At a time when depleting groundwater level and shortage of rain are taking a toll on cultivation, forcing many farmers to have a rethink on farming, a farmer at Perumukha at Badidaka in Kasaragod is gaining attention by developing a rainwater harvesting system on his farmland.
Ishwara Bhat, 63, who left his engineering job to become a farmer over three decades ago, has converted a part of his 16-acre farmland into a reservoir. It helps him meet his water requirements for agriculture throughout the year. He converted over 70 cents into a reservoir that holds over 80 lakh litres of rainwater.
Bhat says the reservoir, 160 ft long, 70 ft wide, and 30 ft deep, was constructed at an estimate of ₹11 lakh. Tarpaulin is used to ensure that water is collected properly and there is no seepage.
He says most people in the region are farmers and have to depend on borewell and open well for areca nut and coconut cultivation. However, shortage of water this year has affected them with wells turning dry.
“The idea of storing water emerged when no help was coming from the Agriculture department and the government,” says Bhat.
He says many of his friends were planning to give up cultivation. To irrigate an acre of land of areca nut and coconut, one lakh litres of water is required a year. Now, with the construction of the reservoir, he will be able to irrigate over eight acres.
Bhat says with good rainfall earlier this month with the outset of monsoon, the reservoir is filled 45% of its capacity and he is hopeful that it will be full by the end of this monsoon.
The construction of the reservoir would not have been possible without the support of his family and relatives, who helped him financially too, says Bhat.
With his reservoir opening a new chapter in rainwater harvesting in the region, many farmers have come forward to develop a similar system to store rainwater on their farmland and pursue farming with renewed vigour.
