Karnataka - Bellary   

Watershed schemes bring cheer to farmers

BELLARY: “For years we found it difficult to get water even to quench our thirst. But now we are happy that we have enough water almost throughout the year because of the check-dam built here,” said Obamma, an elderly woman who was washing her clothes in Dombara Siddapur village of Kudligi taluk.

“Over 60 per cent of the 40 borewells in the vicinity had gone dry, and farmers who had undertaken horticulture and borewell irrigation were a worried lot. But after check-dams were constructed in seven places in the district, groundwater has been recharged and helped improve yield,” said Wamadev of Bheemasamudra village.

A team of presspersons who visited the areas covered under the watershed development programme in Kudligi taluk found that Obamma and Wamadev were right.

One could see water stored in the check-dam during summer and the lush sunflower crop.

Farmers also seemed satisfied after the implementation of the watershed programme. “With groundwater having been recharged, some farmers are planning to go in for new borewells,” said Virupakshappa, a farmer. Thippeswamy, another farmer, was happy as he was able to water his mango and other horticultural crops with the help of the “krishi honda” (pond) developed in a low-lying area near his farm through rainwater harvesting. “Once in two days we water the plants and are hopeful of getting a good yield,” he said.

The watershed programme was initiated in Kudligi, Sandur, Hadagali and Hagari Bommanahalli taluks under the Desert Development Programme (DDP) and in Bellary and Hospet taluks under the Integrated Watershed Development Programme (IWDP) with the aim of recharging groundwater. This was done by preventing soil erosion and improving its fertility, afforestation, encouraging dry-land farming and dairy development by involving farmers.

The programme is being implemented under the agriculture, forests and horticulture categories in the district, which has a watershed area of 4.74 lakh hectares.

The Watershed Department will develop the area by implementing 1,425 mini-watershed schemes in a phased manner.

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Watershed schemes bring cheer to farmers

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