The Chandigarh research centre of the ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation (IISWC) has released two land-based technologies and a software application for managing soil and water, at a programme under the government's "Reform Utsav" campaign, which runs from 17 September to 17 October 2026.
The technologies are Sloping Agricultural Land Technology, for conserving resources and securing livelihoods on hill slopes, and a Dual-Purpose Farm Pond that harvests water and recharges groundwater. The app, a Decision Support System for Design and Estimation of Soil and Water Conservation Structures, helps field staff design spurs, gabion walls and gabion check dams and estimate their materials and costs.
They were released by Dr J. S. Samra, chief executive of the National Rainfed Area Authority and a former ICAR deputy director general for natural resource management. He said sloping lands need integrated land-use systems that combine several productive activities with water harvesting and recycling, which could protect natural resources in the Shivalik region while raising farm incomes.
Samra also stressed harvesting rainwater for farming and recharging groundwater by managing the excess runoff that rushes downhill in the rainy season, and said user-friendly software matters because field staff struggle to design conservation structures and estimate their cost.
Representatives of Krishi Vigyan Kendras in Mohali and Panchkula, the Central Ground Water Board, the Punjab State Council for Science and Technology and the Panchkula soil and water conservation department attended.
Photo: Varun Shiv Kapur / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Source: ICAR
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