In the arid region of Thar, water is a scarce and precious resource. For Siriya, a widow in Ramanagar village, access to water was a daily struggle that kept her daughters out of school. Thanks to the intervention of GRAVIS, a rainwater harvesting tank was built near their home, providing water security for months and allowing her daughters to return to school.

Water has always been the prime concern in the arid region of Thar, where access is not equally distributed, and many families struggle just to fetch it. Siriya, a resident of Ramanagar village in Jodhpur, knows this struggle all too well. Married at 15, she soon had three daughters and a life full of challenges. Her husband, a wage earner and miner, passed away from tuberculosis, leaving her to care for their daughters alone.

Without a nearby water source, Siriya’s daughters spent most of their time fetching water from a distant naadi, leading to irregular school attendance. Siriya dreamed of a water facility near her home, but with a meager income, building a rainwater harvesting tank seemed impossible.

That dream became a reality when she learned about a GRAVIS project constructing rainwater harvesting tanks. She applied, and the Village Development Committee (VDC) selected her family, with one condition: her daughters must attend school. The construction of the taanka near her home was a turning point. The tank now provides water security for 6-8 months, freeing Siriya to work on farms and care for livestock. Most importantly, her daughters are now attending school regularly, marking the beginning of a new life for the family.

This project by GRAVIS has not only provided water but has also given Siriya and her daughters the opportunity to build a better future.