India’s first Rock Check Dam inaugurated in Ladakh

An innovative Rock Check Dam, the first of its kind in India, aimed at achieving long-term water and agricultural sustainability in Ladakh, was inaugurated by Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena at Upshi in Leh on Wednesday.

The Rock Check Dam, built over the River Indus, 44 km from Leh, at an altitude of 11,400 feet, has been conceptualised as an eco-friendly, cost-effective and sustainable remedy to Ladakh’s water crisis.

This rock check dam has been built using large rocks, sourced from the riverbed and the surroundings, to hold the water in the river.

LG Vinai Kumar Saxena has named the project “Sindhu Jal Samriddhi Abhiyan (SJSA)” that aims at augmenting the water level by creating rock check dams at specific locations of the river, particularly the narrow passages where tapping the river water is relatively easier and more effective.

The location of the check dam is identified in consultation with the villagers/locals. The Lieutenant Governor has directed the Irrigation & Flood Control Department to construct three more such check dams within a month on experiment basis.

In many parts of Ladakh, the Indus River becomes too shallow. As a result, standard motors and pumps fail to lift water from the river to the uphill fields. This is where these rock check dams would play a crucial role.

These check dams would create a big pondage area storing ample water for use during the peak sowing season.

Because the rocks have been sourced directly from the riverbed, there is no use of cement or concrete in the construction of this check dam. This makes it a completely eco-friendly project.

The LG said that the Sindhu Jal Samriddhi Abhiyan would help improve irrigation facilities, strengthen water security and support sustainable agriculture in remote villages.

“It is another innovative and eco-friendly project, aimed at achieving long-term water security in Ladakh after the successful launch of Project Him Sarovar. The Rock Check Dam has been conceived as a model of sustainable water and agricultural security, while preserving the fragile ecological character of Ladakh’s ecosystem. The initiative has received encouraging response from villagers,” LG Saxena said.