Water is an element that has been the mantra (formula) for prosperity. Yet, it is fast becoming both polluted and scarce. The revival of the traditional systems of water harvesting can be decisive in demarcating drought and greenery. Neemi village off the Delhi-Jaipur highway, learnt this historical truth when Tarun Bharat Sangh (TBS), an Alwar-based NGO successfully transformed their village to a green oasis.

Raja Man Singh, one of the navratans (nine jewels) in the Mughal emperor, Akbar's court, had built a dam near Neemi to trap the flowing runoff through the forested Aravali. Over the last 550 years, the scenario changed