Traditional Water Harvesting

System in India

S U B M I T T E D BY -
SUBMITTED TO-
1 . KU S H A G R A
DR. RITU GULATI
2 . VA G I S H A PA N D E Y
Facts of Brahmaputra River
Source: Chemayungdung, Glacier,
Himalayas, Tibet
Length :2,900 km
Basin: 651,334 km2
Tributaries : - left Dibang, Lohit Dhansiri -
right Kameng, Raida Jaldhaka, Teesta River
Countries :Bangladesh, India, China
Mouth : Bay of Bengal location Ganges
Delta, Bangladesh
Traditional Water Harvesting System
Water has been harvested in India since antiquity, with our ancestors perfecting the art of water
management.
Many water harvesting structures and water conveyance systems specific to the eco-regions and
culture has been developed.
They harvested the rain drop directly. From rooftops, they collected water and stored it in tanks built
in their courtyards. From open community lands, they collected the rain and stored it in artificial wells.

They harvested monsoon runoff by capturing water from swollen streams during the monsoon season
and stored it various forms of water bodies.

They harvested water from flooded rivers.

 Why back casting important?

… a society which tries to move ahead without keeping itself firmly rooted in
own traditions, tends to fall.
Dying Wisdom by Anil Agrawal & Sunita Narain

The Indians have historically been the world’s greatest water harvester.
Dying Wisdom by Anil Agrawal & Sunita Narain
Ecological Map of India
No. Ecological Region Traditional Water Management System
1. Trans - Himalayan Region Zing
2. Western Himalaya Kul, Naula, Kuhl, Khatri
3. Eastern Himalaya Apatani
4. North Eastern Hill Ranges Zabo
5. Brahmaputra Valley Region Dongs / Dungs/ Jampois
6. Indo-Gangetic Plains Ahars – Pynes, Bengal’s Inundation Channels, Dighis, Baolis
7. The Thar Desert Kunds, Kuis/beris, Baoris / Ber/ Jhalaras, Nadi, Tobas, Tankas, Khandins,
Vav/Bavadi, Virdas, Paar
8. Central Highlands Talab, Bandhis, Saza Kuva, Johads, Naada/Bandh, Pat, Rapat, Chandela
Tank, Bundela Tank
9. Eastern Highlands Katas / Mundas / Bandhas
10. Deccan Plateau Cheruvu, Kohli Tanks, Bhandaras, Phad, Kere, The Ramtek Model
11. Western Ghats Surangam
12. West Coastal Plains Virdas
13. Eastern Ghats Korambu
14. Eastern Coastal Plains Eri / Ooranis
15. The Islands Jack Wells
 Brahmaputra Valley
Source of
Brahamaputra (Tibet)

Map of Brahmaputra River

Map of India
 Brahmaputra Valley
The Brahmaputra valley is situated between two
parallel hill ranges the eastern Himalayan ranges
of Arunachal Pradesh, with Bhutan to the north,
and the northeastern hill ranges of Meghalaya,
north Cachar and Nagaland to the south.
The valley that falls in Assam can be divided into
three regions the western Brahmaputra valley
covering the districts of Goalpara and Kamrup;
the central Brahmaputra valley region covering
Darang and Nowgong districts; and, the eastern
Brahmaputra valley covering the districts of
Lakhimpur, Dibrugarh and Sibsagar. Parts of the
Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal also drain into
the Brahmaputra through the Teesta river.
Dongs/ Dungs/ Jampois
The Dong system is traditionally prevalent among the Bodo
tribes in Assam and North Bengal (Jalpaiguri), which ensures
provision of water for mainly wet paddy cultivation, Xali variety,
in cultivating lands where rainwater is not sufficient due to
higher altitude and soil type with low water retention capacity.
The main features of the Dong system are sustainable use of
available natural water resources, and largely traditional
community norm based governance.
Dongs are akin to canals, to route water from available water
sources, which are usually perennial, to the paddy cultivating
fields.
The water sources are small rivers, perennials wamps, beel,
streams, etc.
Dong can have a breadth of 7-15 feet on average or even more.
Breadth gradually increases over the course of its flow from the
source till the end point, where it meets larger river bodies.
Pond Water harvesting system
Dong water system
Water distribution system
Water lifter from ponds and taken into the field by LAHONI
Cultivation of water
Dong as life saver for Brahmaputra Valley Region

The dongs are channels that originate at rivers and constitute a

community-managed water distribution system.

Article by Niloy bhattacherjee

News 18
 Dong as life saver for Brahmaputra Valley Region
Dongs are the lifeline for villages of Assam because every year,
people in Assam literally bends the river flowing along the India-
Bhutan border into their villages to beat the acute water crisis.
In other words, the dongs are channels that originate at rivers and
form a community-managed water distribution system.
This practice is primitive in the border side areas as it helps several
people to cope up with the water crisis they have been facing since
long.
"The practice of constructing dongs started from 1950. We make
the Chawalkare Hastinapur Dong. The process is simple as we
construct crude stone dams in Pagladia River, flowing along the TRIKHTI
Indo-Bhutan border of Assam. A triangular structure with wooden
pole called Trikathi is erected in the river.
Dong as life saver for Brahmaputra Valley Region
Then boulders collected from the mountain river is put inside the Trikathi. Many such Trikathis are arranged
in a series across the river with stones. This forms a crude dam which helps to channelise the river water
into big canal which leads the clear river water into the village. These canals are dug manually," explained
Prithivi Villas Bhattarai, Secretary Chawki Bandh Dong Committee.
Dong as life saver for Brahmaputra Valley Region
The main canal is approximately 20 kms long as
the river is quite far from the village area. It is
mandatory that one male member of every
household should participate in construction of
the dong. We go to the river and stay there for
five to six days till the dong is constructed," said
Bhattarai.
The dongs are constructed every year as water
gushing down the mountain river during the rainy
season washes them off. The water brought into
the villages through dongs is being used for
drinking and irrigation purpose. "We use the
dong water to irrigate our vast expanse of Areca
field.“
There are 14 dongs so far which act as an efficient water supply system and irrigation mechanism. It help in
improving the quality of life of at least 70,000 families in Baksa, Nalbari and Kamrup districts of Assam. The
dongs have served a long history of cooperation between the people of Bhutan and Assam over the
maintenance of dongs and an informal early warning system on floods. Villagers, NGOs and local
administration from both sides of the border are proud of this long-standing cooperation.
THANK-YOU