Community and household water management: the key to environmental regeneration and poverty alleviation

This paper presents four case studies from India in which rainwater harvesting has lead to both ecorestoration and poverty alleviation. East case study shows that activities to manage local hydrological resources must be preceded by measures to mobilise local communities and create community institutions that can bring the community members to act together in an egalitarian and cooperative manner so that the benefits of the new natural resources created are equitably shared and community confidence is engendered and strengthened.