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VOL. 3, ISSUE 1 (2021)
Neither pani nor panchayat: Tracing hydraulic exclusion beneath pani panchayats
Authors
K Gulam Dasthagir
Abstract
Premised on the proposition that Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) is imperative for improving the performance of irrigation systems, this study endeavors to examine the performance of tail-end Water User Associations (WUAs) in Tamil Nadu. For this purpose, since Tail-end deprivation is the pervasive issue in canal irrigation, applying cluster random sampling design, one of the nine major irrigation systems of Tamil Nadu viz. Sathanur irrigation system is selected for this study. Among the two districts served by this irrigation system, five tail-end WUAs under Villupuram District are chosen for data collection. Based on in-depth interviews with presidents of Tail-end WUAs and focus group interviews with farmers of Tail-end villages, this article articulates the predicaments of canal water management adversely affecting irrigated agriculture as well as farmer’s participation in irrigation management at the tail-end villages in a major irrigation system. The multi-village and multi caste composition of WUAs formed on hydrological basis pose impediments to organization of collective action in tail-end villages. Further, gender disaggregated data depicts the impact of irrigation water source on the pattern of livelihood of land farmers in tail-end WUAs. Accordingly, this article argues that the persistence of hydraulic exclusion of tail-end farmers organized beneath the legislative paradigm of participatory irrigation management largely reproduce defunct WUAs, informal market of water hiring, landed agricultural laborers and women exclusion among tail-end farmers in large-scale irrigation systems.
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Pages:30-37
How to cite this article:
K Gulam Dasthagir "Neither pani nor panchayat: Tracing hydraulic exclusion beneath pani panchayats ". International Journal of Social Science and Humanities, Vol 3, Issue 1, 2021, Pages 30-37
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