ABSTRACT
Western Rajasthan is characterized by low rainfall and high aridity (Goyal, 2010). This is compounded by extremely high inter-annual variability in annual rainfalls and rainy days. The years of deficit rainfall, characterized by fewer rainy days with long dry spells and higher aridity, see hydrological droughts leading to a severe shortage of water, not only for irrigation, but also for the basic survival needs of human and animal population. But wet years produce excessively high runoffs, often causing flash floods. Traditional runoff farming systems, such as khadins, can store part of this excess runoff, not only on the surface, but also in the soil profile, to enable good production of kharif and winter crops. Similarly, the village ponds had a prominent role in domestic water supply provisions in the villages of arid western Rajasthan.
