Impact Study of NABARD Rural Innovation Project:

Implemented and completed in 2013.

How did this project best address a specific issue in this area? In this area most of the farmers depend on bore wells for irrigation because they have no river or canals. The farmers face water scarcity during post monsoon and summer sea- son because the underground water level is depleted due to drilling many bore wells in close proximity. The existing underground water table is 300 to 400 feet depth. All open wells are dried in villages. So, farmers are diverting from their traditional agri- culture and in search of work for their livelihood, they are migrating to the nearest cities. The core problem is lack of ground water availability.

How we implemented this project

• We selected Belavantar, Tabakad Honnalli, Somanakoppa, Tavarageri, and Arali- honda, of district Kalagatagi Taluk. • Visited Grama Sabha in all respected villages and gave information about bore well recharge techniques. • Visited and surveyed all the bore wells on the interested farmers’ lands. • Met with selected bore well farmers. Discussed the required budget of bore well recharge and how NABARD will contribute as well as the farmers’ contribution. • Discussed with them how NABARD will help with the bore well recharge project. Bore well recharging techniques • Select a bore well which is in use for agriculture and drinking water purpose and examine the feasibility of access of rainwater flow to the proposed Injection Well. • Creation of a supply pond near the existing bore well. • Excavate an area approx 10 ft deep and 10ft across surrounding the existing bore well - the resulting pit to be filled with small gravel. • Place reinforced concrete cement rings 3 feet diameter and 1 foot high, around the casing of the bore well to create a recharging well. This holds the filtered water coming through the external pit thus enabling slow percolation of water into the bore well. The bore well will not be able to percolate all the received rainwater at a high rate. Hence the storage of water is indispensable for the slow percolation. • Reinforced perforated slab is to be used before filtration media. • HDPE pipe is to be inserted into the Bore well and both ends should be making hole surrounding casing to three feet height. • The gravel packing surrounding the HDPE casing Pipe enables the easy move- ment of the rain water from the casing pipe to the surrounding aquifer dried joints and cracks. • Fixing of the specially designed mesh or wire non clogging strainer to the HDPE casing pipe to allow the water into the casing pipe to recharge the groundwater. • Make a SILT TRAP near the INJECTION WELL with a pipe connection to the IN- JECTION WELL to facilitate the flow of rainwater from the ground. Channels to be prepared and lead the water into the SILT TRAP • Through this channel, the rainwater falling from roof top, the water flowing from roads and field etc to be conveyed to the SILT TRAP first, in order to make the rainwater flow to INJECTION WELL. • The rainwater flowed through the filtration process and collected in the INJEC- TION WELL slowly percolates through the mesh or wire into the ground and reaches the dry joint, cracks and aquifer and recharges the GROUND WATER SOURCE. • This mesh or WIRE TECHNOLOGY helps percolate a large quantity of water, which otherwise would have gone to waste by runoff. Thereby it not only increas- es the ground water quantity but also reduces the salinity and fluoride contents in the water, by dilution effect. •

• Impact of Bore well recharge

• In Kalagatgi Taluk farmers were informed about bore well recharge techniques. • Bore well recharge message was spread to all surrounding farmers. • We implemented 24 bore well recharge systems and 20 bore wells are recharging well. • Surrounding farmers are visiting our project implemented villages to be informed about the process. • Farmers are sharing with other farmers with discussion about bore well recharge by phone and site visit. • Crops diversification is happening since the increase in ground water supply. • The economical status of the farmers changed due to the ability to continue agri- cultural activities for the whole year including the summer period. • Now the project is implemented, the work will spread in the surrounding villages and as a result it will be easier for others to adopt this project. • Case studies have been published in the local magazines and news paper • Bore well recharge success stories are being spread by word of mouth. • Field visits are being organised to spread the word further.

Objective:

There is a steep decrease in ground water level. If steps are not taken now to redress this trend, there will be likelihood of huge crisis of potable water within a decade. Because of overpopulation, with agricultural and industrial development and resulting overex- ploitation of underground water by sinking excessive bore wells without forethought, this is causing detrimental consequences. Reckless excessive depth of sinking bore wells is also resulting in uncertain yields and impure water. The present situation is that the depth has gone to the extent of more than 1200 feet, earlier only 150 feet. The only al- ternative to rescue this situation is to re-charge the underground water table through Rain Water Harvesting Systems. Example: for the above said situation KOLAR district is an example ( State, ).

Innovative: (Farmland Recharging bore wells)

It is innovative and unique because it ensures that only clean rainwater is used to recharge the bore well. Our method is a unique method creating a water column of 10 feet height around the casing pipe. This causes speedy percolation of the stored water into the deeper underground water source. The conventional methods of other types are not capable to recharge the underground water to such depths using the stored and fil- tered rainwater.

Results:

Our method ensures appropriate recharge of the Bore well. We have documented the data for several bore wells. The water yield in the bore well has increased extensively even with only the rainfall of one season. Not only that, the quality of the water has im- proved considerably. Wherever this unique system has been implemented it has changed the livelihood of the farmers and also urban and rural population economically because of the availability of sufficient water for drinking & irrigation purpose.

Viability:

There ware no recurring expenses thereafter. The FARMLAND RWH SYSTEM prevents drying up of the Bore well. Thereby investment of Rs.1 lakhs to Rs. 1.5 lakhs for a new Bore wells . (Depending on the depth of the Bore well), and also there is no guarantee of striking the water where the Bore well is drilled. By adopting OUR UNIQUE Direct bore well recharge SYSTEM only for spent Rs.35 to 45 thousands (depending on area ) the availability of the water will be guaranteed. The project cost can be easily recovered from the user families during a period of 2 to 3 years.

Sustainability:

Our project certainly protects the environment by preventing over-exploitation of the vital natural resource i.e. water. In addition, it provides environmental benefits by fully utilizing the rainwater by recharging of Bore wells and improving the underground wa- ter source. It also reduces the erosion of the precious topsoil by arresting the runoff wa- ter from the farms and open fields.

Special highlights of the project

The PMRC meeting was attended by the LEAD bank manager Mr. Basavraj Hugar. So impressed was he with our work that he agreed to sanction loans to any farmer that wanted to implement the bore-well recharge structure. It really was good to hear from an outside person with appreciation for our work

Challenges faced

• Bore well recharging has to be implemented prior to rainy season. • Man power (labor) availability in time is quite difficult. • Requires special equipment eg JCB which can be expensive. • Any minor mistakes by the farmers while implementing the project can damage the whole process. • The main disadvantage of rain water harvesting is due to the limited supply and uncertainty of rainfall. • People tend to expect a 100% grant model. • People don’t know soil condition. • Sometimes result will be take time due to rains.

SRDS faced numerous challenges during implementation of the project such as:

• Fluctuation in the market rates of materials such as stones and sand. • Since excavation related activities cannot be carried out during rainy seasons, so SRDS had to ensure that implementation was completed before the start of the rains. This left us with a very short time for implementation. • Excavation machine (JCB) owners were reluctant to let us hire the machine for short periods of time.

Scope for replicability / scalability

SRDS’s bore-well recharge technique is extremely replicable and can be scaled up to any bore-well in the world, let alone India or the state with only minor customization such as the use of a different type of catchment structure in areas with space constraints.

Note: in this year rain fall is very low so some bore wells have not recharged however the farmers have understood that this techniques will help their bore wells.

Sikandar Meernayak CEO Sankalpa Rural Development Society Hubli 31