Ladakh LG VK Saxena inaugurated ‘Rock Check Dam’ in Leh on Wednesday. It is built on the Indus River. It has been built under the “Indus Jal Samridhi Abhiyan”. This will remove water shortage in Ladakh and farmers will also get water for their fields.
LG VK Saxena told the specialty of the dam
After the inauguration, LG Saxena said that this rock check dam has been designed in such a way that it can withstand the water pressure and does not overflow during the summer months when the water level in the river rises. I have directed the Irrigation and Flood Control Department to build three more such check dams on an experimental basis.
I am confident that this rock check dam will emerge as an exemplary model of engineering efficiency and environmental sensitivity. It will provide a sustainable solution to farmers’ irrigation problems, strengthen water security and promote sustainable agriculture in remote villages of Ladakh.
Inauguration of ‘Rock Check Dam’
Farmers will also get benefit
LG on X Handle explained that unlike the traditional concrete check dam, this new rock check dam is a semi-permanent barrier, made by locking together large stones collected from the river bed. This slows down the flow of the river and creates a huge area (pond) for water to be stored, which can be used by farmers for agricultural purposes.
Dealing with an old water challenge
The project, which was conceived by Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinay Kumar Saxena, seeks to solve an age-old challenge in the region. Despite glacier-fed rivers, many villages remain deprived of water during the crucial sowing season because traditional pumping systems do not work.
Pilot project got initial success
This pilot project, completed in Ke-Thang Upshi, about 45 km from Leh, has already shown promising results. Built between May 12 and May 18, this 200-foot-tall stone check dam was built using locally available giant stones ranging in weight from 500 kilograms to 10 metric tons. To build this structure, about 180 metric tonnes of stones were strategically placed on the river bed, the estimated cost of which was only Rs 10 lakh.
low cost engineering solutions
Unlike traditional cement-concrete dams, this porous check dam made of stones slows down the flow of water while still allowing it to flow naturally. This creates a large area of water accumulation in the upper part of the river, which significantly increases the depth of the river and makes it possible to extract water for irrigation.
Officials said that this pilot dam has created an area of water accumulation of about 500 meters in the upper part of the river, in which an estimated 40 million liters of water is stored. The depth of water near the banks has increased to 4-5 feet, while in the middle part it has now reached about 10 feet.
The administration has designed this structure to withstand seasonal fluctuations in the river flow. The flow of the river in May is about 25 cusecs, which increases to about 200 cusecs during the scorching summer months of July and August.
Eco-friendly model for Himalayan rivers
Apart from irrigation, this initiative is also being considered environmentally sustainable. Since these dams are built entirely from local stones found in the river bed, they maintain the delicate ecological balance of the Himalayan river system without using concrete or non-biodegradable materials.
