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| GUHLS-A Traditional Irrigation System in Garhwal: A Preliminary Investigation |
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Reference |
| Kumar, Rajesh; Sen, Debashish; Chopra, Ravi: GUHLS-A Traditional Irrigation System in Garhwal: A Preliminary Investigation |
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Introduction to the Institution |
| In the Garhwal hills, the area under irrigation is quite limited. The two irrigated village which were selected for study from each watershed are: 1. Chandrabhaga watershed: Daunra Mai Kanda and Talaai
2. Shorgad watershed: Bhatwari and Bachhni (for detail, refer next record)
Chandrabhaga Watershed: Daunra Mai Kunda and Talaai are adjacent villages in Daunra gramsabha. The former one is a larger village with two sections; Daunra and Kanda. The area is dominated by Thakurs, all the families own land and have access to the common water sources. The people of Daunra have land in both sections. Irrigated farming is practised only in Daunra, with the help of Guhls, Kanda is at a higher altitude. Talaai does not have any perennial source of water, irrigation water is available only through one guhl from Daunra. The people have small landholdings, the average being 0.4 ha (20 nalis). Since part of the land is kept fallow for firewood and fodder collection, therefore a family has only .32 ha of cultivated land. Daunra mai Kanda has 13 Guhls, while Talaai has only one, originating in Daunra. These Guhls are constructed during the last hundred years. All the Guhls, except one, are unlined. Since each family in Daunra has plots of land in different locations, it draws water from different Guhls
The oldest Guhl in Daunra is over hundred years and brings water to Talaai. The Guhl is about 3 km long and irrigates about 9.5 ha of land (4.9 ha in Talaai and 4.6 ha in Daunra), 71 families benefit from it-38 in Daunra and 33 in Talaai. This Guhl was taken over by the State Irrigation Department in 1987 and lined with cement and concrete Paddy and wheat are the main irrigated crops in the kharif and rabi seasons, respectively. When there is enough water in tbe summer, a third crop-zaid, usually maize or alfa-alfa is planted along with vegetables. A small portion of the irrigated land, usually one nali (0.02 ha) is devoted to onion cultivation during the rabi season. Every family in Daunra sells onion in the market at nearby Narendranagar. The Chandrabhaga watershed is close to urban centres and markets unlike the Shorgad watershed |
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Coverage of the Institution |
| Found in other villages of Tehri- Garhwal region |
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Rules for Management
of the Institution |
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(a) Boundary Rules |
| SPATIAL:
SOCIAL : Not reported |
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(b) Governance
rules |
| Not reported
MAINTENANCE: The maintenance of the community Guhl is done by the villagers. Usually when there is a problem with the Guhl, the person receiving the water at that time, inspects it. Minor problems like accumalation of bushes, or cracks in the bunds are handled by an individual farmer. In case of major problems like landslides are tackled by the combined efforts of all the users
The landholdings of the farmers in Daunra are quite scattered. People have lands at the heads and tail ends of the Guhls. Hence it is in the interest of every landholder to maintain the entire length of the Guhl |
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(c) Resource Allocation |
| Water related disputes rarely take place. If a person is caught taking water out of turn, a meeting is called of the other users, and usually a person is debarred from using water on his next turn |
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Conflict Resolution Mechanism |
| According to the villagers in Talaai and Daunra, ever since the Govt has taken over he main guhl, it has been poorly maintained and the villagers also depend more on the Govt for its repair. Though the villagers clean and repair minor damages when the water is most needed i,e., in the summer but major damages remein unrepaired. There are unlined patches in and near Talaai ; a portion of the guhl destroyed in a landslide in 1989 has been replaced with a makeshift steel pipe, leading to continuous leakage and the threat of another landslide. |
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Purpose |
| Management of water resource |
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Country |
| India (Uttaranchal) |
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Region |
| Tehri-Garhwal |
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Date Of Publication |
| RS-5/03/97 |
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