Wisdom in every drop: ‘In search of water’, a documentary film on reviving of the traditional water harvesting system in the Thar Desert

Veiled women walk unimaginable distances. Long queues. Dark sun and innumerable pots lined up, yearning to be filled. Hours of wait and half a pot of saline water was all they had.

The Great Indian Desert of Thar is one of the most heavily populated desert areas in the world. About 200 millimeters of average annual rainfall makes it one of the most water-stressed areas in India. And if this was not enough, climate change, in its wake, has brought in staggering questions of survival.

Knowledge, however, did not wither away. People in the Thar Desert, for centuries had survived because of their wisdom of catching rainwater. ‘In search of water’ is a documentary film by Project Survival Media’s Team India that brings to life a powerful story in which community members pool together their collective knowledge and build a system that keeps water close to home and sustains them during prolonged dry spells even in peak summers.

Communities are harvesting their ancient water wisdom by going back to the roots, and the story is shared in the hope of inspiring many others quench their thirst.