A two day National Level Meet on Diversion Based Irrigation (DBI) was organized at Hotel Kalinga Ashok, Bhubaneswar, from 8th – 9th February 2011. The meet witnessed active participation of 56 participants from the Government, NGO, Civil Society organizations and several other notable persons working in the development sector.
DBI is a national program supported by The Jamsetji Tata Trust (an entity of the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and the Allied Trusts) based in Mumbai. This program started in 2008-09 with a sanction of 1500 lakhs over a 3-year period. Diversion Based Irrigation means irrigation derived through water flows from streams and rivers by gravitational force without using external energy. Most of the DBI schemes use PVC pipes for channelling water from the source to the crop fields in remote tribal villages. DBI program also promotes traditional system of flow irrigation that are named as Tanka in Rajasthan, Phad in Maharashtra, Dong in Assam, Kata & Munda in west Odisha and Ahar Pyne in Jharkhand and South Bihar.
Some of the key findings of this event included working further intensively in the DBI command areas, establishing convergences with existing schemes/programs particularly with that of Government and finally looking forward to learning from partners working in diverse regions, so that the programme could be strengthened by making it more robust.
For details of the key presentations rendered in this meeting, please click on the TITLE below