IRRIGATION – New Solutions for

a New Century

-Priyank Tiwari
 Basic Facts
• Agriculture contributes about 16.6 % of GDP
• 60 % of population still lives in villages
• Approx 54 % of total arable land in India is under
irrigation
• India is a dominant producer (among the top 3)
of wheat,rice,sugar,tobacco,tea, coconuts just to
name a few
• India’s yield for majority of agricultural products
is significantly less than other countries
 Problem
• Fragmented land holding- lower labour productivity
and make modern mechanized farming unviable
• Large percentage (roughly 47 %) of area still dependent
on rainfall which is erratic and seasonal
• Climate change can wreck havoc on agricultural
productivity
• Since the green revolution, agricultural productivity has
more or less remained stagnant
• Agricultural subsidies like free power have resulted in
over pumping of ground water
• Ground water has receded at an alarming rate of about
1 foot/year for the past decade
 Solution
• Use of drip irrigation
• Use of solar pumps in place of electric pumps
• Batteries used in solar pumps can be put to
alternative use for lighting etc.
• In northern plains where already extensive
canal system is present, we’ll use them for
developing fisheries
• Liquid fertilizers would be used for better
absorption( in less quantity )
 Implementation
• In Deccan plateau and southern states we’ll use rainwater
harvesting techniques
• Groups of villagers would be involved in the process given
responsibility for development and maintenance of system
• Initial credit may be arranged either from govt. support or
can be received on credit from NABARD and other banks
• In Northern parts, apart from the above we’ll also develop
fisheries in the canals and proceeds would be transferred
to the group
• Again initial financial support would be arranged either
from govt. or from banks
• System will have local, community checks and balances and
govt. intervention would be kept as little as possible
 Affordability
• A acre of land would require an initial investment of about
20-25 K
• Running and maintenance cost would be around 500-
1000/year ( Very little electricity costs because of solar
pump)
• Since we are proposing community participation and
solution, incremental costs are likely to be less than 10 k/
acre
• Presently power is free for majority of farmers, but they
use diesel pumps during power cuts
• This should breakeven in less than a year because of less
running costs and increased productivity due to irrigation
and better absorption of fertilizers( quantity would reduce)
 Sustainability
• Groups, and not individuals would be made
owner of the scheme
• Funds would be lent and income distributed to
the groups
• Solar powered batteries would be used for
lighting in the houses, when idle on rotation basis
in the group
• Group formation would be local, voluntary and
preferably of people having adjoining agricultural
lands
 Cost Benefit
• Drip irrigation (Solar Pumps) and rainwater harvesting would be
encouraged throughout the country
• In North India- Use of canals for fisheries and other marine life
• Govt electricity and fertilizer subsidy bill would go down drastically
• Agricultural productivity would improve and better match of natural
resources ( land, water etc) to crops produced would be achieved
• Food production and rural income is likely to go up substantially
• Since ownership is community based, benefits would be evenly
distributed
• Significantly decrease the number of land and irrigation related
disputes
 Road Map
• Initially groups would be formed and systems installed
with financial support as discussed earlier
• After 2-3 years, we would pass on the maintenance of
govt canals to these groups (with training) – More cost
effective and practical
• Govt and research bodies would advise these groups
on most suitable crops, pricing, use of fertilizers and
likely rainfall and other relevant issues
• If profits come on expected lines, the groups can be
supported to move up the value chain into agro-based
processing industry
 References
• Wikipedia.org
• Web.worldbank.org
• http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090812143938.htm
• http://www.livemint.com/2007/09/20004802/Village-Diary-The-water-lotte.html
• http://www.indianfarmers.org/
• http://www.indianfarmers.org/news_singlepage/Advantage_harvest_articles.html
• http://www.indianfarmers.org/news_singlepage/Advantage_harvest_articles.html
• http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/11/jargon-watch-climate-fit-climate-weak-
nation.php
• http://www.oxfam.org/en/search/node/sustainable+agriculture
• http://www.oxfam.org/en/search/node/sustainable+agriculture
• http://news.google.com/news/search?pz=1&cf=all&ned=in&hl=en&q=sustainable
+irrigation+in+india&cf=all&start=20