Rethinking rehabilitation: socio-ecology of tanks and water harvesting in Rajasthan, North-west India

In the arid and semi- arid Indian state of Rajasthan, tanks and ponds have been a mainstay of rural communities for centuries. There are over 4600 large minor irrigation tanks, plus numerous johads, bandhs and pals (small water harvesting structures). This paper assesses a strategy proposed for rehabilitating 1200 of the larger tanks. It argues that treating tanks only as flow irrigation systems—which lies at the center of the mainstream thinking on rehabilitating surface irrigation systems is very likely to result in a flawed strategy when applied to tanks. Instead, reviewing the successful experience of NGOs like PRADAN and Tarun Bharat Sangh in reviving and rehabilitating clusters of small traditional water harvesting structures at a watershed level, it posits that Rajasthan's tanks belong more to the watershed development domain than to the irrigation domain and that a strategy that views tanks as multi-use socio-ecological constructs, and which recognizes varied stakeholder groups is more likely to enhance the social value of tanks.

Institutional reforms in Indian irrigation:

"Irrigation is critical to food security and economic growth in contemporary India. The performance of irrigation systems is of serious concern to farmers who rely on them for their crops and livelihoods and to governments that have invested heavily in their development. The most severe problems facing Indian irrigation systems are the increasing costs of new schemes, the huge backlog of incomplete schemes, and the increasing neglect of existing systems. Large-scale canal irrigation systems, in particular, are in poor condition: they are not properly maintained, operations are inadequate, water supplies do not reach the end of systems, and the timing of water supply is unreliable. The wide gap between actual and desirable performance threatens the sustainability of irrigated agriculture. How did this state of affairs come to pass?....[The authors conclude that] more than just structural changes are necessary to achieve adequate reform and improve the performance and long-term sustainability of irrigation systems. Changes in attitudes are also required in how government agencies view farmers and how farmers depend on the government." From Text

Pricing, subsidies, and institutional reforms in Indian irrigation

Non-PRIFPRI4; SAI; Public Policy and InvestmentMTI

RETHINKING REHABILITATION: SOCIO-ECOLOGY OF TANKS AND WATER HARVESTING IN RAJASTHAN, NORTH-WEST INDIA

In the arid and semi-arid Indian state of Rajasthan, tanks and ponds have been a mainstay of rural communities for centuries. There are over 4600 large minor irrigation tanks, plus numerous johads, bandhs and pals (small water harvesting structures). This paper assesses a strategy proposed for rehabilitating 1200 of the larger tanks. It argues that treating tanks only as flow irrigation systems—which lies at the center of the mainstream thinking on rehabilitating surface irrigation systems--is very likely to result in a flawed strategy when applied to tanks. Instead, reviewing the successful experience of NGOs like PRADAN and Tarun Bharat Sangh in reviving and rehabilitating clusters of small traditional water harvesting structures at a watershed level, it posits that Rajasthan’s tanks belong more to the watershed development domain than to the irrigation domain and that a strategy that views tanks as multi-use socio-ecological constructs, and which recognizes varied stakeholder groups is more likely to enhance the social value of tanks

INNOVATIONS IN IRRIGATION FINANCING: TAPPING DOMESTIC FINANCIAL MARKETS IN INDIA

Financing for water projects, especially for irrigation, has been moving towards collapse in recent years due to declining donor and government funding. Some Indian states have undertaken innovative institutional reforms by setting up financially autonomous corporations to mobilise required funds from the domestic bond market. This analysis of the performance of one such corporation, Karnataka's Krishna Bhagya Jal Nigam Limited, indicates that although adequate funds were mobilised, and physical works are on schedule, the new institution did not attempt to enhance overall irrigation performance and to move towards financial sustainability of the irrigation project. This paper describes the background of this institution, its achievements, inadequacies and potential of the innovative efforts made in irrigation financing reforms

WHAT AFFECTS ORGANIZATION AND COLLECTIVE ACTION FOR MANAGING RESOURCES? EVIDENCE FROM CANAL IRRIGATION SYSTEMS IN INDIA

Policies of devolving management of resources from the state to user groups are premised upon the assumption that users will organize and take on the necessary management tasks. While experience has shown that in many places users do so and are very capable, expansion of co-management programs beyond initial pilot sites often shows that this does not happen everywhere. Yet, much is at stake in this, with more widespread adoption of irrigation management transfers and other forms of community-based resource management. It is therefore important to move beyond isolated case studies to comparative analysis of the conditions for collective action. This paper identifies factors affecting organization of water users associations, and collective action by farmers in major canal irrigation systems in India, based on quantitative and qualitative analysis of a stratified sample of 48 minors in four irrigation systems (two each in Rajasthan and Karnataka). Using key variables suggested by the theoretical and case study literature, the study first examines the conditions under which farmers are likely to form formal or informal associations at the level of the minor (serving several watercourses, and one or more villages). Results indicate that organizations are more likely to be formed in larger commands, closer to market towns, and in sites with religious centers and potential leadership from college graduates and influential persons, but head/tail location does not have a major effect. We then examine factors affecting two different forms of collective action related to irrigation systems: collective representation and maintenance of the minors. Lobbying activities are not more likely where there are organizations, but organizations do increase the likelihood of collective maintenance work

tapping domestic financial markets in India

"Financing for water projects, especially for irrigation, has been moving towards collapse in recent years due to declining donor and government funding. Some Indian states have undertaken innovative institutional reforms by setting up financially autonomous corporations to mobilise required funds from the domestic bond market. This analysis of the performance of one such corporation, Karnataka's Krishna Bhagya Jal Nigam Limited, indicates that although adequate funds were mobilised, and physical works are on schedule, the new institution did not attempt to enhance overall irrigation performance and to move towards financial sustainability of the irrigation project. This paper describes the background of this institution, its achievements, inadequacies and potential of the innovative efforts made in irrigation financing reforms." -- Authors' AbstractNon-PRIFPRI1MSSD; MTI

Institutional reforms in irrigation financing: a case of Krishna Bhagya Jal Nigam Limited

PRIFPRI3; Public Policy and Investment; CAPRiEPTD; MTI