Water Warriors: How Jal Sahelis Brought Women into Leadership in Bundelkhand

Target 5.5 – Ensure women’s full participation and equal opportunities for leadership

In Bundelkhand, a drought-prone region straddling the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, water scarcity is a daily battle. For generations, women have shouldered the burden, walking long distances, waiting hours at dried-up wells, carrying heavy loads home. But when it came to deciding how water was managed, women had no voice.

That began to change after 2015 with the rise of the Jal Sahelis, which means “friends of water.” This grassroots collective of women came together not just to collect water   but to take control of how it was sourced, distributed and protected.

The movement started in small steps. A group of women in Lalitpur district noticed that the village pond had dried up. Instead of waiting for outside help, they cleaned it themselves. They convinced the panchayat (village council) to release funds to desilt it. That success gave them confidence. And momentum.

Over the next few years, the Jal Sahelis grew into a network of over 1,000 women across 200 villages. They mapped dried wells. They revived ponds. They installed hand pumps. They began holding monthly water meetings to discuss needs and priorities. They collected small funds from self-help groups and used that money to maintain infrastructure. They monitored progress and held local officials accountable.

Importantly, they also stepped into spaces they’d never entered before: planning meetings, public hearings, village development boards. Often, they were the only women in the room, and sometimes the only people asking practical questions.

In 2021, they launched a water manifesto to put women’s water access on the election agenda. They demanded stronger enforcement of groundwater regulations, better monitoring of illegal borewells, and formal roles for women in water governance. And they got results. In several villages, local authorities began to consult women directly before approving water-related spending.

But the biggest change wasn’t infrastructure. It was identity. These women were no longer just water carriers. They were planners, auditors, and leaders.

The benefits rippled out quickly. With better access to water nearby, girls spent more time in school. Health improved. Women used the hours saved to start small businesses, attend meetings, or simply rest. And as trust in the Jal Sahelis grew, other women began speaking up, not just about water, but about sanitation, roads, and rights.

This is not just a success story for SDG 5.5. It is a blueprint for participatory governance. It shows that women’s leadership doesn’t have to begin in a boardroom. It can start with a dried-up well, a bucket, and a decision to act.

What makes the Jal Sahelis different is their deep link to everyday life. They lead because they know what’s at stake. They don’t wait for permission. And their credibility doesn’t come from status   it comes from results.

By 2025, several state governments in India had started recognising women's water collectives as essential to rural water resilience. Development agencies and NGOs were working to replicate the model in other water-stressed regions, including parts of Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.

The Jal Sahelis remind us that when women have both voice and agency, they don’t just change the conversation, they change outcomes.

Your Voice. Your Target. Your Legacy.

If your organisation wants to support real gender equality in leadership, start close to home. Map where decisions are made   and who gets left out. Build structures that welcome new voices. Fund the first steps. Let women lead not just by title, but by task.

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