Bhungroo Water Harvesting System

Product Description

Bhungroo water harvesting system is a system that filters, injects and stores water below surface soil. It is designed for areas where annual rainfall is between 400 to 2100 millimeters. The system enables the farmers to grow in soils that are waterlogged after a rainstorm. It also allows the farmer to fetch the water stored to irrigate their farms during the dry season.

Target Users (Target Impact Group)

Distributors / Implementing Organizations

Naireeta Service Pvt Ltd promotes the use of the Bhungroo water harvesting system

Manufacturing/Building Method

The Bhungroo water harvesting system is constructed using cement, sand, blocks and PVC pipe. The system is constructed using one square meter surface area. Each Bhungroo has the capacity to hold up to 4 million liters of water per year, freeing 5-10 acres of land from waterlogging in each heavy rainstorm. The water collected can irrigate over 22 acres of land during each dry season.

Intellectural Property Type

Open Source

User Provision Model

The system can be acquired through Naireeta Service Pvt Ltd and its partners like IWMI and CGIAR

Distributions to Date Status

Naireeta Service Pvt Ltd by itself has constructed 242 Bhungroos. Through partnerships, over 3375 Bhungroos have been constructed.

Design Specifications

The Bhungroo water harvesting system is a water collection system that is designed to prevent waterlogging during the rainy season and make water available for irrigation during dry season. The constructed part has dimensions 2.5 x 100 x 1 m and each system can hold 4 million liters of water. The system is constructed using pipes with diameter ranging from 10 to 15 cm. In order for the Bhungroo system to work effectively, it needs at least 4 in height of water at its suction level. Also, the subsoil should have permeable layers within a depth of about 130 m to allow for the water collected from the surface to be stored below ground.

Technical Support

Technical support is provided by NPSL Enterprise

Replacement Components

Replacement and modifications for the filtration chamber is available at varying costs.

Lifecycle

10-15 years

Manufacturer Specified Performance Parameters

The system is designed to prevent waterlogging and store water for irrigation

Vetted Performance Status

Researchers at the University of Ghana assessed the willingness of local farmers to pay for the construction of the Bhungroo and found that farmers are willing to pay to have this system. The Bhungroo system has further been evaluated by researchers at Stony Brook University and University of South Florida for its ability to help local farmers store water for irrigation. The results from the study indicated that the system efficiently helps farmers to store water for their irrigation practices.

Safety

The potential hazard associated with the use of this system is the leaching of farm pesticides and other harmful substances into the stored water, contaminating the water.

Complementary Technical Systems

At least 4 inches height of water at its suction level is needed for the system to function properly

Academic Research and References

Akrofi, N. A., Sarpong, D. B., Somuah, H. A. S., and Osei-Owusu, Y., 2019, Paying for privately installed irrigation services in Northern Ghana: The case of the smallholder Bhungroo Irrigation Technology. Agricultural water management, 216, pp 284-293.

Christoff, P. S., Lewis, N. D., Lu, M. H., and Sommer, J. M., 2017, Women and political participation in India, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam: A preliminary analysis of the local impact of transnational advocacy networks in climate change adaptation. Asian Women, 33(2), pp 1-22.

Compliance with regulations

Bhungroo follows CGWB standards^{Interview with representative}

Other Information

UNFCC website has an animation that shows the impact of Bhungroo. Awards won by Bhungroo technology. Youtube videos of Bhungroo: 1. TEDx Talk by the Innovator of Bhungroo Agriculture Project 2. The Bhungroo (Straw) – An Intervention for water logging and irrigation in saline soils 3. Bhungroo Project – World Water Forum 2015 4. Bhungroo Pride