PAU using 7 abandoned wells for rainwater harvesting

Ludhiana: The latest effort to reduce water consumption at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) involves harvesting of rainwater and reusing it for irrigation. The campus has seven abandoned wells which are being used to recharge water. PAU has also installed seven rooftop rainwater harvesters and six recharging shafts near Gate No.3, petrol pump, Basic Sciences department, hockey ground, Thapar Hall, and mela ground.

Two abandoned wells are near Remote Sensing department, four wells are in Soil Science department, and one well near Agronomy department have been utilised to recharge water for irrigation and sprinkling on foliage. Apart from the wells, seven rooftop rainwater harvesters have been installed, including three in College of Agriculture Engineering and Technology, one near Punjab Horticultural Post-Harvest Technology Centre (PHPTC), two at Thapar Hall (covering 2,000 square metres, and 10 lakh litres of water), and another at MS Randhawa Library, covering an area almost equivalent to that of Thapar Hall.

Highlighting the issue of underground water levels, Dr Rajan Aggarwal, head, Department of Soil and Water Engineering at PAU, said: “It has been seen that water-level is declining by 40-50cm annually, and almost 80-110cm in central Punjab. During winter,

rainwater harvesting

can benefit farmers, as wheat is the major crop. Out of 50 lakh hectares of land used for vegetation, 40-41 lakh is dedicated to wheat, which requires four to six irrigation rounds, depending on the pattern of rainfall. If we get heavy rainfall, farmers can use rainwater, and the surplus water can be drained. Using a rainwater storage tank will completely eliminate the need to use canal water for irrigation.”

Interestingly, a resident in Prince Hostel, had an abandoned well at home, and rather than cover it to avoid any accident or use it as a compost pit, he used the well to recharge water for plants, and said: “In addition to rainwater, the tank captures and reuses the water.” The tank, located near a college, is used for integrated farming. Then, a fish pond’s water in Gadvasu is emptied into an abandoned well, and utilized by PAU students in their fields. The fish pond is part of a project of the School of Organic Farming — the AICRP (All India Coordinated Research Project) on Integrated farming.

Rainwater harvesting is just the latest of the several water conservation measures the university is employing, another being the use of sprinklers for irrigating fields, which is much more efficient than traditional irrigation.

FARMING IN PUNJAB

State’s total geographical area: 50 lakh hectares

Total area under cultivation: 41 lakh hectares

Under wheat cultivation: 35 lakh hectares