Irrigation tank

An irrigation tank or tank in India refers to an artificial lake or reservoir of any size. (The word "sagar" refers to a large lake, usually man-made).cite web
url=http://www.indoarch.org/arch_glossary.php
title=Architecture on the Indian Subcontinent - glossary
publisher=
accessdate=2006-12-18 ] It can also be a natural or spring included as part of a structure. Tanks are part of an ancient tradition of harvesting and preserving the local rainfall and water from streams and rivers for later use, primarily for agriculture and drinking water, but also for sacred bathing and ritual. Often a tank was constructed across a slope so to collect and store water by taking advantage of local mounds and depressions. [cite web
url=http://www.rainwaterharvesting.org/Rural/Dhan.htm
title=Tank management
publisher=rainwaterharvesting.org
accessdate=2006-10-17 ] Tank use is especially critical in parts of South India without perennial rainfall where water supply replenishment is dependent on a cycle of dry seasons alternating with monsoon seasons.

For etymology, see Storage tank#Etymology.

Tank design

Water is considered a purifying and regenerative element in India, and is an essential element of prayer and ritual. Water is also revered because of its scarcity in western India where dry and monsoon seasons alternate and failure of the monsoon season means famine and death while plentiful water replacing irrigations sources is a time of rejoicing. This resulted in building water storage tanks that combined the practical and sacred. [cite book
first= Binda
last= Thapar
year= 2004
title= Introduction to Indian Architecture
edition=
publisher= Periplus Editions
location=Singapore
pages= p 24
id= ISBN 0794600115] Since ancient times, the design of water storage has been important in India'a architecture As early as 3000 BC sophisticated systems of drains, wells and tanks were built to conserve and utilise water. Tank building as an art form began with the Hindus and developed under Muslim rule. [cite web
url=http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/Culture/Archit/Stepw.html
title=Architecture - Stepwells
publisher=
accessdate=2007-01-09]

An example of the art of tank design is the large, geometically spectacular Stepped Tank at the Royal Center at the ruins of Vijayanagara, the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire, surrounding the modern town of Hampi. It is lined with green diorite and has no drain. The tank was filled by aqueduct. [cite web
url=http://www.art-and-archaeology.com/india/hampi/lt01.html
title=Great Tank
publisher=art-and-archaeology
accessdate=2007-01-13]

Village tanks

Ralegaon Siddhi is an example of a village that revitalised its ancient tank system.In 1975 the village was drought-stricken. The village tank could not hold water as the earthen embankment dam wall leaked. Work began with the percolation tank construction by the villagers who donated their labor to repair the embankment. Once this was fixed, the village's seven wells below the tank filled with water in the summer for the first time in memory. Now the village has a supply of water throughout the year. [cite web
url=http://www.rainwaterharvesting.org/Rural/Ralegan.htm
title=Ralegan Siddhi : A village Transformed
publisher=
accessdate=2006-10-30 ]

Kunds

Tanks known as "kunds" are reservoirs with steps, generally found in South India, and sometimes constructed within the walls of a temple complex. [cite web
url=http://www.indoarch.org/arch_glossary.php
title=Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent - glossary
publisher=Indian Architecture
accessdate=2006-10-17 ]

Bathing in the sacred waters of a temple kund or tank was believed to cure worshippers of afflictions such as leprosy and blindness. [cite web
url=http://www.indiantemples.com/suntemple.html
title=Sun Temples in India
publisher=TempleNet
accessdate=2006-10-17 ] Many temple tanks are decaying and drying up today. [cite web
url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060601/aplus.htm
title=Ponds, tanks relics of a bygone era
publisher=AmritsarPlus Online Edition
accessdate=2006-10-17 ]

Well

In India, a stepwell is a deep masonry well with steps going down to the water level. It is called a "vav" in west India and a "baoli" in north India. Some were built by kings and were richly ornamented. [cite web
url=http://www.indoarch.org/arch_glossary.php
title=Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent - glossary
publisher=
accessdate=2006-12-18 ] They often were built by nobility and were secular constructions from which anyone could obtain water. [cite web
url=http://www.rainwaterharvesting.org/Rural/Traditional2.htm#Kere
title= Vav / vavdi / Baoli / Bavadi - Traditional stepwells
publisher=
accessdate=2006-12-19 ]

Local wells offer water.

Modern tank management

The development of large-scale water management methods and hydroelectric generation have replaced much of the local efforts and community management of water. For example, the state of Karnataka has about 44,000 artificial wetlands locally constructed over many centuries. At least 328 are threatened today. [cite web
url=http://en.arocha.org/india/index5.html
title=Bird monitoring at Rampura and Kalkere tanks
publisher=aroche.org
accessdate=2006-10-17 ]

However, recently a tank regeneration movement initiated by communities and non-governmental organisations (NGO) has arisen. [cite web
url=http://www.rainwaterharvesting.org/Rural/Dhan.htm
title=Tank management
publisher=rainwaterharvesting.org
accessdate=2006-10-17 ] Today, there are approximately 120,000 small-scale tanks, irrigating about 41,200 km² in semi-arid areas of India. [cite web
url=http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=13552012
title=Towards improved performance of irrigation tanks in semi-arid regions of India
publisher=cat.inist.fr
accessdate=2006-10-17 ] This constitutes about one third of the total irrigated land in South India. [cite web
url=http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=2829920
title=Sustainable development and management of tank irrigation systems in south India
publisher=cat.inist.fr
accessdate=2006-10-17 ]

ee also

*Noyyal River - Tanks System
*Irrigation
*Johad
*bawdi or stepwell
*Temple tank

Notes

References

Palanisami, K, and Easer, E.W. (2000). "Tank Irrigation in the 21st Century--What Next?" Discovery, Delhi, Discovery. ISBN 81-7141-558-X.

External links

* [http://en.arocha.org/images/shared/655l.jpeg Photo of Rampura temple tank]
* [http://en.arocha.org/images/shared/656l.jpeg Photo of Kalkere temple tamk]
* [http://www.art-and-archaeology.com/india/hampi/st01.html Photo of temple Stepped Tank at Vijayanagara]
* [http://www.art-and-archaeology.com/india/kanchipuram/eka04.html Photo of temple tank at Ekambareshvara Temple]
* [http://www.art-and-archaeology.com/india/hampi/lt01.html Photo of Great Tank at Royal Center Temple, Vijayanagara]
* [http://www.art-and-archaeology.com/india/bhubaneshwar/mk11.html Tank, east of Mukteshvara]
* [http://www.rainwaterharvesting.org/Rural/Dhan1.htm Tank Rehabilitation Program]
* [http://www.eapen.com/jacob/report/indus.html Indus River Valley Civilization]
* [http://cbmphoto.co.uk/Ttank.html Hindu Temples: tanks - tirtta (artificial sacred ponds)]
* [http://www.infinityfoundation.com/hooja_book.htm Channeling Nature: Hydraulics, Traditional Knowledge Systems, And Water Resource Management in India – A Historical Perspective]