A grassroots effort to address deepening climate stress in Karnataka’s Kolar district received national attention this week at Mumbai Climate Week 2026, as local leaders shared how coordinated panchayat action had helped villages in responding to falling groundwater levels, ecological degradation and agricultural distress.
Participating in a session titled ‘Panchayats Leading India’s Climate Charge,’ Suryanarayana Rao, a gram panchayat member from Huladenahalli (Tekal Hobli) of Malur taluk, in Kolar district, joined representatives from Maharashtra, Kerala, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Odisha to showcase how village institutions are shaping locally grounded climate solutions.
The panel provided a overview of the Conference of Panchayats (CoP) initiative led by Asar Social Impact Advisors and Policy & Development Advisory Group (PDAG). It shed light on the importance of strengthening local leadership in climate action, according to a release from these two organisations.
Mr. Rao described how climate pressures in Kolar became impossible to ignore as groundwater levels plunged dramatically over the last two decades. “Kolar depends entirely on rainfall, and our wells have been sinking deeper every year. Farmers are drilling up to 2,000 ft. for water. Soil health has deteriorated, biodiversity has declined, and repeated droughts have made agriculture increasingly uncertain,” he said.
To address these challenges, panchayat leaders across all six taluks of the district came together in a series of conferences supported by Gramvikas and Asar to document the crisis and identify solutions, the release stated.
“These discussions allowed us to map local problems clearly and prepare action plans that panchayats could implement immediately, while identifying measures that require support from taluk and district authorities,” Mr. Rao explained.
According to the release, they generated policy recommendations aimed at securing Kolar’s long-term ecological future .The recommendations from all six taluks were later consolidated and presented at a district-level panchayat conference attended by senior district officials. The gathering adopted 13 major resolutions focused on increasing forest cover, conserving water sources, promoting organic farming to restore soil health, protecting biodiversity and strengthening agriculture-based livelihoods.
Now, 154 gram panchayats across Kolar are working together to ensure these climate-responsive priorities are incorporated into district development plans for 2026–27, states the release.
Published – February 20, 2026 09:47 pm IST
