Earthen Bunding to harvest Rainwater : A Story of Coimbatore

Introduction Coimbatore District is located in the north-western part of Tamil Nadu State. The groundwater was overexploited in 213 out of 228 Gram Panchayats of the district while the remaining 15 were in semi-critical zone. During the last 10 years, the average rainfall in the district declined from 690 mm to 616 mm, which leads to a reduction in the water table and natural resources. An uncertainty in seasonal monsoon reduced water storage in the reservoirs and conventional water bodies with depletion of the water table. This led to scarcity of water for public utilities and irrigation purposes. Hence, it was proposed to harvest rainwater through earthen bunds in the land belonging to small and marginal farmers under MGNREGS.