Farm ponds and water harvesting before the next rains

A dry year is a reminder to catch more water when rain does come. A farm pond stores run-off from your own field so you can use it later.

Simple rain maths (our arithmetic). One millimetre of rain falling on one square metre is one litre of water. So 10 mm of rain on one hectare (10,000 square metres) is about 1,00,000 litres. Not all of it can be caught, but even part of a few heavy showers adds up.

Help to build one (fact). Under Schedule I of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, works on individual land of eligible households, including small and marginal farmers, include farm ponds and other water-harvesting structures. The household needs an MGNREGA job card, and works are taken up through the Gram Panchayat. Ask at your Gram Panchayat how to have a pond approved for your land.

Get the design right. Where to dig, how big and how deep depend on your soil, slope and field size. Your agriculture office or Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) can advise.

Use the water well. IMD's agromet advisory for Karnataka (16 October 2026) advises using farm ponds and borewells for life-saving irrigation at critical crop growth stages, rather than spreading water thinly.

The dry months, after harvest, are the best time to plan and dig.

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