Self help group women implementing rainwater harvesting in Sundarbans area to counter salinity

Kolkata: Members of various self-help groups (SHGs) across several villages in Pathar Pratima block of West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district are harvesting rainwater to cultivate crops on farmland where groundwater salinity is high due to the proximity of the sea.

This area lies within the Sundarbans delta region, where the Hooghly River meets the Bay of Bengal.

Shefali Bera, a resident of Kishore Nagar village and a member of an SHG, is optimistic about profiting from her agricultural yield as cultivating crops with harvested rainwater is becoming the norm across various villages in the block.

Talking to PTI in Kishore Nagar, Bera said a significant portion of 127.9 hectares of land has been affected by saline water.

"Now, under the guidance and support of a non-government organisation (NGO), the villagers are trying to convert their single crop land into multi-crop land by storing rainwater in newly dug up ponds," she said.

Bera is among the 530 women of multiple SHGs in Pathar Pratima block who have come under the initiative of the global NGO Water for People, which is encouraging villagers to opt for rainwater harvesting.

"It is true that the salinity level in the groundwater is still abnormally high, but with the digging of new ponds and waterbodies, to store rainwater having no salinity, and the desiltation of existing ponds, the saline water will wash away through adjacent channels and fresh water will accumulate in two years facilitating farming of several vegetable crops and even paddy and also pisciculture," a representative of the NGO said.

Called Ridge and Furrow, the project helped many farming couples in the area in the last few years.

The model is a climate-resilient technique designed to improve water retention, enhance soil moisture, and support sustainable agriculture in water-scarce regions, the NGO said in a statement.

Kabita Maity of Shibganj village in the block earned a profit of Rs 53,781 in 2023, Rs 65,797 in 2024, and Rs 8,350 in January this year.

Maity said earlier she used to earn something between Rs 5,000-7,000 in a year since many crops could not survive due to salinity.

The NGO gave her Rs 1.55 lakh three years ago, and that affected the turnaround of her family’s fortune.

She grew different crops by using the rainwater harvesting method.

She pumped in fresh water from the pond for tilling the adjacent land and drove away saline traces.

Another farmer Subrata Bera, who has dug a pond for rainwater harvesting, said that he spent Rs 85,000 for digging it.

He bore 20 per cent of the cost, while 80 per cent of the money was given by the NGO.

Bera has dug up a 55 feet by 45 feet pond to store rainwater.

"We need continuous rain for 11-12 hours to drive out the saline contents from the soil and reach the permissible limit. Currently, it is several notches above the bar," he said.

"We moot a Five-Square model where a pond has to be 55/55 feet in shape, which is ideal for rainwater harvesting and improved crop practices. This model aims to reduce salinity, prevent waterlogging and enhance agricultural productivity by integrating rice cultivation on higher levels of land nearby and vegetable farming," a representative of the NGO said.

The Five-Square model is a community-driven solution that includes land shaping, rainwater harvesting, and improved crop practices.

This model aims to reduce salinity, prevent water logging, and enhance agricultural productivity by integrating SRI rice cultivation and vegetable farming. Additionally, fish farming in water harvesting tanks offers extra income.

Mark Duye, the CEO of the global NGO, who also visited Pathar Pratima block, told PTI: "We are providing technical support to the government, with embedded staff to assist government flagship programmes such as Jal Jeevan Mission."

"You witnessed the way these women from SHG groups communicated with our officials during the interaction. They are resilient, aware of their rights and can emphatically express their views. We want to empower the women in this way so they can shoulder the responsibilities in equal measure and be stakeholders of the projects with the government's support," he said.

The organisation covers five blocks such as Patharpratima, Gosaba, Namkhana, Kakdwip, and Sagar where it is actively engaged in water and sanitation initiatives alongside water resource management (WRM) and is extending support to the local government bodies.

In West Bengal, Water for People is also extending technical support to the rural sanitation cell, West Bengal State Rural Livelihoods Mission, and the Public Health Engineering department in South 24 Parganas and Birbhum districts.