You don’t have to be an engineer to understand how checkdams work. Simply put, checkdams are small earthen or masonry barriers placed across streams or nallahs that capture water as it flows downstream. The pressure created by the impounded water helps to improve infiltration and raise the local groundwater table.Full wells, along with the availability of the surface water for irrigation, benefit farmers and communities living around the checkdam long after the monsoon rains have ended.
But there is more to them than that. By helping to harvest rainwater for domestic and irrigation purposes, checkdams are also helping to improve livelihoods. A farmer who could only plant one crop per year can now grow two or three, allowing him to move from a subsistence living to one where he can sell his surplus at the market.Women too benefit from access to more water. The time saved in fetching water from distant sources is now spent pursuing other income-generating activities. A more stable income means better nutrition and education opportunities for the children and an overall improvement in the daily life of the entire family.
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