration, demonstrating how old and new systems can complement one another.
Overall, this example shows that traditional knowledge is not outdated, when supported through locally-led adaptation, it becomes a powerful tool for resilience.