This case describes the problems arising from a district panchayat's decision to construct a percolation tank in a drought?prone village. This decision creates tension among the villagers whose lands are likely to be submerged. The case brings out the incompatibility between the engineering aspects and the socio?economic consequences of a project. The case also introduces problems of tensions between communities within the village as a result of administrative decisions, and describes the involvement of various external agencies as the tension mounts.