Some agricultural policy effects of encouraging water harvesting in India

Rainwater harvesting is long established in India, with three systems of particular note. Inundation is the basis of the Khadin system in Rajastan, percolation tanks and wells are the basis of water harvesting in Maharashtra, and tanks with gravity-fed channels are the main system in Tamil Nadu. There is also a recent development in the Siwalik hills to establish tanks and gravity-fed channels which attempt to achieve conservation, afforestation and farm production goals together.

Operating small schemes for rainwater harvesting requires a certain amount of village-scale organisation to carry out construction, regulate grazing and forestry, and maintain facilities. It can be costly to ensure that the poor benefit from such projects and difficult to prevent, in turn, the better off from becoming envious of the benefits obtained by the poor. Water harvesting should operate within the framework of local society and not against it.