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| Success story of a farmers - Tank based Water management systems of Karaikarars |
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Reference |
| Venkataswamy, R: "Success story of a farmers' organisation in a Tank Irrigation system in Tamil Nadu", Wamana, July1989 |
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Introduction to the Institution |
| This system is existing for the past three centuries. the tank serves 274 acres as its registered command area through its five sluices. The landowners mainly belong to four different castes and two different religions. Paddy is raised as a first crop during July-Oct. If enough water is available in the tank after the harvest of the first crop, the farmers having wells raise paddy as a second crop. In good years, other farmers also raise a second paddy crop. In some years, pulses are raised during the second crop season by a few farmers by making use of the residual moisture.
EVOLUTION: Until 1978, farmers called as karaikarars were distributing their share of water to themselves and to other farmers and each karaikarars was having a share of 12 hours water supply on rotation. Originally all these nine karaikarars were big land lord enjoying the entire right on the use of tank water. In the course of time their legal heirs have sold some of their lands and become small and medium farmers without losing their traditional right on water. Till early seventies the distribution of water by the karaikarars was said to be fair and commanded respect among the farmers but later, they started exploiting the scarce situation, by getting bribes from the weaker farmers for providing irrigation in time. Nevertheless, the new big farmers were able to irrigate their lands without bribing the karaikarars because of their good status in the society. The poor farmers were only able to send petitions to the District Collector and other govt. officials.
In the beginning of the first crop season in the year 1978, the situation had worsened and a few small and marginal had to abandon their nurseries for want of irrigation. The affected farmers' families gathered in front of the village temple and cursed all the people responsible for the loss of their crops. This situation awakened many farmers of the tank system and also many of the karaikarars and they mobilsed the support of all the farmers for convening a farmers' meeting immediately to put an end to the then ill-distribution of irrigation water in their tank command.
On 13.11.1978, all the farmers of Parambakanmoi tank irrigation system assembled at Parambur village and formed the Parambakulam Tank irrigation Committee (PTIC) with the consensus of all the farmers by nominating 21 members (including two ex-officio members the- village munsiff and the village karnam). The farmers authorised the PTIC to take decisions on the operation and maintenance of their tank system and to implement them for the betterment of the users.
Encouraged by the results, all the farmers met again on 16.2.79 to formalise their organisation. They nominated a Executive Committee (EC) of President, Secretary and 7 members and authorised the EC to sign any agreement on behalf of the farmers of Parambakulam Tank Irrigation System. All the 9 farmers of the EC are selected from the existing 21 members of PTIC. An agreement has been signed by the EC with respect to the operation maintenance and management of the Parambakulam Tank Irrigation System as per the rules thereon and got it registered duly on 6.3.79.
Thus a formal organisation came into existence out of a traditional irrigation system. |
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Coverage of the Institution |
| Not reported |
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Rules for Management
of the Institution |
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(a) Boundary Rules |
| All the farmers who own lands in the tank command are the members with equal voting right (in electing the member for the PTIC) irrespective of their land holding sizes |
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(b) Governance
rules |
| The PTIC is a 21 members managing committee which has the authority of decision making in respect of operation, water distribution, maintenance and overall management and overall management of the tank system and implementing them with proper control with the assistence of EC. If the members of the PTIC are divided equally on any issue, the decision will be made on that issue by casting lots. The EC is constituted by PTIC by selecting 9 farmers among its 21 members. The EC is authorised to enter into any agreement or legal matters on behalf of the organisation. The duties and responsibilities of EC are:
* collection of prescribed subscriptions as decided by the PTIC from all the members, meeting the expenditures and maintaining accounts.
*collection of fines for the offences committed by the members.
*attending works related to agreements, legal matters, police complaints, representation to Govt. etc, on behalf of the members.
*representating the grievances of members to PTIC.
All the members of the organisation are required to abide by the decesions of PTIC and co-operate with the EC and they can represent their grievances to the PTIC through the EC for settlement, but the decisions of the PTIC are final. The meeting of PTIC is to be convened once in every three months or more frequently and EC meetings are convened whenever required.The PTIC and EC are reconstituted once in three years by the general body. If any member of the PTIC is absent for three meetings in a year he is deemed to have lost his post and he will be replaced by a new member elected by the sitting members of the PTIC within a month.
MAINTENANCE: To implement the irrigation decisions, five irrigators-cum-watchers are appointed and only they irrigate all the farmers' fields according to the directions of the PTIC and the individual farmers are prohibited from doing this.Each farmer should provide one labourer / his own services for one day / cost of one labourer for clearing the channels in the entire system with the help of paid irrigators during a specified period before the commencement of cultivation season every year. |
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(c) Resource Allocation |
| Immediately on receipt of sufficient water in the tank, the PTIC meets to plan the water allocation strategy for that crop season. They decide whether nursery can be raised in the entire command area or partially. The slab system (holding based) followed is:
a)Farmers owning land upto 1.0 acre in the command area - permitted to cultivate his full extent of holding with tank water.
b) Farmers owning land more than 1.0 acre upto 5.0 acres in the command area - permitted to cultivate only half the extent of his holding with tank water
c)Farmers owning more than 5.0 acres in the command area- permitted to cultivate only one-third of the extent of his holding with tank water.
Whenever a slab system is decided, it is enforced from the nursert itself. For 30 days from the date of opening of the tank sluice, water is supplied only for the nurseries and not for the preparation of land.Whenever the tank storage improves significantly, the PTIC meets immediately to take fresh decision for raising nursery to the additional extent in order to cover the balance area of the command.
If a farmer owning a well wants to raise nursery to cover his entire holding, he can do so with the condition that tank water will not be supplied to irrigate his additional extent of his nursery as well as the additional extent of his land (above the slab limit) and he should irrigate such portions of his land only by using his well.
If the storage position is very low to plan a slab system covering all the farmers, water will not be released from the tank at all ( refer PROBLEM).
For the preparation of the land, adequate water is supplied within 7 days in 3 spells for each farmer so as to complete the puddling works within 7 days. After the transplanting, the irrigation supply is based on the field requirment and it is made flexible to meet the requirements of weeding, application of fertilizers and pesticides. If any farmer feels that his land is not irrigated on par with other farmers, he is free to approach the EC for appropriate action.
To implement the irrigation decisions, five irrigators-cum-watchers are appointed and only they irrigate all the farmers' fields according to the directions of the PTIC and the individual farmers are prohibited from doing this. The sluice openings are adjusted just to meet the irrigation demand then and there and then keys of sluice locks are kept under the custody of the President of the ECs. The irrigators are paid for their services at the rate of 10 bags (1 bag=55 measures)of paddy per head per year. To meet the expenses of the organisation, each farmer is required to pay 12 measures of paddy per acre of cropped area per season. In addition to this, each farmer should provide one labourer / his own services for one day / cost of one labourer for clearing the channels in the entire system with the help of paid irrigators during a specified period before the commencement of cultivation season every year. Accounts are maintained by the EC and approved by the PTIC every year. During the rainy periods, continuous irrigation is practiced and appropriate adjustments are made. |
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Conflict Resolution Mechanism |
| SANCTIONS: As such, any offence committed by any farmer with regard to the area of irrigation becomes easily noticeable by the paid irrigators. Failure on the part of the paid irrigators to notice any offence and to report to the EC is also punishable by the PTIC. Immediately on receipt of information about an offence committed by any farmer, the President / Secretary of the EC orders for the stoppage of next irrigation to that farmer and intimates him. Only when such a farmer remits Rs 50/- as a caution deposit to the EC and gives it in writing to accept the punishment to be imposed by the PTIC after hearing the case, his land will be irrigated subsequently. Otherwise he should face the consequences of non-supply of irrigation water to his land until he obeys the decision of the PTIC, which is final and binding on him. |
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Problems Faced by Institution |
| On one such occasion, during 1986, when water was not released, a farmer approached the court of law on the ground that his right to use tank water had been lost by the decision of the PTIC.
But the court's verdict was in favour of PTIC because of the legal status of the agreement between the farmers of the tank system. |
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Changes in the Institution over time |
| This was a traditional institution which was crafted into a formal institution in 1978. |
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Purpose |
| Operation and maintenance of Tank irrigation system |
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Country |
| India (Tamil Nadu) |
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Region |
| dist: Pudukottai, village: Parambur |
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Date Of Publication |
| RS-10\01\2000 |
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