3.4 Drinking Water Ponds in Spate Irrigation Systems

Drinking water in spate irrigated areas: main issues o Low annual rainfall o Deep water table / sometimes fluoride groundwater o Public tubewells out of order o Water from ponds – for humans and livestock: o Polluted o Limited duration of storage o Major reason for hardship

IMPORTANCE OF DRINKING WATER PONDS: LOCAL HINDU SAINT IN PAKISTAN STILL REVERRED BECAUSE OF THE POND HE MADE

Traditional system – shallow ponds, water being use by humans and livestock alike

IMPROVED DRINKING WATER PONDS  Have reliable water storage for long period  Have ‘relatively’ clean water  Have ponds well maintained

IMPROVED DRINKING WATER PONDS Reliability  Close to flood inlet  Make ponds deep enough (4-7 meters) to reduce evaporation  Trees on banks of ponds to further reduce evaporation  Where available clay lining  Plastic lining – adequately anchored and covered with at least 30 cm of soils to avoid punching

CONSTRUCTING DRINKING WATER PONDS Cleanliness/ water quality  Fencing to avoid animal tresspassing  Use slow sand filter to pump water from reservoir  Cascade system – water overflowing from other (livestock) pond after sediment settled in it  Use of sediment trapping vegetation in the overflow structure  Later, sometimes: wells near ponds fed by leakage

CONSTRUCTING DRINKING WATER PONDS Ease of maintenance  Gentle slope  Sediment trap (can be part of livestock pond)  No entry of livestock

Hand Pump Sand Filter Appropriate for potable water Filter of graded layers of sand

IMPACTS  Availability of potable water for humans  And livestock  Reduced out migration  Decreased 40 % enteric disorder cases  Provide sediment free water

In spite of importance experience from Balochistan (Pakistan) indicates that maintenance of ponds is main challenge Only 25% of ponds was well maintained. Those that were well-maintained were:  Close to primary schools or mosks  Were used by visiting nomads as well, who paid for the use of the ponds for their livestock

Maintenance  Management is important:  Cleaning out the silt  Protecting the ponds from animals tresspassing  Collecting funds for caretaker and maintenance

Maintenance of Community Ponds Fencing or trenching– against tresspassing animals Collecting funds for guarding and cleaning

OR: TO BE ALLOWED TO TAKE WATER YOU HAVE TO FIRST REMOVE SILT.. WOMEN WITHOUT A HUSBAND EXEMPT FROM THIS DUTY

Local organisation Manual maintenance limits the capacity of the community ponds

Local organisation Introduce scraper boards to maintain harvesting ponds will make them deeper and stronger – longer storage time