Rehabilitation and Management of Tanks in India: A Study of Select States

Abstract

Tanks have been the main source of irrigation in many parts of India for centuries The country experiences extreme climates within its 329 million hectares of geographical area and the characteristic of the Indian monsoons necessitated creating storage facilities to hold the monsoon rainwater and utilize it later. An extensive system of rainwater harvesting structures comprising tanks and ponds had been built and maintained by the people for centuries but a steady decline of these structures required a rehabilitation program. This study presents some of these programs.