Rajasthan’s nadis, an insurance against a dry summer

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Last Updated08/08/2022

In western Rajasthan, traditional water-harvesting structures brimming with rainwater.

Nadis or talabs (ponds) are shallow depressions across the rural landscape in the arid regions of the Jodhpur and Barmer districts.
The water collected in these tanks will satiate people, cattle and wild animals during the dry months.
The nadis have been a part of rural life for ages.
The rural communities store rainwater in these structures with the application of traditional knowledge and locally available materials in view of the highly fluctuating and scanty rainfall in the State.
However, not all nadis are in good shape now.
Several of them have fallen into disrepair, while others leak because of cracks in their embankment walls.
The structures can even be a solution to flash floods.

At Ramrawas Kalan, a village in Jodhpur, the two nadis undergo periodic maintenance.
The two structures are Deoli and Chan, the latter being the bigger one and are in orans or sacred groves.
The orans are associated with the local deities.
Many varieties of trees in these orans slow the water run-off.
Slower run-off of rainwater has led to more percolation in the local nadis and ponds.
The orans are mini-oases in an otherwise arid landscape.
The local Bishnoi community has worked hard to ensure the maintenance and functioning of orans and nadis.
Bishnois follow the commandments for protecting the flora and fauna.

These local systems are vital to maintaining resilience against global warming and climate change.
Orans and nadis are “mixed water-pasture regimes” that need careful maintenance to protect their water-holding capacity and save rainwater.