Pond irrigation project gives lease of life to farmers

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, March 20

Two years ago, Sohan Singh, a poor farmer with just 2.5 acres at Rurka Kalan village, used to irrigate his fields by paying for borewell water of his neighbour. Today, a 2-km-long pipeline supplies water for free to at least 104 acres in the village, two of which are Sohan Singh’s fields.

The Pond Irrigation Scheme, set up at Rurka Kalan village, has given a new lease of life to farmers. The village pond pumps out lakhs of litres of water per day into nearby fields. While depleting groundwater reserves and treatment of sewage water remain prime concerns in the state’s depleting aquifers, projects like this deal with multiple problems in one go while retaining a healthy groundwater table.

What was previously sewage water spilling on to village streets has now turned into liquid gold, giving a lease of life, especially to the poor farmers of the village, who were forced to rent their fields after being unable to meet water pumping costs. As many as 24 solar panels power a pump by the pond, which carries water into the fields.

Kuljit Singh, a local farmer, says, “Farmers earlier paid Rs 7,000 per month for generator (diesel) costs to pump water into their fields and also dealt with stench of sewage water. Now, all waste water is being recycled to irrigate fields.”

The Mai Ratto Jal Sambhal Committee decides the days and duration of water supply to each farmer. Gurmanagal Dass, founder, Youth Football Club, Rurka Kalan, says, “The project was set up in 2015 with a reserve of Rs 15 lakh through a three-layered water filter supplying water into the pond.”

Lupinder Kumar, Soil Conservation Officer, Jalandhar, said, “The pond was constructed by villagers and we chipped in May 2018.”