The zabo is the chosen water harvesting system of the Chakhesang tribals of Nagaland's Kikruma village. Placed by fate in the rain shadow of a mountain receives 1,613 mm of average annual rainfall. The Chakhesangs have found a way out of their water shor

• FOREST LAND: A catchment area of about 1.5 ha or more is kept under natural vegetation upstream of the ponds to serve as a water source during monsoons. The slope of the catchment area is

Kikruma's terrace cultivation systern is labour intensive, but scientific

Rise and fall of traditional water harvesting systems in India
They are called kuhals in Jammu, kuls in Himachal Pradesh and guls in Uttarakhand. The Maharashtrians call them pats . In Ladakh, they are called zings , and i

India has had a tradition of water harvesting which is more than two millennia old

Bengal s history provides an eye opener in the form of the opinions of a British irrigation expert

Our traditional water harvesting structures demonstrate the people s ingenuity at its best. Using unique modes and basic engineering skills, Indians have developed a wide array of techniques for satisfying their thirst

The most outstanding example of conjunctive use of water (prevalent in Rajasthan's arid regions) is in the city of Jodhpur, once a fabulously rich desert fort. The Jodhpur fort is situated at the

In Tamil Nadu, which has a profusion of tanks, local irrigation institutions have evolved to develop a common code for maintenance, water-sharing and resolution of conflicts. The

Indian rulers rarely built water harvesting structures themselves. They, however, encouraged their subjects to build them through fiscal incentives. A revival is possible today only if India returns to a community based system of natural resource managem