Pipe assisted underground taming of surface floods: the experience with Holiyas in north Gujarat

Water Policy Research Highlight 02:

Holiyas (also known locally as bhungroos) are relative simple, locally applied, groundwater recharge and subsurface storage systems and may hold the potential to mitigate exposure and smallholder farmers to floods and droughts.

This document presents an overview of the IWMI-Tata Program, which assessed Holiyas and bhungroos in Banaskantha district, India with the objective to analyse their socio-economic and environmental impact. The results suggest that majority of respondents perceive the structures' construction to be successful and report improvements with respect to one or more of the following criteria: flood mitigation, soil erosion, drought resilience, extent of the cultivation period, crop yield, cropping intensity and livestock rearing.