In Bundelkhand, the simple and traditi onal technology of the dug well has been instrumental in assuaging the harsh impact of the sparse monsoon on the life of the rain-dependent, small scale farmer in Bundelkhand.

For farmers whose dug wells have irrigated their fi elds, the harsh impact of the errati c monsoons have been miti gated, and the economic returns to groundwater irrigati on through private dug wells in Bundelkhand are visible. Accessibility and availability of water has direct consequences for household food security, health, sanitati on and hygiene levels, and has impacted the farmers’ lives in multi -fold ways.

The Dug Wells of Bundelkhand: Well Being at Work

REJUVENATING LIVESNarrati ves of success among farming communiti es that integrated sustainable systems and strategies

Visible Impact

Diversifi ed cropping patt ernAccess to water through the dug well has only enabled farmers to adopt a diversifi ed cropping patt ern. The assured water supply has led them to confi dently grow rabi and kharif crops. They have thus been able to broaden their source of agricultural income.

Increased producti on and augmented incomesFarmers who had dug wells constructed or renovated saw an increase in income resulti ng from increased yield as well as growing multi ple crops. They have added more crops to their kharif crops such as soya bean and also invested in rabi crops, such as wheat, barley, chickpea and red gram.

Integrati ng good agricultural practi cesMost farmers with dug wells have also integrated good agricultural practi ces, such as line sowing and use of drip irrigati on system, to receive opti mum advantage.

Food, water and drinking water securityWith increased crop producti on comes food security. Farmers hold back a certain proporti on of their producti on for household consumpti on. Moreover, those farmers who have begun maintaining vegetable gardens are able to reap additi onal benefi ts of providing fresh, nutriti ous food to their families. Worries regarding scarcity of drinking water have also been assuaged for these farmers.

Tools of social empowermentThe farmers identi fi ed by ASA to support in digging wells belong to the socio-economically weak communiti es. These are also small farmers. The dug wells have helped them irrigate their lands, thus creati ng a source of income and ensuring them food security. The parti cipatory mechanism of identi fi cati on of needy farmers by SHGs ensures that the most deserving get the benefi ts.

A Structure Embedded in Traditi on

A dug well is a traditi onal method of obtaining groundwater. It provides a cheap and low-tech soluti on to accessing ground water in rural locati ons and can be built with a high degree of community parti cipati on. Dug wells have low operati onal and maintenance costs. Dug wells are ideal groundwater extracti on structures for shallow unconfi ned aquifers. These structures are preferred by farmers not only because these have considerable storage capacity but also can be constructed and deepened in phases using local experti se. Depending upon its depth below the water table, a dug well can store considerable quanti ty of water for extracti on as per convenience.

Farmers also have a variety of pump opti ons (e.g. treadle pumps, motorised pumps) available to lift water from the well, several water storage technologies and a number of water applicati ons methods (e.g., drip or sprinkler) available to apply water to crops.

Quick Facts

2530 dug wells constructed/renovated

3694 hectares of land irrigated

7155 households benefi tt ed

(Data as on Feb. 2015; ASA’s operati onal area covers the states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhatti sgarh, Bihar and Jharkhand)

The Future of Dug Wells

Groundwater exploitati on in hard-rock India is leading to high distress amongst farmers. So far, groundwater has always been sourced from recharge naturally through rainfall or ponds, or from canals. In 2007, the Government of India launched the Dug Well Recharge Scheme as a nati onal programme with an outlay of ` 1,800 crores. Its aim was to educate and incenti vise farmers in 100 hard rock districts of the country to modify their open dug wells for groundwater recharge. However, the scheme failed to achieve much success.

There are lessons to be learnt, and such programmes need to be more people-friendly, demand driven, enabling and providing locally fl exible initi ati ves rather than a target driven subsidy-based measure. Communicati on that is aimed at addressing an individual farmer’s issues as well as social concerns of a larger nature would also go a long way.

n village Majhgua, district Tikamgarh, 38 year-old Radhey Adivasi, a farmer from the Scheduled Tribe community, works diligently on his 3 acres of land, which he irrigates using the water from his dug well. Till 2012, he was completely dependent on monsoons for irrigati on. In 2012, with support from ASA, he had a 45-feet well dug on his fi eld. Before that, he used to grow black gram, sorghum and sesame. Increased water availability from the dug well has led him to diversify into chickpea, wheat, mustard, soya bean and vegetables.

Adivasi says his income has seen an increase in the years following the digging of the well. In 2012, while he earned ` 80,000 from wheat and chickpea crop, it rose to ̀ 1-1.25 lakhs the following year. To save water, he has adopted drip irrigati on. With the increased earnings, he bought an electric motor worth ` 21,000 to pump water. Earlier, he used to hire one.

On the domesti c front, Adivasi has reason to smile following a successful crop. He tore down his hut and built a three-room pucca house. He proudly shares that following the prosperous season, he organised his son’s marriage, an event that he had been looking forward to for long.

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ill the year 2011, 60 year-old Ram Charan was totally dependent on the monsoons to irrigate his 2 acres of land. Then, in 2011-12, ASA supported him fi nancially to dig a 42-feet well on his fi eld. The total cost was ` 2 lakhs out of which ASA contributed ` 45,000. Prior to the constructi on of the dug well, Ram Charan grew wheat, corn, black gram and green gram in kharif. But now, he invests in crops during rabi too – wheat, barley, chickpea, red gram. He grows mustard with the intercropping method. In additi on, he has added soya bean to the kharif crops. He has also shift ed to line sowing from the broadcast method, further adding to the output.

Ram Charan is a farmer with a keen eye for business. He has planted 2,000 sugarcane plants on an acre right next to the dug well, the total producti on of which he esti mates is ` 55,000. He has also creati vely converted a brick kiln into a vegetables garden, which is burgeoning with fresh vegetables such as bott le gourd and pumpkin. Not only has this ensured health and nutriti on for his family, it also fetches him a monthly income.Life for Ram Charan has not been the same aft er the well was dug. He swears by the sweetness and quality of the water. He has been able to fulfi l several dreams aft er his agricultural income increased. He bought 50,000 sq. ft of land and a new motor for pumping water from the pump. He built a pucca house, spent ̀ 2-2.5 lakhs on his son’s marriage, bought a motor cycle and gift ed his wife gold ornaments worth ` 20,000.

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Stories of Change

© ASA Bhopal, 2015

Documentati on and design by: New Concept Informati on Systems Pvt Ltd.email: communicati on@newconcepti nfosys.com

For further informati on, contact:

Acti on for Social Advancement (ASA)

Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh 462016, India

Phone: + 91-755-2427369, 4057926, Fax: + 91-755-4057925

Website: www.asaindia.org

Email: info@asabhopal.org

“Aft er ASA helped me dig a well on my land, I’ve begun growing

both rabi and kharif crops. I also maintain a vegetable garden.

All this has helped me augment my income besides ensuring

household food security. I have also able to repay the loan I took

for constructi ng the dug well. Most importantly, I am now free

from the trap of the sahukaar, the local money lender, and

have become self reliant”- Jai Bai Ahirwar, village Chandrapur,

distrist Tikamgarh

“Earlier, I used to culti vate only kharif crops on my 1.25 acres of land and was dependent on the vagaries of nature. Then, ASA supported me in digging a well. Now, I also sow wheat and mustard. In 2013, I sowed 3 quintals of wheat and reaped 60 quintals!” - Gulab Singh Lodhi, village Mastapur, distrist Tikamgarh