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Open well recharging: Kakol's method to overcome drought |
| - Poornaprajna Belur | |
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Water was not a nightmare here. The village was covered by green hills most of which were also sources of water. Waterways from these hills had kept the village green and productive. The streams flow through the village before joining the big channel which finally leads to river Tungabhadra. This is the situation in Kakol village of Haveri district in Karnataka 25 years back.
With three drought seasons in 25 years, circumstances changed. Waterways went dry. Green turned gray. Village sunk down along with water. Agriculture got affected. Wells became waterless. Pump sets replaced Kappali (indigenous method of lift irrigation) to draw water from the open wells. When even wells started drying up in 1983-84 there was no other way but to dig borewells to meet the water need. Excess extraction of water started when seed companies entered the village. Water level went down from 200 to 600 feet. Soon some borewells followed dried up open wells. As years passed, when water sources continued to become arid and land turned barren, people started thinking of migration. Meanwhile in 2002, Mr. Chanabasappa Shivappa Kombli, a young farmer and also a panchayat member participated in a Hasiru Habba (green festival) unique event organised by BAIF Institute for Rural Development in Karnataka . Oath taken in the Habba to plant and protect trees and thus conserve soil and water remained in his mind. This event inspired him to do 'something' for the welfare of the drought prone Kakol. After much thought Mr. Kombli came up with a brilliant idea of recharging open wells and make Kakol water affluent. He started with building checks to stop running water in Kakol.
He went to Bangalore with a request for assistance. To his surprise, his village was not included in the satellite mapping done by Jalasamvardhana department under the drought relief programme. His request was ignored. Mr. Chanabasappa took it as a challenge and started digging percolation ponds with his earned money. He also encouraged other villagers to take up the task. But getting others to work was not easy. Harvesting rain water was a new concept to them which they could not believe without seeing. Instead they mocked at Mr. Kombli. This left him alone, at his efforts. But he did not give up. After continuous efforts, watershed development programme was sanctioned to Kakol gram panchayat. The programme gave importance for construction of farm ponds. But Mr. Kombli intended to bring open wells back to life. He preferred enhancing existing structures than constructing new ones. Under the programme there was no provision for recharging the wells but they preferred building check dams which required more money!
When the government programme was not helpful, Mr. Kombli came up with a new idea. He dug percolation pits in the waterways that flowed down from the hills and built checks to the channel. This arrangement was sufficient to recharge 22 wells in the village. Mr. Kombli's work did the much expected magic. Mr. Javali Channabasappa's well was full at the first rain of Rabi season itself. But the well in the neighbourhood was not. Mr. Kombli had to wait for the next rain to appear before his effort's success became evident. The second rain left many wells full and water level in some borewells also increased. That was Mr. Kombli's first success which he still remembers with pleasure. This success gave new momentum to the effort. Villagers joined hands with Mr. Kombli. "If our wells retain water for three months we harvest one crop. That year even amidst drought we were able to reap the harvest. Most of us got involved in water harvesting and open-well recharging," says farmer Pakirappa Konabevu.
Many of them got involved voluntarily. Some needed additional explanation - both theoretical and practical before they understood the advantages and took part. But there were people here and there who still refused to participate in the water conservation activities. But the barriers could not stop for long as the results were overwhelming. Mr. Konabevu remembers that those who opposed to recharge their wells initially are actively involved in the process now and helping others to recharge the wells. Though not an expert sheer conviction and dedication of Mr. Kombli had turned the fate of the village. Soon, the news spread in the entire Ranebennur Taluk. District Incharge Minister visited the village and ordered financial assistance even for construction of percolation tanks under the water conservation programme. Kakol was included under Sujala watershed development programme.
Now Mr. Kombli's work became easy. Farmers in the village worked under Food for Work programme, on open well recharging. Mr. Kombli has led the entire village towards water literacy. Since then there was no looking back. They have recharged around 85 wells from a total of 165 wells in the village by diverting the water. If some are done through team work, some farmers have worked on their own. Percolation ponds dug near the borewells have increased the water levels.
The work is still in progress which has also grown in different dimensions. Natural Resources Development Association has been set up with Mr. Kombli as the president. Through this he has motivated the entire village to take up soil and water conservation and enhance forest. Efforts are on towards achieving this through construction of check dams, percolation ponds and planting saplings. Water sufficiency has solved many problems and quarrels within the village. A man with no technical expertise has done what no expert can do. It is a rare case where open well recharging is considered as the main tool for soil and water conservation and is a success. Mr. Kombli says, "If all the 12 lakh tanks and open wells in Karnataka are recharged and used as percolation ponds, then no other watershed programmes are necessary." Acknowledging Kombli's contribution to water and soil conservation CAAM has conferred him a specil award on its fourth anniversary .
Address:
Poornaprajna Belur is a development journalist based in Sagar, Shimoga.
The original article was published in Adike Patrike, a monthly farm magazine in Kannada. Translated by Anitha Pailoor. Note: A booklet has been published by CAAM written by the same author on this successful effort. |
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