1. RELEVANCE OF TRADITIONAL INDIAN METHODS OF WATER MANAGEMENT IN THE PRESENT ERA Vivek P. Kapadia, Government of Gujarat IWW-2016, PD-3

2. India’s Per Capita Water Availability WATER RESOURCES OF INDIA YearCubic meter Per Year 19014555 19513008 19711981 19911283 2025943 2050686 Against estimated annual precipitation of about 4,000 Billion Cubic Meters (BCM) including snow fall, India’s total annual renewable fresh water resources are estimated at 1953 BCM. INDIA IS A WATER STRESSED COUNTRY 2

3. India has increased its water storage capacity from a meager 15 BCM to more than 200 BCM by constructing over 4000 dams. Production of food grains in the country went up from around 50 million tonnes (1950-51) to 234 million tonnes (2008-09). POST-INDEPENDENCE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF INDIA Year Average (Gram Per Capita Per Day) 1951-60429.8 1961-70447.5 1971-80442.2 1981-90464.2 1990-2000475.5 2001-2005454.2 2006445.3 2007442.8 2008436.0 2009444.0 Per Capita Availability of Food Grains 3

4. Basic philosophy of any irrigation project – stopping the flowing water and diverting the same transversely SYSTEM OF DAMS AND CANALS Submergence Command Area CAN THE SAME STRATEGY BENEFIT ALL AND FOREVER ? 4

5. Principle – collect water from a large basin, create head and distribute wherever gravity permits – obviously larger topography falling towards river hence by head a small area can be commanded SYSTEM OF DAMS AND CANALS Submergence Command Area 5

6. Perhaps several large dams would not be justifiable INJUSTICE WITHIN COMMAND AREA AND ALONG THE RIVER Submerg ence Displacement Reservoir Riparian Rights Encroached Beneficiaries Versus Total deprivers Versus Non-beneficiaries Head reach farmers take undue advantage and usurp more water depriving the tail enders - within command area there is iniquitous 6

7. Large canal network, rehabilitation, land acquisition, etc. This phenomenon came to the notice in early seventies and therefore the schemes like Accelerated irrigation Benefit Programme and Command Area Development and Water Management Programme by the Government of India. Many dams could not have their command areas fully developed is a fact. This issue results in to total mess of the project, cost hike and many a time the benefits envisaged at the time of approving the project are finally never achieved. LONG GESTATION PERIOD – NEVER REACHING TARGET BENEFITS 7

8. Low efficiency – 35 to 50 % Uncontrolled irrigation – full command area never gets water Water logging – Punjab, Hariyana, etc. Boiling states - Cauvery Dispute, Ravi-Beas-Satluj Dispute, etc. BUNDLE OF ISSUES NOW FELT CRITICAL 8

9. BREAKEVEN POINT IN THE STRATEGY JOURNEY SO FAR IS NOT TO BE REVERSED, BUT THE SIGNS OF BREAKEVEN POINT MUST BE VIEWED SERIOUSLY 9

10. LOPSIDED DISTRIBUTION OF SURFACE WATER Sl. No. Name of the River Basin Average annual availability in Cubic Km per Year 1.Indus (up to Border)73.31 2.a) Ganga525.02 b) Brahmaputra, Barak & Others585.60 3.Godavari110.54 4.Krishna78.12 5.Cauvery21.36 6.Pennar6.32 7.East Flowing Rivers Between Mahanadi & Pennar22.52 8.East Flowing Rivers Between Pennar and Kanyakumari16.46 9.Mahanadi66.88 10.Brahmani & Baitarni28.48 11.Subernarekha12.37 12.Sabarmati3.81 13.Mahi11.02 14.West Flowing Rivers of Kutch, Sabarmati including Luni15.10 15.Narmada45.64 16.Tapi14.88 17.West Flowing Rivers from Tapi to Tadri87.41 18.West Flowing Rivers from Tadri to Kanyakumari113.53 19.Area of Inland drainage in Rajasthan desertNEG. 20.Minor River Basins Draining in to Different Rivers31.00 Total1869.35 10

11. ACTUAL ENCOMPASSMENT OF BENEFITS Million hectare It is estimated that about 174 million hectares of land (53%) suffers from different types and varying degrees of degradation. Geographical Area328.73 Forest67.8 Not available for cultivation41.56 Other uncultivated land28.36 Fallow Land24.10 Net area sown142.02 Land Use Details of India (Million Hectare) Not many dams are feasible – all sites explored – all rivers bound Up to 10 th Plan Irrigation Potential Created – 98.95 Mha, Irrigation Potential Utilised – 83.56 Mha 11

12. Remaining land i.e. outside command area needs to be addressed which is larger than the irrigated by the conventional approach Dependence on groundwater is not viable everywhere Usable water is really scarce and lopsidedly distributed Diverting river water can not address the needs Dams constructed on all rivers but all agriculturable land can not be irrigated 12

13. WHAT COULD BE THE PARADIGM SHIFT 13

14. TRADITIONAL INDIAN PRACTICES Distributed resource management is the key principle – even distribution of benefits Small scale essential Riparian rights a basic consideration Various types as per site suitability 14

15. TRADITIONAL INDIAN PRACTICES Water viewed wholisticlally – rainfall, run-off, groundwater, etc. Gestation period small Capital investment small Maintenance and repairs small Only protective irrigation – no change in cropping pattern Peoples’ participation 15

16. BAMBOO DRIP IRRIGATION SYSTEM Bamboo drip irrigation system is practised mainly in the Jaintia and Khasi Hills of Meghalaya for the last 200 years. This is a useful irrigation system in a place where there is water scarcity and soils are poor in water holding capacity, the topography is rocky and undulating and irrigation is required for crops that need relatively less water. Bamboo Channels 16

17. ZABO SYSTEM 17

18. ZABO SYSTEM The zabo (the word means ‘impounding run-off') system is practiced in Nagaland in north-eastern India. Also known as the ruza system, it combines water conservation with forestry, agriculture and animal care. The Zabo system consists of a protected forestland towards the top of the hill, water-harvesting tanks in the middle and cattle yard and paddy fields at the lower side. 18

19. CAN THE TRADITIONAL SYSTEMS BE REVIVED ? ARE THEY REALLY RELEVANT TODAY ? NOT AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO DAMS AND CANALS BUT AS A COMPLEMENT 19

20. CHECKDAMS Over 40,000 checkdams in 5 years on participatory basis 20

21. INSTANT EFFECT 21

22. CONCLUSIONS Without addressing the entire agriculturable land, potential of land resources could not be fully utilized and water sector can not be said to be in order Placing Water Sector in order is the key to Indian prosperity – all other corrections would follow When Mahanalobis Model was accepted, Dr. Rabindra Nath Tagore sarcastically passed a comment – “Nature has given different question papers to different countries. If some country copies the answer-sheet of some other, he would obviously fail in the examination of nature.” 22

23. THANKS TO ALL 23