Thousands of farm ponds built across Madhya Pradesh’s Dewas district since 2006 have helped farmers capture rainwater, improve irrigation security, diversify crops and generate additional income from activities such as fisheries and dairy farming.
The water-scarce district in the Malwa region had long depended heavily on groundwater. The expansion of tube wells increased irrigation access but also led to deeper extraction, higher costs and growing pressure on aquifers.
The pond initiative began during the tenure of former Dewas district collector Umakant Umrao, who encouraged farmers to retain rainwater on their own land rather than allowing it to run off. The district administration provided technical guidance and helped farmers obtain bank loans for pond construction.
The programme began with 40 large farmers in 2006. Around 2,000 farm ponds were built within the following 14 months, and experts now estimate that between 30,000 and 35,000 ponds have been constructed across the district.
Early farm ponds were typically 0.2 to 1.6 hectares in area and around 9 to 12 metres deep. A study under the International Water Management Institute’s AgWater Solutions project found that water-harvesting structures occupied an average of 10.04% of cultivated land in Khategaon and 2.2% in Tonk Khurd.
The stored water has helped some farmers grow a second crop, expand wheat and oilseed cultivation and take up higher-value activities such as chia cultivation, dairy farming and fish production.
Pope Singh of Nipania village said he catches about 50 tonnes of fish worth nearly Rs 1 crore every alternate year. Balramji Patel of Khoob village said he sold chia seeds worth Rs 23 lakh in the previous year, while Subhash Jalotiya of Dhaturiya village reported wheat sales worth Rs 60 lakh in 2025.
The ponds can store runoff for irrigation and may contribute to local groundwater recharge through seepage. Some farmers reported that wells regained water after pond construction, helping reduce seasonal water stress.
However, the benefits are not evenly distributed. Large landholders can allocate 10% to 20% of their land to ponds while continuing to cultivate the rest. Small and marginal farmers may not be able to sacrifice cultivable land without affecting household food security and income.
The success of the model has also not removed Dewas’s groundwater challenge. The Central Ground Water Board’s 2023 baseline assessment classified the district as overexploited, with groundwater extraction at 79.99%. In Dewas block, extraction stood at 110.88%, meaning annual extraction exceeded assessed annual recharge.
The district had 3,887 tube wells in 1990. This rose to 14,172 in 1998 and, by 2009–10, Dewas had 23,119 tube wells and 36,531 wells. About 82% of irrigation depended on groundwater at that time.
The next phase for Dewas will require more than adding ponds. Experts say the district needs long-term assessment of groundwater levels, pumping depths, extraction, rainfall, cropping intensity and the spatial distribution of ponds.
The Dewas experience shows that farm ponds can strengthen rainwater harvesting, local irrigation and farm livelihoods. But the model’s sustainability will depend on whether water extraction is managed, recharge is measured and smaller farmers can gain water access without losing a disproportionate share of their cultivable land.