Abstract
The present study analyses viable methods of rainwater harvesting in drought-prone Bolangir and examines different bio-physical and socio-economic factors that influence the performance and sustainability of the water harvesting structures (WHSs). The study reveals that the traditional WHSs have proved to be extremely useful not only in normal years but also in water-scarce years. Most of the factors are favourable for development of WHSs in the sub-humid region like Bolangir. Small size WHSs are advantageous over medium and large irrigation projects in Bolangir because of its uneven and hilly topography. So instead of going for big dams those have already consumed a lot of time and resources but not yet completed, efforts should be made to increase the irrigation coverage through WHSs. The government patronage and convincing stakeholders to increase their participation are urgently required for sustainability of micro level water resources.
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