Tribals use traditional method, not pumps, to irrigate fields

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A group of tribal farmers in a remote hilly area of Madhya Pradesh's Barwani district continue to use a century-old irrigation method instead of modern motor pumps, enabling them to grow crops throughout the year.
By following the technique, popularly called 'Paat' among tribals, 13 farmers in the hilly Aavli village of the district are able to irrigate their fields, spread on 125 acres of land, from far off water canals by making narrow 'channels'.
With the help of the old irrigation practice, these farmers not only grow wheat during the Rabi season, but also produce flowers and vegetables during the Kharif season, a government release quoting state water resources department officials here said.

This is significant as majority of the farmers in this hilly region are not able to do farming for most part of the year due to lack of water availability and only grow some crops during the Kharif season with the help of rainfall during the monsoon, it said.
Aavli village is located in a remote 'Paati' area of Barwani district. The place derives its name from the 'Paat' irrigation technique used to channelise water in the agricultural fields from the hilly water bodies, without the help of motor pumps.
As per the release, there are still some 'paat' in this tribal area where fields are being irrigated for last 100 years without the help of motor pumps.

Hanta Shanker, one of the 13 tribal farmers using this traditional method, said that because of this technique their crops receive sufficient water without any irrigation expenses.

This method also enables him and 12 other farmers to continue farming throughout the year.
Also, the farmers are able to earn an additional income by growing bamboo and castor, an oilseed, on the boundaries of their fields, he said.
Shanker said that the farmers have been drawing water from the canals to their fields by making small 'channels'. All the farmers take turns to use this water so that everybody's field gets adequate irrigation supply.

This traditional practice allows the water to cover a distance of about six kilometres by passing through the hilly terrain to reach their fields, he said.