This paper argues that the interest in rejuvenating the tank irrigation system of south India needs to be supplemented by an alternate paradigm that seeks to combine the technological and the social within the same frame. Important tasks such as desilting of tanks have to continue - to show the possibilities of tank irrigation even in its state of disrepair. However realization of the true potentials of tanks needs a deeper understanding of the tank system and its design principles. The latter has received little attention from engineers; and the descriptions by social scientists and others, though eloquent, have been sketchy with regard to technical details. This paper revisits an exploration into the network of 200 tanks in Kolar, Karnataka where larger questions were examined. Questions such as: what are the limits to modification of the tank system and how does this system respond to ad-hoc changes, what are the rules that govern how and when a tank can be added or removed in the system, how were they designed to minimize silting- in the light of their longevity etc.
Technological and Policy Implications of Tank Systems: Reflections from Tank Irrigation in Kolar District, Karnataka
by Dr. Chitra Krishnan and Dr. C. Shambu Prasad, Xavier Institute of Management, 01 January, 1970