India is endowed with a rich and vast diversity of natural resources, water being one of them. Its development and management plays a vital role in agriculture production. Integrated water management is vital for poverty reduction, environmental sustenance and sustainable economic development.

National Water Policy (2002)

Introduction

Agriculture contributes significantly in the Indian economy. Agriculture engages 60% of India s population and more than 16 corer hectare of land. Fragmentation of land is very common in India so that average maximum land is owned by the marginal and small farmer. Indian agriculture works are mainly depending on the rainwater precipitation for the production. The average annual rain fall is 105 cm which is much higher than most of the developed countries in the world like Russia, USA, and Australia. Despite this, performance in India in agriculture sector is very much low as comparison to these countries in total agricultural production. Lag in Indian agriculture production is not only due to lack of technology but irrigation water also affected of the production of the crop.

India has share the about 16 percent of the global population but the land posses only 4 percent of the water of the water resources (Government of the India planning commission, 2001). The government of the India giving more focus on the development of the watershed development programme since independence but now in the recent two decade the emphasis on the development of the water source and conservation of the natural resources. India is facing a big problem in the rapid degradation of the natural resources (land, water and forest). This degradation can be easily measured by the measuring the indicator like decreased in the productive, increasing the soil erosion and increased in the barren land, decreased in the forest area, decreased in the ground water table and most importantly deceased in the available drinking water qualitative and quantative. The climate change is also affect the livelihood of the villager people in terms of the frequent flood and drought which completely destroyed the agriculture productivity.

The main objective of the watershed development programme is to protect the land from the soil erosion and the prevent soil erosion. The tank is the larger water harvesting structure then the check dam or a farm pond and serves as the collection centre of rainwater and the researching of the rainwater. Hence tank is treated as the integral part of the watershed for all purpose of development. The government of the India is giving more focus on the development of the water bodies. In the 11 five year plan the government of India is give the guideline for the national project for the repair, renovation and restoration of the local water bodies in the watershed development programme.

Table 1: Basic detail about the Indian agriculture system

Land and Water resources of India

of rainfall. Rainfall in India is exceeds 1000 mm in area like Cherapunji where as some rainfall is less then 100mm which badly affect the livelihood condition of the farmer. West coast and western coast and the most of the Assam and sub-Himalaya West Bengal, rain fall extend up to the 2500mm.

Tank is the traditional resource management system took place in the colonial times, regulation of water has been maintained by the community. Earlier tank are maintain by the king or temple committee and whatever income generated from the expense on the management of the tank. Tank development programme is considered as the holistic village development programme. Tank development programme is included the water conservation, soil conservation and natural resource conservation.