Chauka system: Lapodia, a pastoral village leads the way

It was July and it rained in Jaipur.

We headed to Lapodia in Dudu block of Jaipur district, Rajasthan. Heavy rains and vehicles in serpentine queue marked the day. We braved the traffic and water-clogged roads and made it to Lapodia, the village that shot to fame because of one young man’s determination to make his village self reliant. The man we were to meet was Lakshman Singh, now in his 60s.

A partial view of Lapodia village.

The entrance to the road leading to Lapodia was kachcha and with puddles. A little further, the stretch was good. Women with veils drawn from their heads covering the faces and its tip held tight in the corner of their mouth squatted in open fields under ubiquitous black umbrellas and men in tightly-strung colourful turbans and brandishing a long stick, a few sporting a transistor and some youths listening to their cell phones, tended the cattle on the green pasture.

We arrived at Lapodia and entered the premises of a villa, it seemed ancient. Neem, babool, peepul and khezri are found in abundance here. We were led to a portion of the villa. There was no respite, the rains continued.

Raghuveer Singh, brother of Lakshman Singh, gave us the preliminary talk about the work of Gram Vikas Navyuvak Mandal, the NGO, and its efforts since its inception towards efficient water harvesting, conservation, and management, for which the village has been in the limelight.

Lakshman Singh.

Sooner, Lakshman Singh entered the room punctuated by cough. And after a brief introduction, in spotless white attire and a slightly reserved composure, he explained the Chauka system, a rainwater harvesting method he developed, through a compilation of photographs. Chauka in Hindi means a square.

We soaked in as much as we could and soon he led us out. He thrust each one of us with an umbrella and set out to show how the Chauka system worked in real.

It rained non stop.

Ann Sagar.

The pond opposite the villa, at the village entrance, was filled to the brim. Sheep formed a single file with a herdsman clad in white leading them, while a few men chit chatted at a tea shop…greenery, huge ponds looking lavish with water and sensuous soil kicked alive our senses.

The day before, Lapodia received 96 mm of rainfall. The region receives an annual rainfall of 550 mm. Though a semi arid region, Lapodia receives rainfall upto 100 mm a day during rainy season.

But the rain flows and washes away the top soil with it leaving the land barren. To tackle this and to make the village water secure, Lakshman Singh devised the Chauka system.

A few metres outside of the village lay a long stretch of land, where the cattle grazed. Lakshman Singh pointed out, “It’s Lapodia’s common pasture land,” he said.

The land seemed without boundaries, seamless. Thorny shrubs, trees and grasses, green and rich, dominated the land.

So, what’s the chauka system?

The pastoral field with the Chauka System in Lapodia.

“It’s the bunds, channels and the pits that form the chauka system. A board-like pattern is made keeping in mind the natural slope of the land. Then a chauka is built and its three sides are enclosed. Trees are planted on the periphery of the enclosures to withstand rain. So when it rains, water gets collected in one chauka, and because of the slant in the design water flows from it to the neighbouring chauka and on slowly and the excess water joins the monsoon drain,” said Lakshman Singh.

“As the water flows slowly, the top soil is retained and grass grows abundantly and does not rot.”

“In the chauka system water is spread out evenly which is crucial for the growth of the grass,” he added.

This innovative rainwater harvesting system keeps the pasture land alive for major parts of the year, and also recharges the ground water table. Through the chauka system several hectares of pastureland have been regenerated.

Except for a few months in the summer, the pasture land in the village is lush. The common pasture land is pivotal in Lapodia for more than 90 percent of the 320 families in the village graze cattle for their livelihood, sustenance and prosperity, he said.

As the communities in Lapodia is pastoral, nearly 18 % of the total land area in the village is the common land. The common land comprises ponds, lakes, and the pasture land. The rest is used for agriculture, living and commercial purpose.

The pasture land is Lapodia’s lifeline together with agriculture land, the two main sources of livelihood. The chauka system, thus, ensures there is enough fodder and water for the cattle throughout the year, and by recharging the ground water it strengthens agriculture.

We surveyed the bunds lined with trees while the cattle grazed uninterrupted. As we walked on the land, the soil soft gave in under our feet and water gushed out.

There was also a Nadi, chota talab. It’s a pool of water with a cement slope to prevent cattle from growing while quenching its thirst.

Chota talab.

Ants were steady and busy disintegrating cattle dung into finer particles.

“Everything is interconnected in nature and our wisdom is in living in tune with laws of the nature,” said Lakshman Singh with a smile.

The cattle herders on seeing Lakshman Singh, who was explaining the dynamics of chauka system, came to him. They spoke to him about the amount of rainfall this season, the ground water level…even as Lakshman Singh was making a mental note of their conversation asked for a match. The group of men broke into a smile, the atmosphere eased, and a herdsman gave him a match and a beedi. The bond between the men and Lakshman Singh was reinforced.

The chauka system, thus, is an integrated innovative method that has done wonders in Lapodia. The same has been implemented in several neighbouring villages in the district and the state.

Though the chauka system has played a key role in reviving the pastureland, boosting agriculture, grazing and recharging the groundwater table, it is part of a much larger design.

Much prior to the developing of the chauka system, Lakshman Singh as an 18-year-old young adult in the 70s decided to repair the bund of a tank in the village that had fallen into disrepair. It remained so for three decades.

He was emboldened by the idea that repairing the bund would trigger change in his village Lapodia that had plunged into darkness both in real and metaphorically. There was no governance in the village, families were steeped in poverty and feuding, lack of co operation and peace made the village an inhospitable place. There were no lights and roads. The village was cut off and the stigma attached to the residents and the village dealt a severe blow to Lakshman Singh whose forefathers were from the land.

Lakshman Singh, the ingenious creator of Chauka System.

A school drop out, Lakshman Singh instead of lecturing acted. He started repairing the bund on his own. The villagers laughed at him. Soon one of his friends joined him. Later, a few more of his friends joined to repair the bund. The villagers could not but feel the energy of the action unfolding in front of them. Lakshman Singh urged them to join as well. Heeding the honesty in his words and action, the villagers joined him and the tank bund was repaired. When it rained the tank was filled for the first time in several decades. In a few years, the pond was irrigating thousands of hectares of land.

Things started to change for the better in the village, agriculture revived, grazing peaked, and income per household improved. The people sensed the fruits of collective action towards greater common good led by a spirited young man.

People of Lapodia gathered and wanted to name the pond “Ann Sagar,” for it irrigated the land and helped them to grow food, the elixir of life.

Ann Sagar when full to the brim can irrigate 250 hectares of land. And today there are two more huge tanks in Lapodia, Dev Sagar and Phool Sagar. However, the two tanks are used for recharging the bore wells and cultivating flowers etc. It’s Ann Sagar that irrigates the land. And its water is used to grow both Rabi and Kharif crops.

Added to it there are 103 wells in the village, except for two to three wells used for drinking, the rest are used for growing crops.

Three huge ponds, Ann, Dev and Phool Sagar and the chauka system is not all. Around 2.5 hectares of land is set aside as gene pool of the grasses. Lapodia being a pastoral community, grass is indispensable.

“Animals grazing in pasture land eat all the grass, thus, to maintain a variety of grasses the gene pool is created. And then birds broadcast seeds of the grasses naturally in the pasture land,” said Amar Singh, a young intern at GVNM, who showed us the village and its ponds.

“The gene pool is not only for the grasses but for the wild animals also. Since hunting is banned, the chances of losing genetic variety among wild animals is sparse.”

“As cattle graze in the pasture land throughout the year, the pressure of losing genetic pool of grasses is high. Although grazing is stopped for around a month in monsoon for regeneration of new grasses, to become immune regarding loss of genetic pool of grasses, the eco parks or genetic pool is created,” he added.

Before the start of the pasture land, there is a small plot of land which is fenced and a display that reads, “Chua ghar,” (the rat house).

What’s a rat house?

“Mouse is very important for aeration and breaking up of the soil. Since we know the key role it plays in the cycle of turning the soil fertile, mouse is not killed here. When a mouse is caught, it is let out here in the protected area,” said Lakshman Singh.

“Every life is precious. Thus protection of all forms of life, food and water assumes importance. The society is not made for man alone, isn’t it?” he said.

On the management of the common land with specific reference to pasture land, Lakshman Sigh explained how though everyone could graze their cattle at the common pasture land, there were rules governing it.

“The rules are sacrosanct for it ensures every herder gets fodder for her or his cattle. When rules are flouted, it leads to chaos and monopoly which does not augur well for the village eco system,” he observed.

After a detailed walk around the pasture land with the chauka system and the tank bunds, we gathered at the Jungle Hall, another component of Lapodia village.

The Jungle Hall is usually constructed at the beginning of the village or pasture land. Rules regarding the use of resources of pasture land is written here. Moreover, Lapodia has a dry deciduous landscape and most trees shed their leaves in summer.

So shepherds and cattle owners can rest here at the Jungle Hall. Also meetings are convened between the shepherds and the GVNM. The Jungle Hall has a nadi or a hand pump near it for quenching the thirst of both animals and people. The uses of the Jungle Hall are varied.

Ann, Dev and Phool Sagar ponds that ensure cultivation and recharge of bore wells ground water table, the chauka system which ensures fodder for the cattle throughout the year, recharges the groundwater table, the gene pool, the rat house, and the Jungle Hall together make Lapodia a sustainable village.

“Lapodia, a village as it ought to be,” added Lakshman Singh.

It was dusk.

(Right) Lakshman Singh with his friend Mangal Singh and the other villagers at an informal meeting in the premises of his villa.

Lakshman Singh after the day’s tour of the pasture land and explaining the chauka system and other components of the village eco system to many enthusiasts, who had come from afar, was seen at the premises of his villa.

He was flanked by his friend Mangal Singh, the first to join him to repair the tank bund in Lapodia in the 70s. There were other men from the village. They sat on a stone platform with their legs criss crossed, the setting looked informal.

Pointing at his friend Mangal Singh, Lakshman Singh said he was the leader who motivated teams of youths to work in the villages and make them sustainable.

“In the 70s we built small lakes and talaabs through shramadan. The work spread to the neighbouring villages as well. We, however, stayed back, explained the work and its importance. Also, we trained the youth and sent them to 30 villages to recreate the work done in Lapodia,” he said.

When we started work at Lapodia it was in shambles but today the life seems better. Yet making villages sustainable and prosperous is a long-drawn work just as any, he added.

Now that sustainable water conservation and management methods, thriving pasture land, secured livelihoods and good agriculture practices have been accomplished, can Lakshman Singh and his team heave a sigh of relief?

No, rued the two.

Quick to elaborate, Mangal Singh noted making a village or a cluster of villages sustainable is a tangible accomplishment. Yet, what needs to be tackled is the root cause of the problem that ails our society which is selfishness.

“We are driven by the pursuit of money and material welfare at all costs. We are not interested in Janhith (the welfare of the people). Single-minded pursuit of comforts has become the diktat and it permeates all aspects of our lives. This trait does not augur well for the health of the society,” he added.

Gram swaraj that prevailed earlier wherein the decision making powers rested within the village elders was ideal, for Indian is predominated by villages to this day, noted Mangal Singh.

“With the breaking down of the decision-making powers by the village elders and transferring it to the police and the court, the village lost its ability to govern and determine its own growth,” he said.

“Gram swaraj, moreover, was grounded on environmental aspects and not on law. Pollution of the environment was a serious offence. Whereas the politics today is one of partisanship.”

Seconding Mangal Singh, Lakshman Singh reiterated that culture was degrading and that selfishness permeated everything we thought and did.

“The concept of greater common good is missing.”

“The grabbing culture has taken over all of us. It has become all pervasive. All that we do is grab. The thought of sharing, being judicious in using resources, saving and nurturing for the next generation is lost. We have turned myopic. There is no end to our wants.”

The short sightedness is responsible for the water crisis we are facing today, he noted.

If we do not rise up to the occasion, Lakshman Singh said sooner many cities in the country would be facing the brunt like Chennai did.

Noting that rise in population and lack of awareness were making the situation worse, he stressed that the government machinery alone couldn’t address all the ills of the society.

“Jaipur is soon going to be without water. People will be forced to vacate their apartments and houses. Houses and buildings have been constructed on stormwater drains flouting the rules.”

“We ought to be responsible. When we take from the earth, we should be responsible enough to give it back,” said Lakshman Singh.

On an individual’s role in conserving water, Lakshman Singh said: “There has to be lifestyle changes, else we cannot sustain.”

“Paani jeevan hain.”

“It’s water that keeps the eco system alive. Birds chirping. We have to be sensitive towards the environment. We cannot live in isolation. Moreover, this planet is the one we have. And it does not belong to us alone. If we do not act now, we are doomed. The loss of biodiversity is frightening,” he said.

“There’s no life without water. Water is the elixir of life. No water means death. Poor quality of water will kill people.”

“There will be a civil war for water.”

“To limit use, save and reduce needs are the ways forward.”

What are the challenges ahead?

“The greatest challenge now is cleanliness of villages. We produce good quality moong, wheat, milk…we have to market it at a higher price,” said Lakshman Singh.

The present lifestyle of reckless consumerism cannot sustain us.

“We have to change the way we live,” he said.

“And that alone is the way forward.”