Home Institution
Dickinson College
Publication Date
Fall 2017
Abstract
The intention of this study is to provide a holistic look at the Naadi: a rain-fed common property resource used for drinking water collection in the Thar Desert, Rajasthan. A sustainer of human life in the Thar, Naadis have decided how and where residents of the Thar lived. This study examines both current and historical naadi use in the Jodhpur district of Rajasthan. The format of the study is a compilation and analysis of 15 field visits, a series of interviews, and investigation of recent alternatives to naadis. The success of a naadi is a function of geology, geography, and management. Management depends on a community’s ability to guarantee ownership though participation. Declining management today can largely be attributed to the entrance of new drinking water technologies. An inverse relationship, however, cannot be assured between the rise of new technologies and the necessity of naadis in the future. In their current state, naadis are not being actively degraded; although, they are often neglected and misused. This study will not offer a definitive answer on the future viability of naadis; instead, it is meant only to be explorational.
Disciplines
Agricultural and Resource Economics | Asian Studies | Environmental Studies | Human Ecology | Place and Environment | Social and Cultural Anthropology
Recommended Citation
Hanlon, Pentti, "Losing Faith: An Exploration of Village Ponds in the Thar Desert" (2017). Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection. 2742.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/isp_collection/2742
Included in
Agricultural and Resource Economics Commons, Asian Studies Commons, Environmental Studies Commons, Human Ecology Commons, Place and Environment Commons, Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons
Program Name
India: Sustainable Development and Social Change