PLA Notes CD-ROM 1988-2001 11 The use of PRA in rehabilitating minor irrigation tanks

Document begins: PLA Notes CD-ROM 1988­2001 11 The use of PRA in rehabilitating minor irrigation tanks S. Kasivelu, Rupert Howes and John Devavaram Introduction Bridging the knowledge gap As for much of India, the State of Tamil Nadu The successful rehabilitation of a minor is characterised by numerous small irrigation irrigation tank depends on effective tanks. These tanks, most of them rainfed, often communication between the farmers and SMIT cover a large area of apparent wasteland and programme personnel. Farmers possess a generally have the capacity to irrigate 20-40 wealth of knowledge about their local hectares of farmland. During the dry season it environment and the peculiarities of their is often difficult to distinguish severely irrigation tank. External engineers and deteriorated tank-bed land from non-tank land. specialists would be hard pressed to gain Lack of maintenance, accumulated siltation, anything like this knowledge without several and the disappearance of traditional tank field trips (spaced over several weeks), clearly management practices (Kudimaramath1) have neither feasible nor realistic given time and resulted in a widespread and significant cost restrictions. However, the officials reduction in tank storage capacities. concerned with the standardisation work are Consequently agricultural output and trained and expert in macro-level planning ...