The 500-year-old pond in Andasar village named after Andoji Paliwal has been the only reliable source of drinking water for humans, 15,000 livestock and stray animals in the village.

The absence of a bund led the water to drain and the pond was not able to store the water for more than two-three months. Hence, it became necessary to renovate the pond to enhance its storage capacity. Considering the need for water and to restore its water storage capacity, Andasar Village Development Committee (VDC) along with VOPA in the village and GRAVIS representatives decided to renovate the pond and improve its water storing capacity.

The pond was then renovated by digging a water storage capacity of 650 ft*50 ft and by making a catchment area of 70 bighas around the pond. Unlike before, the water doesn’t drain out due to the construction of an appropriate bund, and is diverted from the catchment into the pond. The pond has had water stored for almost a year now. Drinking water is now available for 1660 families living in hamlets in this village and nearby villages as well. The renovation of the Naadi has helped to increase not only the Naadi water level but also resulted in increasing the water area. This has ensured drinking water security for the remote desert communities and also for the livestock of the villagers.

The villagers now pride themselves on no longer having to go to other villages to buy water at a higher price. Earlier they suffered economically when they had to pay double the amount for the purchase of Tanker water. The Taanka beneficiaries also now make use of the water from the pond in the village itself for refilling Taanka when it is dried up. Unlike earlier, they save money by buying water at a cheaper rate from the pond in the village itself. The VOPA with the close support of the VDC functional in the village took the charge of setting up rules for the maintenance and collective community use of the Naadi.