The indigenous system of irrigation and agricultural practice in this region, called the Ruza system, more popularly known as Zabo, is a time-tested unique water management practice that has been yielding good harvests for nearly a century.
The Seidzu and Khuza rivers, that flow to the south and north of the village respectively, are seasonal rivers and do not meet its water needs. To overcome this perennial water scarcity, the villagers developed the Ruza (pronounced “ree-zah”) system of impounding water and utilising it for irrigation.
“Ruza means ‘impounding water or run-off water pond or tank for irrigation’ in the Chokri dialect. But researchers and reports have popularised it as the Zabo system,” Tunyi told Mongabay-India.
Zabo is a small pit dug within a paddy patch, ideally used for rearing fish. However, Ruza is a larger pond spreading to about 0.2 hectares, used for storing run-off water.
The forest lands are the main catchment areas. The village residents cut channels in the forests and in every possible catchment area to channelise the rainwater to the ponds. Water flowing through the several steep village roads is also impounded by constructing speed breakers or placing stones and directed to the Ruza.
by Barasha Das
15/08/2023