The JCB is running as of now in the farm digging the Swale and Rainwater catchment pond. Many days of followup, long wait and got fed up with the existing JCB guy. Therefore I told subbu to try for a new guy and here runs the machine. The problem is all the swale concept must be "explained" all over again. Once again Subbu got confused. It is but natural, when the wind is blowing, sun is shining, JCB is rolling, and you are anxious to arrange for all other things including lunch, you tend to miss the centre piece. Namely why JCB what a swale is in the first place. Neverthless, we will be doing the following things today.
a) Cut a 25 x 40 x 4 feet pit on the mud for a water tank
b) Create a trench as a swale parallel to the eastern fence. The swale will be of 10 feet width and 3 feet depth. The mud will be accumulated to the inner side of the farm allowing free flow of water from outside into the trench. I have tried my best to explain the concept.
c) Dig a pit (Rain water catchment) bit deeper in the middle of farm near the gate. The excess water from the swale and else where inside the farm, should ultimately flow into this pit. This pit will not be treated to hold water, rather it will have porous soil to seep the water inside.
d) Dig a 3 feet trench for laying a main pipeline from the wind pump upto the opposite fence. This will be the main pipe from where lateral will be taken. Subbu is positive he will do it himself.
Apart from this, it was decided to put stay wire to the wind pump tower. As the wind is very high, there is a threat that due to wild movement of the machine at the top during heavy winds (cyclone) that the tower may bend. Therefore 5 MM thick steel wire has been purchased from Tirunelveli and kept ready. The three pits for anchoring the stay wire need to be dug, pending for someone to come.
Upon my insistence, some small vegetable beds have been created. This is to experiment with few seeds of each of the varieties. Moreover this is also required to create work for the three workers, who are now quite relieved because of wind pump and the water tank. They are able to water the existing plants comfortable and still have more time. I wanted them to be engaged in growing food. To begin with, some greens have been started. They also have put millets (Jowar) and green gram.
I hope the patches will start looking greener very soon.
Meanwhile the village president is waiting for us to submit a report for taking permission to construct the small room. The store room is already in place since one year. I heard he is expecting some "money", atleast 15K to give permission. Need to speak about that. Instead of encouraging farming, they want to make money on every given possible way.
*****
a) Cut a 25 x 40 x 4 feet pit on the mud for a water tank
b) Create a trench as a swale parallel to the eastern fence. The swale will be of 10 feet width and 3 feet depth. The mud will be accumulated to the inner side of the farm allowing free flow of water from outside into the trench. I have tried my best to explain the concept.
c) Dig a pit (Rain water catchment) bit deeper in the middle of farm near the gate. The excess water from the swale and else where inside the farm, should ultimately flow into this pit. This pit will not be treated to hold water, rather it will have porous soil to seep the water inside.
d) Dig a 3 feet trench for laying a main pipeline from the wind pump upto the opposite fence. This will be the main pipe from where lateral will be taken. Subbu is positive he will do it himself.
Apart from this, it was decided to put stay wire to the wind pump tower. As the wind is very high, there is a threat that due to wild movement of the machine at the top during heavy winds (cyclone) that the tower may bend. Therefore 5 MM thick steel wire has been purchased from Tirunelveli and kept ready. The three pits for anchoring the stay wire need to be dug, pending for someone to come.
Upon my insistence, some small vegetable beds have been created. This is to experiment with few seeds of each of the varieties. Moreover this is also required to create work for the three workers, who are now quite relieved because of wind pump and the water tank. They are able to water the existing plants comfortable and still have more time. I wanted them to be engaged in growing food. To begin with, some greens have been started. They also have put millets (Jowar) and green gram.
I hope the patches will start looking greener very soon.
Meanwhile the village president is waiting for us to submit a report for taking permission to construct the small room. The store room is already in place since one year. I heard he is expecting some "money", atleast 15K to give permission. Need to speak about that. Instead of encouraging farming, they want to make money on every given possible way.
*****
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