Social Organisation of Shared Well Irrigation in Punjab

An institution of shared well irrigation has existed for long in Punjab since the days of the Persian wheel about which there is little information available. This institution which is based on the intertwined relations of social structure and physical aspects of irrigation continues to be a significant part of social, economic and cultural life of the cultivators of Punjab. The institution has its own sets of principles and rules, where linkages of land and water, notions of equity and consensus shape the recurrent patterns of behaviour. The traditional irrigation system has been durable enough to negotiate technological changes from Persian wheels to submersible pumps. This paper aims to analyse the social organisation of shared well irrigation, with its structural and functional aspects, in the villages of Punjab.