bamboo drip irrigation is the water management method used for 200 years in north east state of India called Megalaya.

1. BAMBOO
DRIP
IRRIGATION
(WATER
MANAGEMENT
SYSTEM)

2. HISTORY
 HAVE BEEN USING FOR MORE THAN
200 YEARS BY TRIBAL FARMERS OF
THE NORTH-EASTERN PART OF INDIA,
IN THE STATE OF MEGALAYA.
 FARMERS OF THE JAINTIA AND KHASI
HILL AREAS HAVE DEVELOPED THIS
SYSTEM OF TAPPING SPRINGS AND
STREAM WATER TO GROW BETAL
LEAVES, BLACK PEPPER AND
ARECANUT.

3. NEED OF THIS
SYSTEM THE TOPOLOGY OF THE REGION IS
HILLY WITH STEEP SLOPES AND
ROCK BOULDERS.
 THE SOIL DEPTH ON THESE HILLS IS
LOW AND HAS POOR WATER
RETENTION CAPACITY.
 THOUGH THE REGION GETS PLENTY
OF RAIN DURING THE MONSOON
SEASON, IRRIGATION BECOMES A
NECESSITY DURING THE DRY
SEASON.
 THE TERRAIN IMPOSES A
CHALLENGE IN BRINGING THE
WATER FROM DISTANT WATER
SOURCES TO THE PLANTATIONS.

4. MECHANISM
 IS BASED ON GRAVITY AND THE STEEP
SLOPES FACILITATE IN IMPLEMENTING IT
 WATER FROM AN UPHILL SOURCE IS
TAPPED AND BROUGHT TO THE
PLANTATION BY A MAIN BAMBOO
CHANNEL
 THE WATER IS THEN REGULATED
THROUGH A COMPLEX BAMBOO
NETWORK OF SECONDARY AND TERTIARY
CHANNELS TO ALL THE PARTS AND
CORNERS OF A PLANTATION, RIGHT UP
TO THE BOTTOM OF THE HILL.
 ABOUT FOUR TO FIVE STAGES OF
DISTRIBUTION ARE INVOLVED FROM THE
POINT OF THE WATER DIVERSION TO THE

5.  18-20 LITERS PER MINUTE OF WATER FROM THE
MAIN CHANNEL GETS REDUCED TO 10-80
DROPS PER MINUTE AT END OF THE NETWORK
 AFTER THIS LONG JOURNEY, THE WATER
TRICKLES OR DRIPS DROP BY DROP AT THE BASE
OF THE PLANT
 BAMBOOS OF VARYING DIAMETERS FOR
CHANNELS, SUPPORT STRUCTURES, DIVERSION
PIPES AND STRIPS
 CHANNELS HELD ABOVE THE GROUND BY
BAMBOO OR WOODEN Y SHAPED STICKS.
 ONE STRETCH OF CHANNEL IS LASHED TO
ANOTHER BY THIN BAMBOO STRIPS
 INDIGENOUS TOOLS LIKE A DAO, A TYPE OF
LOCAL AXE, AND CHISELS OF VARIOUS SHAPES
CONSTRUCTION

6. ADVANTAGES
 WATER IS USED AT MAXIMUM
LEVEL.
 AS WATER IS APPLIED LOCALLY,
LEACHING IS REDUCED (
FERTILIZER/NUTRITIENT LOSS IS
MINIMISED ).
 WEEDS ARE HIGHLY CONTROLLED (
NO WATER AVIALABLE FOR WEEDS
).
 SOIL EROSION IS CONTROLLED AND
SIOL INFILTRATION CAPACITY IS
INCREASED.
 SEED GERMINATION IS IMPROVED.

7. DISADVANTAGES
 MAINTANENCE COST
 BAMBOO STEMS ARE
VERNARABLE TO WET CLIMATIC
CONDITIONS
 BAMBOO PIPES ARE NOT
PERFECTLY MOBILE, THEREFORE
LIMITED TO CERTAIN TYPE OF
CROPS.
 CLOGGING OF EMMITERS DUE
TO POOR FILTRATION.

8. MODERN
DEVELOPMEN
T OF THE
CONCEPT

9. MODERN
DEVELOPMEN
T OF THE
CONCEPT

10. REFERENCES
1. "TRADITIONAL LAND AND WATER
MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS OF NORTH-
EAST HILL REGION", R A SINGH & R C
GUPTA
2. "INDIGENOUS TECHNIQUES OF SOIL
AND WATER CONSERVATIONIN
NORTH EASTERN REGION OF INDIA",
P. P. DABRAL
3. “TRADITIONAL AGRICULTURAL
PRACTICES IN MEGHALAYA, NORTH
EAST INDIA", SOLOMON RETNA DHAS
NADAR JEEVA, ROYTRE CHRISTOPHER
LALOO & BHANU PRAKASH MISHRA.