291
16.8 Conclusion
The above discussions clearly expose how the people of the Himalayan foothill belt
of Assam have traditionally responded to their local environment, particularly the
peculiar hydrological situation of the area. Based on their traditional knowledge and
skills, they have developed a water management system most suitable to their local
ecology and agricultural economy. As the area is located in the bhabar zone, south
of the lower Himalayas, there has been serious scarcity of water during the winter
months, which is mitigated collectively by the villagers themselves without any
support from outside. Their perceptions of the local environment and community
effort to adapt to the situation have proved to be sustainable from both ecological
and socio-economic points of view. However, the rapid growth of population in the
area and the growing impact of market economy have made the traditional system
of water management increasingly vulnerable, and its maintenance has now become
a challenging task. The present study, which is first of its kind in the context of the
study area, may go a long way in planning and policy-making for sustainable development of water resources and related agricultural activities in the area.
References
Baker JM (1999) Persistence, transformation and demise within the gravity flow irrigation systems (Kuhls) of Kangra Valley, Himachal Pradesh. Paper presented at UBC Vancouver, CISAR
Workshop on The Co-Operative Management of Water Resources in South Asia
Baker JM (2007) The Kuhls of Kangra: community-managed irrigation in the western Himalaya.
University of Washington Press, Washington
Bekele Z, Tilahun K (2006) On-farm performance evaluation of improved traditional small-scale
irrigation practices: a case study from Dire Dawa area, Ethiopia. Irrig Drain Syst 20(1):83–98
Boakye MK, Akpor OB (2012) Community participation in water resources management in South
Africa. Int J Environ Sci Dev 3(6):511–513
De D (2014) Nehruvian vision of sustainable development for tribals in India: a critique. South
Asia Res 34(1):1–18
Devi CV (2018) Participatory management of irrigation system in North Eastern region of India.
Int J Rural Manag 14(1):69–79
Dhawan BD (1989) Mounting antagonism towards big dams. Econ Polit Wkly 24(20):1096–1099
Dutta SP (2015) Traditional rainwater harvesting at crossroads, proceedings Aqua-Foundation IX
World Congress, Reviving Traditional Water and Environmental Techniques, pp 93–115
Fischer HW (2017) Harnessing the state: social transformation, infrastructural development, and
the changing governance of water Systems in the Kangra District of the Indian Himalayas. Ann
Am Assoc Geogr 107(2):480–489
Fischer G, Tubiello FN, Van Velthuizen H, Wiberg DA (2007) Climate change impacts on irrigation water requirements: effects of mitigation, 1990–2080. Technol Forecast Soc Chang
74(7):1083–1107
Joshi NN, Ostrom E, Shivakoti GP, Lam WF (2000) Institutional opportunities and constraints
in the performance of farmer-managed irrigation systems in Nepal. Asia-Pac J Rural Dev
10(2):67–92
Konzmann M, Gerten D, Heinke J (2013) Climate impacts on global irrigation requirements under
19 GCMs, simulated with a vegetation and hydrology model. Hydrol Sci J 58(1):88–105
16 Traditional Water Management System and Agricultural Sustainability…
16.8 Conclusion
The above discussions clearly expose how the people of the Himalayan foothill belt
of Assam have traditionally responded to their local environment, particularly the
peculiar hydrological situation of the area. Based on their traditional knowledge and
skills, they have developed a water management system most suitable to their local
ecology and agricultural economy. As the area is located in the bhabar zone, south
of the lower Himalayas, there has been serious scarcity of water during the winter
months, which is mitigated collectively by the villagers themselves without any
support from outside. Their perceptions of the local environment and community
effort to adapt to the situation have proved to be sustainable from both ecological
and socio-economic points of view. However, the rapid growth of population in the
area and the growing impact of market economy have made the traditional system
of water management increasingly vulnerable, and its maintenance has now become
a challenging task. The present study, which is first of its kind in the context of the
study area, may go a long way in planning and policy-making for sustainable development of water resources and related agricultural activities in the area.
References
Baker JM (1999) Persistence, transformation and demise within the gravity flow irrigation systems (Kuhls) of Kangra Valley, Himachal Pradesh. Paper presented at UBC Vancouver, CISAR
Workshop on The Co-Operative Management of Water Resources in South Asia
Baker JM (2007) The Kuhls of Kangra: community-managed irrigation in the western Himalaya.
University of Washington Press, Washington
Bekele Z, Tilahun K (2006) On-farm performance evaluation of improved traditional small-scale
irrigation practices: a case study from Dire Dawa area, Ethiopia. Irrig Drain Syst 20(1):83–98
Boakye MK, Akpor OB (2012) Community participation in water resources management in South
Africa. Int J Environ Sci Dev 3(6):511–513
De D (2014) Nehruvian vision of sustainable development for tribals in India: a critique. South
Asia Res 34(1):1–18
Devi CV (2018) Participatory management of irrigation system in North Eastern region of India.
Int J Rural Manag 14(1):69–79
Dhawan BD (1989) Mounting antagonism towards big dams. Econ Polit Wkly 24(20):1096–1099
Dutta SP (2015) Traditional rainwater harvesting at crossroads, proceedings Aqua-Foundation IX
World Congress, Reviving Traditional Water and Environmental Techniques, pp 93–115
Fischer HW (2017) Harnessing the state: social transformation, infrastructural development, and
the changing governance of water Systems in the Kangra District of the Indian Himalayas. Ann
Am Assoc Geogr 107(2):480–489
Fischer G, Tubiello FN, Van Velthuizen H, Wiberg DA (2007) Climate change impacts on irrigation water requirements: effects of mitigation, 1990–2080. Technol Forecast Soc Chang
74(7):1083–1107
Joshi NN, Ostrom E, Shivakoti GP, Lam WF (2000) Institutional opportunities and constraints
in the performance of farmer-managed irrigation systems in Nepal. Asia-Pac J Rural Dev
10(2):67–92
Konzmann M, Gerten D, Heinke J (2013) Climate impacts on global irrigation requirements under
19 GCMs, simulated with a vegetation and hydrology model. Hydrol Sci J 58(1):88–105
16 Traditional Water Management System and Agricultural Sustainability…