At Antharam water resilience is a big goal we are trying to reach.
To accomplish this, we are looking at various ways in which surface rain water run off can be tapped.
Although ground water sources can be reached if we go deep enough, we do not want to do that.
At 1000 feet below the ground, we reach confined aquifers. These acquirers are blocked by rock layers above and below. Any water that is taken out of these aquifers are not easily replenished. It takes decades for the water to reach these deep reservoirs.
One way to recharge these deep aquifers is to put water back in the same borewells or similar borewells from which we are pulling water out.
Although this creates a somewhat sustainable solution, there is no guarantee that the water we put in will come back to us as these aquifers underground spread across hundreds of acres of area.
There may come a time where the surrounding farmers continuously pull water out and we don’t reap any benefits from our efforts.
To become drought resilient, the best option is to capture as much rainfall as possible within the boundaries of our community.
This is where our dug wells come into picture.
There are two dug wells at Antharam - Pedda Baavi which is around 60 lakh liters in capacity and Chinna Baavi which is around 20 lakh liters in capacity.
Together, they act as a buffer - a battery bank - for water.
During times of extreme drought, the community shall manage water better using this reserve which is non-existent in other communities.
During drought, depending on the severity, strategies are being formulated on how to use this water.
First preference will always be given to the domestic consumption.
