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Restoring Pride in Katphal : The Water Conservation Project That Transformed Rural India

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mmpc
Published
June 16, 2026

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Restoring Pride in Katphal : The Water Conservation Project That Transformed Rural India

Restoring Pride in Katphal : The Water Conservation Project That Transformed Rural India

16th Jan 2026

The situation in Katphal, a village in Sangola block of Solapur district of Maharashtra, was the same year after year. Every summer, the earth cracked, wells dried up, and families lived in uncertainty. This was a harsh reality before effective water scarcity solutions were found.

The nearby Kasalganga stream was shallow. During the monsoons, rainwater rushed away within hours instead of sinking into the ground. Because a proper rainwater harvesting project was missing, farming failed, debts grew, and young men were forced to migrate to other regions for sugarcane cutting and labour, leaving their families behind.

The Turning Point

In 2017, Mukul Madhav Foundation and Finolex stepped in to help. What started as a water conservation project quickly became a village movement, paving the way for sustainable rural development.

Datta Kharat looks back on those early days vividly. He shares how the villagers understood that without water, no festival, celebration, or development could truly have meaning. In a remarkable act of collective responsibility, villagers put aside politics and caste and willingly diverted even festival funds to pay for the water work.

Together, as part of a structured watershed development programme, they repaired old check dams, built four new ones, and deepened the stream. When the rains came, this collaborative watershed management project ensured the Kasalganga finally held water.

The Transformation

With water back in the wells, the village completely changed, proving how vital water management for agriculture is to the kind of rural development India needs today.

Dairy Farming: Maruti Pujari recalls how the village’s economy completely transformed because of water. Earlier, fodder scarcity made dairy farming difficult, and milk production was barely 1,500 litres per day. But as green fodder increased, daily milk production jumped to over 15,000 litres because families could proudly expand their herd.
Cash Crops: Farmers stopped growing basic grains and switched to vegetables, embracing a new model of sustainable agriculture India can replicate and build on, especially focusing on capsicum (bell pepper).

Today, this successful water conservation project in Maharashtra allows Katphal to send 150 to 200 tons of capsicum daily to Mumbai, Delhi, and Kolkata, earning nearly ₹1.25 crore a day during harvest season.

For Laxman Hubale, a differently-abled farmer, there was a time when banks rejected loan applications just because they heard the name ‘Katphal.’ Today, those same banks visit the village to offer support.

The painful migration has stopped. Young men are back home, farming their own fields and hiring workers from neighbouring areas. The local shops are buzzing, and even the village bank has reopened.

By coming together to support water conservation in India, Katphal did not just save its crops, it brought back its dignity and hope.

Rooted in Equity : How Sustainable Development Initiatives are Transforming Rural India

Mrs. Ritu Prakash Chhabria honoured at the NRI World Summit 2022 held in the UK; accepts the esteemed Shiromani Award in recognition of her philanthropic initiatives

Managing Trustee of Mukul Madhav Foundation and Director of Finolex Industries Limited, Mrs. Ritu Prakash Chhabria, received the prestigious Shiromani Award from Mr. Manu Jagmohan Singhji, International Chairman of NRI Institute, at the NRI World Summit 2022 held in the United Kingdom on 23^rd June 2022.

Mrs. Chhabria has been conferred the Shiromani Award in the presence of eminent members of the British Parliament, other distinguished dignitaries and award winners in recognition of her philanthropic service to the Indian community across the world. Other attendees included Mr. G P Hinduja, Co-chairman of Hinduja Group and Chief Guest of the function, Dr. Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, President of Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Mrs. Amruta Fadnavis, Mrs. Michelle Poonawalla, Lord Swraj Paul, Member of House of Lords of the United Kingdom, fashion designers- Shane and Falguni Peacock, and members of her family.

On 24th June 2022, Mrs. Chhabria was the keynote speaker at the NRI World Summit, where she shared her views on the confluence of culture, people and ideas between India and the UK. The two-day event celebrated many achievements, showcased charitable initiatives and innovation, facilitated business networking, and served as a platform to showcase the impact we make through MMF.

Instituted in 1977, previous recipients of the Shiromani Award include Mother Teresa, Chief Marshal Manekshaw, Justice Hidayatullah, Justice Nagendra Singh, Mr. Ramkrishna Bajaj, Mr. H P Nanda, Ustad Bismillah Khan, Raj Kapoor, Sunil Dutt, Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev, P T Usha, Leander Paes, Vishwanathan Anand, Nani Palkhivala, Ram Jethmalani, The Dalai Lama. A proud moment indeed for all of us at MMF, and we wish Mrs. Chhabria more success in the years to come in these initiatives.

Ritu Prakash Chhabria

Co-founder & Managing Trustee - Mukul Madhav Foundation

Ritu Prakash Chhabria is the Founder member and Managing Trustee of the Mukul Madhav Foundation (MMF). Working ceaselessly with MMF over the past 25 years to transform the way charity is done in India, she has constantly worked to support the under-served with dignity and not dole outs. Personally involved in impacting numerous lives and livelihoods through initiatives in education, healthcare, self-employment, women empowerment, sanitation, water conservation and every other genuine need that remains unfulfilled, and comes to her attention. Supporting and furthering the under-served across geographies, ages, gender, occupations, and religions. Her every action is powered by a deep spirituality, and her active practice of meditation and gratitude.

With a Masters in International Relations, she majored in Economics from Richmond College, London, with a minor in Marketing. This has held her in good stead when liaising with local government bodies, benevolent corporates and international collaborators. Finding global support for MMF, with the establishment of MMF UK in 2018, and collaborations with Princess Trust, BAPIO, Caudwell, and Action Aid.

With the association of MMF with Finolex Industries Limited (FIL) in 2014 as their official CSR partner, today Mrs. Chhabria sits on the Board of Directors at FIL as the Chairperson for CSR activities.

Board of Trustees at Make A Wish Foundation, India 2014 to 2019
Committee member of The Agri-Horticultural Society of Western India - Empress Botanical Garden.
Patron of the Kochi Biennale
Member of the Steering Committee of the Hinduja Foundation
Member of the Governing and Executive Council of NHES (National Health and Education Society), of the Hinduja Hospital
Nominee of Hinduja Foundation on the Board of Management of the P D Hinduja Sindhi Hospital, Bangalore.
Trustee at Karachi Education Society
Managing Committee Member at the Indian Red Cross Society, Pune
Member with the Inner Wheel Club, Pune
Honorary Member, Rotary Club of Parvati
General Body Member, Society of Friends of Sassoon Hospitals (SOFOSH)
Honorary Member, Rotary Club of SOBO (South Mumbai) .
Chairperson FLO Pune 2019- 2020.
National Head for Farming and Agriculture of FICCI FLO in 2021-2022, 2022-2023.
National head of Rural Livelihood / Entrepreneurship – 2024-2025
Governing Body Member of FICCI FLO National 2021-2022, 2022 – 2023, 2024-2025
Member of the Advisory Board for the Johns Hopkins Gupta-Klinsky India Institute since 2022

Prakash Pralhad Chhabria

Co-founder - Mukul Madhav Foundation & Executive Chairman of Finolex Industries Ltd.

Prakash Pralhad Chhabria is the Executive Chairman of Finolex Industries Limited (FIL) since 2012. With over three decades of hands-on experience, he was inducted as a Board Director in 1992, before he took over as Executive Chairman.

Over recent years, he has earned himself the reputation of being a sound and visionary industrialist. Skillfully steering FIL and its reputation by strategically restructuring business and finance. Putting it on a growth trajectory that has seen it establish its dominance as a reputed national brand, with a turnover of INR 3,463 crores in FY 21.

His innate strengths and real-world experience have been further honed by a Bachelor of Science degree in International Business from the University of Evansville, Indiana; an Advanced Management Programme from Wharton Business School; and an Executive Program from Stanford University.

At FIL, his focus has been on attaining business prosperity in a sustainable manner. Forward integrating and backward integrating, not just to impact the business and its stakeholders, but the community and the environment that extend beyond. Taking on responsibility for society at large, not just as a government mandate of Corporate Social Responsibility, but with the foresight and bigger picture perspective that everything and everybody is connected. This personal belief has brought FIL and MMF together. Giving back to the community, and completing the circle. Amongst other awards and recognitions, he was recently awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters (D. Litt.) degree by Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth, Pune, for his notable contribution to society.

This larger order view of the world could be attributed to Mr. Chhabria's upbringing, his love for reading, and his interest in philosophy, history, spiritualism and culture. A keen photographer, the world always looks interesting through his lens.