Effectiveness of Hapa as Small Rainwater Harvesting Ponds for Sustainable Agricultural Development in Diversified Arid Regions: Comparative Case Studies From Bankura in India

Abstract

Water is a unique constituent, which is essential for the survival of humans, animals and plants. Agriculture needs water in large quantities. Supplying irrigation water is a crucial factor in preserving groundwater, determining the water balance and subsequent cropping pattern of any region. The challenge is even greater when it is dryland. The present study is confined to the Bankura district, the arid region of West Bengal in India. Here, for irrigation, small customised ponds, known as hapa, are dug up by individual farmers to store the rainwater. The government encourages farmers by providing funds for hapa creation. In the last 10 years, about 2900 hapas, which can harvest a large quantity of water, have been dug up in croplands. This harvested water indirectly helps in recharging groundwater too. The present study aims to highlight the need for hapas in such arid regions. This study demonstrates a positive link between hapa creation with changing land use land cover patterns, increasing agricultural areas, growing population, and declining rainfall patterns. In support of this, spatial and statistical analyses were performed according to certain key remote sensing indices VCI, NDWI, and Z Scores of the pre-hapa and post-hapa creation periods. The study found that the implementation of the hapa irrigation technique has significantly increased the yield of crops besides generating agricultural labour. Land owners started cultivating multiple crops on their lands which helped to increase annual income. The complete research shows the noteworthiness of hapa irrigation technique as an alternative to a sustainable development programme in arid areas.