Soil water Rejuvenation, Desertification Control

& Agro Productivity Augmentation

Field experience through Innovation
(winner World Bank India Development Marketplace 2007 &
Awarded as the Best Environmental Practice in Gujarat 2013)

by
Biplab Ketan Paul, Ashoka Changemaker Fellow, India
00919825506900
biplabkp@gmail.com
April 2013
 Objectives of this practice
Geological/soil and aquifer issues attended by Bhungroo
•Freeing of lands from water logging = reducing salt deposition & curtailing
desertification
•Creation of lifelong sustainable water sources (ie irrigation supply)= both
monsoon and winter cropping for poor farmers
•Yearly augmentation of subsoil saline aquifer (with non saline storm water) =
reducing salinity in subsoil aquifer i.e. rejuvenating subsoil water , which is also
creating of better water source over long term

Crop/farming and ecology issues attended by Bhungroo

•Ensuring higher soil productivity

Socio economic issues attended by Bhungroo

•Entrustment of food security, emancipation from debt trap & reversing of
migration

Gender dimension attended by Bhungroo

•Women driven gender centric programme in unique commune agro system
 Ensuring Sustainable Agro-Livelihood for vulnerable
farmers of Salinity affected &/or Flash Flood prone
areas through World Bank IDM 2007 awarded Socially
Innovative Irrigation Technology (Bhungroo)

And
/ or
 What is World Bank awarded technology?
It is awarded in World Bank’s Socially Innovative Ideas competition IDM 2007
and it is named as “Bhungroo” (in local language means straw for water) .

How does it work?

Bhungroo, a filtered injection method is actually injecting low
density storm water underground
Creating water lenses due to density variation between filtered
storm water and subsoil high density saline aquifer.
Top soil gets free from water logging
Existing soil moisture takes care of monsoon cropping.
In winter period (the cash crop period) the farmers lift the
injected low density storm water from subsurface storage for
winter irrigation.
 What is “Bhungroo”?
Meaning of “Bhungroo”
• “Bhungroo” is a local term in Gujarat. In Gujarati it means a
“straw”
• But in local dialect it means a “Straw” through which “Dharti
(i.e. mother earth)” can sip in water inside as well as can give
water to its children for lifelong
Impact:
• Now highly popular in the region especially within women
members

Plots, which were perennially unproductive for decades

due to water logging, produce at least 2 crops from the
very first year due to installation of Bhungroo. Retain
soil water and reduces the salt deposition ie controlling
desertification
 Work Diagram
Injecting of rainwater
Waterlogging Installation of Bhungroo on underground & creation of
the land which is water logged subsoil lenses of low density water

Food crop= nutrition

security Freeing of land from water logging
Water lifting from
under ground water Supplying of water for Cash crop = income
lenses by pumping alternative season cropping generation

Impetus towards Social Enterprises

For Local Partners
– For below poverty line vulnerable farmers
– Major focus on women
– Designed into community driven company ie Joint Asset Groups = benefit to
more than 5 farming families = cooperative/group cultivation= risk
minimization=economic of scale
– Definite time-line
On Global issues
– Controlling of desertification, Mitigation of climate change and
– Women led development 7
 Issues attained
 Disaster prone- Desertified,
 Water-logging= flash flood affected
 Soil and Aquifer Salinity,
 Near zero Irrigation availability,
 How is it relevant in local area?
• Flash flood/salinity affected areas are defeating agro process of local people due
to water logging in every monsoon. It solves the poor agro productivity issue
in the area
• Water depth in tubewell 1200/1300 ft needs an investment of USD 30000 for
deep tubewell. Bhungroo needs an one time investment of<USD 10000
• The erratic rainfall and current water storage process does not result better
conservation. It solves that problem
• Due to heavy sheet flow of muddy water the water percolation rate is very low.
By reducing the water logging it is actually increasing soil productivity

The aquifer depths 62 -100 ft. The filtered storm water collected through
Bhungroo can be stored underground. It stays over there for next 365 days.
Makes landholdings free from water logging= rainydays cropping= food
security.
In Alternative season injected water is pumped out for irrigation= cash
crops=higher income= economic richness. 9
 Planning- “Bhungroo” Suitability- locations?
Salinity Affected areas:
• Regions with high soil salinity
• Regions with high subsoil salinity
• Regions with low top soil
permeability/porosity

Pre installation technical, social, soil, geographical data

collection is needed

Flash flood regions:

• Regions with long duration water-
logging
• Regions with subsoil water TDS
level > 1000 ppm within a depth of
40-80 ft
 Bhungroo Implementation (Process)
Collection of runoff surface water in farmers plot through
Monsoon rainfall farm bund and filter it to inject underground

Training of SHGs and farmers = understanding of commune agro process & Bhungroo based
irrigation system development= water quantum finalization based upon land geography detail = crop
specific agro water balance finalization with local knowledge

Finalization of quantum of Landholdings + irrigation of selected farmers. Their lands get free from
water logging = near zero salt deposition from capillary force = increasing soil fertility & ensuring
monsoon cropping = Food security= reverse migration= ecological rejuvenation of erstwhile fallow
land

Post Monsoon cropping, Lifting of stored water

Reuse the lifted stored water for winter

cropping=cash cropping =economic richness

Higher irrigation coverage for winter

crop with higher return
 Process
1-Concept Promotion
List the potential
beneficiaries as per their
poorest poor rank in the
poverty mapping

Village level SHGs

do the local level
poverty mapping

Finally agreed members

SHGs are responsible from the SHGs’ list, who are
to for beneficiaries’ keen to access Bhungroo as
performance & per given agreement and
norms abiding acceptable terms
 Process
2-Beneficiary Selection & Site Finalization
Short listed members submit
land entitlement legal papers
Papers Verification by SHG SHGs are
& poverty certification to local
& community responsible for
SHGs
beneficiaries’ paper
authenticity

List of beneficiaries gets
finalized; Commune is formed
for next 10 years operation
Screening of potential
beneficiaries based upon
Sites’ technical feasibility
(soil strata report) and
peer group assessment at
community level
 Process
3-Technology erection, machinery installation &
Commune maintenance at site
members are
informed about Commune members’ Machinery team deliver the
their selection. sites gets ready with machines to local SHGs; in
They form their drilling completion & presence of village institution
labor team and machinery installation and SHGs machines are
work timing is within 30 days of installed by the machinery
finalized commune formation agency

Onsite full service &

parts replacement
warranty by
Commune members are machinery and
responsible to manage drilling agencies
the system on their land
 Process
4-Water injection and crop mapping
SHG and Commune Rain water collection, water SHG and Commune
members upkeep logging duration, water assess water injection &
water injection units quantum measurement by possible water draft for
aprior Commune members with irrigation
approval from SHG,
verified by community
Commune
decide on crop
planning for
monsoon and
winter along
Irrigation chart with irrigation
and timing is water quantum
shared within need and timing
commune in
advance

Commune prepare the

irrigation Plan
 Process SHG keeps tab on water
SHG 5-Irrigation supply distribution & farmers’
on site water
&Commune
keep note on management to
Commune start winter irrigation minimize the wastage &
monsoon
on rotation process i.e. machine stealing
irrigation
time is dedicated to single
farmers, so each farmers is getting
irrigation cycle within next 5 days.
Commune daily
updates water usage
by each commune
member

water usage, cost of usage &

agro input use by each
farmer is shared within; this
gives actual picture of crop
growth
The Bhungroo Process
 Process
• Gender centric– from partner selection, approval,
technology erection and sale proceed control by women
• Priority -Food security and economic upliftment
• Crop selection by women –
– Monsoon- food security, AH & fuel security
– Winter- minimum risk, minimum agro input usage
• Technology- inclusive and risk sharing
 Program Output -- Direct measurable result
• Within first monsoon after irrigation operation from
Bhungroos:
– Inclusion of 20 acres of land into cropping system
– Net income from 1 Bhungroo USD 5000 to 10000
– Guaranteed Food Security for at least 25 BPL members
– Lifting of 25 poorest poor farmers to APL level
– Reduction in migration of targeted farmers

Program Output -- Indirect result

1. Good no of poor rural people are saved from flash flood.
2. Works as buffer zone for the Flash flood.
3. Reduces threat to hygiene and health
4. Saves good no of animals’ lives in low lying areas.

19
Bhungroo Achievement
Bhungroo Impact
 Impact
• Facilitation of Millennium Development Goals
• Regenerate the dairy industry of all the project villages through grass
growing on water logging free lands= near zero land erosion
• Freeing the BPL members from the clutches of village power groups.
• Empowerment of underprivileged women in the area
• Technical knowledge ownership with SHG members - inbuilt sustainability.
• Local women members working as resource person - auto replication.
• Local wage creation
• Improvement of women health and education status over time.
Most importantly it implies a new ecological era for this degraded and disaster-prone
region leading to flood coping and/or disaster preparedness

22
 Potential of scaling up
• Best Agro solution for drought/flash flood affected areas
• Innovative low cost easy to use irrigation process for poor farmers- takes care of
95% of scaling up issues.
• Emancipation of farmers from debt-trap
• Instead of single ownership, it is equally-shared-asset and community shared
knowledge.
• High knowledge ownership Reduce/ reverses out-migration of farmers as bonded
labors to other areas
• Promotes best agro practices
• Women leadership and informed animators (i.e. least-cost-second-line is getting
ready)
• Being people-centric and targeted to immediate need of livelihood of the poorest of
poor, dependent upon most precious natural resource Land and Water

23
 Integration
Need-oriented financial services and
Extension services towards uplifting the clients to be credit
crop loss minimization (women worthiness
run)

Business plan based agro activity in both

land owner & landless women farmers

Market information Market information

on Agro-allied sector provision services for higher
income

Linking with existing public services (e.g. WATSAN,

health, education etc.) and scoping exercise on
innovative ideas on the subject
 Learning
Major lessons & learning by
Technical: community & implementer Social:
What is How to
innovation internalize the
How to innovation at
operationalize larger scale
the process of Roles and
innovation responsibilities of
Institutional:
How to streamline the replication each stakeholders
process with a view of better output in the
Role of Financial institutions internalization
Advocacy for credit worthiness of process
the poor farmers for Bhungroo
experiment

Local level understanding:

Technology –process inclusiveness, gender centricity in innovation, visual &functional
literacy in correlation to innovation execution etc
 Understanding Acquired
Addressing two fold issues: Increase in Agro income & Self reliance of poor
farmers in fragile ecology of desert & flash flood prone areas
Economically viable: possibly the lowest cost of per cubic feet irrigation water
(among all other irrigation structure)
Environmentally sustainable : locally acceptable
Low/zero maintenance cost
Solve the major crisis of drought affected area: agro productivity through
better water management
Solve the major crisis of flash flood affected area: Freeing of land and animal
husbandry from water logging in monsoon as well as ensure consistent
water supply for irrigation in winter and summer
Have a strong possibility for: replication
Able to change the social and power equation in the village
Involve the underprivileged women in each step of work thereby: knowledge
endowment
 Future
Scaling up, Echoing, nurturing,
self sufficiency, knowledge
building
“technology “business plan
transfer” based development
approach”.
“right set of knowledge carrier”

Support Agencies
SEAPCP, Kualalampur knowledge sharing centre for south east Asia.
“Ashoka Global Change maker network” in its Rural Innovation in Farming-
“Globalizer “ programme’s part.
Mentored by “Safe Water Network”
 Future Expansion plan
INGOs/ Global Networks/ DONORs/
Foundations/ Local NGOs/ MFIs/ CSR
Free access to the
technology to like
minded people, Paradigm shift
support from 1.New Government Policy
Research Instt 2.New loan product for Banks

Geography centric training conducting,

module preparation, backed with
SEED CAPITAL
 The Need- National & Global
National and Global
• Strong prospect in– Maharshtra, Bihar, Haryana, Orissa,
West bengal etc.
• Further Potential in Pakistan, Indonesia, Bali, Papua and
Timore and African countries etc

As per geo-hydrology principle, The technology can

easily work where
 water logging is due to rainfall or flash flood with at
least 3 ft height
 Subsoil aquifer table is available within 30 mt
 The underground geology shows coarse grain
permeable sand
 Opportunity
Gujarat
 Zones/area/opportunity opportunity India level Global
Total gross area (in million ha) 0.73 6.7 901
total poor family members affected (in
Million) 0.2 1.9 260.6
Total crop production possible per three
months (USD Million) 160 1580 208450
Source: (FAO/UNESCO Soil Map), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_salinity_control
Web: http://naireetaservices.com/
Email: biplabkp@gmail.com
biplabkp@rediffmail.com
trbjain@yahoo.com

Ph- 00919825506900
00919925007097

New Technology
New Process
New Horizons
Thank You

32
 Biplab K Paul - Credential
• Got selected as Changemaker for India by Noble laureate IPCC General
Secretary, Dr. R K Pachauri.
• Awarded as Ambassador for Peace by UPF, New York
• Made his NGO to win prestigious World Bank India Development Market
Place award 2007 for innovative irrigation technology.
• Commonwealth Scholar, US dept of State Scholar, TREE (German) Scholar
• Ashoka Change Maker fellow from India in 2011
• Jal Star award in 2012.
• Awardee as Best contributor for State Rural Development in 2012
• Globalizer fellow in RIF from India in 2012

biplabkp@gmail.com
biplabkp@rediffmail.com
http://naireetaservices.com
Skype: biplabkp
Ph: 09825506900
Director – Naireeta Services pvt ltd (a social enterprise)