Panel 9. Paper 9.3: Connecting social and physical boundaries of the commons : Study of kuhl irrigation systems of Kangra

Tandon, Amit (2019) Panel 9. Paper 9.3: Connecting social and physical boundaries of the commons : Study of kuhl irrigation systems of Kangra. In: ICOMOS 2019 Advisory Committee Scientific Symposium - Rural Heritage - Landscapes and Beyond, 17 October 2019, Marrakesh, Morocco. [Conference or Workshop Item]

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Abstract (in English)

Water has been a lifeline of Indian agrarian society. The thriving agrarian economy requires water for irrigation and the need for resources to the evolution of indigenous technology through generations of communities. Kuhl irrigation system of Kangra is a community managed traditional irrigation systems found in western Himalayan. These are a centuries-old network of interconnected drainage channels that drain water from nearby khads (rivers) into the fields. The irrigation systems have codified customary laws, systems of collective action for maintenance and preservation and various traditional livelihoods. Kuhls of Kangra is a unique case where the community is owned and managed kuhls exist. There are kuhls where communities practice public water management practices, conflict resolution and where are the kuhls where public department has taken over kuhls. The paper explores kuhl irrigation systems in the current context of changing governance and physical structure of the kuhls. It can be seen as an example of a socio-ecological system and further comments on the resilience of the socio-ecological system. In the paper it looks at external challenges such as ecological, socio-political and economic, and provides a framework for the development of local interventions for water resource management.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Speech)
Authors:	Authors Email Tandon, Amit UNSPECIFIED
Languages:	English, French
Keywords:	Cultural Landscapes; Rural Heritage; Rural landscapes; water; water management; irrigation systems; agriculture; traditional irrigation systems; traditional techniques; local communities; local laws; maintenance; governance; ethnological aspects; ethnology; case studies; India
Subjects:	Q. LANDSCAPES > 06. Agricultural Landscapes E.CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION > 07. Management H.HERITAGE TYPOLOGIES > 16. Industrial and technical heritage
National Committee:	ICOMOS International
ICOMOS Special Collection:	Scientific Symposium (ICOMOS General Assemblies)
ICOMOS Special Collection Volume:	2019 Advisory Committee Scientific Symposium
Depositing User:	ICOMOS DocCentre
Date Deposited:	18 Dec 2019 14:49
Last Modified:	22 May 2023 16:06
References:	Anderies, JM, Janssen, MA, & Ostrom, E. (2004). A framework to analyze the robustness of socialecological systems from an institutional perspective. Essays and Studies, 18-34. Baker, M. (1997). Common property resource theory and the kuhl irrigation systems of Himachal Pradesh, India. Human Organization, 199-208 Halliday, A., & Glaser, M. (2011). A Management Perspective on Social Ecological Systems: A generic system model and its application to a case study from Peru. Human Ecology Review, 1-17. Kurian, M., & Dietz, T. (2004). Irrigation and collective action: A study in Shiwalik Hills, Haryana. Natural Resources Forum, 34-49. Ostrom, E. (2010). Analyzing collective action. Agricultural Economics, 155-166. Ostrom, E. (1990). Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Ostrom, E., & Gardner, R. (1993). Coping with Asymmetries in the Commons: Self-Governing Systems Can Work Irrigation. Journal of Evolutionary Psychology, 93-112 Sengupta, N. (1985). Irrigation: Traditional vs Modern. Economic and Political Weekly, 1919-1921 + 1923-1925 + 1927 + 1929-1931 + 1933 + 1935 + 1937-1938. Sengupta, N. (1995). Salvage 'Traditional' Knowledges. Economic and Political Weekly, 3207-3211.
URI:	https://openarchive.icomos.org/id/eprint/2271

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