What happens when the water runs out?

For millions in rural communities, this isn’t a distant possibility, it is an everyday struggle. Wells run dry, crops fail, and livelihoods are threatened. Every Drop Counts: Why Every Drop Matters confronts the urgent challenge of water scarcity, revealing its profound impact on agriculture, ecosystems, economies, and human survival.

But this book is not just about the crisis, it is about solutions and a call to action. Drawing on global lessons and local innovations, it offers policymakers, engineers, private sector leaders, development practitioners, researchers, and community champions a roadmap for sustainable water management. Through inspiring real-world examples and evidence-based strategies, it shows how communities can transform scarcity into resilience, and how collective effort can safeguard life itself.

Water is finite, but hope is limitless. Its future rests in our hands. Protecting it isn’t just important, it is imperative for our shared survival. With informed choices, bold action, and collective commitment today, we can create a world where every drop is cherished, every life sustained, and every community empowered. The time to act is now, because every drop truly counts.

“Every Drop Counts: Why Every Drop Matters” by Ajaya Mohapatra is a timely work that highlights the importance of sustainable rural water supply systems, addressing institutional, financial, operational, and source sustainability with great clarity and vision. The book serves as a valuable guide for strengthening rural water governance and management, while aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals to offer pathways for inclusive and resilient water security. Ajaya Mohapatra’s insights will undoubtedly inspire policymakers, practitioners, and communities to work together in building a water-secure future.
— Dr Gulam Nabi Itoo
Director, School Education, Kashmir; and Former Mission Director, 
Jal Shakti Department, Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir

Ajaya Mohapatra is a distinguished development professional, capacity-building expert, and award-winning social entrepreneur with over three decades of experience in action research, project management, policy advocacy, capacity building, institutional development, and public–private partnerships. He has led several nationally acclaimed initiatives, including the Pre-Election Voter’s Awareness Campaign (PEVAC) for PRIs in Rajasthan—later replicated in 17 Indian states. His pioneering use of participatory development communication to strengthen local governance earned him a Visiting Fellowship at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), University of Sussex, U.K.

He is the Co-founder of We The People and Founder–Managing Director of Justrojgar India Pvt. Ltd., recognised by NSDC as the 1st Runner-up for Best Skill Development Model and featured by Outlook Business among India’s 15 most promising social entrepreneurs in 2013. Under his leadership, We The People Group has implemented major CSR and livelihood projects and provided consulting services to organisations such as Hindustan Zinc Ltd., Vedanta Ltd., ArcelorMittal, JSPL, JSL, Tech Mahindra Foundation, ACC Ltd., and Dalmia Bharat Foundation.

Over the years, he has trained more than half a million development practitioners, policymakers, engineers, elected representatives, and community leaders across India. Ajaya serves as a National Resource Person for Institutional and Capacity Building with NIRD&PR, MoRD, Government of India. As a Core Team Member of IIM Bangalore’s Policy Chair for the Ministry of Jal Shakti, he contributed to drafting a policy paper on institutional sustainability for rural water supply under the Jal Jeevan Mission. He also drafted the O&M Policy for Rural Water Supply Systems for the UT of Jammu & Kashmir. As a Super Coach under the Aadi Karmayogi Abhiyan – Responsive Governance Programme of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India, he facilitated State Process Labs for District Master Trainers, reflecting his enduring commitment to sustainable rural development.