Till three years ago, shortage of drinking water was a perennial problem at the Agricultural College in Karekere of Hassan district, with its 184 acres of dryland. All five of the borewells on the campus had a low yield of water. But now, the college is handling not only all of its drinking water requirements, but also the agricultural needs.
The trick has been intense rainwater harvesting. “We opted for intensive rainwater harvesting on about 20 acres of land on which cashew cultivation has been taken up. The harvesting is so intense that we harvest nearly 85% of the rainwater,” said N. Devakumar, Dean of the college.
He said measures have been taken to ensure that not even a drop of water goes out of the campus. In addition to this, the college has created water grids by linking pipelines coming out of all the borewells.
In support of the college’s activities, the Department of Minor Irrigation has taken up construction of two tanks on campus. The work is in the final stages. “One tank is spread over five-and-a-half acres. Once it is ready, we will have sufficient water for all the cultivation activities,” Dr. Devakumar said.
The water conservation measures stand out as several areas around the campus are still reeling under water shortage.
Water conservation initiatives have contributed to an increase in farm production as well as revenue by nearly three times on the land that was granted for building the college about 15 years ago. “The total revenue from farm activities that stood at a mere ₹5 lakh three years ago has now touched ₹15 lakh,” said the Dean. The production of milk at the dairy, maintained by the staff members and students, also has improved. At present, the daily production of milk stands at 60 litres.
Solar power
The college has also switched over to solar lighting to provide relief to its students, who used to face frequent power cuts as the area is in a rural zone.
Initially, the street lights were converted into solar lights. Now, the entire library building gets power from solar panels. “The library, with 20,000 titles, is now open for students till 8.30 p.m. as there is no problem with power supply,” said A. Nataraja, professor of Horticulture and in-charge of the library.
