Pani Panchayat is a community lift irrigation scheme aimed at better operation and maintenance of irrigation in the area through the participation of water users.

The importance of conservation and the efficient management of water resources for sustainable agriculture is emphasized. A successful experiment on participatory watershed management ( Panchayat)  village in Pune district, it is described to illustrate that people are ready to participate in institution which would take care to their needs and aspirations.

Here are State wise account of drought hit areas:

>MAHARASHTRA

1. Ahmad Nagar
2. Aurangabad
3. Jalna
4. Osmanabad

>MADHAYA PRADESH

1. Dewas
2. Indore
3. Betul

>UTTAR PRADESH

1. Banda
2. Jalaun

>KARNATAKA

1. Dharwad
2. Ramnagar
3. Mandya

>ANDHRA PRADESH

1. Anantapur

>TELAGANA

>RAJASTHAN

1. Jaisalmer

>WEST BENGAL

1. Purulia

>JHARKHAND

1. Ranchi
2. Bargarh

>UTTARAKHAND

1. Pauri

>PUNJAB

1. Kapurthala
2. Moga
3. Fatehgarh Sahib

>GUJARAT

1. Kutch

The key principle was that water allocation was done not in proportion to the size of the land holding but in proportion to the number of people in a family. Every member of a Pani Panchayat would agree to the following:

1. Irrigation schemes would be given to groups of farmers. A family of five would have would have water rights to irrigate 1 hectare of land.
2. Crops that require large amounts of water would not be allowed to be grown.
3. Water rights would not be attached with land rights; all members of the community, including the landless, would have a right to water.
4. The beneficiaries of the Pani Panchayat would have to bear 20% of the scheme. The remaining 80% would be provided be the trust as an interest free loan to be repaid in five years. The members of the scheme would have to plan, administer and manage schemes and distribute water in an equitable manner.
5. Apart from the formation of the water councils, soil and water conservative measures were also undertaken.

*ADVANTAGES OF PANI PANCHAYAT

1. Guarantee of getting full share of water through ‘quota of water’
2. Participation operation, maintenance and management of the system.
3. Freedom of deciding own cropping pattern within the allocated water
4. Through and timely maintenance for guarantee drawing full allocated water
5. Better service and amicable settlement of disputes in the use of the water.
6. Better assistance from department of agriculture in all aspects of crop husbandry

*FUNCTION OF PANI PANCHAYAT

1. To prepare a suitable cropping programme.
2. To prepare a plan for the maintenance of irrigation system in the area of its operation at the end of each crop season and carry out the maintenance work of both distributary system and minor, sub-minor and field drains in its operation area with the funds of the Pani Panchayat from time to time.