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Rehabilitation and Management of Tanks in India: a Study of Select States

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Rehabilitation and Management of Tanks in India: a Study of Select States Rehabilitation and Management of Tanks in India: A Study of Select States Tanks have been the main source of irrigation in many parts of India for centuries. With extraordinary engineering, managerial, and social skills, an extensive system of rainwater harvesting structures comprising tanks and ponds had been built and maintained by the people. However, after independence, there was a decline in tanks-both in their relative importance vis-à-vis other modes of irrigation, as well as decline in the area irrigated by them, attributable to silting, encroachments, interruptions in catchment, and poor maintenance. During the past two decades, external donor agencies, state governments, and nongovernment organizations have actively taken up rehabilitation of tanks. The study examines livelihood options under different scenarios and gender-related issues in 60 rehabilitated tanks under different models in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Pondicherry, and Orissa. A comparative analysis of tank institutions is made and a protocol for tank rehabilitation is developed with lessons learned from the case studies, detailing: • hydrological endowment and selection of tanks for rehabilitation; REHABILITATION • institutional framework; inIndia: A Study of Select States Rehabilitation and Management ofTanks • planning rehabilitation components; • investment criteria and financial allocations; • execution of work by water users' associations and self-help groups; • monitoring and evaluation; and training and capacity building. AND MANAGEMENT The policy changes and legal support required to implement the protocol are also elaborated on. This report concludes that taking equity issues into consideration, improvement of livelihood for the rural community by increasing the gross tank product needs be the objective of future tank rehabilitation and rejuvenation projects. OF TANKS IN INDIA About Asian Development Bank A Study of Select States The work of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is aimed at improving the welfare of the people in Asia and the Pacific, particularly the nearly 1.9 billion who live on less than $2 a day. Despite many success stories, Asia and the Pacific remains home to two thirds of the world’s poor. ADB is a multilateral development finance institution owned by 65 members, 47 from the region and 18 from other parts of the globe. ADB’s vision is a region free of poverty. Its mission is to help its developing member countries reduce poverty and improve the quality of life of their citizens. ADB’s main instruments for providing help to its developing member countries are policy dialogue, loans, equity investments, guarantees, grants, and technical assistance. ADB’s annual lending volume is typically about $6 billion, with technical assistance usually totaling about $180 million a year. ADB’s headquarters is in Manila. It has 26 offices around the world and has more than 2,000 employees from over 50 countries. Asian Development Bank 6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City 1550 Metro Manila, Philippines www.adb.org Publication Stock No. 122605 Printed in India REHABILITATION AND MANAGEMENT OF TANKS IN INDIA A Study of Select States ii REHABILITATION AND MANAGEMENT OF TANKS IN INDIA 2006 Asian Development Bank All rights reserved. Published 2006. Printed in the Philippines. Publication Stock No. 122605 The views expressed in this book are those of the authors and do not necessar- ily reflect the views and policies of the Asian Development Bank or its Board of Governors or the governments they represent. The Asian Development Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this publication and accepts no responsibility for any consequence of their use. Use of the term “country” does not imply any judgment by the authors or the Asian Development Bank as to the legal or other status of any territorial entity. This study was undertaken by the India Resident Mission and was prepared with assistance from R. Saktivadivel and P. Gomathinayagam. For any queries please contact Pratima Dayal, Senior Economist ([email protected]), Kavita Iyengar, Senior Consultant ([email protected]). iii CONTENTS Abbreviations v Executive Summary vii 1. Current State of Tank Irrigation in India 1 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 Tanks in India 1 1.3 Tank-irrigated Area 2 1.4 Tank Irrigation in Different Regions of India 3 2. The Decline in Tank Irrigation 5 2.1 Rainfall and Tank Irrigation 5 2.2 Other Major Reasons for Decline of Tanks 6 3. The Need for Tank Rehabilitation 9 4. Past Experiences with Tank Rehabilitation 10 4.1 Introduction 10 4.2 Ford Foundation and Centre for Water Resources, Anna University Study 10 4.3 EC Tank Modernization Project in Tamil Nadu 16 4.4 NABARD Tank Rehabilitation Project in Tamil Nadu 19 4.5 World Bank Tank Rehabilitation Project in Tamil Nadu 19 4.6 EEC Tank Rehabilitation Project in Pondicherry 20 4.7 EEC Tank Rehabilitation Project in Orissa 20 4.8 Tank Rehabilitation in Karnataka 24 4.9 NGO Experiments 28 4.10 Lessons Learned 34 5. Livelihood and Gender Issues in Tank Irrigation 37 5.1 Livelihood Options before Tank Rehabilitation 37 5.2 Employment-generating Activity during Tank Rehabilitation 37 5.3 Other Benefits during Rehabilitation 38 5.4 Postrehabilitation Impact 38 5.5 Role of Self-help Groups 44 5.6 Findings of the Study 45 iv REHABILITATION AND MANAGEMENT OF TANKS IN INDIA 6. Tank Institutions 46 6.1 Traditional Institutions 46 6.2 Government-sponsored Institutions 48 6.3 NGO-sponsored Institutions 51 7. Protocol for Tank Rehabilitation 53 7.1. Hydrological Endowment and Selection of Tanks for Rehabilitation 53 7.2. Institutional Framework 55 7.3. Planning Rehabilitation Components 56 7.4. Investment Criteria and Financial Allocations 57 7.5. Execution of Work by WUAs and SHGs 58 7.6. Monitoring and Evaluation 59 7.7. Training and Capacity Building 61 7.8. Recommendations 62 8. Suggestions for Improving GoI Guidelines for Tank Rejuvenation 63 9. Cost of the Project and Anticipated Benefits 64 9.1 Cost-benefit Comparison 66 9.2 Benefits 66 10. Recommended Institutional, Policy, and Legal Changes 67 10.1. Institutional Changes 67 10.2. Panchayats and Water Bodies 67 10.3 Policy on Investment Pattern 70 10.4 Policy on Execution of Work 71 10.5 Equity and Poverty Alleviation Considerations 71 10.6 Summary of Recommendations for Orissa and Tamil Nadu 72 Annexes I Tamil Nadu and Orissa Study 76 II Guidelines of the Ministry of Water Resources for Tank Rejuvenation 90 III Structure of District-level Implementation Committee 98 IV Worksheet for Cost-benefit Analysis of Tank Rehabilitation 99 Glossary 100 Bibliography 101 v ABBREVIATIONS ADB Asian Development Bank AED Agricultural Engineering Department BKVY Biju Krishak Vikas Yozana CADA Command Area Development Authority CADP Command Area Development Programme CAPART Council for Advancement of People’s Action and Rural Technology CO community organizer CPR common property resource CGWB Central Groundwater Board CWC Central Groundwater Commission CWR Centre for Water Resources DLIC district level implementation committee EC European Community ECU European currency unit EEC European Economic Community EU European Union FA farmers’ association GMO grama mahila okkutta (rural women’s federation) GoI Government of India GV grama vikas ha hectare HYV high-yielding variety ICEF India-Canada Environment Facility IMTI Irrigation Management Training Institute IWMI International Water Management Institute JSYS Jala Samvardhane Yojna Sangha LBP Lower Bhavani Project MI minor irrigation MIP minor irrigation project MoWR Ministry of Water Resources NABARD National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development NCA net command area NGO nongovernment organization O&M operation and maintenance vi REHABILITATION AND MANAGEMENT OF TANKS IN INDIA PRI panchayat raj institutions PWD Public Works Department RIDF Rural Infrastructure Development Fund Rs rupees RSVY Rashtriya Shram Vikas Yozana SC scheduled caste SGVY Sampurna Gram Vikas Yozana SHG self-help group ST scheduled tribe TA tank association TRPP Tank Rehabilitation Project, Pondicherry TUG tank users’ group WALMI Water and Land Management Institute WIG women’s interest group WRCP Water Resources Consolidation Project WRO water resources organization WUA water users’ association vii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Tanks have been the main source of irrigation in Bank provided financial assistance for tank many parts of India for centuries. India experiences rehabilitation in these states. Besides this, the extreme climate within its 329 million hectares of governments of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka car- geographical area. The hydrological characteristic ried out repairs to the tanks from their own funding of the Indian monsoon necessitated creating storage either directly or with support from nongovernment facilities to hold the monsoon rainwater and utilize organizations (NGOs). There are NGOs who had it later. With extraordinary engineering, manage- rehabilitated tanks through contribution from tank rial, and social skills, an extensive system of rain- users and other donor agencies without funds from water harvesting structures comprising tanks and the government. Recently the government of Orissa ponds had been built and maintained by the has taken up the rehabilitation of tanks in a big people for centuries. Many of these multiple use way with assistance from the World Bank and EU. structures were the nerve centers for sustenance and The objectives and the model used for tank reha- livelihood of the rural communities. bilitation projects, their process and lessons
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