Sprinklers seemed a good solution but everyone I asked told me they require a high pressure to run. A walk through the bazaar and researching on the Internet seemed to reinforce this view. I have water stored at a modest 12′ height and I have no electricity to augment the pressure. The sprinklers I viewed in several shops were made of brass. Quite apart from the high pressure needed to drive them. they are also prone to go missing as the site is not always manned at nights; it’s impractical to unscrew them for safe-keeping every evening.

That’s when I discovered a small, well made plastic sprinkler. Even though the shopkeeper was pessimistic when I mentioned the 12′ head of water, I bought a pair to try out. They are of 13mm bore. Proving my hunch, their low inertia got the sprinkler going when connected direct to the storage tank; not one but two would simultaneously go happily spraying water over a 20′ diameter. [For those faced with a similar problem here is the link to the manufacturer, Concorde Agro]

We marked three concentric circles at 10′, 7′ and 4′ radius. Dug up the soil, mixed a lot of rotted manure, raised three circular bunds about 6″ high and planted vetiver at 1′ intervals. There are three such circles now at pointReturn. Sprinklers happily water them two circles at a time. Often at nights water that would overflow nurses vetiver.

The circular system holds the water in; during the rainy season they would be mini percolation pits to recharge ground water. There is no reason why I shouldn’t grow vegetables this way; in fact I will.

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