Abstract:
Agriculture sector is the major consumer of water. The water for agricultural activities is supplied either by surface water or ground water. Use of ground water is convenient as compared to surface water. In the present time, cropping pattern and agriculture system have become more water intensive. Both these
factors disturbed the groundwater reserves. As a result in many areas of Madhya Pradesh, groundwater table is depleting at an alarming rate and there is an acute need of artificial recharge in those areas.
Private and public sectors both are engaged in increasing such recharge through introduction of recharge structures at appropriate sites throughout the State. However, it is observed that adaptability of recharge structures on individual level is very poor due to requirement of high initial investment. On the other hand recharge structures on community basis are not serving the purpose for many reasons.
The Haveli system of cultivation, a traditional method, was in practice since time immemorial in many parts of Madhya Pradesh, and utilized for conservation of moisture in the field for rabi crops. In Haveli system, cultivated fields surrounded by huge bunds are kept fallow during kharif season. Rainwater is collected in the fields and is retained for about three months and then drained in the month of October. Rabi crops are sown in the field after minimum tillage. This system helps in weed control also. The contribution of this system in groundwater recharge was either ignored, not known or was known to the wiser persons only and due to these reasons the system almost disappeared slowly in spite of all known benefits.
The present study is the first effort to mark the extent and affectivity of such a beautiful system in traditionally followed haveli areas. Sites selected for the study are Jabalpur and Narshingpur districts of M.P. Field data along with satellite data were used for assessing area under haveli storage during rainy season. Recharge from haveli fields computed from three locations showed average seepage from haveli fields as 6 mm per day. Infiltration characteristics and other physical characteristics of haveli fields were also obtained. A book keeping procedure for computing recharge from surface storage with corresponding daily rainfall for haveli fields was developed. The study conducted for the years 1989, 1997, 2000, 2002 and 2005 indicated recharge of 5.2, 27.2, 34.4, 29.5 and 46.8 cm during these years respectively. The respective rainfall of these years was 80.2, 111.5, 105.2, 112.8 and 163.3 cm. It was observed from remote sensing data that area under haveli was maximum (18,567 ha) in the year 2002, and minimum (4782 ha) in the year 2005 out of total 6,58,736 ha area. Haveli area was found to be 10 to 41% of cultivable area and 8 to 30% of total area under study.
