When farm ponds fail to hold water

- A strengthening El Niño has raised concerns over rainfall and agriculture, prompting the government to prioritise farm ponds and other water conservation measures. - Bundelkhand’s experience shows farm ponds can support irrigation, but seepage, siltation, poor construction, unsuitable sites and inadequate maintenance limit their effectiveness. - Experts recommend scientific site selection, crop-specific pond design, seepage control, regular desiltation, maintenance funding and stronger community involvement to improve outcomes. “Very low rain this year; only one rain in this season till now,” said 35-year-old farmer Vipin Kumar Yadav from Manipur village in Mahua block of Uttar Pradesh’s Banda district, this July, as the agriculture-dependent region waited for rains. Pointing to the farm pond, or khet talab, dug on his land, Yadav said the difference from last year was stark. “Look at this, how little water is in my pond this time. Last year around this time, the entire pond was full. I used that water in October-November to irrigate my wheat crop. This year the water is low; the 10-foot-deep pond couldn’t even fill up to five feet. I am worried: how will the wheat and mustard crops get water this year?” The concern is significant in a region where much of agriculture remains dependent on rainfall. By August 1, rainfall in Banda was 26% below normal for the monsoon season. The pond was dug in Yadav’s field in May 2024. Last year, he used the stored water to irrigate four acres of wheat twice, more than doubling his wheat yield from about 3.5-4.5 quintals per acre to 9-10 quintals per acre. This year, however, the pond has received much less water. The concern over rainfall comes as forecasts point to a strengthening El Niño. On July 30, the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences said in a press release that El Niño had intensified from weak conditions in June to moderate levels in July and could strengthen further to the very strong category during October-December. On August 13, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said in an advisory that there is a more than 90% chance that El Niño will become very strong in the coming months. It also estimated a 69% chance that the October-December period could see an El Niño stronger than any recorded since 1950. The Indian government has responded by pushing for greater water storage. Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has directed that ponds, farm ponds, check dams and other water-conservation structures be repaired and strengthened, while water-harvesting work under employment scheme Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act (VB-G RAM G) and other rural development programmes, have been prioritised. Vipin’s experience shows the potential of such measures. But his elder brother Keshav Yadav’s experience offers a different perspective. A pond was dug in Keshav’s farm alongside Vipin’s. Within a year, its embankment on one side broke. Following that, silt collection reduced the depth of the 10-foot deep pond. “Water doesn’t stay in my pond at all. If water remained in it, I would have irrigated the mustard crop this year. Last year, I managed to irrigate two acres of mustard with this very pond. This time I won’t be able to irrigate it,” Keshav said. A few studies have shown that farmers in Bundelkhand, where Vipin and Keshav’s farms are located, who have adopted soil and water conservation measures have seen increased crop productivity and net farm revenue. An old idea Farm ponds are common in Bundelkhand, which is among India’s most climate-vulnerable semi-arid regions, where recurrent droughts, rising temperatures and increasingly erratic monsoon rainfall have made farming more uncertain. The region has a long tradition of storing rainwater in ponds, tanks, lakes and wells. A study published in the Indian Journal of History of Science documents how the Chandelas and, later, the Bundela rulers developed interconnected systems of water-harvesting structures to manage the region’s scarce water resources. The study also notes that while the region experienced a major drought roughly once every 16 years during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the frequency of droughts tripled between 1968 and 1992. The paper quotes a media report published in 2016 and highlights that the region has experienced “15th consecutive crop losses and 13 droughts in the previous 15 years.” Even now, much of Bundelkhand’s agriculture remains dependent on rainfall. According to the Uttar Pradesh Agriculture Statistics 2022-23, only 47% of Chitrakoot’s net sown area is irrigated, compared with 54% in Mahoba and 61% in Banda. As a result, governments in the recent past have sought to expand this traditional approach. In 2009, the Union Cabinet approved a ₹72.66 billion special package for drought mitigation and integrated development in Bundelkhand. It included a target of constructing 30,000 farm ponds across Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, along with 20,000 new dug wells in each state. Uttar Pradesh launched the Khet-Talab Yojana in 2016-17 under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana. In the first phase of the scheme, 2,000 ponds were constructed across all development blocks of the seven districts of Bundelkhand at an expenditure of ₹12.2 million. It is now operated under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana. Under the scheme, the government provides 50% of the cost of a small 22×20×3-metre pond, amounting to ₹52,500. Ground experience On the evening of July 20, it rained for the second time that season in Doda Mafi village of Chitrakoot’s Manikpur block. But 65-year-old farmer Sunder Kol was not excited by it. His farm pond, he said, could not retain water because of sandy soil. “I haven’t received any benefit from the pond. Last year too, I couldn’t irrigate my mustard crop; I only got a yield of two quintals,” he said. Kol farms two acres but now depends on daily wage labour to support his family. He also lost 0.25 acre of land to the pond. In Mangawan panchayat, 42-year-old Mullu Kol’s pond, dug in 2009-10, has lost much of its capacity because of siltation. Its depth has fallen from six feet to about three feet. Mullu said it once irrigated two acres but can now irrigate only one acre. Since wheat requires three rounds of irrigation, he grows mustard instead. “Not being able to cultivate wheat creates grain and fodder shortages for us,” he said. The experience of 65-year-old Bulli Mawasi from Bambiya gram panchayat is even more stark. His pond was constructed under the Bundelkhand Package through the rural employment scheme Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in 2009-10. It was supposed to be 10 feet deep but was dug only five feet before the work stopped, reportedly due to insufficient funds. “In the last 15 years, I haven’t been able to do a single drop of irrigation from this pond,” Mawasi said. Water seeps away. To resolve the seepage issue, departmental officials had discussed installing a plastic lining (mulching) for the pond, but it was never carried out. About 0.25 acres of his land were also taken for the pond. “I suffered losses from the pond rather than gaining any benefit,” he said. The pond is not located in the farm’s natural catchment area and lacks a properly designed inlet to channel runoff. Mawasi now pays ₹250 an hour to rent irrigation equipment and about ₹1,000 for diesel. One 10-hour irrigation costs him ₹3,500, which he borrows. Hydrogeology expert and retired professor Shashikant Tripathi of Mahatma Gandhi Chitrakoot Gramodaya Vishwavidyalaya, a government university in Satna district, said poor site selection is a major reason for such failures. In Bundelkhand’s plateau terrain, he said, “The failure to choose the right site is a major reason why the ponds fail.” He said that site selection should consider the underlying rock, slope, drainage density, soil type and land use. A scientifically selected pond can retain water for four to five months. Chitrakoot Soil Conservation Officer Baljeet Bahadur acknowledged that seepage is a problem in sandy-soil areas but said, “There is no budget for seepage control, desiltation or maintenance.” A 22×20×3-metre pond costs ₹1.05 lakh, with the government providing ₹52,500. He said farmers often limit excavation to the amount covered by government assistance, which affects pond quality. The problems are not limited to older ponds. In Mahoba, where rainfall was 43% below normal by August 1, 28-year-old Mukesh Kumar’s pond, dug in April 2023, had lost up to three feet of depth due to siltation. He said even one irrigation this year would be significant, but he could not afford to have the pond desilted. He also suggested that drip or sprinkler irrigation could reduce the amount of water needed. The ground experience points to four recurring problems, including inadequate water, seepage, siltation and poor maintenance, that have made several ponds useless. A 2023 case study published by Erasmus University Rotterdam, which traced the scheme’s roots to a community initiative launched in 2003, noted that the focus shifted towards creating visible physical structures after the government adopted it under a new scheme. The paper said that it was originally intended to revive traditional rainwater-harvesting practices, raise awareness among local farmers, rejuvenate old community ponds and promote small-scale individual ponds. When the government adopted it in 2018, it helped scale up pond construction. But communication with farmers, frugality, design flexibility and the incorporation of local and experiential knowledge were sidelined. Read more: Watershed management improves livelihoods in drought-prone village What needs to change Experts and officials say farm ponds can be made more effective, but their design and maintenance need to change. Gaya Prasad Gopal, founder of a non-profit organisation Akhil Bhartiya Samaj Seva Sansthan, which works for the conservation of water and natural resources in Bundelkhand, said seepage can be reduced by lining the pond bed and walls with black polythene and covering them with a layer of black clay soil. Mahoba soil conservation officer P. C. Vishwakarma said schemes like farm ponds are extremely important for Bundelkhand. A standard 22×20×3-meter pond can hold about 1.15 million litres of water, theoretically enough for three rounds of irrigation for a hectare of wheat. The ponds can also reduce soil erosion and help recharge groundwater, but he acknowledged that they may not provide sufficient irrigation water in years of low rainfall. Tripathi said, “Maintenance remains another major hurdle. Farmers often assume maintenance is the state’s responsibility, but since they are the direct beneficiaries, they must also take ownership of upkeep. The government should introduce provisions that encourage farmers by offering financial assistance for maintenance, bearing a share of the costs incurred in desiltation and other structural repairs.” Pond dimensions should not be fixed but determined by the farm’s cultivable area, crops and irrigation requirements. He also called for financial support for maintenance and desiltation. Vishwakarma said there is currently no provision in the scheme for pond maintenance, which is left to farmers. Kaushal Garg, senior hydrology scientist at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), said Gram Panchayats should also take responsibility for maintenance, with activities such as desiltation, bunding and repairs supported through programmes such as VB-GRAM-G. “Such initiatives will only remain sustainable if local community participation is ensured,” he said. Garg said pond construction should begin with a scientific assessment of water availability, rainfall patterns, soil and slope conditions. “These interventions must be science-led,” he said. Banner image: With its embankment breached and the basin choked with silt, Keshav Yadav’s farm pond remains dry, leaving Yadav without any means to irrigate his Rabi crops after erratic rainfall. Image by Shivam Bharadwaj.