Abstract
The districts of Birbhum, Bankura, Purulia, Jhargram, and West Midnapore, a part of lateritic Southwest Bengal, India, receive low rainfall leading to drought. To cope with water scarcity caused by the natural adversities, native people practice water conservation techniques for centuries. In this chapter, indigenous water use techniques practiced in the lateritic Southwest Bengal are documented along with various beliefs and customs. Indigenous methods for water conservation and management to be explained are like pitcher watering system, bamboo drip irrigation, using compost pits as water storage tank, watering of plant for religious belief, wells, large ponds, happa construction, contour dam, sacred ponds, roof rainwater harvesting, bhurbhuri, jharna, etc. Studies of such age-old resources management systems as “situated knowledge” and “situated action” are significant for better comprehension of their applied value in planning of more ecologically safe, socio-culturally feasible, community-based economically viable, and efficient alternative solutions to water resources management problems encountered in recent times.
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Dr. Sarmistha Saha has contributed to literature review, manuscript writing, drawing the illustrations, and having conceived the idea. Dr. Sudipta Kumar Maiti has structured the information, completed the field works, surveyed the study area, and interacted with the indigenous people. Mr. Suman Adhikaryi has contributed to field work and data collection. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Saha, S., Maiti, S.K., Adhikary, S. (2023). Indigenous Knowledge and Conservation Practices for Sustainable Water Management in Lateritic Southwest Bengal, India. In: Basu, M., DasGupta, R. (eds) Indigenous and Local Water Knowledge, Values and Practices. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-9406-7_15
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