Th paper begins with a brief history of the region of Southern Kanada, its geography and the religious practices of the region. Some of the key features of this region includes an abundance of rivers though they mostly are rain-fed.
The author observes that the problem of water scarcity in this region is a post-independence problem. There are 540 tanks and ponds in this region, though they are silted or covered with weeds today.
Three types of water management practices are highlighted in this paper. Madagas which is the creation of water catchment areas at the base of a slope, Tanks found in villages and temples and finally Channels that were dug to connect paddy fields to small streams and rivulets.
The author ends his paper with the current status of these water structures, he observes that they are under threat because of dumping of garbage and industrialisation.
This paper was presented at the National Seminar on Water and Culture organised by Kannada University and Sahayoga in 2007.
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