Water is something we use every day, often without thinking much about it. But there is so much more to water than what we see in our everyday lives. Its connection to agriculture, livelihoods, and entire communities is something I came to understand much better through my experience at Jal Chaupal 2026.
\nA.T.E. Chandra Foundation (ATECF), through its Rejuvenation of Water Bodies (RWB) initiative, is working with government departments and NGO partners across different states to restore water bodies, improve water availability, and support farming communities. The initiative focuses on removing accumulated silt from water bodies to improve their storage capacity, while helping farmers use the excavated silt to improve their agricultural land.
\nAt Samanvay Foundation, we have been working with ATECF through Avni, an open-source platform for programme data management, monitoring, and decision-making.
\nHaving worked with the team through Avni, I already knew what the project was about. I understood how A.T.E. Chandra Foundation (ATECF), along with its NGO partners, was working across different states to restore water bodies, remove accumulated silt, improve water storage capacity, and support farmers.
\nI was familiar with how the Avni Gramin app was being used to manage programme data, track silt excavation, monitor restoration activities, and capture information about farmers benefiting from the programme.
\nI often spoke during our calls with Hiral and Aditya about the work happening on the ground, the challenges they were facing, and the larger impact they were trying to create.
\nBut somewhere, as a technology person, my understanding was mostly limited to the application, the data, and the requirements we were discussing. I understood what they were saying, but I don't think I had really connected in person emotionally to what was happening on the ground.
\nAttending ATECF's two-day Jal Chaupal 2026 changed that for me.
\nIt gave me a much broader understanding of the work ATECF is doing, the impact it is creating at a state level, and, more importantly, what that impact means for people and their livelihoods.
\nOne discussion that stayed with me was about water-body restoration at scale, with experiences from Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Punjab. I learned how government departments, philanthropic organisations, NGOs, and communities each contribute to making such work possible. I had understood the partnerships in theory, but listening to the people involved showed me the coordination and persistence needed on the ground.
\nThe stories from Maharashtra were especially powerful. Farmers spoke about using excavated silt to improve soil quality, increase crop yields, and cultivate land that had not been productive before. I found myself thinking about the same fields we track in Avni Gramin. A quantity of silt or a count of farmers is not just a reporting figure; it can represent better water availability, a harvest, or a more dependable livelihood.
\nI also enjoyed learning about CLART and Know Your Landscape (KYL), which bring together satellite imagery, geographical information, and groundwater data to help plan water-conservation work. It was fascinating to see how much analysis can go into choosing where an intervention should happen, even before fieldwork begins.
\nThe discussions on community ownership left me with another question: what happens after a restoration project is completed? Long-term impact depends on communities being able to use and maintain what has been created. That thought made me reflect on our technology projects too. Delivering a system is only the beginning; people need to be able to use it confidently and find it useful in their daily work.
\nThat feeling was probably one of the most special things I brought back. Another memorable part of Jal Chaupal was getting the opportunity to present Avni on Day 2 during the session \"From Data to Decisions: Avni, Glific, Dalgo & AI for Organisations.\" Along with our colleagues from Samanvay Foundation and Project Tech4Dev, we shared how digital tools can help NGOs move from collecting data to managing their programmes more effectively, monitoring progress, and making informed decisions. For my part, I wanted to showcase Avni beyond just a field data collection tool. I shared how Avni can be used as a programme data management and monitoring platform, supporting organisations across different sectors, not just water conservation. Whether it is tracking farmers and water-body restoration activities, monitoring student progress in education programmes, or managing follow-ups in healthcare, the underlying need is often similar — having the right information available to the right people at the right time. I spoke about how Avni can help organisations manage their everyday work more efficiently. Field teams can plan their visits, see pending activities and follow-ups, and track their work without depending on manual registers or multiple spreadsheets. Programme managers can monitor team activities, identify delays, and see where support is needed. Automated calculations and validations reduce manual effort and errors, while dashboards help teams track progress and take timely action. For me, the important message was that digitisation should not simply mean replacing paper forms with digital forms. It should make everyday work easier, help teams plan better, reduce repetitive tasks, and turn the information collected into something useful for decision-making. It was also an opportunity to show how the same platform can be adapted to different programmes, each with its own workflows, challenges, and needs. What made this experience even more meaningful was speaking about Avni in front of people who are doing such impactful work on the ground. After listening to the conversations and experiences shared during the event, I felt an even stronger connection to the purpose behind the technology we build. It was a proud moment for me to represent Avni. A big thank you to Arjun and Vinay for giving me this opportunity and trusting me to represent Avni. I have always enjoyed talking about the work we do, and experiences like this make me even more proud to be part of it. I would happily represent Avni whenever I get the opportunity. There were also many thoughtful touches, from the hospitality to the mementoes. And I cannot leave out the musical evening: the Rajasthani folk performance, its voices and rhythms, gave me goosebumps. It was a beautiful reminder that these gatherings are also about human connection. One small thing I brought home is the sticker that says \"Jaldi Karo, Jal Ka Sawal Hai!\" I put it near my kitchen tap. Seeing it each day reminds me to be more conscious of the water I use. It is a small change, but a personal one. The next time Hiral or Aditya talks about the RWB project, I know I will listen differently. I will still think about the data and the application, but also about the people, relationships, and livelihoods behind them. I came back with new learning, a sense of belonging, and deeper respect for the work ATECF and its partners are doing. A heartfelt thank you to the entire ATECF team for making us feel so welcome and for putting together such a thoughtful and memorable event.A proud moment representing Avni
\nWhat I brought back from Jal Chaupal
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