Performance of community-based tank irrigation system and its determinants: Evidence from Tamil Nadu, India

Irrigation tanks are classic examples of common pool resources that have been traditionally managed by local communities. However, the tank performance under community management in Tamil Nadu has declined over the last few decades and threatened the local livelihoods. This study investigates the effect of community management on irrigation tank performance using village-level two-period data collected across 100 tank-intensive villages in Tamil Nadu. To address the problems encountered in the subjective measures, this study adopts an objective assessment method using the satellite imageries of Landsat-7 to derive tank performance measures. Satellite-derived data are then incorporated with the field survey data and used in the analysis. The results show that community participation in tank management has a significant positive impact on tank performance, suggesting that strengthening traditional institutions in irrigation tank management can be a viable strategy for reviving tank irrigation systems.