Inspecting the bridge – it’s still doing well, but needs a proper inspection and repairs in order to withstand the monsoon onslaught for the next few years.
The nala makes a sharp turn and hits our land at one point. Every year, soil is washed away and we retreat backwards. We build a new portion of wall to replace the part that falls. This is, of course, an unfortunate expense for us, but even more worrying than that is the invasion of the nala. How to prevent it without an exorbitant budget?
Our first pond has given us some answers. The soil from digging this pond provided enough soil to fill up the dam area where we had a deep canyon growing every year. There are a couple of other stretches of our boundary, fronting the river in one case and the nala in another, which need a high and wide medh (berm) in order to stop water from entering. We could not imagine where we would get the soil for making these, until we remembered that we had always planned to have multiple ponds. Ponds can help regulate the eco-system of a plot of land, harvest rainwater and improve soil health, attract birds and animals, and add to the beauty of the land. And they can provide the mud we need! So, at least two more ponds are now being planned. Our goal is to not allow any water from the flooding review to enter the main section of our land this year, where erosion occurs and where young trees suffer.
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