Sankalpa Rural Development Society is a registered non-profit organisation engaged in promoting rain-water harvesting in rural and urban areas. So far, our activities have primarily comprised of constructing tube-well recharge structures in rural Karnataka. Excessive digging of new tube-wells and incessant use of already existing ones has lead to a severe depletion of ground-water rendering many a tube-well dry. The direct tube-well recharge structure is SRDS's exclusively cost-effective solution to dry tube-wells. With our innovation lying in the use of locally available natural materials, we have made the fairly new technique of tube-well recharge affordable for the masses. The result of implementation is increased water-output from the tube-wells of our beneficiaries (mostly farmers). With the sending back of naturally filtered water back underground, the tube-well's water loses it's salinity or any other impurities too. The result is a recharged tube-well that meets the agricultural water requirements of our beneficiaries which ensues increased yield and subsequently, better livelihoods.

SRDS also uses the tube-well recharge and other more well known rain-water harvesting techniques in urban communities and uses the revenue generated to cross-subsidize for our rural beneficiaries.

Problem

Due to excessive digging of new tube-wells and incessant use of existing ones, ground-water levels have depleted severely rendering many a tube-well dry. With these tube-wells being the primary source of water for farmers during non-rainy seasons (around 9-10 months a year), their agricultural output falls drastically with the going dry of the tube-wells. Having to pay exorbitant prices for water from other suppliers, decrease in crop diversity (sticking to drier crops) and limited crop cycle(s) are just a few of the challenges that arise from a dry tube-well. The result is an adverse impact on the farmers' livelihoods and ultimately on the agricultural sector in the country.

Solution

The stages in implementation of SRDS's direct bore-well recharge technique are: 1. Excavation of the primary percolation pit: A pit is excavated around the tube-well. 2. Stone-pitching: The insides of the primary percolation pit are stone-pitched for sturdiness. 3. Slits in the casing pipes: Tiny slits are made in the casing pipe using a cutting machine. 4. Wrapping of wire and mesh: Wire and mesh are wrapped around the casing pipe. 5. Cement rings: Cement rings (7-8) are laid one upon another around the casing pipe thus forming a circular structure around it. 6. Packing of the primary percolation pit: The remaining area in the pit is packed with stones, sand and jelly. 7. Excavation of a catchment area: Ponds / trenches / soak pits are excavated as catchment areas and connected to the primary percolation pit by way of underground pipes / underground canals / smaller trenches. 8. Water seepage: The water harvested in the catchment area seeps into the primary percolation pit and after filtration via the stones, sand and jelly gets to the center where it again seeps in through the gaps between the cement rings. 9. Water percolation: The filtered water once inside the cement rings, goes back underground via the slits in the casing pipe after another round of filtration by the mesh. 10. Tube-well recharged: Naturally filtered rainwater is sent back into water-tables. This increases ground water levels and ultimately recharges the tube-well.

Example

Basappa Mulgundmath was one of the 8 farmers from Kamplikoppa, a tiny village in Dharwad district selected for SRDS's pilot tube-well recharge in 2009-10. Distraught when his 25 year old tube-well went completely dry in the year 2003-04, Basappa thought all hope was lost and sold the tube-well's machine. On having funds sanctioned for the project, Sikandar began to have several meetings in Kamplikoppa with the farmers. After initially facing much resistance from the farmers toward allowing implementation of a new technique on their precious tube-wells, 8 finally agreed. Such was the output from Basappa's tube-well on implementation that he had to actually buy back his machine and have it re-installed. Today, Basappa's previously 'dead' tube-well irrigates 6 acres of land. To him, a satisfactorily running tube-well is paramount to a sustainable livelihood.

Marketplace

We have only one other competitor in the field of tube-well recharge. However, we differ from them in the following manner: 1. Area of operation: Although we do take up urban projects, we only do so for the sake of sustainability and the majority of our work is undertaken in rural communities. 2. Price: With the use of locally available natural resources, we have managed to price our services at only around Rs 30 to 35 thousand as opposed to our competitor's which costs slightly more than twice the amount. That aside, the only other alternative to a tube-well recharge is getting a new tube-well which costs between 1 and 1.5 lakh and you would still have no guarantee of water. Apart from guaranteeing results, our tube-well recharge technique also ensures storage of water in the eco-friendliest of manners in natural underground water-reservoirs for use by future generations.