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| Role of Community in Irrigation Management: Susta Inability of Traditional Water Harvesting Practices in South India |
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Reference |
| Chidananda, B. L., Gracy, C. P., and S Suryaprakash. 1996. "Role of Community in Irrigation Management: Sustainability of Traditional Water Harvesting Practices in South India." Presented at "Voices from the Commons," the Sixth Annual Conference of the International Association for the Study of Common Property, Berkeley, CA, June 5-8, 1996. Link: http://dlc.dlib.indiana.edu/archive/00002781/ |
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Introduction to the Institution |
| The tank is a physical unit that includes the embankment, the water spread, the catchment and the command area. The tank foreshore area and the immediate catchment was used as community land to grow grasses and fuel wood. Many structures such as kunte and katte were constructed in the catchment and foreshore areas to regulate the flow of water into the tank and hold back the possibility of silt flowing into the tank. Entire community participated in the conservation programmes. None of the tanks irrespective of size and function was a property of individuals. It was always the community and every member in the community irrespective of class and caste had a right to every structure, the resources grown or available. |
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Rules for Management
of the Institution |
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(a) Boundary Rules |
| Spacial Boundaries:The tank is a physical unit that includes the embankment, the water spread, the catchment and the command area. The tank foreshore area and the immediate catchment was used as community land to grow grasses and fuel woodSocial Boundaries: Every member in the community irrespective of class and caste had a right to every structure, the resources grown or available. |
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(b) Governance
rules |
| Traditionally in the tank rich state of Karnataka water management was taken care of by two social institutions namely Panchayats and 'Nirganti's, the Panchayat (local body) was a social institution in the command area of the tank. It was responsible for the management of physical structure of the tank, its canals and distributors. Panchayats had a right to supervise the functioning of the Niraganti's. Apart from desiltlng activity, the Panchayats were responsible to prevent misutilization, abuse and diversion of water from the command areas. Mainrenance: The Panchayats were responsible for the physical maintenance of canals and distributions. Either the beneficiaries of the command area are asked to disllt or repair the structures as part of the canal (distributor) that is situated next to one's own field. The remaining part was to be desllted by the Nirganti's. |
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(c) Resource Allocation |
| Panchayat was responsible for allocating the quantum of water equally to all the beneficiaries. The quantum of water to be distributed was dependent on the availability of water In the tank and type of crops in the command. |
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Conflict Resolution Mechanism |
| The non-recognition of Panchayats for water management by the Government has led to a conflict between Individual right vs. rights of the community. This has resulted In wastage of water and consequently In many tank commands It has not been possible to grow even on crop during Kharlf. |
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Problems Faced by Institution |
| One of the major problems in tank irrigation is silting up of tanks mainly due to lack of co-operation of the people owing to the transfer of tanks to the state administration. Due to the increased emphasis for large dams the budgetary allocations for tanks was not even sufficient to meet the administrative expenses of tank maintenance. With the replacement of community management by various departments, each department regarded tank as a source for revenue. |
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Changes in the Institution over time |
| With the amendment of the irrigation Act of 1932, since 1965 the control and management of the tank got transferred from the Revenue Department to the Public work Department. The traditional system of management by Panchayat was suspended and replaced by an Irrigation Committee for the entire taluka. There was an increased emphasis for large dams and the budgetary allocations for the functioning and the maintainance of tanks was not sufficient. However, now due to the increased cost of providing alternative irrigation many organizations and Governments have taken keen interest in reviving tanks and conserving rain water. |
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Purpose |
| Management of water usage and physical structure of the tank |
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Country |
| India |
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Region |
| Karnataka |
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Date Of Publication |
| RS-5-8/06/1996 |
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