BASELINE BI W A L REPORT MARCH 2020 PREPARED BY Bundelkhand Initiative for Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Water, Livelihoods and Good Governance and Policy Analysis Agriculture (BIWAL) From where we started BASELINE REPORT This report has been prepared based on the data on 28 traditional water bodies in Bundelkhand region of MP chosen for repair and rejuvenation under the first phase of BIWAL project. This baseline document systematically presents the current status of the water bodies, need for repair and rejuvenation measures and the potential benefits for the communities. It will serve as a reference document for the interested stakeholders and will be useful in assessing the changes and impacts of the revival exercises. ATAL BIHARI VAJPAYEE INSTITUTE OF GOOD GOVERNANCE AND POLICY ANALYSIS © Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Good Governance and Policy Analysis (IGG) Sushasan Bhawan Bhadbada Square, T.T.Nagar Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India, 462003 www.aiggpa.mp.gov.in This report is the property of the Institute and we encourage dissemination of our work for non-commercial and non-exclusive purposes, so long as the source is properly acknowledged. This report is the output of the study commissioned by Centre for NRM and Decentralised Governance, IGG on request of the Bundelkhand Development Authority (BDA) to propose a strategy for the repair and rejuvenation of the traditional water bodied in the Bundelkhand region. IGG being a knowledge partner in the BIWAL initiative has prepared this baseline document along with the Strategy document and operational guidelines. Project Guidance: Mr. R. Parasuram, Director General, IGG Mr. Mangesh Tyagi, Principal Advisor, Centre for NRM & Dec.Gov, IGG Project Team: Dr. Anitha Govindaraj, Advisor, Centre for NRM & Decentralised Governance, IGG Mr. Yugandhar Mandavkar, Fellow, IGG Mr. Soumitra M. Peshave, Research Associate, IGG Key Words: Traditional Water Bodies, drought proofing, community mobilisation, water budgeting, Civil Society Organisations, sustainable water management, Baseline report.BIWAL To be cited as: IGG; BIWAL : Baseline Report, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Good Governance and Policy Analysis; March 2020. Acknowledgement Shri. Awani Mohan Singh, HARITIKA Shri. Mahendra Singh Sengar, HARITIKA Smt. Ankita Raghuvanshi, HARITIKA Shri. Vivek Sharma, CARD Shri. Manoj Lakhera, CARD Shri. Gurusharan Singh, CARD Shri. Yogesh Khare, CARD Shri. Prassana Khemariya, SRIJAN Smt. Stutilina Pal, SRIJAN Shri. Ashish Ambasta, SRIJAN Shri. Rakesh Kumar Singh, SRIJAN Shri. Kamlesh Kurmi, SRIJAN Smt. Shrishti Kushawaha, SRIJAN Shri. Ajay Bhan Singh, HUF Shri. Sandeep Khanvalkar, HUF Smt. Neetu Mathur, IAS, CEO ZP Tikamgarh Smt. Harshika Singh, IAS, District Collector Tikamgarh Shri Akshay Kumar Singh, IAS, District Collector Niwari Shri. Harsh Dixit, IAS, CEO ZP Chhatarpur Shri. Mohit Bundas, IAS, District Collector Chhatarpur Shri. Bhagwan Das Jatav, IAS, CEO ZP Datia Shri. Babu Singh Jamod, IAS, District Collector Datia Shri. Girish Mishra, IAS, CEO ZP Damoh Shri. Tarun Rathi, IAS, District Collector Damoh Shri. Balaguru K., IAS, CEO ZP Panna Shri. Karmveer Sharma,IAS, District Collector Panna Shri. Subhash Chandra Dey, DDM NABARD Tikamgarh Prof. RP Singh, College of Agriculture, Tikamgarh Shri. Vivek Dave, OSD, Government of MP Smt. Gauri Singh, former additional Chief Secretary, Government of MP Shri. KG Vyas, Water Expert i Table of Content Preface Acknowledgement iii Acronyms and Abbreviations v 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Traditional Water Bodies 2 1.2 Recent Initiative – BIWAL 3 1.3 About the Study 4 1.4 About the Report 4 2 Approach and Methodology 6 2.1 Objectives 6 2.2 Approach 6 2.3 Methodology 7 2.4 Sampling for In-depth Study 8 3 Profile of Tanks and Main Findings 12 3.1 About the Area 12 3.2 Community and Livelihoods 15 3.3 Social Capital 17 3.4 Current Status of Tanks 17 4 Repair and Rejuvenation Needs 23 4.1 Main Problems 23 4.2 Revival Measures Suggested 24 4.3 Potential Benefits 26 District wise Baseline Report Chhatarpur District Baseline Report 27-98 Niwari District Baseline Report 99-179 Tikamgarh District Baseline Report 181-254 Acronyms and Abbreviations ASA Action for Social Advancement BIWAL Bundelkhand Initiative for Water, Agriculture and Livelihood c. circa CARD Centre for Advanced Research and Development CBO Community Based Organisation CEO Chief Executive Officer CSO Civil Society Organisation CSR Corporate Social Responsibility DA Development Alternatives DP&RD Department of Panchayat and Rural Development FFS Farmers Field School FGD Focus Group Discussion GoMP Government of Madhya Pradesh IGG Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Good Governance and Policy Analysis IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change LEISA Low External Inputs Sustainable Agriculture NOC No Objection Certificate PFT Project Facilitation Team SDG Sustainable Development Goals SRIJAN Self Reliant Initiatives through Joint Action SWOT Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats TMC Tank Management Committee ZP Zila Panchayat iii 1. Introduction Bundelkhand region, covering thirteen contiguous districts of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, has a long history of water scarcity and draughts. It covers six districts from Uttar Pradesh (namely, Banda, Chitrakoot, Hamirpur, Jhansi, Lalitpur and Mahoba) and seven districts of Madhya Pradesh (Chhatarpur, Damoh, Datia, Niwari, Panna, Sagar and Tikamgarh). Geographically it straddles across the Vindhyan plateau (largely in Madhya Pradesh) and the Gangetic plains (mostly in Uttar Pradesh but also in Madhya Pradesh). Fig 1 : Bundelkhand Region 1 1.1 Traditional Water Bodies Bundelkhand region has hundreds of water bodies constructed by erstwhile rulers of princely states. These are principally known as the Chandela tanks, although some were built during the rule of later dynasties, including the Bundelas. Water harvested in these tanks has been utilised mainly for what is popularly known as Nistar purposes, that is household needs, by livestock and other domestic animals, and during scarcity even as drinking water. People were also allowed to fish, and for some communities this became the primary mode of livelihood. A large number of these thanks have provided water for irrigating crops. The oldest of these could be from as early as the ninth century. Tanks of Bundelkhand are an integral part of its undulating landscape and played a significant role in the lives of its people over the last several centuries. They are an important resource and determinant of lifestyle and livelihoods. Apart from adding to social and economic values, they contribute to Bundelkhand’s natural and aesthetic beauty inviting attention as facilities for rest and recreation. In the absence of a concerted plan either decentralised to the village level or by the government, and despite their continued usefulness, these tanks are in different stages of neglect and degradation. Siltation has reduced storage capacity. Irregular or absence of periodic maintenance has resulted in the waste weirs developing breaches. These have resulted in gradual reduction in the storage volume that can be made available for use. In the long run, this has contributed to water deficiency. Photograph of the Embankment It is recognised that these tanks were constructed to battle water scarcity in a region where monsoons have known to have played truant, every now and then in the past. In the present times, these tanks can play a bigger role by contributing to ground water recharge, irrigation of crops, and water for household needs and livestock rearing. These and other related concerns have led to a realisation that a concerted effort is required for achieving the goal of repair and reconstruction of all tanks and for the rejuvenation of the tank-based economies at the local level. To summarise, a large numbers of water harvesting tanks built over the last several centuries by its erstwhile rulers have served as a lifeline for the people, both in times of acute scarcity as well as in years of normal rainfall. Deforestation, diversion of catchment areas for other purposes, soil erosion and resultant siltation and an almost total neglect of maintenance has severely impacted their storage capacity and rendered many of them ineffective. Realising that revival of tanks can assure drinking water to many people living around the tanks and also can provide drought proofing for agriculture, which in turn will improve economic condition of the people, many efforts have been taken up by the Government and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to rehabilitate the traditional water bodies in Bundelkhand region. All these efforts led to a common consensus that the community participation is the key for the success of any revival exercise. Photograph of Tank bed and embankment 1.2 Recent Initiative - BIWAL Recently, a group of CSOs with long-standing experience of working in the Bundelkhand region, as well as in other parts of MP and UP on issues connected with water and livelihoods came together to form an informal consortium named the Bundelkhand Initiative for Water Agriculture and Livelihoods (BIWAL). It aims to work on a larger and comprehensive economic and social development of Bundelkhand, commencing with reviving the traditional water bodies through planned repair and restoration of the entire water harvesting structure and its associated components, both upstream and downstream. This revival work has been taken up in collaboration with the district administration, with Institute of Good Governance