The experiment of organising the local populace to harness the available water resources for agriculture was initiated by Mr. V. B. Salunkhe in a drought prone area characterised by high levels of poverty in Pune district of Maharashtra. In order to optimally utilise the locally available meager water resource for protective irrigation and in order to fulfil the need of food and shelter of the local people on a sustained basis, initiative for water conservation and utilization of water by organised collectives of water users known as Pani Panchayat was taken by Mr. Salunkhe and his wife during the early 80s.

Naigaon village of Purandhar block of Pune District was selected my Mr. Salunkhe for experiments in rural development through soil and water conservation measures. Purandhar block is one of the most drought prone areas in Maharashtra where the average annual rainfall varies in between 250mm and 500mm. The rainfall pattern is also very erratic and uncertain due to which the area experience drought once in every three years on an average. In this context, Mr. Salunkhe started his experiment and tried to convince the local community by explaining them the importance of soil and water conservation. But his failure in convincing the local community encouraged him to take the responsibility of demonstrating the impact of a watershed development programme, which is critical for sustainable development especially in drought prone areas. Mr. Salunkhe took 40 acres of land on lease and started his experiments in dry farming through watershed management approach. Out of the 16 hectares of land 9.60 hectares were brought under protective irrigation, 2.40 hectares under afforestation and the remaining 4 hectares came under the percolation tank, well, field bunds, tract and infrastructures. Though initially the farmers of Naigaon village showed little interest, slowly they started taking interest into the experiment of Mr. Salunkhe. When the villagers saw that 200 quintals of food grains were produced on 24 acres of land, whereas 40 acres of their own hardly produce 10 quintals, they requested Mr. Salunkhe to start similar schemes for them. Demonstration of economic gains was proved successful.

Mr. Salunkhe’s experiment transformed the village completely. Out migration stopped and yield rate and income levels improved substantially due to the increased water tables and in situ moisture levels which made lift irrigation possible in the drought prone area. Having gained success in developing viable measures of land and water conservation best suited for drought prone area, Salunkhe decided to turn his attention to the problem of adoption of his ideas on a wider scale and thus was born the concept of Pani Panchayat. Pani Panchayat is a community lift irrigation scheme aimed at better operation and maintenance of irrigation in the area through participation of water users in shape of a society. The modalities of establishing Pani Panchayat and sharing water developed by Mr. Salunkhe are as follows:

• Only group schemes would be undertaken.
• Sharing of water would be done on the basis of the number of members in the family and not in the proportion of land holdings. Half an acre per capita and maximum of two and half acres would be taken under the scheme. The land in excess of two and half acres would be under rain-fed conditions.
• The right of water goes to the individual beneficiaries rather than to the land. If the land is sold, the rights of water revert to the trust.
• Beneficiaries would share 20% of the cost of the lift irrigation project. The remaining 80% would be provided by the trust as an interest free loan to be repaid in five years.
• Apart from the initial capital cost, the beneficiaries also share the running expenses of the scheme.
• The beneficiaries would administer and operate all the aspects of the project.
• The crops which requires continuous watering such as sugarcane would not be grown
• The landless can also share water, so that they can gain full employment in the village by becoming sharecroppers to the farmers having more land.

In about ten years the number of lift irrigation schemes has gone up to more than 100 and most of them are functioning in a sustainable fashion. As a result of these schemes, now the villagers are able to produce two crops a year with an irrigation provision of eight months whereas earlier the land could sustain only spare amount of rain fed cultivation. Another direct impact of the Pani Panchayat has been the increase in employment opportunities. Many of the former Pani Panchayat members were formerly working as agricultural laborers, construction workers, stone breakers under the Government employment schemes. But after the formation of Pani Panchayat in the village, lot of employment was generated in the village and as a result, people left their jobs in order to work and settle on their own lands. The process also induced reverse migration. The reason behind the success of these schemes and their sustainability is the unity between the villagers and strict adherence to the rules and regulations laid down by the pani-panchayat which is a unanimously elected body among the villagers.