We took possession of our land in December 2010, and had about 6 months to plan and prepare for the plantation we wanted to do at the start of the monsoon in 2011. One of the most critical things to get in place before that was a water source. Like everyone else in the area, it seems we needed a bore well.
We got a land survey done. Morni Hills lie to the north of our land, and the land has a gentle North-South slope. We met with water consultants who told us that the underground water in our area is at a depth of about 350 feet, compared to about 50 feet on the Punjab side. This meant we needed a tube well that would cut through several layers of rock to reach the aquifer. Since we could not recharge the ground water meaningfully, we also needed surface structures to manage water.
We found a local contractor and negotiated with him, and chose a spot at the top of the farm, near the North gate, since that was the highest point of the land. This turned out to be a good decision later, since it allowed us to use gravity to feed irrigation across the property.
It took about 4 weeks to dig the tubewell and lay the pipes.
We built a small haudi, or water tank, to collect the excess water. Despite the seemingly unlimited supply, we remained careful and conscientious about our water usage.
