The traditional water harvesting system that existed decades ago in various Indian states is as relevant today as it was then and perhaps even more. Present day India is no stranger to nature’s fury like floods, drought, famine and hurricanes, and it would be well to learn from the old but true wisdom of traditional customs of water harvesting. There is also need to provide qualitative and quantitative irrigation to various agriculture fields to enhance the production of food grains and improve the livelihood of people in India.

We analyze tunnel wells (surangams), traditional water harvesting systems, which have been innovated and nurtured by farmers in the Enmakaje panchayat in the state of Kerala in South India for decades. We show how the genesis and design of the indigenous knowledge-based water harvesting systems are shaped by agro-ecological conditions. We also identify issues that affect the sustainability of tunnel wells in the changing agrarian context in this region.

This is with reference to the article by M Dinesh Kumar et al (EPW, 30 August 2008) and the discussion by K V Rao et al (EPW, 9 May 2009).

This note argues that the critique

Spate irrigation is an ancient form of water harvesting. It is a method of managing unpredictable and potentially destructive flash floods for crop and livestock production. By making water available, it can contribute to increasing the diversity of farming systems where it is found. It is the major source of livelihood for many communities in west Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

Rainwater harvesting is an age-old practice in India. It is a process of collection of runoff from treated or untreated land surfaces/catchments or rooftops and storing it in an open farm pond or closed water tanks/ reservoirs or in situ moisture strorage in the soil itself.