How water harvesting through ‘jhola kundis’ is doubling incomes of tribal farmers in Koraput

For farmer Damo Kirshani in Khiajhola village of Odisha’s tribal-dominated Koraput district, jhola kundi has proved to be a boon. Jhola kundi is a low-cost shallow well used for water conservation and irrigation. The jhola kundi on his 10-acre farm has become the most reliable source of irrigation and has more than doubled his annual income to Rs1.5 lakh.

Koraput district receives an annual rainfall between 1320mm and 1520 mm. However, much of the rainwater runs off in its ecologically fragile hilly upland, part of the Eastern Ghats highland region. This makes consistent farming throughout the year nearly impossible. Moreover, the lack of irrigation facilities aggravates farmers' woes.

Things have changed for the better after the construction of jhola kundis by the joint venture of the Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation Research Centre (IISWCRC) in Sunabeda, Koraput and the Directorate of Soil Conservation and Watershed Development (DSCWD) under the state government.

What are jhola kundis and how they work

“Jhola refers to a lowland where water recharges aquifers that feed this reservoir throughout the year. This is why the reservoir is called jhola kundi,” explains Assistant Director (soil conservation) Suman Rout, Koraput.  

“We set up most jhola kundis near streams as the consistent descending flow of the water fills the lowland (called Jhola),” says Dr Jyotiprava Dash, a former senior scientist of IISWCRC, Sunabeda.

Besides the use of sub-surface water in a jhola kundi, some farmers particularly in Nandapur and Dasamantapur blocks have dug channels to take the streams’ surface water into jhola kundis, he adds. 

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Dr Dash is now a senior scientist at Nagpur-based National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, another unit of the ICAR.    

With the support of Rs 1.94 crore from the Central Government under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikash Yojana (RKVY), 60 jhola kundis have come up in 52 villages under eight blocks of Koraput district. They meet the irrigation needs of over 205 vegetable growers. The IISWCRC, a unit of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), flagged off its venture in 2021 with DSCWD. It continued till 2024.

The diameter of each jhola kundi is 4m to 6.2 m while its depth ranges between 3.0 and 7.8 meters. This has helped increase the crop intensity from 137 percent to 272 percent and doubled the crop diversification index from 0.4 to 0.8.  

Rising incomes, lower carbon emissions

“Earlier, more than 60 percent of around 200 acres of our village was left barren during summer because of severe water stress. However, we now grow vegetables in different time phases annually after jhola kundis were set up,” says Damo, who belongs to the Gadaba tribal community.

“Besides the increase in my annual income, the jhola kundi in our village has helped reduce my per acre annual investment from Rs 50,000 to less than Rs 25,000,” he says. Earlier, farming costs were high due to the use of more manure and compost to offset the problems of water stress.

The cost of construction of a jhola kundi is around Rs2.5 lakh.

Installation of surface-mounted solar-powered pumps (each of one horsepower) in place of diesel pumps saves money because earlier, farmers would spend on diesel to access groundwater for irrigation.

“A single system can irrigate about 0.8 to 1.8 hectares in winter and 0.5 to 1.4 hectares in summer. These 60 jhola kundis irrigate around 84 hectares in summer and 62 hectares in winter,” says Dr Jyotiprava. 

“A jhola kundi with a solar pump can save 265 litres of diesel per year, helping mitigate carbon emission by 800 kg annually,” she adds.  

Similarly, many farmers, who set up electric pumps to irrigate their land, incurred huge expenditures. However, their replacement with solar pumps now saves money. Thus about 15,900 litres of diesel and 4836 kilowatts of electricity are saved annually.

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“I used to spend Rs 500 to Rs 600 on diesel to irrigate my two acres earlier. But after the erection of two jhola kundi in my village, I can save this amount. This is a bonus. It adds to my annual income that has now increased from about Rs 15,000 to nearly Rs 40,000,” says farmer Bijay Krishani, a Paraja tribal in Dusura village under Semiliguda block of Koraput.  

“About 12 farmers in our village of nearly 100 households use two jhola kundis throughout the year to irrigate about 15 acres where vegetables were earlier grown only during the rainy season. The income of each of them has now increased four times,” he added.

Jayasen Nayak, a farmer in village Godiajhola under Lamptaput block, admitted how over 75 farmers have benefitted from a jhola kundi in his village. He, however, underlines the need for more jhola kundis to help mitigate water stress in his village. “Vegetables are grown over more than 80 acres in our village, but we have one jhola kundi, which is inadequate. We need more than eight to fully cover our farming area,” he points out.

“We submitted a proposal to the state government in 2024-end to expand the coverage area under the project. As soon as we get the nod and requisite finance from the government, we will restart it for the benefit of farmers,” says Assistant Director Suman.

(Niroj Ranjan Misra a Cuttack-based freelance writer. He writes on rural and tribal life, social issues, art and culture, and sports).

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