| EASTERN
GHATS |
Professor
A Vaidyanathan
Professor Vaidyanathan is an eminent agricultural
scientist, whose area of specialisation is management of tanks.
He led the study conducted by the Madras Institute of Development
Studies, that has made a case for the renovation of tanks, traditionally
managed by the communities in South India to mitigate water
crisis in urban as well as rural areas. Vaidyanathan=92s publication,
Tanks of South India, that takes an in-depth look at these issues
has wide acclaim. At present, he is the chairperson of the Tamil
Nadu unit of the National Water Harvester's Network. Formerly,
he held the post of chairperson, government of India, Planning
Commission Committee on Irrigation Pricing (1992) and Member,
government of TamilNadu, High Power Committee on
Wasteland and Watershed Development (1996) as well as Chairperson,
Indian Society of Agricultural Economics. He has written books
like India's Agricultural Development in a Regional Perspective,
Performance of Indian agriculture since Independence in Agrarian
Questions: Water and Resources Management: Institutions and
Irrigation in India by Kaushik Basu (ed.).
For details:
Professor A Vaidyanathan
B-1 Sonali Apts
11 Beach Road
Chennai 600090
Ph: (044)24919607
C
R Shanmugam
C R Shanmugam is a civil engineer by profession. He works as
a project consultant for Dhan Foundation, a Madurai-based NGO.
He has revived 20.000 300-1.000-year-old water tanks. They are
now managed by people In villages across Tamil Nadu. The tanks
recharge groundwater besides ensuring water for Irrigation.
"A man with a vision and wisdom" is what people say
about him. But. In all humility. Shanmugam believes he is "only
a cog In the wheel". |
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 Devendra
Sixty-year-old Devendra is the president of the Kedar Village
Tank Farmers Society in Tamil Nadu. The society was formed in
1989 and there are around 217 members working with it from 13
different communities. The society operates and irrigates an
area of approximately 119 hectares. The Centre for Water Resources,
Anna University gave the society Rs 27.6 lakh for the research
purpose in 1990. After forming the society they collected Rs
40,000 as seed money and the government also pitched in with
a grant of Rs 50,000 for the work. The society designed the
structures themselves and constructed a 1.5 km long road all
along the canal to maintain it and also to mobilise their vehicles
and machines for their fields. This reduced the cost of transportation
and the villagers could save 50 per cent of the cost of harvesting.
Initially, the society collected money from the villagers
and the Irrigation Management Training Institute, Trichi,
gave them a generous grant, which the society has kept in
a fixed deposit and the interest on it is used for maintenance
purposes that costs them Rs 30,000 per annum.
Devendra says, "Before the intervention of the society,
small farmers did not get water because big land owners took
a long time to irrigate their land. The society intervened
and constructed an earthen sub-channel so that the water reaches
both the small and big landowners."
Initially the society did face difficulties like water channels
being damaged but it was checked by the active cooperation
of local people who fixed a fine of Rs 100 for such irresponsible
acts.
People reported an increase in the productivity of their
lands due to the availability of water even during the drought
months. This has drastically changed their economic status.
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E R R Sadasivam
E R R Sadasivam is the owner of a 'tree museum' In Elur village
In Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu. Spread over 30 ha. the
museum houses 100 tree species whose Inhabitants Include hyena,
wild cat. jackals and peacocks. But when he Inherited this property
In 1950. It wasn't all that green. He started work In his land
and forced villagers to do the same. Now 112 villages are his
beneficiaries. And all their barren land has been converted
to woodlands. All this. without any financial help. Profit is
not his motive. Happiness lies In making people understand the
value of trees, he says. A 'national asset' is what his peers
have to say about him. |
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Ganesan
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Ganesan
Ganesan manages the water supply of Madaivini Patti. a hamlet
on the outskirts of village Vairavan Patti In district Madurai.
Tamil Nadu. He is a neerkatti (or Irrigator).
If effective kanmoy (tank) management is crucial to social harmony.
Ganesan provides It. He knows the village topography like the
back of his hand. He knows exactly where the water comes from
and where It should go. He knows the water needs of each and
every farmer. His work starts before the monsoon. He also maintains
the kanmoy embankments. Crucially, he operates the sluice valves
that release water In the channels.
Ganesan is poor. To maintain the channels and the kanmoy, he
receives rice from each farmer In proportion to field size (4.5
kg of rice per 60 cents of crop area). In addition, he gets
4 kg of rice from each farmer for operating the sluice valves.
However, work In the village is restricted to the monsoon. In
the off-season, he has to look for dally wage work either as
an agricultural labourer or In the nearby towns as a loader.
Some days are good. he manages Rs 50. Others are bad.
Ganesan's two sons and four daughters are not Interested In
carrying on the neerkatti tradition. But as long as there are
paddy fields, the limited water will need to be managed with
care. There will have to be a neerkatti. |
Vasimalai
M P
M.P. Vasimalai is Executive
Director of a national NGO, Professional Assistance for Development
Action (PRADAN) in India. After his graduation in Agronomy,
he served for two years on an irrigation research program with
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University. Subsequently, he completed
management studies at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.
He worked with a Gandhian NGO to actualize the self-governance
of villages by promoting people organizations and facilitating
the implementation of poverty alleviation programs by village
assemblies. He was involved in enhancing the capacity of NGOs
in natural resource management for more than a decade. He is
a member of a national advisory committee to the Water Resources
Ministry whose goal is to build farmers' stakes in Government
programs. He is currently involved in Institutional development
of people-based economic organisations. He provided
advice to field operations in natural resource management enterprise
promotion and rural women's credit programs.
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