Contruction of tank on the farm
Farm Ponds can be constructed in dry land areas. Under dry land conditions farm ponds are excavated .The runoff collected from different water storage structures is of immense use.
for protecting the dryland crops from soil moisture stress during prolonged dry
spells. Supplemental or life saving or protective irrigation is given to sustain the dry
land crop during the drought periods and take the advantage of subsequent rains. In
dry areas, water, not land is the most limiting resource for crop production
Farm Ponds: These are small storage structures for collection and storage of runoff water. Depending upon their construction and suitability to different
topographic conditions farm ponds are classified as Excavated farm ponds suitable for flat topography Embankment ponds for hilly terrains and
Excavated cum Embankment ponds There are three types of excavated farm ponds – square, rectangular and circular.
Circular ponds have high water storage capacity.
Farm ponds of size 100 to 300 m3 may be dug to store 30 per cent of runoff. The problem associated with farm ponds in red soils is high seepage loss. This can be reduced by lining walls. Some of the traditional methods for seepage control are the use of bentonite, soil dispersants and soil-cement mixture. Bentonite has excellent sealing properties if kept continuously wet, but cracks develop when dried. Soil-cement mixture can be used. A soil-cement lining of 100 mm thickness reduces seepage losses up to 100 per cent. The pit lined continuously develops cracks but no cracks develop when applied in blocks. The other alternative sealant for alfisols is a mixture of red soil and black soil in the ratio of 1: 2.
The different types of lining materials are soil-cement, red and black soils,
cement-concrete, bricks, slabs, stone pitching, polythene sheet etc., In alluvial sandy loam to loamy sand soils and red sandy loams soils , a soil + cement (8 : 1) mixture is" the best lining material.
G.Ananda Rao, Bsc (Ag), Vijaya Agro Consultants, 9703128495
