After the successful release of his book, Aaj Bhi Khare Hain Talab, Anupam Mishra of the Gandhi Peace Foundation will soon release Rajasthan ki Rajat Bunde, based on 10 years of research on the traditional water harvesting systems of Rajasthan.

The book includes interesting facets of traditional water harvesting systems of the desert region. For instance, in this land of sand and sagebrush, clouds are revered and have about 100 local names which, says Anupam Mishra, "are based on the characteristics of the clouds which are based on colour, altitude and the density of the clouds".

In addition to surface and groundwater, they also have another water source known as Rejani pani. Rejani pani is tapped by the villagers by building kui, small wells which absorb moisture from the sand and minimise evaporation. At the end of the day, a kui provides about 2 buckets of water. The design expertise of the kui is common knowledge among the locals and it is still used in areas like Jaisalmer and Jodhpur. The book will be available by April.