Despite receiving some of the highest rainfall in Maharashtra’s Pune district, Gunjavne village in the Western Ghats has long struggled with water scarcity. The paradox abundance during monsoon and tanker dependence by summer has pushed residents to rethink how they manage rainwater runoff in the hilly terrain.
Located in Velhe taluka, officially renamed Rajgad, the region records over 2,500 mm of annual rainfall. Yet by February, many of its 129 villages historically relied on private water tankers. The problem is not inadequate rain, but the region’s steep, undulating landscape and hard basalt geology, which allow water to rapidly run off slopes before it can percolate into the ground.
At the foothills of Rajgad Fort in the Sahyadri range, Gunjavne’s sarpanch Laxman Rasal and local residents have been leading a community-driven watershed management effort to slow and store rainwater. Stone-packed gabion structures have been built across streams to reduce water velocity and increase soil moisture retention. A once-silted percolation tank has been revived, helping recharge nearby wells.
According to the Raintree Foundation, which supports the initiative, well water levels around the restored tank have risen by about one foot during the wet season and nearly seven feet during the dry months compared to pre-desiltation levels. The nutrient-rich silt removed from the tank has been redistributed to farmers’ fields, restoring lost topsoil.
Beyond community tanks, individual farm ponds are reshaping agricultural prospects. Farmers store between four to five lakh litres of rainwater in lined ponds constructed with partial financial and technical assistance from the Raintree Foundation. The organisation has invested around ₹45 lakh across nine villages in Velhe, supporting 73 farm ponds alongside river desilting and water budgeting awareness.
For farmers like Mohammad Shaikh in Sakhar village, the ponds have enabled a shift from exclusively rain-fed Indrayani rice to additional crops such as chickpeas, fenugreek and coriander using sprinkler systems. Short 45-day crop cycles now supplement income beyond the traditional May-to-November rice season.
Others are turning to horticulture. Sandeep Renuse, whose family once struggled to grow mango trees due to dry-season water shortages, now supports 70 Alphonso and Kesar mango trees with drip irrigation from a five-lakh-litre pond. Livestock owners also report improved animal health, as reliable water access allows regular cleaning and bathing of buffaloes during peak summer.
However, the benefits are not universal. For marginal farmers with limited land and capital, the initial investment required for farm ponds remains a barrier. During peak summer, some households still spend around ₹1,000 for a 5,000-litre private tanker.
Climate variability adds further uncertainty. Heavy September rains in 2025 damaged rice crops, while extreme summer heat affected mango yields. The spread of water-intensive eucalyptus plantations in nearby hills has also raised concerns about groundwater stress.
Water experts warn that watershed gains could be reversed if farmers shift toward water-intensive crops such as sugarcane. At the same time, Pune district has one of the highest dam densities in the country. While water from Western Ghats catchments is diverted to cities and irrigation command areas, upstream villages often remain water-stressed highlighting a deeper structural imbalance.
Government schemes such as Jal Jeevan have expanded tap connections to nearly 97% of households in villages like Gunjavne and Lavhi, reducing tanker demand. Yet the sustainability of piped water still depends on the health of the local watershed.
For residents of Velhe, the lesson is clear: survival in a high-rainfall but fast-draining landscape depends not on how much it rains, but on how effectively every drop is conserved.