About the Project

At its core, The Rural Water Commons is a social initiative that believes that access to safe and reliable water must be understood not only as a matter of infrastructure, but as an issue of time, labor, and equity, especially for women in underserved communities. This project aims to address gaps in how water access is experienced and understood in rural and informal urban settings in India.

The Rural Water Commons has been working to reduce these barriers by first documenting the lived realities of women through on-the-ground surveys that map the time cost of water collection and the social, economic, and medical obstacles to accessing water for their households. Based on these findings, the initiative focuses on installing localized water infrastructure, designed to ease access and reduce the need for long hours spent traveling or waiting.

Alongside improving access, the project also engages with the broader social and economic dimensions of water scarcity through research and academic writing, particularly examining its impact on women. Through these interventions, The Rural Water Commons aims to foster more equitable access to water while also encouraging greater awareness and engagement with sustainability among girls from marginalized communities.