Even as the incessant monsoon rains and flash floods in Jodhpur city have made headlines, a lesser-known story is unfolding in western Rajasthan’s sleepy countryside - traditional water harvesting structures are brimming with water amid the arrival of rains.
Popularly called nadis or talabs (ponds), these are shallow depressions strewn across the rural landscape in the arid regions of Jodhpur and Barmer districts. The water collected in these tanks will quench the thirst of cattle and human beings as well as wild animals during the dry months later in the year. The nadis have been a part of rural life for ages.
The rural communities utilise these structures for storage of rain water with the application of traditional knowledge and locally available materials in view of the highly variable and scanty rainfall in the State. However, Jodhpur received abnormally high rains this year, which created flood conditions in the historic city.
