at istanbul, turkey 16-22 march 2009
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Title:. Need for sustaining the multiple uses of Traditional Tank Irrigation systems in South India. Theme – 3: Managing and Projecting water resources and their supply system to meet Human and Environmental needs. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
at Istanbul,Turkey
16-22 March 2009
Theme – 3 : Managing and Projecting water resources and their supply system to meet Human and Environmental needs.
Topic 3.2 : Ensuring adequate water resources and storage infrastructures to meet agricultural, energy and urban needs.
Need for sustaining the multiple uses of Traditional Tank Irrigation systems
in South India.
R.VenkatasamyProgramme OfficerDHAN Foundation, Madurai, INDIA
Presented by
Title:
Session 3.2.2
5th World Water Forum Organised by
Session : 3.2.2
Basics of Irrigation Tanks in India
Earthen bunded small water harvesting structures formed in natural depressions of land to catch and store surface run-off during intensive spells of monsoon rainfall are known as “tanks” in South India.
Ingeneously formed by native rulers & Chieftains over the past several centuries
Session : 3.2.2
Tank System Components - Schematic
view
Session : 3.2.2
Toposheet showing the Tank population
388 Tanks in an Area of 104.66 sq.km
There exist about 1,40,000 tanks in South India
Session : 3.2.2
Source: NRSA
Panaromic Remote Sensing Map of
Cascades of Irrigation Tanks in
India
Session : 3.2.2
Nature of Tank Systems• Smaller in size and larger in number. Amenable
for efficient de-centralised management.• Mostly in semi arid regions of low / medium
rainfall with undulating topography.• Earlier, owned, maintained and managed by
village institutions by collecting revenue through their “multiple uses”. Now owned and maintained by Government.
• Called synonimously by different names in local languages. British Engineers named them as “Irrigation tanks” although they have multiple uses.
Session : 3.2.2
Benefits from a Healthy Tank System
Employment Generation
Food Security
Crop yield doubled (2 assured crops a
year)
Dairy development Improved nutrition (more food, more milk)
Cultural life improved
Increased green and dry and fodder
Fertility of the dry-lands improved
Ground water situation improves electricity will be saved
Increased tree cover
Migration of birds stopped & immigration encouraged
Fisheries development
Sustained availability of water for drinking and agriculture
Effective Soil Conservation
BENEFITS FROM A COMPREHENSIVE TANK SYSTEM MANAGEMENT
Session : 3.2.2
Multiple uses of Tank SystemsTank systems play a vital role in village economy, environment, ecology, culture, etc., as they have multiple uses such as …
• Irrigation, domestic & cattle use, pisciculture, ground water recharge, bird sanctuary, etc.,
• Useful for marginal communities during off season (short term cultivation in tank bed, grazing land for cattle, usufructs of trees, etc.,).
• Collects and stores nutrious silt for using in agricultural lands.
• Flood Moderation.
Session : 3.2.2
Significance of Tank Systems in Water Use
• Synergy in water harvesting as the tanks are connected in chain; the surplus of upper tank collected in lower tank; the command area of upper tank functions as the most effective catchment for the lower tank.
• Higher irrigation efficiency due to smaller distribution network with gravity flow.
• Higher water use efficiency with higher economic and social benefits due to multiple uses of tanks.
Session : 3.2.2
A Typical Tank Cascade
Session : 3.2.2
"These are the monuments of real Kings, who were the fathers of their people; testators to a posterity which they embraced as their own. These are the grand sepulchres built by ambition……..…to extend
Edmund Burke, a British Engineer on irrigation tanks in South India
(1785)
the dominion of their bounty beyond the limits of nature, and to perpetuate themselves through generations, the guardians, the protectors, the nourishers of mankind".
Session : 3.2.2
Present status of Tanks – The Problems
a. Inadquate attention paid by the Govt. due to wider geographical distribution of tanks and poor allocation of funds.
b. Decline in tank-fed agriculture caused by
• Siltation, heavy weed infestation and encroachments in the tank bed and supply channel resulting in poor storage.
• Dilapidated bund, sluices and weir.
• Delinking of tanks in the ‘cascade’ due to encroachment in link channels.
• Extinction of some tanks due to urbanisation.
Session : 3.2.2
Comparison of Tank Irrigated Area, 1952-53 to 1999-2000-India
PeriodNet Irrigated Area (in ‘000 hactares)
GIACanals Tanks Wells Others NIA
1952-53 8613(41.00)
3468(16.51)
6339(30.17)
2588(12.32)
21008(100.0)
23016
1962-63 10568(42.15)
4651(18.55)
7430(29.64)
2420(9.65)
25070(100.0)
28631
1972-73 12983(41.22)
3822(12.13)
12377(39.30)
2313(7.34)
31494(100.0)
38560
1982-83 15808(39.55)
3165(7.92)
18593(46.52)
2406(6.02)
39971(100.0)
51006
1992-93 17247(34.92)
2817(5.70)
25884(52.40)
3114(6.30)
49395(100.0)
65215
1999-2000
17609(31.29)
2916(5.18)
32536(57.81)
3223(5.73)
56285(100.00)
75099
Session : 3.2.2
Revival of Tank Systems – The Solution
• Strong need for reviving and preserving the traditional tank sytems for restoring the livelihood of rural poor & environment.
• Govt. should pay more attention on the rehabilitation of the marvellous tank systems than on the creation / modernisation of larger irrigation projects.
• Need for re-defining the roles of the State, Research & Resource Insitutions, NGOs & the local community.
Session : 3.2.2
Rehabilitation / Revival of TanksA Concept
Use
Silted & Desilted by People
Silted
Encroached & disused
Use
Past Present Future
Use
Encroach-ment eviction & Renovation
Session : 3.2.2
1. Redefining the Role of State
New Role• Rigorous regulation & enabling policy and
empowerment of people’s institutions.• Encouraging market investments.• Technicl and managerial support.• Resource augmentation
Role to be dropped
• Implementation role.
• Outdated legal framework
• Control perspective
Session : 3.2.2
2. Redefining the Role of Research & Resource Institutions
New Role
• Documenting the existing practices.
• Experimentation.
• Opening new frontier
• Outreach & Field oriented reserach
Role to be dropped
• Conventional outlook
• Oudated curriculam and policies
• Exclusive reliance on campus based activites
Session : 3.2.2
3. Redefining the Role of NGOsNew Role
• Understanding people’s needs through committed work and pilot field works
• Enlarging in to research and resource institutional areas
• Liaisoning with Govt. research & resource institutions & people’s organisations
Role to be dropped• Conventional ‘social’ outlook• Ordinary quality staff & programmes• Conventional ‘institutional’ view
Session : 3.2.2
4. Redefining the Role of People Institutions / community institutions
New Role
• Vibrant civil society – sharing governance
• Setting agenda for mainstream institutions &
social auditing of those institutions
Role to be dropped
• Expectations of ‘doles’ & subsidies
• Divisive parochial views abd ‘tokenism’
Session : 3.2.2
DHAN Foundation and its role on Tank Conservation
• One of the big NGOs in India working on major themes of Micro Finance and Water with a reach of 7,00,000 poor families. Believes in building People Institutions & enabling people rather than delivery of services.
• For more than a decade DHAN is making a clarion call to put an end to the decay of the traditional tank systems. Demonstrated the revival of about 700 tank sytems through people institutions.
• Based on the experiences gained, DHAN focuses on water related issues to draw the attention of Govt. & Policy makers.
• Constituted Conservation Council for Small Scale Water Resources to influence the policies of Govt. on water in favour of rual poor. For More visit www.dhan.org
Session : 3.2.2
GLOBAL THINKING
FOR
LOCAL ACTION
Alternative solution
Remains in the concept . .
Let us discuss . .
Thank You