Pond comes to the rescue of farmers

Four blocks out of six in Rampur district are “dark zones,” which means there is overexploitation of groundwater. This is a cause for worry for the district administration that is grappling with the local penchant for growing water guzzling Poplar tree, sugarcane and paddy. Water for irrigation largely comes from tubewells and borewells. While the district administration expressed their helplessness in persuading farmers to change their pattern of cultivation to conserve water, the Colombo-headquartered International Water Management Institute (IWMI) stepped in with...