To Increase Ground Water Levels : Advice & Contact Info Required - Bhandara Dist, Maharashtra
Submitted by rshahare on September 25, 2009 - 18:14
I am basically from a "major rice producing area" in Bhandara District, Maharashtra, region name is "Chauras". We used to take 2 crops yearly of rice, So you can understand the amount of water we were having. Our major water source was ground water & water pumps used for irrigation.
The last 2 years have shown a decline in water levels. Which has hit production with farmers revising their cultivation from 8 to 5 acres now due to reduced water availability. Running a pump overnight used to supply three acres, while at present the practice does not even support one acre. This is to outline the severity of the issue at hand.
So what should we do now? Actually I live away from my home. I am in Pune. So I can't go regularly there and can explain the farmers about the issues and what we should do. My plan was to build "BANDARAS" on the small "nala"(smaller than river). So that we can do rain water harvesting.
Can you suggest any other methods that would be apt to the situation or provide the contact information of some organization who will be able to help the farmers by providing information & assistance?
Comments
1. Water for growing rice/paddy crops with less water
Water that you are using to grow rice is ground water.It is very clear that ground water levels in India are dropping alarmingly.This is happening because water drawn from the ground water table is much more than the natural re-charge rate(during the rains).Rain water harvesting is something you will definitely have to implement in your area without any delay.You also need to use less water to grow rice and any other crop that you normally grow.India Today's Special Issue for Sept 28th featured a State of States Conclave which was held in Delhi which was attended by all the Chief ministers of the various states in India.The conclave was addressed by the Finance Minister, Minister for Agriculture and several others.Mr.Sharad Pawar,Minister for food & Agriculture addressed the gathering on the theme- Second green revolution What the states need to do.He summed up the situation appropriately thus: " We need to produce more from the same land with less water".Some pathbreaking work has been done in India specifically on growing rice with something like 25% of the water normally used.This portal had a blog about this by Pepsi(yes the MNC that makes Pepsi Cola).I am sure you will find it on the portal.I have also visited an NGO which works with a number of villages in Andhra Prades close to the karnataka border which has also done similar work.The NGO is known as The Timbaktu Collective.If you need help to contact this NGO let me know.RegardsS.S.Ranganathan
S.S.Ranganathan
2. Thank you
Thank you sir for your suggestions.
Going to home soon. I will try to form a local small organization with my local friends regarding the issues we are facing. With the organization will try to find the new ways and to do some creative work...Hope I will succeed in it.
Will give you feedback once I come back from home.
3. Preserving or increasing ground water levels
Thanks for your reply.Your idea of forming a group consisting of your local friends and other acquaintances is an excellent idea.If you can persuade each friend of yours to bring another friend of his to join the group it will be great and your group will grow.I wish you luck in your efforts.
Last month, the India Today magazine dated 28th Sept,09 which is a special issue with the cover story "State of the States" ranking all the Indian states is a regular annual excercise done by this magazine.It recently held a convention on the same subject to which all the state chief ministers were invited.Mr.Sharad Pawar, Minister for Agriculture was one of the cabinet ministers who delivered a talk on " Second Green revolution- what the states need to do". One statement in his address for me sums up the entire address.Mr.Pawar said " We need to more from the same land with less water".
In order to do this you and all agriculturists should stop pumping water out of the ground just because power is free.It is time to switch to micro irrigation because there is not enough water for conventional methods.Rain water harvesting is absolutely essential as this with along with other measures and conservation of water will help raise the level of your ground water.
I would be happy to help you with ideas and advice.
S.S.Ranganathan
4. Response from people was not good to start water conservation
Well I came back from home now...
I had chat with my local friends and they raised certain queries regarding
water level and its solutions.
1) within 2 years we will have water from "Gose Khurd Dam On Wainganga River",
throgh canals. So water levels will automatically get increased.
2)If we created the "bandharas" on "nala" (smaller than river) then though water will be stored,
it will get utilized by the nearby farmers for there fields.
Mainly their intention is that govt will do something for them.
They dont want to do it by their own.
(all of them have done there education max upto 10+2)
Though they have plenty of time, they do timepass in playing cards and gossiping.
When I visited some well's in the rice (paddy) crop field. I observed
one of them have implemented a technique where waste water goes back to well.
Details : when we supply water from well to rice farm, it create a pond near well.
then that farmer named "tiku" made a small canal or hole from that pond and send that
pond water back to well.
I explained them that water will be big issue for us in future. But responses were not good.
Any way I decided to open a small library containing books, magazines on agriculture, water conservation at my village.
So that it may possible that gradually I will get response from them.
( Actully I had this experiment done with the childrens from my villages. I have one library for childrens only.
Initially I got less response. And when I was not in the village no one was coming home to collect books for reading.
it was around 5-6 month back..
this time when I went home, I saw the register with many names... they were coming to my home even when I was not there.
around 15 childrens now regularly come and collect books for reading. 3 childrens now like books so much that
they have read maximum books. This library is free of cost, I collect/purchase books by my own)
What do you think? do you have any more ideas to get response from the people. I am sure each one
get negative response when trying to convince people initially.
lets hope for the best.
5. I have research the internet
I have researched the internet on how to solve some of your problems. You can check out the link http://www.ehow.com/how_2337949_collect-rain-water.html.
You can search in Google for possible answers to your problems. Wish that could help.
-
Work hard and play hard
_______________________
- Jena Thesis
6. To Increase Ground Water Levels : Advice & Contact Info Required
Dear Sir,
Your Chauras receives an average annual rainfall of 1100 to 1400 mm of rainfall. 400 years before, may be much before the Kohali community had Architectured and studded the area with small, medium and bigger tanks in your belt. There are historical reports that Krishnadevaraya send his men to learn and collect information on the technological ingenuity from your area for spreading the traditional tank establishment under his empire in the southern part.
It is very strange to learn about the fall in ground water level, in spite of, good average rainfall, recharge structures with numerous traditional tanks, favourable geohydrology with Darwar rock terrain. Is it due to what reason. Does not the streams and minor rivulets that joins the Venuganga riiver seized its flow.
May be the traditional tanks might not got desilted for many many years. The seepage into the ground water body might have got reduced since 1950 when the management of traditional tanks changed hands from the farmers into the government department.
Your idea of constructing Bhandaras sound good. I advise you to deal that recharge measures in a watershed basis and this will be more effective. Your observe the which or the tanks that are not desilted for past many many years and try to take steps to desilt it. Only by your entire community it can be initiated.
As you said organize your friends and other formers to effective manage your own resources.
In addition finding the cause for such sudden fall in water level and low quantity of pumping is also important.
On example is the might valley north of Coimbatore where the river Noyyal and its tributaries are recharging the ground water in the region. The water level has gone down from just 20 feet to 200 feet over a period of about 30 years. Recently a study conducted in a participatory way indicates that one the stream that contributed heavy flow from the western hill got diverted into Kerala and none bothered over this. This isw also one of the reason for loosing a recharge source and addition to heavy utility of ground water beyond the recharge.
I encourage to go ahead in forming groups and construct numerous like the Kohaly community.
With best wishes,
A. Raja Mohamed
Coastal Energy Pvt Ltd
Chennai. bismi1234786@gmail.com
09443619352
A. RAJAMOHAMED AMBALAM GEOPHYSICIST COASTAL ENERGY Pvt Ltd, CHENNAI +919443619352
7. One more Water saver from Bhandara
Hello Mr. RShahare,
I am from Bhandara Dist and from same chauras area. I have already seen the thing u discussed above very closely. Even due to excess use of ground water for use agricultural activity, some of land were declaired as DARK SHED AREA, where farmers were not allowed to dig well or MSEB was not allowed to supply electricity on the well/bore.
You are interested in incresing water level for AG. But as you said that friend circle wants Govt to do something for them and they don't wanna take step ahead, it is really hard to promot them for this things. But i appreciate your efforts. But as you know that Gose Kh. Project has started water storage in his reservoir and soon water will start flowing through it's canal benifiting nearby farmers (which is already done by Govt.).
But my interest is in RWH (Rain Water Harwesting) for domestic purpose where Dam or other facalities are not available for individual. If you or any one have knowledge @ RWH project installed in Bhandara, Nagpur or near by District, Please let me know.
8. Very interesting exchange
Very interesting exchange that came to my notice rather late. It is nice that you are a techie, because a techie understands that it is naive to think that every problem has an easy and satisfactory solution. I am afraid your problem, falling ground water levels + rice cultivation + a population that prefers to just pass time playing cards, has no satisfactory solution. It is difficult to explain why so in an email exchange. Since you are in Pune, and because you seem to be driven by a social spirit to do something, I invite you to visit the “National Water Academy” at Khadakwasla (see nwa.mah.nic.in for contact details) and we can discuss this. Meanwhile :
1: Bhandara district is a major rice producer in Maharashtra because the area under rice cultivation is very large. However, the productivity is less than 1300 Kg/Ha which is very poor as compared to around 2500 Kg/Ha in Konkan or Sangli-Kolhapur area. (see http://dacnet.nic.in/rice/HS-B-Table-13-Maharashtra.htm) You need to contact the nearest agricultural university, or WALMI Aurangabad, to know why productivity is so low in your area.
2: Respondents from the Civil Society will recommend to you the SRI (System of Rice Intensification) which is said to improve productivity significantly. However, this is still in experimental stage in India and does not have the status of a proven technique. Also, it has some other costs, e.g. a lot more labour input. (see http://www.ikisan.com/links/ap_ricesri.shtml)
3: Every one will tell you that rainwater harvesting will improve ground water levels. But no one will tell you what will be the quantitative extent of improvement. This results in setting an unattainable objective. Very briefly, if your objective is to solve drinking water problem and take one low water requirement crop per year, then yes, rainwater harvesting will have a significant impact. If you are planning to continue cultivation of rice, take more than one crops annually, then rainwater harvesting will not have any perceptible impact. When we appreciate the rainwater harvesting work done by Rajendra Singh, Anna Hazare, Popat Rao Pawar , etc. we tend to forget that these places do not grow rice. In the Tarun Bharat Sangh’s work, it is one of the conditions to impose a complete ban on rice or sugarcane cultivation.
4: Very likely, the solution to your problem lies in moving away from rice to some other crop. Contact WALMI Aurangabad to know more about this.
Chetan Pandit
National Water Academy.
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