Indian village beats water scarcity, one drop at a time

Ralegan Siddhi, India

ON A hot, dry afternoon at Ralegan Siddhi in India's western state of Maharashtra, Ansar Shaikh climbed effortlessly to a hilltop and pointed at the vast expanse of farmland all around.

The local guide uses the summit as a viewing gallery to showcase not the village's idyllic setting, but the trenches and stone barriers on the hill's slopes, and earthen dams on the ground to trap each raindrop that falls.

This tiny village - with a population of 2,500 and spread over 900 hectares - is located in Ahmednagar district, where the average annual rainfall is about 500mm, the lo…