In the sun-drenched fields of Dharashiv, a new kind of harvest is taking root—one that begins not in the soil, but in the shared wisdom of its people. For years, the story of this land was written by the unpredictable ebb and flow of hidden waters, but today, the narrative has begun to change.

The mystery of the deep is being replaced by the clarity of knowledge, turning a legacy of uncertainty into a future of flourishing abundance.

Through the Maha-MARVI project, a partnership rooted in the shared values of the ICICI Foundation for Inclusive Growth and IIT Bombay, in collaboration with Western Sydney University (WSU), Australia, and the Development Support Centre (DSC) as implementation partner, the initiative is redefining what it means to be resilient.

This initiative for “Sustainable Groundwater Management and Livelihood Improvement” is more than just a scientific endeavour; it is a celebration of human ingenuity and shared stewardship. It stands as living proof that when communities are entrusted with the tools to understand their own earth, the goal is not merely to solve a problem, it is to awaken a profound collective power capable of transforming a legacy of struggle into a landscape of thriving opportunity.

Empowering Communities

The spark of this transformation lies with the Bhujal Jankaars (BJs), a Hindi term (भूजल जानकार) meaning “groundwater informed.”

These local volunteers are the heart of the project, involved in developing village-level science for community engagement and participatory groundwater management.

These village-level heroes are being trained as “citizen scientists,” using simple yet powerful tools to monitor the pulse of their local aquifers. By turning the “invisible” into a shared map of opportunity, they play a major role in enabling villages to make optimistic, informed choices about their water and agriculture.

It also aims to train Bhujal Jankaars, creating a strong local network of community-led water stewards.

This project aims to establish a robust, community-driven groundwater management model tailored for Maharashtra, using the Sina sub-catchment of Upper Bhima as an entry point. By establishing “living labs” in the field and leveraging the MARVI approach alongside stakeholder partnerships, the initiative will enhance groundwater sustainability while directly improving rural livelihoods.

This ongoing collaboration between the ICICI Foundation, IIT Bombay, and WSU Australia is more than a project—it is a promise kept. It shows that when advanced research joins hands with community spirit, the earth doesn’t just survive; it thrives.