Pax Earth constructed a prototype soil cement pond at the homestead garden of farmer Sudarshan Bhurtel at Kot Timal village, Namobuddha Municipality, Ward No. 5, Kavrepalanchok, Nepal during November 28, 2021 and November 30, 2021. We not only constructed the prototype soil cement pond but also trained a few local masons while constructing it tandemly with a view that they can lead the construction on their own in future.

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Kot Timal village situated in Namobuddha Municipality, Ward No. 5, in Kavrepalanchok district of Nepal, with a population over 600, used to have adequate water resources for daily household consumption, and livestock farming till 2000. Even the irrigation on their farmlands was possible to some extent. The main occupations of the villagers were agriculture and farming. However, with the passage of time, the natural sources of water of the village gradually dried up because of the impact of the climate change by 2010. As a result, only two natural sprouts – Ganesh Dhara and Kal Dhara were providing the water on a reducing level. The water from these sources was used for drinking, cooking and, if remained, for feeding cattle but was inadequate. With the scarcity of water, they had to rely heavily on rainfall and moisture for cultivating crops and vegetables. It was difficult to feed cattle with reduced water. They had to buy water for rearing them and all other purposes. The water was transported to the uphill from the rivers located at the downhills. As it was hard for the villagers to sustain their livelihoods, then Kanpur village development committee had initiated a campaign – “one house, one pond” at Kot Timal village. They supported the villagers to construct plastic ponds by providing Silpaulin plastic sheets at the household level. With this support, most of the households could make a plastic pond, harvest the rainwater, and use it in livestock farming, vegetable farming, and household tasks. This initiative eased their pain and suffering to a greater extent. However, with the passage of time, the Silpaulin sheets started to wear out and they could not store rainwater in the pond like earlier. The Sipaulin sheets were prone to rodents, cattle, and pebbles and got easily damaged. As the plastic sheet was expensive, most of the families could not afford to replace it. Hence, it was challenging for them to sustain their agriculture and farming.

While they were going through difficult times, the massive earthquake, and aftershocks in 2015 hit their lives very hard. They added to their woes by drying up the two water sprouts. Ganesh Dhara was completely dried and from Kal Dhara, they could get approx. 20 litre of water per day per family which was used for household consumption mainly for cooking and drinking. And for all other purposes they had to buy it paying over Rs. 2 per litre. It was hard to sustain their livelihoods as they could not afford to keep their livestock paying much for the water. As a result, many families were compelled to sell their livestock and opted to migrate to nearby cities – Banepa, Dhulikhel, Bhaktapur, and Kathmandu in search of new livelihoods options. Youths opted to go abroad for foreign employment.

To support their energy and ease pain, Pax Earth helped to construct or maintain the plastic ponds to harvest rainwater. We provided good quality Silpaulin (plastic) sheets to 129 families to replace the old and worn out sheets or to dig a new pond in May 2016. Our support was to sustain their livelihoods: agriculture and farming. These plastic ponds provided access to more water particularly for rearing cattle, household use, and to some extent for homestead gardens. Despite its quality, the plastic sheets started to get damaged particularly due to the rodents and pebbles. The villagers were compelled to replace them in between 2 years and 5 years.

As these plastic sheets were not durable, we researched on any possible low-cost alternatives to the plastic ponds. We learned that International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in collaboration with the Center for Environmental and Agricultural Policy Research, Extension and Development (CEAPRED) under Resilient Mountain Solutions Initiative had piloted a soil cement pond technology and practiced in Kavre, Dadelthudar and Rasuwa districts of Nepal. They piloted the soil cement ponds in small farmholders in Kavre and Dadeldhura districts to address the water scarcity. The soil cement pond technology is simple, affordable, eco-friendly, and durable (15-20 years). The results were quite encouraging and the number of farmers adopting this technology doubled within a year and a half of the piloting. The soil cement pond performed much better than plastic ponds which were common in the mid-hills. However, both the plastic ponds and soil cement ponds are susceptible to damage to rodents, cattle and pebbles when the water level is low during the dry season.

Having some information, we further discussed with the experts and learned that a suitable alternative to the plastic pond is the soil cement pond. We even observed a soil cement pond at Buchchakot in Kavre. The soil cement pond is pond made with the locally available resources such as red soil, cement, sand, and water. A waterproof mix is used to avoid any seepage in the pond. After consultations with the experts, we decided to construct a prototype soil cement pond and test the appropriateness in the context of Kot Timal village. As most of the houses have a plastic pond, we wanted to turn a plastic pond into a soil cement pond. Farmer Bhurtel was ready to turn his plastic pond into a soil cement pond. He removed the plastic sheet from his pond, made the floor and side walls compact and smooth, used gravel and pebbles in the base and levelled off the base and side walls. He arranged the red clay soil (well-crushed and sieved), sand (well-sieved), cement, water, waterproof mix, and tools and more importantly manpower for plaster work.

Our focus was not only to construct a prototype soil cement pond but also to train the local masons while constructing it tandemly to impart skills for constructing them on their own in future. Our approach for the training was “learning by doing”. Resource person Ramdeo Shah, Senior Agriculture Technician of CEAPRED, trained five local masons under the leadership of skilled mason Lal Man Tamang along with masons Bishnu Raj Bhandari, Hari Sharan Koirala, Ram Mani Koirala, and farmer Bhurtel. Dev Raj Khakurel and Ganesh Bhurtel provided additional support. President Sujan Koirala coordinated the training and construction.

On November 28, 2021 (Day 1), trainer Shah instructed them to prepare the mixture of red clay soil, sand, and cement on a proportion of 3:3:1 and mix with water and waterproof mix. They applied the first mixture roughly on all sides of the walls and floor to achieve a dense, impermeable layer to hold water properly so that there is no seepage. It took the whole day for the first plaster.

As per his instructions, farmer Bhurtel covered the pond with a tarpaulin sheet in such a way that not even a single ray of sunlight entered the plastered area of the pond. But it had enough space for the air to pass throughout the pond to keep it moist. He watered the side walls and floor after 24 hours of the first plaster and continued putting water on the following morning (Day 3) as well. He checked the plastered area with a hammer and found it hard. So, he planned to apply the second plaster on the same day as per the earlier instruction of trainer Shah.

On November 30 (Day 3), trainer Shah instructed the masons and labours to prepare the mixture of red clay soil, sand, and cement on a proportion of 2:2:1 and mix with water and waterproof mix. They applied the mixture to smoothly plaster the floor and side walls. It took the whole day for the second plaster as well.

Again, he covered the pond with a tarpaulin sheet in such a way that not a single ray of sunlight entered the plastered area of the pond but kept enough space for the air to pass throughout the pond to keep it moist. He watered the floor and side walls after 24 hours of second plaster and continued for the 3 days (Day 4 to Day 6). And from December 4 (Day 7), he started to fill the pond bringing the water from the different sources. As there was scarcity of water, it took him a week to fill the pond with water. The size of the pond when ready is 3.5m in length, 3m in breadth and 2m in height i.e., 21 cubic meters. However, due to the slope of the side walls (about 80 degrees), it is expected to store over 17000 litres of water. We have instructed him to fence the pond with the locally available resources like bamboos and ropes. Shah suggested him to remove the sediments accumulated in the pond every year manually and if there are any cracks, seal with mixture of red soil, sand, and cement on a proportion of 3:3:1.

Farmer Bhurtel mainly collects rainwater from the roof of his house. He has attached a gutter to the roof to collect and transfer it to the pond through the pipes attached to the gutter. He can utilize excess tap water to fill the pond too. But the supply of tap water is not reliable. He has seven members in his family. He harvests rainwater to the pond and uses it for agriculture and farming to sustain the livelihoods of his family. With the access to more water, he can sustain livestock, vegetable, and fruit farming. He can add more livestock to his farm, grow more vegetables, plant more fruit trees, and generate more income from selling milk, livestock, fresh vegetables, and in future fruits as well. We can expect his orange and apple trees will yield fruits in a large quantity in a few years and generate additional income. His family can enjoy nutritious milk, meat, vegetables, and fruits. He can afford a basic education and healthcare for their children. In general, we expect his family’s quality of life and livelihood to improve in future.

GUIDELINE FOR CONSTRUCTING A SOIL CEMENT POND
We incorporated the guidelines of CEAPRED and ICOMOD, opinion of expert Shah, experiences of our masons, and prepared a guideline document for constructing a soil cement pond in the context of Kot Timal village.

What is a soil cement pond?
A soil cement pond is a semi-permanent water retention structure constructed by mixing red soil cement, sand, and water and is commonly used to store rainwater, residual water, and spring water. The stored water can be used for irrigation, feeding livestock, and other household purposes. The size of the pond may vary depending on the availability of space and volume of water required for the purpose. The pond must be constructed on an elevated space to facilitate proper water discharge and close enough to collect rainwater, residual water, and water from nearby springs. It is not suitable for areas with high groundwater levels or areas with soil that is prone to cracking or shrinkage. It is important to fence the pond with low-cost bamboo for safety.

What are the raw materials required for the construction?
Materials like OPC cement, red clay soil and sand are required for the construction of the soil cement pond. The red clay soil should be dried, crushed, and sieved to remove any pebbles and plant parts. If PPC cement is used instead of OPC, it is essential to add a waterproof mix. The minimum recommended capacity is 22,500 litre (length 5m x breadth 3m x height 1.5m = 22 cubic meter) which costs approximately NPR 30,000 (USD 1 = NPR 121.55 as of December 12, 2021) in the context of Kot Timal village. The cost varies according to the size of the pond.

How can the construction area be selected and prepared?
For construction, a suitable site with sufficient catchment should be selected. The layout as per the preferred size should be designed. Then, the soil should be dug out and protruding stones and roots should be removed. The floor and side walls should be made compact and smooth. The wall should have an 80-degree slope. Gravel and pebbles should be used for the base and level off the floor and side walls.

What are the processes of the construction?
First plaster
• Apply initial mixture of soil, sand, and cement (3:3:1) to roughly plaster all the side walls and mix gravel in the mixture while plastering the floor.
• The following day, the roughly plastered pond should be watered and covered with wet jute sacks or with a tarpaulin sheet in such a way not a single ray of sunlight enters at any part of the plastered area but has an enough passage for air to keep it moist. The sunlight can create cracks in the plastered area. Hence, it is important to avoid the sunlight.
• This should be continued for 1-2 days.

Second plaster
• Apply a second mixture of soil, sand, and cement (2:2:1) to smoothly plaster the floor and side walls. The second plaster can be applied in the pond even after one whole day gap from the first plaster if the surface of the plastered wall is hard enough.
• Water the pond for the next 3–4 days and cover with wet jute sacks or cover the whole pond with a large tarpaulin sheet like before.
• Around 4–5 days after the second plaster, fill the pond with water.
• For safety, the pond can be enclosed with a bamboo fence (or using other locally available materials).

How to maintain the pond?
The soil cement ponds may require periodic maintenance to prevent erosion or damage particularly from animals and sediments. The sediment that accumulates in the pond should be carefully removed manually every year. If cracks are seen on the surface, they should be sealed with a mixture of red clay soil, sand, cement (3:3:1), and water.

Reference
Bhusal, K. & Udas, E. (2020). Soil-cement tanks and drip irrigation: Enhancing water storage and its efficient use for smallholder farmers. Kathmandu: International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development

Thanksgiving!
We are indebted to our resource person and expert Ramdeo Shah, senior agriculture technician of CEAPRED for training the local masons for constructing a soil cement pond. With his training, the trainee masons could acquire new skills to construct a soil cement pond and can lead the construction on their own in future. We are thankful to farmer Sudarshan Bhurtel for his readiness to construct the prototype soil cement pond and risking his existing plastic pond. We are equally thankful to local masons Lal Man Tamang, Bishnu Raj Bhandari, Hari Sharan Koirala, Ram Mani Koirala, and farmer Bhurtel for actively participating on the training. We are grateful to Dev Raj Khakurel for providing all necessary support at the local level and Ganesh Bhurtel for the additional support. Most importantly, we are grateful to our president and team leader Sujan Koirala for coordinating both the training and construction works thoroughly.
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