Efficient Irrigation system

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Major, Medium and Minor Irrigation:

·        Projects which have a Cultivable Command Area (CCA) of more than 10,000 hectare are termed as Major Projects,

·        Irrigation Projects which have a CCA of less than 10,000 hectare but more than 2,000 hectare are termed as Medium projects and

·        Irrigation Projects which have a CCA of 2,000 hectare or less are known as Minor projects.

The ultimate potential is 139 m.ha, the increase being primarily due to upward revision in assessed potential of minor ground water schemes and minor surface water schemes to 64 m.ha. and 17m.ha. respectively.

·        Minor irrigation projects have both surface and ground water as their source, while Major and

·        Medium projects mostly exploit surface water resources.

Type of Irrigation Technique:

Various types of irrigation techniques differ in how the water obtained from the source is distributed within the field.

In general, the goal is to supply the entire field uniformly with water, so that each plant has the amount of water it needs, neither too much nor too little.

The various irrigation techniques are as under:

Surface Irrigation: In surface irrigation systems, water moves over and across the land by simple gravity flow in order to wet it and to infiltrate into the soil. Surface irrigation can be subdivided into

·        furrow,

·        border strip or basin irrigation.

It is often called flood irrigation when the irrigation results in flooding or near flooding of the cultivated land.

Localized Irrigation: Localized irrigation is a system where water is distributed under low pressure through a piped network, in a predetermined pattern, and applied as a small discharge to each plant or

adjacent to it.

·        Drip irrigation,

·        spray

·        micro-sprinkler irrigation and

·        bubbler irrigation

All the above belong to this category of irrigation methods.

Drip Irrigation: Drip irrigation, also known as trickle irrigation, functions as its name suggests. Water is delivered at or near the root zone of plants, drop by drop.

·        This method can be the most water efficient method of irrigation, if managed properly, since evaporation and runoff are minimized.

·        In modern agriculture, drip irrigation is often combined with plastic mulch, further reducing evaporation, and is also the means of delivery of fertilizer.

Sprinkler Irrigation: In sprinkler or overhead irrigation, water is piped to one or more central locations within the field and distributed by overhead high-pressure sprinklers or guns.

Higher pressure sprinklers that rotate are called rotors and are driven by a ball drive, gear drive, or impact mechanism.

Ø Guns are used not only for irrigation, but also for industrial applications such as dust suppression and logging.

Ø Sprinklers can also be mounted on moving platforms connected to the water source by a hose.

Ø Automatically moving wheeled systems known as traveling sprinklers may irrigate areas such as small farms, sports fields, parks, pastures etc.

Sub-irrigation: Sub-irrigation also sometimes called seepage irrigation has been used for many years in field crops in areas with high water tables.

Ø It is a method of artificially raising the water table to allow the soil to be moistened from below the plants' root zone.

Ø A system of pumping stations, canals, weirs and gates allows it to increase or decrease the water level in a network of ditches and thereby control the water table.

The following systems of irrigation are suitable for the Indian topography

1.Tank irrigation

2.Canal irrigation

3.Well and tube-well irrigation

TANK IRRIGATION:

Ø A tank is a depression formed on the surface of the earth by naturally or artificially to store the water by building a bund around or a side of the depression. If the tank is nearer or on the way of the stream of the river it is easy to store the water.

ADVANTAGES OF TANK IRRIGATION:

Ø Most of the tanks are natural and do not involve heavy cost for their construction.

Ø even an individual farmer can have his own tank.

Ø tanks are generally constructed on rocky bed and have longer life span.

Ø in many tanks fishing is also carried on. This supplements both the food resources and income of the farmer.

DISADVANTAGES OF TANK IRRIGATION:

Ø many tanks dry up during the dry season and fail to provide irrigation when it is needed the most.

Ø silting of the tank bed is a serious problem and it requires desilting in regular intervals.

Ø evaporation loss is very high.

Ø sometimes it is difficult to take water from tank to the irrigation field because of the hard rock.

CANAL IRRIGATION

Ø Canals are man-made channels for flow of water.

ADVANTAGES OF CANAL IRRIGATION:

Ø most of the canals provide perennial irrigation and supply water as and when needed.

Ø canals carry a lot of sediment brought down by the rivers. This sediment is deposited in the agricultural fields which adds to the fertility of soil.

Ø some of the canals are parts of multipurpose projects and, therefore, provide cheap source of irrigation.

Ø although the initial cost involved in canal irrigation is much higher, it is quite cheap in the long run.

DISADVANTAGES OF CANAL IRRIGATION:

Ø the canal water soaks into the ground and leads to the problem of water-logging along the canal route

Ø the marshy areas near the canals act as breeding grounds of mosquitoes which result in widespread diseases

Ø many canals over flow during rainy season and flood the surrounding areas.

Ø canal irrigation is suitable in plain areas only.

WELL&TUBE-WELL IRRIGATION

Ø A well is a hole dug in the ground to obtain the subsoil water.

Ø A tube well is a deeper well with a tube surrounding the peripheral from which water is lifted with the help of a pump set.

ADVANTAGES OF WELL AND TUBE-WELL IRRIGATION:

Ø simplest and cheapest source of irrigation and the poor Indian farmer can easily afford it

Ø well is an independent source of irrigation and can be used as and when the necessity arises

Ø several chemicals such as nitrate, chloride, sulphate, etc. Are mixed in well water. They add to the fertility of soil when they reach the agricultural field along with well water

Ø there is a limit to the extent of canal irrigation while a well can be dug at any convenient place

DISADVANTAGES OF WELL AND TUBE-WELL IRRIGATION:

Ø only limited areas can be irrigated

Ø the well may dry up and may be rendered useless for irrigation if excessive water is taken out of it

Ø tubewells can draw a lot of ground water from its neighbouring areas and make the ground dry and unfit for agriculture

Ø for tube-wells electricity or diesel is needed.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

NATIONAL WATER POLICY 2002

Ø emphasis on integrated water resource development.

Ø Management for optimal and sustainable utilization of water.

Ø Creation of well developed information system.

Ø Water conservation, participatory approach on water management

-         Avg annual water availability of country -1869 billion cubic metre(bcm)

-         Of  which 1123 bcm usable of which 690 bcm surface water rest ground water

-         In bhart nirman emphasis on extension renovation and modernization (ERM ) & repair renovation and restoration

Accelerated irrigation benefit programme

-         To gave loan assistance to states to help in completion of major / medium irrigation project

-         Central loan assistance scheme for surface minor  irrigation schemes of north eastern states and other hilly states

-         25 % project grant for non special states and 30% for special states, drought prone tribal areas including.

Hydro project -2

-         With world bank assistance in 13 states

-         To promote the sustainable and effective use of hydrological information system(HIS)

COMMAND AREA DEVELOPMENT AND WATER MANAGEMENT

-         to bridge the gap between irrigation potential created and utilized through micro level Infrastructure development for efficient water management and enhancement of agriculture production

-         Assistance of 50:50 basis for construction activity and 75:25 basis for training activity

-         Parcitipatory approach with water users association

-         Minimum 10% contribution by the beneficiary in the cost of construction of field channels, reclamation of water logged area

-         Flood management  

-         45 mha flood prone area in the country

-         By way of construction of embankment , drainage channels town protection works & providing raised platforms

-         100% central assistance to W.B ,Tripura, N.E states

-         Flood management programme – flood control, river management drainage development ,flood proofing, anti sea erosion works

-         A network of flood forcasting and warning system established by central water commission in major river basins for flood forcast

Advisory council on artificial recharge of ground water

-         Implementation of 5000 farmer’s participatory action research programme

-         Organization of national ground water congress

-         Institute of ground water augmentation award and national water award

-         Preparation of policy on use of ground water by industries

-         FPARP technologies –micro irrigation system (drip and sprinkler), water conservation(jalkund, storage tanks, check dams, recharging wells), crop diversification, system of rice intensification (SRI), in-situ soil moisture conservation, micro nutrient management

-         Ministryof water resources constituted bhoomijal  samvardhan  puraskars- cash award of 1 lkh.

National water resource council

-         Prime minister chairman, union minister of water resources vice chairman ,chief ministers of all states secretary (ministry of water resources)

Central water commission – 3 technical wings

-         Design and research wing

-         Water planning and project wing

-         River management wing

·        13 regional organizations to carry out techno-economic appraisal and economic aspects of irrigation, flood control and multipurpose project proposed by state government

·        All work related to hydrological data

·        Flood forcasting system

·        To advise on basin wise development of water resources

·        To advise and assist survey and investigate on designs and schemes on development of river valleys in respect of power generation , irrigation, flood management , environmental management, resettlement and rehabilitation, soil conservation, anti water logging measures, reclamation of alkaline and saline soils, drainage and drinking water supply

·        To impart training on various aspects of water resource development

·        Dam safety studies, promotion of modern data collection techniques such as remote sensing assessment of water erosion problems

Central ground water board

-         Disseminate technologies for scientific and sustainable development and management of india;s ground water resource including monitoring , assessment, exploration & augmentation

Recent Development:

Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana

Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY) is a proposed scheme by the Government of India which envisages connecting the irrigation system's three crucial components – The Field application, water sources & distribution network for optimal usage.

Specifications:

Ø In the recent budget 2014-15 over Rs. 1000 crore were allotted to rejuvenate irrigation sector.

Ø The new irrigation scheme aims to cover un-irrigated 65 per cent of the total 142 million hectares of farm land.

Ø It primly focuses on 'end-to-end solution' in irrigation supply chain by implementing the new programme in a "project mode" with decentralised state-level planning and execution.

Ø PMKSY projects would be scrutinised by the State Level Project Screening Committee (SLPSC) and sanctioned by the State Level Sanctioning Committee, which is already set under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana.

Ø The state agriculture department would be the nodal agency for implementation of PMKSY projects with inter-ministerial National Steering Committee (NSC) for periodic review of the same.

Ø The funds under PMKSY will be allocated only if state government has prepared the district irrigation plans and state irrigation plans.

Ø PMKSY funds would be given to states as 75 per cent grant by the central government and the remaining 25 per cent share is to be borne by the state government. But, for the northeastern region and hilly states, the funding pattern would be 90:10.

Ø PMKSY envisage interlinking of perennial rivers to avoid drought and floods situations.

Ø Soli Health Card will be issud to farmers to know their soil contents for better production.

Ø Strengthening of Krishi Vigyan Kendras or agriculture science centres in all the districts of the country to aid the farmers with new technology up gradation for irrigation.

Ø Linkage of this scheme with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Scheme to channelize the available work force to productive & value added work.