Journal of Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development

A study on participatory management of rural tanks and their need for modernization for sustainable rural development in Tamilnadu

Abstract

Accepted 16^th November, 2014

Villages are the platform in large for water conservation and storage, through tanks and ponds which are the traditional water storage systems mostly built in all semi arid tropical regions of India.  They have been played an important role in the water history of India as tanks are the largest source of irrigations continued until the mid 1970s.  Tanks have brought out the benefits to their dependents, who are the farmers, villagers through the provision of irrigation, domestic use, fisheries, groundwater recharge, and shelter for birds, social forestry, flood regulation and drought mitigation.  Majority tanks in the southern parts of the country have been reduced and decayed, due to various reasons of individual community as well as the natural factors of severe encroachment, unauthorized cultivation, heavy silt, weed and improper maintenance. In this context the present paper is aimed to disclose the importance of tanks and ponds in the rural water resources management, the problems related to tanks and ponds which including internal and external problems and the suitable suggestions were made to save the such type of natural resources viz., tanks and ponds, in order to effective management of rural water resources. The present paper is mainly emphasized the rural tanks located in the select villages of Tamilnadu, where the play a vital in rural development in sustainable manner.

Keywords: Participatory management, rural tanks, sustainable rural development, Tamilnadu