What would it mean in practice for local governments and communities to have a meaningful say in decisions about the land and natural resources on which their livelihoods depend?
Shivakumar Srinivas
Nandakumar Siva
Fr. John Kumar S.J.
Across Tamil Nadu, many communities depend on village commons, water bodies, forests, agricultural lands, and coastal resources for their daily lives and livelihoods. These shared resources are coming under increasing pressure from urbanisation, infrastructure projects, industrial activity, and competing land uses. The effects are often felt most directly by those with the fewest resources or the least voice in decision-making.
Decline of Water Bodies in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu has lost around 1,000 water bodies over the past five decades due to encroachment, rapid urbanization, and inadequate maintenance. While the decline has occurred over a long period, the rate of loss has accelerated significantly since 2000.
The impact has been particularly severe in and around Chennai. The districts of Chennai, Kancheepuram, and Tiruvallur—historically known as the ‘Yeri districts’—once contained more than 6,000 lakes and reservoirs. Today, only about 3,896 remain. Chennai city alone has lost nearly 150 water bodies, while approximately 2,400 acres of water bodies have disappeared as a result of urban expansion.
Since 2000, uncontrolled urban sprawl and encroachment have transformed the region’s hydrological landscape. Buildings have expanded progressively from the coast towards inland areas, reducing, fragmenting, and degrading many lakes, tanks, wetlands, and other traditional water bodies.
Key Message: The rapid disappearance of water bodies in and around Chennai highlights the urgent need to protect urban commons, strengthen land-use planning, and restore traditional water systems to enhance water security and climate resilience.
The Big Picture: Gross Cropped Area
Tamil Nadu’s gross cropped area fell from approximately 62 lakh hectares in 1970 to 45 lakh hectares in 2019 — a loss of 17 lakh hectares (~1.7 million ha) over five decades. Agriculture’s share of the state’s GDP collapsed from 17% in 2000 to just 13% in 2020.
In many parts of Tamil Nadu, village commons and poramboke lands face encroachment and conversion. Water bodies and tank systems are under pressure. Forest-dependent communities continue to face difficulties in securing their rights. Agricultural land is being diverted to non-agricultural uses. Coastal communities are navigating growing pressures from development projects (e.g., tidal wave energy projects) and changing coastlines. These are not new challenges, but they are becoming more acute.
The constitutional framework gives panchayats and municipalities an important role in local governance, including responsibilities related to land, natural resources, and community welfare. In practice, however, critical decisions are often taken at higher levels of government, with limited involvement of local bodies or the communities most affected. Strengthening local participation in these decisions — not as a solution in itself, but as a step towards more accountable governance — is what this workshop is about.
About the Workshop
The India Land and Development Conference (ILDC), along with its partner groups, is bringing together around 100 participants in Chennai on 19–20 June 2026 for a two-day regional workshop on land governance and the role of local governments alongside a discussion on village and coastal commons. The group includes panchayat leaders, municipal representatives, grassroots organisations, researchers, and civil society practitioners from across Tamil Nadu.
Conversations will be organised around six themes: village commons and poramboke lands; water bodies and tank governance; forest rights and tribal communities; ecology, biodiversity, and agricultural land use; urban land and displacement; and coastal tenure and fisher rights. The format includes panel discussions, small group sessions, and open plenaries, with space for participants to share their own experiences and perspectives.
From Dialogue to Action
The workshop will produce a summary of key findings and recommendations across the thematic areas, along with a charter of shared priorities to strengthen the role of local governments in land and natural resource governance. It will also identify key themes for future dialogue on commons governance. Participants will explore the formation of an ongoing peer-learning network to continue these discussions.
The Chennai workshop is a modest step towards thinking through, together, how local governments and communities can play a more meaningful role in land governance.
Note: As the workshop unfolds and in the weeks thereafter, Tenure Security will provide a platform for participants to share their reflections, insights, and learning from the dialogue.