How a village in Meghalaya pooled money to buy back their land

Khweng village in Ri Bhoi district wasn’t always water-stressed. Our village, located in the hilly terrains of Meghalaya, used to get sufficient water through the catchment areas. However, as the population increased, there was a crisis of demand and supply.  

The situation was made worse by the privatisation of land in the catchment areas, which meant that, apart from limited drinking water, we also didn’t have enough water for agriculture and fishery.  

It was a matter of survival for us and our future generations. We realised that we had to act before it was too late.  

In 2014, we sat down with the villagers, the Meghalaya Rural Development Society, and nonprofits working in the area to arrive at a solution. Community members spoke about the multiple issues that we were facing. It was decided that we will buy our land back.  

The plan was for each household to contribute INR 100 and crowdfund the initiative. Within a month, we were able to raise INR 50,000. We then reached out to the landlords and bought back 1,000 square feet of land from them. It didn’t take much convincing because they understood the problem; moreover, they weren’t using that patch of land for any livelihood activities.  

We combined this patch with the reserved forest and declared the 2 hectare area as common land to be governed by the village council. Gradually, we saw the area turn green again. These trees enhanced the natural filtration of water. The village council passed ordinances prohibiting the cutting of trees around the catchment area and the use of harmful chemicals in water bodies. Additionally, we built a piped water system that connected the houses to clean water.  

The success of this land reclamation initiative made us repeat it in 2023, when we again raised money and bought a 1,000 square feet plot near another catchment area.  

Bit by bit, we are trying to solve our water issues. We are currently speaking with the government to implement a tree plantation scheme near the catchment areas. However, we still lack proper storage to collect run-off water. We hope that the government helps us set up a formal water harvesting system.  

Jewing Nongpoh is the headman at Khweng village, Ri Bhoi district, Meghalaya. 

As told to Samme Massar, IDR Northeast Fellow 2025–26. 

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