An initiative for promoting water harvesting in the hilly terrains with the rejuvenation and construction of ponds has benefited over 550 rural families in two blocks of Rajasthan’s Dholpur district. The project, which has completed one year, has led to better availability of irrigation water and a significant increase in agricultural production in the region.
Launched by a Bharatpur-based public service institution, the initiative has produced encouraging results with a gradual increase in the ground water level, farming of water chestnuts in the ponds and diversification of crops grown by the farmers. The sustained work in the project, with the participation of villagers, has augmented the income of farmers.
As many as 23 new ponds have been constructed and 10 old ponds rejuvenated in Bari and Baseri blocks of Dholpur district. As part of the work, the height of bunds was increased, soil and sediment was removed from the bottom of ponds, submergence area was expanded and the storage capacity of reservoirs was increased.
Mahendra Singh, a farmer in Baseri block’s Dhimri village, told The Hindu that he had started growing wheat in addition to mustard, which he was growing earlier, on an additional six-bigha land following the availability of irrigation water from the Sadhu Baba pond situated adjacent to his land.
Several families from the nearby villages, such as Sanora, Chilachond and Todpura, which had migrated to Dholpur city last year after the failure of their mustard crops, have returned to their lands and started agricultural activities again. Foodgrain production is a significant addition to the farming in the region following the availability of water.
Another farmer, Sridhar, in Dhimri village, has used the soil removed from Bandhawa pond in his land, laying it with the thickness of 1.5 metres above the rocky surface, and grown bajra. “I have irrigated the bajra crop on my land for the first time and obtained good harvest. The villagers are now getting sufficient water for irrigation,” he said.
Bharatpur-based Lupin Foundation has taken up the project in collaboration with the corporate social responsibility fund of a manufacturing company, while the villagers contributed 15% of the project’s cost. Lupin Foundation’s project engineer Ravi Kumar said 3,500 to 4,000 cubic metres of soil was dug and removed for constructing new ponds, while the traditional methods were used for revival of the existing ones.
The availability of water in the ponds has also led to the farming of chestnuts by the traditional ‘Kahaar’ families, which take the reservoirs on lease, and facilitated the pisciculture activities. Mr. Kumar said about 200-hectare in the two blocks had been irrigated as a result of the initiative.
For making the project sustainable, the villagers have started stone pitching work at the upstream of water harvesting structures to spread the flow across the hard surface and reduce the deposit of soil at the bottom of ponds. The horticulture activities are also being planned in the villages to promote cultivation of plants and generate additional income by growing fruits, vegetables and flowers.
