In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-
(a) "ayacut" in relation to an irrigation work means all the lands which are entitled to irrigation under that irrigation work;
(b) "ayacutdar" means owner of land in an ayacut;
(c) "construction" includes extension, improvement or alteration of water course;
(d) "Government" means the State Government;
(e) "Irrigation Officer" means any officer of the Revenue Department or the Public Works Department not below the rank of a Revenue Divisional Officer or an Executive Engineer, empowered or authorised by the Government to exercise all or any of the functions of an Irrigation Officer under this Act;
(f) "Irrigation work" includes-
(i) All rivers and natural streams or parts thereof;
(ii) all lakes and other natural collections of water, or parts thereof;
(iii) all tanks, wells, tube wells, reservoirs, ponds, kuntas, streams, madugus used for the supply of storage of water for purposes of irrigation;
(iv) all canals, channels, anicuts, dams, embankments, weirs, sluies, groins, kuntas and other work other than escape channels, connected with, or auxiliary to the irrigation works referred to in sub-clauses (i) to (iii);
(v) all drainage channels, the water of which is utilised for the purpose of irrigation;
(vi) all lands used for the purpose of irrigation works referred to in sub-clauses (i) to (v); and
(vii) all buildings, machinery, fences, gates, roads and other erections occupied by, or belonging to, the government and connected with an irrigation work;
which are owned, maintained, constructed or controlled by the Government;
(g) "owner" in relation to any land in respect of which land revenue is payable means the person liable to pay land revenue and in relation to any land in respect of which no land revenue is payable means the person who would have been liable to pay land revenue if it had been payable on such land; and includes a ryot having a permanent right of occupancy in the land;
(h) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act;
(i) "Revenue Divisional Officer" means any officer incharge of a Revenue division and includes a Deputy Collector, a Sub-Collector and an Assistant Collector ;
(j) "watercourse" means a field channel which receives supply of water from the outlet of an irrigation work and conveys water to lands included within the ayacut of that work and which is not maintained at the cost of the Government and includes all subsidiary works connected with any such channel except the sluice or outlet through which water is supplied from irrigation work to such channel.