MAHARASHTRA : Dr Nitin Waghmode comes from the Man-Khatav region of Maharashtra, an area known for recurring drought and severe water scarcity, where access to drinking water has always been a major challenge. Despite these hardships, he cracked the civil services examination in 2005 and is currently serving as Commissioner of Income Tax (Exemption), Pune. However, his journey has never been limited to administrative service. His life and work have remained deeply connected with the soil of his native land and the struggle of its people.
Dr Waghmode said he had witnessed poverty firsthand during his childhood, and, according to him, the main reason for this suffering was water scarcity. He explained that the Man-Khatav belt is known for its difficult living conditions, a fact also documented by the famous Marathi writer Venkatesh Madgulkar in his celebrated 1955 novel Bangarwadi. Dr Waghmode also belongs to Bangarwadi village, located only a few kilometres away from the author’s village.
After joining the Indian Revenue Service, Dr Waghmode handled several responsibilities related to tax administration, adjudication, and public service across Maharashtra. These experiences gave him a broader understanding of governance, rural development, environmental conservation, and the socio-economic problems communities face. Yet, even while working in different cities, he never forgot the drought and migration he had seen in his childhood.
Narrating those memories, Dr Waghmode said his village lies in the rain shadow region of the Sahyadri ranges, where annual rainfall is barely 250 mm. “If rain arrived, people survived; if it failed, migration became inevitable,” he said. Women walked miles carrying pots on their heads in search of water, wells remained dry, fodder for livestock was scarce, and crop failures forced families to migrate to cities such as Pune, Mumbai, Sangli, and even parts of Karnataka.
Many worked in sugarcane cutting, while shepherds travelled wherever water and fodder were available. “This migration was a desperate struggle for survival,” he said.
In 2014, Dr Waghmode started water conservation efforts in his native region with the support of NGOs and funds mobilised through Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives. Initially, many people were skeptical. However, he believed that although rainfall was limited, the ability to conserve available rainwater had remained inadequate for decades.
The first step was to involve local communities. Meetings were organised in villages where people were encouraged to participate in a mission that could change the future of the region. Conservation work included Continuous Contour Trenches, compartment bunding, desilting of water bodies, afforestation drives, farm ponds, stream deepening, nala rejuvenation, earthen check dams, and soil conservation structures.
The results gradually became visible across nearly sixty villages benefiting around 80,000 people. Groundwater levels improved significantly, and wells that had remained dry for years began recharging. Farmers who once depended on a single rain-fed crop began cultivating two or three crops annually. Agriculture diversified towards horticulture, vegetables, and pomegranate cultivation, improving household incomes and economic stability.
Dr Waghmode and his team received the Jal Shakti Samman 2019 and were recognised as “Water Warriors” by the Ministry of Jal Shakti for their contribution to watershed and water conservation projects in Satara district.