Farm ponds fail to hold water in Bundelkhand
In Bundelkhand, weak monsoon rains and poorly built ponds are threatening farmers’ irrigation, as a strengthening El Niño raises doubts over water availability.
Farm ponds that once stored rainwater for wheat and mustard are now dry, leaving farmers in Banda district’s Mahua block scrambling for irrigation.
A 10-foot-deep pond dug in May 2024 by 35-year-old farmer Vipin Kumar Yadav now holds less than five feet of water, compared with a full pond last year. Yadav, who irrigated four acres of wheat twice from the pond, worries that the low water will jeopardise this year’s wheat and mustard crops.
The problem is part of a wider concern over rainfall. By August 1, Banda’s rainfall was 26 % below normal for the monsoon season. The Union Ministry of Earth Sciences said on July 30 that El Niño had moved from weak to moderate levels and could become very strong in October-December. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) added on August 13 that there is a more than 90 % chance of a very strong El Niño in the coming months, and a 69 % chance that October-December could see an El Niño stronger than any recorded since 1950.
In response, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has directed repairs and strengthening of ponds, check dams and other water-conservation structures. Water-harvesting work under employment schemes such as Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act (VB-G RAM G) and other rural development programmes have been prioritised.
Pond failures across the region
Farm ponds in Bundelkhand, a climate-vulnerable semi-arid area, often suffer from seepage, siltation, poor construction, unsuitable sites and inadequate maintenance. The following table shows how pond depth has changed for several farmers.
| Farmer | Pond depth last year (ft) | Current depth (ft) | Change (ft) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vipin Kumar Yadav | 10 | <5 | -5 |
| Keshav Yadav | 10 | <5 | -5 |
| Mullu Kol | 6 | 3 | -3 |
| Mukesh Kumar | 10 | 7 | -3 |
The same table illustrates rainfall deficits in the area.
| Region | % below normal |
|---|---|
| Banda | 26 |
| Mahoba | 43 |
The failures are not limited to older ponds. In Doda Mafi village of Chitrakoot’s Manikpur block, 65-year-old farmer Sunder Kol’s pond could not retain water because of sandy soil, and he has not benefited from it for two consecutive years. In Mangawan panchayat, 42-year-old Mullu Kol’s pond, dug in 2009-10, has lost half its depth due to siltation, forcing him to switch from wheat to mustard.
In Bambiya gram panchayat, 65-year-old Bulli Mawasi’s pond, built under the Bundelkhand Package through the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in 2009-10, was intended to be 10 ft deep but was dug only five feet before work stopped. Mawasi says he has not irrigated from the pond in 15 years because water seeps away. Officials had discussed installing a plastic lining (mulching) for seepage control, but it was never carried out.
Why the ponds fail
Hydrogeology expert and retired professor Shashikant Tripathi of Mahatma Gandhi Chitrakoot Gramodaya Vishwavidyalaya says poor site selection is a major reason for failures. In Bundelkhand’s plateau terrain, he notes that the failure to choose the right site-considering underlying rock, slope, drainage density, soil type and land use-leads to ponds that cannot retain water for more than a few months.
Chitrakoot Soil Conservation Officer Baljeet Bahadur acknowledges seepage as a problem in sandy-soil areas but says 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. Farmers often limit excavation to the amount covered by government assistance, which affects pond quality.
Government plans and funding
In 2009, the Union Cabinet approved a ₹72.66 billion special package for drought mitigation and integrated development in Bundelkhand stats. 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 fixtures. In the first phase, 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.
Farmers such as Mukesh Kumar in Mahoba, who dug a pond in April 2023, have lost up to three feet of depth due to siltation and cannot afford desiltation. He suggests that drip or sprinkler irrigation could reduce water demand.
Experts recommend scientific site selection, crop-specific pond design, seepage control, regular desiltation, maintenance funding and stronger community involvement to improve outcomes. The current failures highlight the need for better planning and sustained investment in water-conservation infrastructure.
