Chirean bund, one of the 12 bunds in Cuncolim, being closed to conserve water ahead of the dry months.
MARGAO
Will Cuncolim’s age-old and time-tested system of 12 bunds (bhandaras) come to the rescue amid concerns over water scarcity following the deficit rainfall this season?
The question has assumed significance as efforts to close the traditional bunds have begun in earnest, raising hopes of conserving precious water for the coming months.
As in other parts of the state, work on closing the bhandaras in Cuncolim is currently underway, with workers seen engaged in closing the Chirean bund at Dandora, along the Cuncolim-Assolna Major District Road (MDR), to facilitate water storage. The exercise is aimed at retaining water for irrigation while also helping recharge groundwater, which is crucial for sustaining wells and other local water sources during the dry months.
Cuncolim’s 12 bunds are much more than traditional structures built to hold back water. They represent an indigenous water-management system that has served generations of farmers and played a vital role in sustaining agriculture in the village and its surrounding areas.
The water conserved through these bunds has historically benefited not only Cuncolim but also neighbouring villages, including Assolna and Velim, through irrigation and groundwater recharge.
For the people of Cuncolim, the 12 bunds are an enduring symbol of their history, identity and ancestral wisdom. Passed down through generations, the traditional system reflects the foresight of their forefathers, who understood the importance of conserving monsoon runoff and making it available for agricultural use long after the rains had receded.
Such is the place these water bodies occupy in the collective memory of the village that the expression “I have drunk the waters of the 12 bunds” is often heard from a Niz Cuncolkar — a native of Cuncolim. The phrase is more than a reference to water; it evokes a deep-rooted connection with the land, its agricultural traditions and the community’s shared heritage.
With rainfall falling short of expectations this season and apprehensions growing over water availability in the months ahead, attention has once again turned to the effectiveness of this time-tested system. The successful closure of the bunds could prove particularly important in retaining available water, supporting agricultural activity and improving groundwater availability in the surrounding areas.
Fredrick Borges, chairman of the Assolna Biodiversity Management Committee, highlighted the wider benefits of the traditional water-harvesting system, pointing out that its impact extends well beyond Cuncolim. “Closure of the 12 bunds not only helps store water in the area, but the water travels to the adjoining villages, facilitating recharge of groundwater,” Borges said.
He explained that the ancestral irrigation network also benefits neighbouring Ambelim. When the Paireaband is closed, water flows towards Sapu Tollem in Ambelim before eventually making its way towards Assolna village.
Meanwhile, the Water Resources Department’s contractor, Miguel Niasso, said work on closing the 12 bunds had commenced and expressed confidence that the exercise would be completed by the weekend. “We are executing the work on the 12 bunds one by one. We plan to complete the work by the weekend,” Niasso said.
The ongoing work has once again brought Cuncolim’s traditional water-conservation network into the spotlight, highlighting the continuing relevance of structures created by earlier generations to address the seasonal challenge of water availability.
As the bunds are closed one by one, the hope is that this centuries-old system will once again fulfil its traditional role, conserving every possible drop of water and helping sustain the fields, wells and communities that have depended on it for generations.
