Explained: How an old system of farming could be antidote for Punjab’s waterlogging issues

Waterlogging happens due to several factors like the geography of the land, excessive flow of water into a place without proper drainage systems and certain soil conditions. In Punjab, a potent mix of incessant rain coupled with a lack of clean and capable drainage system and water storage pits has led to the present situation.

How can these wells prevent waterlogging?

With proper drainage system in the fields, experts say, the excessive water in the fields can be directed into these wells which have a good capacity of holding water.

The Soil and Conservation Department of the Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) in Ludhiana has been reviving these abandoned wells under the All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP). Before sending water into the well, a small pit is dug in the field close to the well where the water is first held. The water from here overflows into the well.

Dr Rajan Aggarwal, a Senior Research Engineer Department of Soil and Water Engineering at PAU and Chief Scientist in AlCRP, explained the process: “The bottom of the well is covered with brick blast (small pieces of bricks) up to 10 to 12 inch so as to protect against soil erosion at the bottom due to water falling directly from a height.” He said this was one of the safest ways of water recharging and preventing water logging to a large extent.

* How does the pit help clean the water?

Since Punjab is a heavy user of pesticides, the impurities in the field water will get diluted in the pit after which the brick blast at the bottom of well will absorb these impurities as well as the silt, explained Dr Aggarwal. “The safe water goes into the earth from the first layer of soil to the other layers slowly,” he added. The brick blast will need to be cleaned after every five years and protected by removable slabs.

“During our experiments by this method of water recharging we found that waterlogging was no issue in such fields where wells were available and recharged water was also found to be absolutely pure and even better than already available groundwater in some cases,” said Dr Aggarwal.

The biggest benefit is that if the farmer needs water for irrigation he can use the well instead of extracting water from the ground using a tube well.

With about 84 per cent of Punjab’s land under cultivation, this method has huge potential to recharge the entire state’s water table which has been depleting over the years because of extensive use of tubewell for faring.

* Is it safe to send excessive water into the fields through bore wells?

Experts warn against this method as it “will contaminate the safe groundwater” as the chemicals from crop sprays will directly enter the deep layer of soil.

* What are other benefits of old abandoned wells?

In canal fed areas, the excess water can be stored in these wells to recharge the earth. This is can also reduce the expenditure on tube wells which now need to be deepened every other year.