Evaluation of Farm Ponds of Kharagpur Blocks of West Bengal, India

Marginal and small farmers of the state of West Bengal suffer from frequent droughts due to erratic rainfall patterns, high evaporation rates, and recurrent water scarcity. The majority of farmers in West Bengal have farm ponds that are grossly underutilized due to several social and technical constraints. In this study, the roles of various socio-economic factors on management of existing farm ponds were examined using a binary logit model to understand their contributions to sustainability of the livelihoods of marginal and small farmers of the region. A field survey of 155 farm ponds, owned by farmers with different socio-economic backgrounds, was undertaken in Kharagpur Blocks (I, II) of West Medinipur district in West Bengal. The study also included water budget, water quality, and economic analyses of three farm ponds having different management practices, viz. managed bentonite lined pond, managed unlined pond, and unmanaged unlined pond. Water budget analysis revealed that about 610 mm of extra water depth could be saved in bentonite-lined ponds compared to unlined ponds. Also, the water quality (as per the threshold values recommended for aquaculture life) was not deteriorated due to bentonite lining. The study suggested that the best way of utilizing pond water includes simultaneous water use for irrigation and fish cultivation, which is possible with lined ponds. Therefore, lined farm ponds with locally available cheap lining material might be a suitable intervention in the context of the socioeconomic development of small and marginal farmers of the Kharagpur region. The pond management was significantly influenced by household economic factors and pond related factors

Managing floods in Chennai City as part of situation understanding and improvement project

Transdisciplinary approaches in water are important to ensure water security to everyone around the world. Recently, Young Water Professionals (YWPs) training was carried out to impart learning in transdisciplinary approaches. Besides online workshops and lectures, the training program included the Situation Understanding and Improvement Project (SUIP). Through SUIP, YWPs were able to implement the transdisciplinary approaches learnt during lectures and workshops. The SUIP selected by one of the groups of YWPs was related to the flooding experienced by the residents of Chennai, India. Flooding is a very common phenomenon having its occurrence across the world with varying severity and magnitude because of changes to the use of river floodplains, changing the land use pattern, encroachment of waterbodies, and the impact of climate change on water resources. Chennai City in Tamil Nadu, India, with a population of about 6.5 million is facing frequent flooding because of extreme rainfall events and the presence of three rivers within the city and is also facing an acute shortage of water which also needs to be addressed for its sustainable development. This study used transdisciplinary approach to understand 2015 flooding in Chennai and made several recommendations to improve the flood management in Chennai including an early warning system. The YWP training and the concept of SUIP significantly enhanced the outcomes from this study.</p