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| NEERKATTIS: The Rural Water Managers |
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Reference |
| Seenivasan, R (2003) Neerkattis : The Rural Water Managers. DHAN Foundation. link for ref: http://dlc.dlib.indiana.edu/archive/00001617/ |
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Introduction to the Institution |
| Most of the man made reservoirs with long bunds, trained channels and water regulating mechanisms are called as Tanks in India. These national structures in India serve capturing monsoon rainfall runoff occurring during a short duration of monsoon seasons and allow the crops to use the stored water during the dry spells in the non-rainy season in addition to catering to multiple uses. Tanks are earthen bunded reservoirs usually constructed across slopes of the landscape. The tank system comprises tank structures, which constitute tank bund, sluices and surplus weirs; water spread area; catchment area; and command area. Most of the tanks in south India had water guides / managers to effectively manage the water distribution. Each tank had one or more such water managers called Neerkattis. The Neerkattis had several functions to perform ranging from supply of water to every field at the farm level to safeguarding the tank structures from all natural and man-made calamities. They are still working in the tanks providing irrigation and other services for the dependent communities. |
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Rules for Management
of the Institution |
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(a) Boundary Rules |
| Not mentioned |
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(b) Governance
rules |
| Most of the tanks in south India had one or more water managers called Neerkattis. Most of the traditional Neerkattis are from the scheduled castes such as Pariah or Pallars. The Neerkattis are mostly appointed from the local villages. There are different ways to appoint Neerkattis followed at different places such as, Hereditary Appointments: Neerkattis hail from the same family and the right to succession comes by birth in the family. Annual Appointments: Neerkattis are appointed annually in many places and provided with pieces of land. Rotational Appointments: It is also noticed in some cases that the appointments are made in rotation from among a group of families who are mostly relatives. The families of Neerkattis will have set rules among them to stake the right to be Neerkattis. The Neerkattis have several functions to perform. The Neerkatti acts as a watchman of the tank against natural calamities. He is also the caretaker of tank usufructs coming from trees on tank bund, foreshore and the channels, apart from the withered and windfallen trees and twigs. Neerkattis are the only persons allowed to open and close the sluice outlets and regulate the flow of water to the fields and the farmers do not generally interfere. MAINTENANCE: The cleaning and desilting of channels is an annual activity that needs to be carried out before the monsoon in a short period of time. Also the field channels in bigger tanks need cleaning and shaping. The Neerkatti acts as a planner, manager and mobiliser of farmers to organize these tasks. With the help of the village elders or administrators, he is responsible to do that. He estimates the required laborers after a careful study of the situation and the need for various types of laborers for jobs like jungle clearance, earthwork etc. As part of the duty, he informs every household personally or through public announcements of any important activity to be undertaken. Thus he ensures that the work is done. |
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(c) Resource Allocation |
| The most commonly observed system of water supply is that irrigation would start from the tail end fields to the head reach fields stage by stage.Neerkattis are responsible to manage the scarcity conditions and expected to tide over the crisis due to shortage of water. The Neerkattis restrict the number of wettings as decided by the farmers collectively taking care to prevent the crop losses by providing the threshold level of supply. This is an optimisation technique learned over a period of experience by the communities to get optimum yields. In case the restriction of irrigated area become necessary to use the water most efficiently, the area will be reduced. On-farm operations related to irrigation of crops in the ayacut area are left only to the Neerkattis. The Neerkattis are also expected to report to the farmers on the crop diseases and pests for taking up timely control measures. The farmers are expected to pay the Neerkattis a share of their crop produce based on the area under cultivation. It is also reported that in many areas farmers pay the Neerkattis in kind per household irrespective of the crops cultivated and incomes derived from the fields. Neerkattis are also provided with a piece of land in the ayacut area in some villages. This land is allocated as 'Neerkatti Manyam' from the village common land. They are not expected to transact the land for sale or mortgage, but allowed to enjoy the land as long as they serve the village as Neerkattis. |
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Conflict Resolution Mechanism |
| Not mentioned |
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Problems Faced by Institution |
| The present day village community lacks capable and truthful leaders who can make and administer impartial decisions related to the village affairs. Corruption and favoritism have become the order of the day in many villages and the village collective organizations do not function well in such villages. The breakdown of village unity, social order, collective action and restraints on indiscipline in the villages has made the tanks victims of free riding and overexploitation. Neerkattis and their jobs are one of the casualties of this type of village management. They feel that their masters are many and everyone has a right to ask or shout at something against them for anything with or without reason if they are not satisfied with their job. This is true of the scheduled caste Neerkattis also and they feel they are not treated equally with the rest of the caste groups in the villages |
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Changes in the Institution over time |
| Most of the traditional Neerkattis were from the scheduled castes. Over the time, the situation has changed and today this is not true in every tank. Many tanks have got Neerkattis from varying castes which include some of the dominant castes of the area also. However the irrigation system based on Neerakattis is undergoing lot of changes nowadays. The advent of wells and borewells combined with cheap power has led to change of crops from paddy to sugarcane. Farmers tend to irrigate their fields on their own or with other farm labourers and Neerkattis are not generally engaged for irrigating the sugarcane fields. The change of village polity and administration had its own share of destabilising the Neerkattis. Neerkattis who used to safeguard the revenue from tanks haev became powerless. The collective action required to keep the tanks performing in the villages has become unnecessary because of the well irrigation which is privately owned at the farm level. |
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Purpose |
| Water Irrigation |
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Country |
| India |
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Region |
| South India |
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Date Of Publication |
| RS-2003 |
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