The Ministry of Jal Shakti has highlighted the success of the "5% Model" implemented in the Korea district of Chhattisgarh as a strategic framework for achieving water security through community-led conservation. This model is based on the operational principle that if every farmer or landowner dedicates 5% of their land to the construction of a farm pond or water harvesting structure, the cumulative impact can stabilize the local water table.
In Korea, this approach has led to significant groundwater recharge and ensured that agricultural activities remain resilient even during dry spells. By promoting "Jan Bhagidari" (People’s Participation), the initiative shifts water management from a government-centric activity to a shared community responsibility, where localized conservation is maintained through individual ownership and collective benefit.
Key Pillars of the Korea 5% Water Model
The 5% Land Dedication: Encouraging landowners to convert 5% of their plot into a water harvesting pit or pond to capture monsoon runoff.
Decentralized Groundwater Recharge: Utilizing a network of small-scale farm ponds to increase the percolation rate across a wide geographic area.
Community-Led Implementation: Empowering local farmers to design and construct pits based on the specific topography of their fields.
Low-Cost Construction: Utilizing locally available materials and labor to ensure the structures are economically viable for marginal landowners.
Livelihood Diversification: Using the captured water for secondary purposes such as small-scale fisheries or kitchen gardening during the off-season.
Synchronized Seasonal Planning: Aligning the construction of these structures with the pre-monsoon period to maximize water capture efficiency.
What is the "5% Model"? The 5% Model is a community-driven conservation framework where the responsibility for water security is distributed among individual landowners. It operates on the theory that a universal, small-scale contribution from every farmer—specifically 5% of their land area—creates a collective safety net for the entire village’s water resources. By decentralizing the harvesting process, the model reduces the need for large-scale, capital-intensive irrigation infrastructure and fosters a culture of self-reliance where every landowner becomes an active participant in maintaining the local water table.
Policy Relevance: India’s Jal Sanchay Strategy
Operationalizing Jan Shakti: The Koriya model provides a functional framework for the Jal Shakti Abhiyanto move beyond government projects toward a "mass movement" where individual farmers drive water conservation.
Internalizing Agricultural Resilience: The use of farm ponds offers a blueprint for the Ministry of Agricultureto address drought risks in rain-fed regions through localized soil moisture management.
Bypassing Capital Bottlenecks: By encouraging individual investment in small-scale harvesting, the government can improve water availability in stressed blocks without the long gestation periods of major canal or dam projects.
Mechanical Link to MGNREGA: Aligning the construction of these 5% ponds with MGNREGA labor provides a dual benefit of rural employment and permanent water asset creation.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: How should the National Water Mission define the success parameters for the 5% model to ensure that individual ponds contribute to a measurable rise in the regional groundwater aquifer?
Follow the Full Release Here: Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari - Learning from Korea’s 5% Model
