SARA transforms Lives in Rajasthan through Water access, backed by Coca-Cola India Foundation

Mumbai, 12th August 2025:  In the heart of India’s arid Thar Desert, where water scarcity has long stifled livelihoods, Social Action for Rural Advancement (SARA), a Rajasthan-based grassroots NGO with support from Anandana, The Coca-Cola India Foundation, is providing water accessibility by reviving traditional water harvesting structures such as ponds and building check dams. For almost a decade, the project has transformed lives of 18,000+ residents across six villages in Rajasthan: Rajpura, Balyawas, Karad, Khora, Dungri Khurd, and Chhota Narena.

With annual rainfall averaging just 550 mm and more than 70% of the region’s groundwater unfit for drinking, communities in Rajasthan’s desert belt have faced a daily battle for survival. SARA recognized that water needed to be addressed not just as a physical resource—but as a catalyst for dignity, self-reliance, and rural prosperity.

In Balyawas village, 75-year-old Chawli Devi recalls how her days once began before sunrise, not with hope, but with the weight of matkas (earthen pots) and miles of walking. “The water I fetched was often salty or unclean, but we had no choice. My cattle were always thirsty, my children fell sick, and I had no time to earn or even rest. Everything was about survival,” she said.

That changed when the village pond was revived through the initiative. “For the first time, I had clean water right in my courtyard,” she says. With time reclaimed from water collection, she began farming, rearing healthier cattle, and sewing for additional income. “My grandchildren now go to school, and we live in a ‘pucca’ (permanent) house. This water has given us a second life—not just physically, but emotionally and economically. We are no longer walking long distances for water.”

Another transformation unfolded in Rajpura, where 70-year-old Suva Ram transitioned from hardship to innovation. “When I first moved here in 1995, the wells gave us more salt than water. Years would go by without a harvest. People were migrating from the village just to survive.” The turning point was the construction of a check dam near his farm. “Suddenly, the water table rose, and the land responded. Now I grow high-value crops like cucumbers, sandalwood, even mangoes. My income jumped from ₹3–4 lakh to ₹24 lakh a year. But beyond that, I’ve seen neighbours return, and pride return to our fields. Water gave us back our identity,” he shares.

Lauding the initiative, Mota Ram, Director, Social Action for Rural Advancement (SARA), said, “What makes this project different is not just the structures we built—but the mindset we helped shift. We didn’t come in with machines and leave behind concrete. We worked with communities. Families contributed, some gave ₹100, some gave labour, others gave land. That ownership changed everything. We insisted on equal pay for women, trained them as barefoot engineers, and helped form Village Development Committees that now manage the water systems themselves. Even nine years after project completion, they’re still maintaining, adapting, and innovating. With the support from Anandana, The Coca-Cola India Foundation, we created more than just recharge structures, we created local stewards of sustainability.”

This initiative forms a key part of Coca-Cola India’s broader commitment to responsible water stewardship through its campaign, Refreshing Difference. The campaign highlights the company’s collaborative efforts with grassroots organizations like SARA to improve community water resilience operational water efficiency; and equitable access to clean, safe water. By supporting projects rooted in local knowledge, such as watershed restoration and infrastructure development, Refreshing Difference demonstrates how shared ownership and sustainable practices can yield measurable, lasting impact. Anchored in global principles of transparency and action, the campaign reflects Coca-Cola India’s belief that long-term change begins with empowered communities.