The traditional practice of community-based water managers, known as Neerkatti in Tamil language, is under threat of extinction. Once considered as a respectable and a lucrative profession, has become unsustainable with the onslaught of modern practices.

About 1,000 neerkattis from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka got an opportunity to voice their concerns during a seminar held by Dhan Foundation (DF), a Madurai-based NGO, on March 10, 2003.

The tradition and its decay
Most of the neerkattis belong to lower castes and are appointed by the village community on a hereditary or an annual rotational basis. The number of neerkattis managing a tank varies from one to as many as 12 persons. It depends on the size of the tank and the supply channels. As remuneration, they receive one marakka ie five kg of grain per acre or equivalent cash. Before 1950s, their main responsibilities were: distribution of water on a rotational basis; managing sluice gates; and, maintenance works.

As the responsiblity of managing tanks has been passed on to the Public Works Department (PWD), the role of neerkatti is now been reduced to just opening and closing of sluices. Instead of maintaining the tank during non-monsoon season, they generally assist the village administrative officer in the departmental work. As farmers’ switched to well irrigation, tanks became insignificant.

The changing social structure at the village level has intensified this trend. The ownership of land has shifted from the upper to the lower castes. According to a study conducted by Sivasubramanian from Madras Institute of Development Studies, "Between 1850 and 1912 the land holding pattern of Kaveripakkam area, Chennai, changed completely". It is significant to note that the tank of this area is one of the biggest in Tamil Nadu - once irrigating more than 14 villages is in a degraded state, today.

The voices
The Madurai convention gave neerkattis a platform to share their concerns and redefine their roles. In general, the participants felt that they were not adequately paid. Veeran, who has been working as a neerkatti for the past 12 years, from Kambur village, Madurai, said, "The village tank irrigates 60 acres of paddy. However, the remuneration fixed is kuzhikku naalu padi ie 6.5 kg per 60 cents (100 cents = 1 acre). Even this meager amount is not regularly paid." Another neerkatti from Thiruvarangai village, Ramanathapuram, Solomon felt that "The work involves more risk and is less assured as the tanks do not get regularly filled - just once in 3 or 5 years." Ganesan from Madaivini Patti, Madurai, who was facilitated by the former president K R Narayanan for his services as a neerkatti, share these concerns. "I get a very small amount. None of my five sons wants to become a neerkatti. I am doing it as a service to the community and god." Not many think like Ganesan. Why should they? Most of the neerkattis are experts in tank management - they are at par with any well-experienced irrigation engineer. R Sakthivadivel from International Water Management Institute, Sri Lanka, suggests, "The government should effectively include neerkattis in water users associations of tank renovation programs. It will save state crores of rupees while returning control back to where it actually belongs." Neerkattis are at the crossroad. Their survival depends on whether the state and society are ready to treat the issue from a fresh perspective or not.