The very first things we were shown the water collecting tanks. Hare there are two Water tanks which serve different purposes and their method of collecting water is also different.
The first tank is a tank cum stage. The stage is little inclined and at the end of the slope the water is collected. The stage is also used for addressing the village people. Its capacity is 20 by 20 feet and is filled up by a rain of 2 hours.
The second tank is a bigger one (60 by 60 feet capacity and 16 feet deep) and is used to collect water from the fields for agricultural purposes. There is a special feature of this tank. The water before going to this tank passes through a small passage where the soil which comes along with the water is deposited. This soil is top layer soil is a very fertile one.
Around these tanks there are large agricultural fields, but just around these two tanks there are shrubs and bushes whose roots are not so deep such that they can absorb water from the tanks. In these fields many crops are grown which is rare is this part of country.
There is also a kitchen garden here which is irrigated by the water of a well.
So, this is a planned water harvesting system. Now we will have a look on a traditional water harvesting system in the same village. This is a small pond type water body in which rain water gets collected. But it is not safe for drinking purpose as domestic animals also drink water from here.
There is a factory near the village, hence industrial waste water also keeps flowing here (pH 7.65).
So, this was out water hunt in a small village in the sandy plains of Rajasthan (India) where got excellent examples of harvesting the precious water heritage
