Having large tracts of rain shadow zone, the state suffers from recurrent drought and has a long history of droughts. Early efforts were to provide drinking water and hence the drilling technology was adopted by Voluntary Organizations, identifying the need, a suitable pump was evolved within AFARM and large numbers of installations of hand pumps were executed. Unbalanced exploitation of groundwater enforced the change in attitude towards impounding larger quantities of water. Thus the progress was from locating water well sites scientifically, drilling and installation of hand pumps, conjunctive use of water to Water Cycle itself. However, such progress always fell short since other Natural Resources harmoniously interacting with water were not taken into account.
The Watershed Development Program evolved out of large number of experiments carried by Member Organizations to abate drought. Today the program takes into account - the soil, the rocks, the water, the Geography, the Biomass living within and above the earth. Thus as many as 6000 impounding structures were constructed during the period of learning along with bore wells, lift irrigation schemes etc. Today, AFARM prophases participatory Watershed Development where people using their indigenous knowledge, available resources, and creativity to plan their Watershed and implement a program approved by themselves.
Being associated with water with all its aspects and characters, AFARM has always continued its efforts in any development program with water at its centre. Promoting the concept with Voluntary Organizations was one of the jobs that AFARM took since 1985-86 and carried out large number of awareness programs, with the help of slide shows, video-cassettes etc. In 1987, a large gathering of Activists working in droughts were initiated by AFARM to finalize the program of drought eradication, this perhaps is beginning of integrated rural development program in the Voluntary Sector in Maharashtra state.
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