Alappuzha: Chengannur is an alcove on Alappuzha district map. Its soil is brown and it receives much less rainfall. To beat the worsening drought situation, Chengannur Block Panchayat initiated massive rainwater harvesting last month under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNREG) scheme. Villagers here live on agriculture growing betel, plantain, vegetable and paddy. Since continuous water availability is a must for farming activities, they needed a perennial water source. Over the years, this hilly area was under the Pamba Irrigation Project (PIP). But not this summer due to canal collapse in Vadasserikkara in Pathanamthitta.
The project has now turned their saviour. They have dug up 160 farm ponds in abandoned fields in eight panchayats. “The project got significant momentum after people came forward offering their land for ponds," said Karthika Anil, accredited engineer, MGNREG. "This is one of the focal areas under the MGNREG. It came into our focus after farmers began facing a crisis. The wells in the houses have turned dry, and farmers started suffering heavy losses. We took up the project to combat the situation." The worst-affected Venmony panchayat has the largest number of ponds (69) followed by Budhanoor (27) and Puliyoor 26.
Most of them are constructed in one to five cents in paddy fields. “Water is scarce for many. As we get enough water, we suspended 60 hectares of paddy cultivation in Pandanad where we got bountiful reap last season," says a farmer. "Farm ponds not only retain water for a long time irrigating farmlands but also maintain biodiversity," says Dr K.G. Padmakumar, director, International Research and Training Centre for Below Sea level Farming. "In the past, every field used to have a Thalakulam (head pond). This tradition collapsed after the introduction of river water projects. One acre pond is equal to a 100-acre forest in carbon absorption." He hopes others to replicate the Chengannur initiative encouraging people to conserve water that the state receives abundantly.
