A check dam unblocks a better quality of life

Last year, Sabanna Beerappa’s life was a struggle to improve his farm’s yields. His two-acre-and-three-gunta farm in Tatalgera village, 25km east of Yadgir district in Karnataka, yielded a cotton harvest of just six quintals per acre instead of the usual seven-eight quintals – and this was primarily because of falling groundwater levels. His income fell, causing immense distress to his household.

A farmer with a small holding, Sabanna lacks formal education but has traditional farming knowledge gathered through vast experience of farming since childhood. However, like other farmers in Tatalgera, Sabanna’s fortunes are tied to the availability of water.

Depleting groundwater drains livelihoods

Tatalgera spans a hilly area of 1,600 hectares, of which 1,100 hectares are under cultivation. With an average annual rainfall of 632mm and sandy loamy soil suited for agriculture, farming is the primary means of livelihood. However, the hilly terrain made it difficult to harvest rainwater and villagers would rely on tube-well irrigation to grow crops like cotton, groundnut and paddy as well as vegetables such as tomato, bitter gourd, brinjal, chilli and spinach.

Since continuous use of tube-wells depletes groundwater resources, the village increasingly faced severe water scarcity, which adversely impacted irrigation and drinking water availability. Tatalgera’s villagers had to deal with:

• Failure of approximately 52 borewells due to water depletion
• Dependence on water tankers supplied by the panchayat during summer for domestic use
• Limited water availability for farmers, restricting irrigation to one hourdaily
• Regular drought conditions during the summer months
• Reliance on inconsistent rainfall for agriculture

The game-changer: A check dam

However, Tatalgera’s fortunes changed — and Sabanna’s despair turned into hope — after Tata Trusts-supported Kalike, offered a lifeline. Kalike has been working on holistic rural development and sustainable transformation in North Karnataka since 2009. To support Tatalgera, the Trusts helped construct a check dam to harvest rainwater in 2023-24

Spread over 150 meters and with a storage capacity of 104,186 cubic feet, the dam now ensures that Tatalgera has sufficient water availability throughout the summer months. This has transformed the lives of farmers like Sabanna.

Sustainable farming nourishes both farmer and the land

With improved water availability, Kalike has promoted sustainable farming practices in the village. Under its guidance, Sabanna has switched from traditional flood irrigation to water-efficient sprinkler systems, which has improved his water utilisation and crop yield significantly.

In addition, he can now complete two crop cycles a year today unlike a single yield earlier. Sabanna has diversified his crops to green gram, paddy and groundnut. With ample water supply from the dam, he now plants groundnuts immediately after harvesting green gram. Moreover, he has stopped cultivating cotton and is levelling his land for paddy cultivation in the next season.

A joyous Sabanna marvels at his changed fortunes today. His success exemplifies the transformative impact of sustainable farming and efficient water management.

With Tata Trusts and Kalike’s support, Sabanna has not only increased his income but he also contributes to the well-being of the community by sharing resources with his neighbouring farmers and supporting their livestock. The check dam at Tatalgera illustrates how small but meaningful interventions can create lasting change and become a beacon of hope for an entire community.