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Tank Status |
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STATUS OF THE TANK SYSTEMS IN
KARNATAKA |
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The southern Indian State of Karnataka is dotted by 36,672
tanks with a potential command area of 6,85,000 ha. These
tanks have an irrigation command area of less than 2,000 ha
with 90% having a command of less than 40 ha. The actual
area irrigated by these tanks have shown a consistently
declining trend with the current irrigation at 2,40,000 ha.
This is only 35% of the total potential.
The decline in
these multipurpose rainwater harvesting structures have its
crucial impact not only on the economic scenario of rural
Karnataka but have far reaching impacts on socio-cultural
and environmental aspects. In spite of the fact that the
decline of tank irrigated area is a common phenomenon
through out the country, for Karnataka it assumes greater
significance. While the national average irrigated area is
around 32%, Karnataka has only 20% of its net cropped area
under irrigation. The problem is compounded by the fact that
54% of the geographical area of the state is drought-prone
compared to only 16% in the country. The improvements of the
tank system is critical to enhance the utility of these
tanks in the dry areas for supplementary irrigation. This
will also help meet drinking water problems as well as
recharge underground water. The reasons for the neglect of
tank system can be summarised as follows:
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- The abolition of ownership rights over private tanks
and take over of Zamindari tanks by the government.
- The declining capital expenditure and lower
allocations for maintenance and repairs on tank system.
- Poor management of integrated tank system, including
its structures and distribution system.
- Involvement of multiple agencies and lack of
coordination among them.
- Increased access to alternative sources of water
(both surface and groundwater) and method of extraction
and government’s support on massive scale for
groundwater extraction.
- political interference laced with poor technical
capabilities in location and construction of new tanks
and their size hampered the water regulation and
capacity of centuries old upstream/downstream tanks in
recent decades.
- Growing conflicts between tank bed cultivators
(including unauthorized) and command farmers.
- Increased control by the government agencies with
accountability.
- No participation and control by local communities,
and
- Lack of government policy and programme support for
traditional water management institutions and their
neglect.
- Equating tank irrigation with canal irrigation and
undermining the role of communities resulted in
de-linking community from tank systems.
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Other reasons for the decline in the tank area and poor
management of its structure can be broadly classified into
social and economic factors as given in fallow |
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Social and economic factors responsible for the decline
in the tank area |
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| Social |
Economic |
- Though the tanks exist
geographically in the village vicinity, its
control and administration has moved to a
distant place. For those who control them from a
distance, the tank is merely a physical object
and a source of revenue.
- There is a shift of
authority from the visible local community to
the invisible government.
- Emergence of
livelihood patterns that are increasingly
independent of tank-based occupations.
- Siltation and
encroachment of the tanks, and the neglect by
local communities and by the authorities located
at a distance.
- Commodification of
water has increased owing to less and difficult
access to tank water as common property. Now
individuals, who own water extraction mechanisms
(like tube well, diesel engine) control water
more.
- Breakdown of the
values attached to tank and tank water.
- Cumulatively, a
decline (if not disappearance) of the community
interests in maintaining the tanks.
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- Changed user
expectations from the tanks owing to emphasis on
increased food production, high yields supported
with major irrigation projects and regular canal
water supplies, and better controlled tube well
water use.
- State’s shift in
emphasis (in terms of financial investments and
agricultural production) on major and medium
irrigation.
- Heavy subsidies in
power supply for irrigation pump sets, and
discounted loans to install tube wells have
nearly killed the community initiatives, and
indigenous knowledge, while increasing farmers’
dependence on government support.
- Inadequate financial
allocation for operation and maintenance of tank
projects.
- Declining attention
and investment on tanks owing to little scope
for rent seeking.
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Present Management of Tanks |
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Of the 36,672 tanks in the state having a command area of 1
ha-2,000 ha, those tanks irrigating less than 4 ha are
managed by the Taluka Panchayats, those irrigating 4 ha-40
ha are managed by Zilla Panchayats. The remaining tanks
having a command area of over 40 ha and less than 2,000 ha
are managed by the Department of Minor Irrigation and those
above 2,000 ha are with the Department of Major Irrigation.
The size-wise distribution of the tanks is given in below. |
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Distribution of Tanks in Karnataka according to Command
Area |
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Sl.No. |
Command Area |
%
of Tanks |
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1 |
Below 4 hectares |
41% |
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2 |
4 to 20 hectares |
42% |
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3 |
20 to 40 hectares |
9% |
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4 |
40 to 2000 hectares |
7% |
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5 |
Above 2000 hectares |
1% |
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The Department of Minor Irrigation with its army of
technical and administrative staff deployed at various
levels is not able to properly maintain the tanks attached
to it. The reasons attributed for this are many and varied.
The Department feels that there is inadequate staff
deployment. There is also paucity of funds for undertaking
proper maintenance of these structures especially for those
managed by the PRIs. There is very little involvement of the
actual users in the upkeep and maintenance of the tank
systems. The tank management is reckoned as a job of these
agencies and involves only the engineering skills.
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Small tanks with less than 4 ha command area, were always
managed by the taluk board. There was hardly any improvement
or maintenance of tank system by the Panchayat institution.
As of now in the absence of any budgetary provision, the
onus responsibility of tanks irrigating less than four
hectares is ambiguous. Whether the maintenance of such small
tanks are the responsibility of ZP or TP or GP is not clear.
Multiple Government agencies like departments of Fisheries,
Forestry, Mines & Geology, Revenue, Agriculture and
horticulture still have a role in tank systems, in
particularly so in the tanks having a command area above
four hectares. |
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