On World Soil Day, Rajasthan’s traditional water systems offer climate change lessons

In the desert landscape of western Rajasthan, how communities use water has long depended on an intimate understanding of soil.

Water management systems such as khadeens, bavdi, beris, tankas, johads, naadi, naada and talab were built on a deep, practical knowledge of how soils behave in extreme aridity in the region characterised by low rainfall. Long before the language of “soil and moisture conservation”, “recharge”, “infiltration” entered policy vocabulary, localised systems of water harvesting were already in place.

Today, as India faces accelerating climate variability, land degradation, groundwater collapse and extreme heat, Rajasthan’s water systems are an urgent reminder and solution: soil health is water security.

On World Soil Day, the evolution of Rajasthan’s soil-water wisdom, how it shaped community stewardship and the importance of reviving these systems offer lessons on climate resilience.

Soil power

Contemporary watershed interventions, involving measures such as bunds and planting trees, are often standardised across landscapes, but traditional systems in Rajasthan have been able to harness soil types to conserve water. Each structure is designed around specific soil textures, salinity levels, and slopes making the most of local geomorphology.

For example, it is understood that sand particles do not coalesce like clay, which cracks when hardened allowing moisture to escape. Sand particles stay separate as their porosity is high...

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