Eri
Also called: Tank · Topic: Water Resources of India: Availability, Use and Conservation · NCERT: Class 7, Ch 1 "The Story of Indian Farming"
Meaning
An eri, also called a tank, is a traditional irrigation tank of Tamil Nadu. It stores monsoon rain that runs off the land. Eris are often linked in chains, so extra water from one tank flows into the next. They do three jobs: they irrigate fields, recharge (refill) groundwater and control floods. Villages shared the work of looking after them.
Example
Across the plains of Tamil Nadu, chains of eris store north-east monsoon rain. The stored water irrigates paddy in the dry months and keeps nearby wells topped up.
Don't confuse with
- Ahar-pyne: this is south Bihar's system, where channels (pynes) divert river water into embanked basins (ahars). Eris mainly collect rain that runs off the land.
Related concepts
- Ancient hydraulic structures of India
- Kallanai
- Traditional water harvesting systems
- Guls and kuls
- Inundation channels
- Khadin
- Johad
- Taanka
- Kund
- Ahar-pyne