Water tanks have been in existence for centuries now. As many as 1.5 million exist to date. Communities took an active interest in their management and trees were grown along its bank. The tanks were named according to the tree species that were grown. For instance, tanks that were surrounded by mango trees (Mangifera indica) or aam were named amaha or amraah, and those with pipal (Ficus religiosa) were termed as pipraah or pipraha. But the relationship between tanks and trees is a topic that has rarely been touched upon. A study by D N Pandey, coordinator, International Network on Ethnoforestry and a faculty member at Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal, shows interesting details on how communities were strongly involved in managing them. Today, however, very few communities still practice this technology. Pandey attributes the decline in