Climate Action Programme

For long-term solutions to the shrinking groundwater resources and ever-expanding soil salinity, Gram Sathi is working for recharging groundwater surface and harvesting rainwater through watershed structures over a catchment area of 750 sq. km. in Katoria block in Banka district in Bihar. In 2015-16, with the support of people's cooperation, a check dam was constructed at Targahat Joria River that helped in bringing water to the villages for irrigation purposes. The farmers who had so far been doing monsoon-based farming are now able to do farming all round the year. This enables multi-cropping in the villages, providing sustainable livelihoods to the people residing in the watershed area. The effort of Gram Sathi was praised by Mr. Adesh Titarmare, DM of Banka district.

It is estimated that 86% of rural and 24% of urban households still rely on biomass fuels. The victims of these diseases are predominantly women who are involved in cooking. Smoke from traditional chulhas during cooking is also one of the major reasons for ill health of rural women in Katiyari village in Banka district in Bihar.

One of the solutions may be the adoption of smokeless chulhas for cooking. The smokeless chulha is simple in design and mechanism and operates similarly to the traditional chulhas used by many families except that it has a chimney. Its fuel efficiency is also high, thus reducing the quantity of fuels.

On 20 February 2016, a training program was organized through which women were trained on the preparation and use of smokeless chulhas. As a result, in all 550 houses of Katiyari village, smokeless chulhas are now being used.

In Jharkhand, the programme of water harvesting and management had been implemented at Pakur district. Gram Sathi team shared the project implementation plan, innovativeness to the implementation, and also acknowledged the dissemination of governing the plan from local governance. The workshop also unveiled the planning regarding rain harvest management and groundwater management in percolating and lifting the water in a sustainable manner.

Community participation has remained at the centre of Gram Sathi's climate action approach. Regular meetings and consultations were organized with villagers, Gram Sabha members, Panchayati Raj Institutions, farmers, and other stakeholders to ensure that interventions were locally relevant and community-owned. Capacity-building programmes helped farmers understand the importance of soil conservation, water-efficient practices, sustainable agriculture, and climate adaptation.

Through these interventions, Gram Sathi aims to contribute towards healthier ecosystems, improved water security, enhanced agricultural productivity, and stronger climate resilience among vulnerable rural communities. Our approach recognizes that effective climate action must go beyond environmental protection — it must also strengthen the capacity of communities to adapt, sustain their livelihoods, and manage natural resources responsibly.