In Khandali, a modest village in Latur, the red earth splits under the punishing summer sun, its silence broken by the clang of brass pots at the village well.

Among those waiting in line once stood a boy, his arms aching from carrying heavy brass pots home. That boy was Parmeshwar Poul.

In 2011, he left for Pune, where a career in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) offered stability and opportunity. But memories of growing up in a drought-prone village—where every pot of water was hard-earned—never left him.

Just a year later, in 2012, he returned to Khandali.

His journey was not towards comfort, but back to the drought-stricken landscape that had shaped his childhood. He believed science could help communities live with water scarcity rather than simply endure it.

Today, 14 years later, his work in water conservation has transformed villages, campuses, rivers, and communities across Marathwada.

Turning maps into movements

Poul's return was more than a personal homecoming—it went against the tide.

While many left rural Maharashtra in search of better opportunities, he chose to return, bringing satellite mapping, hydrological surveys, and scientific planning to villages where wells routinely ran dry.

His MPhil research focused on mapping rooftops across Ahmedpur to design rainwater harvesting systems for households that received water only once every eight days.

For his PhD, he expanded the work to 123 villages, studying local water sources and recommending cropping patterns and groundwater-use practices that combined scientific analysis with traditional knowledge.

One of the ideas he introduced was the Water Budget.

"In Sheboli and Padi, he........

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