RIGATI

N
ATUS
F
EPAL
mitted by:-
y Karki
Roll no:-
 Irrigation status of Nepal

Irrigation is the process of applying controlled amounts of

water to plants at needed intervals. Irrigation helps to grow
agricultural crops, maintain landscapes and revegetate
distributed soils in dry areas and during periods of less than
average rainfall.
Nepal is considered one of the least developed countries in the
world. The area of the country is 147,516 km3 out of which it is
estimated that 14.7 % of the area is arable. Agriculture is the
most important activity, accounting for nearly two-thirds of the
gross domestic product. Because of the importance of
agriculture to the national economy, irrigation, both small- and
large-scale, is essential for the country.
Nepal receives considerable precipitation, the country has
abundant water available for irrigation, hydropower
generation, and other related purposes. Agriculture in Nepal
depends largely on monsoon rains from June to September,
when 75% of annual rainfall occurs at this period of time.
Annual surface runoff is about 200km3, which can easily irrigate
over 5,000,000ha and generate enough electricity for the
country. Regulated and controlled irrigation is therefore critical
to improving agricultural productivity, particularly in the long
dry season, but also during dry spells in the wet season that can
reduce crop yields.
Topology of Irrigation Infrastructure: -
 Based on Source: -
1. Surface
2. Ground Water
 Based on Seasonal Availability: -
1. Year round
2. Monsoon Supplemental
 Based on Technology Employed: -
1. Surface Gravity
2. Surface lift
3. Groundwater lift
Much of the land currently under some form of irrigation in
Nepal is in the Terai region, Groundwater irrigation, mainly
through shallow tube wells (STWs), has become important
since the late 1970s. Because of topographical conditions,
irrigation developments in the hill areas are highly site-specific
and, accordingly, generalization may be misleading.
Some of the problems related to development of irrigation
system in Nepal are listed below:
 Lack of well-defined and accepted criteria for project
priority ranking and selection, resulting in misallocation of
limited resources
  Weak planning capability, which to a certain extent can be
attributed to inadequate data collection, processing, and
retrieval.
 Shortage of technical and managerial manpower which
contributes to weak planning, implementation, and
management of the irrigation systems.
 Unsatisfactory monitoring and evaluation of projects by
national and donor agencies.
 Absence of a reliable system of budget allocation and
control.
On the basis of analyses and discussions of the various issues
that are associated with the irrigation sector, it is evident that
Nepal has several options or combination of options that may
be pursued so that substantial growth. in agricultural
production can be generated, which will more than keep pace
with population growth as well as contribute surpluses for
export.
Ongoing major Irrigation system in
Nepal

1. Bagmati Irrigation project

2. Koshi Western Canal and Pump Canal
3. Hardinath Irrigation system
4. Kamala Irrigation System
5. Jhanj Irrigation System
6. Narayani Irrigation System
7. Narayani Tubewell Irrigation System
8. Narayani Lift Irrigation System
9. Khageri Irrigation System
Bagmati Irrigation Project:
The Bagmati irrigation Project is located in the central region of
Nepal, and diverts water from the bagmati river through
diversion barrage structure located at karmaiya, Sarlahi,
district. This project is initially conceptualized as a multipurpose
project to develop irrigation facilities over and irrigable area of
122000 ha of Bara, Rautahat, Sarlahi, & Mahottari district.
Averall and to generate electricity of 140 MW by constructing a
117 m high dam. The implementation of the development of
the project has been envisaged in phases.
In the past 39 years of its operations, the project has not
completed even first phase of work. The second phase of the
project has become certain.
The project was initially started as Sunkoshi Tarai Project to
produce 140 MW of electricity by diverting waters of Sunkoshi
River. It was expected to irrigate thousands of hectares of land
in Bara, Rautahat, Mahottari and Dhanusha districts.  Project
work went on smoothly between Fiscal Year 1978/79 and Fiscal
Year 1986/87. In 1953, the project had managed to build a
barrage to divert water through eastern and western canals.
In the first stage of the first phase, the project managed to
provide irrigation facilities up to Jhim River in Sarlahi and
Lamaha River in Rautahat. It has failed to extend irrigation
facilities up to west of Lalbakiya River in Bara district as part of
the second stage of the first phase works. The office even
doesn't have any plan for the second stage.
According to project document, there was a plan to make high
dam in the barrage and generate 140 MW of electricity as well
as provide irrigation facility in Mahottari and Dhanusha districts
in the second phase.
The Broader Bagmati Irrigation Project has a water discharge
capacity of 64.4 cu sec. But the project is not materializing as it
is not known when construction of a 12-kilometer diversion of
Sunkoshi River from Marin of Sindhuli to Bagmati will begin.
At present, the water discharge capacity of the project is only
30 cu sec. In the command area of Bagmati irrigation project
has contributed to the increase in crop production at different
range. The lowest rate of increase in wheat production is 22.83
percent and highest rate of increase in other crop production is
67.99 percent. So, irrigation has highly positive impact on total
agricultural production.
Irrigation has positive impact on farm income too. The lowest
rate of increase in farm income from wheat is 45.46 percent
and a highest rate of increase from paddy is 112.014 percent.
The comparative study of crops in lands with and without
irrigation indicates that the outputs of all crops have increased
with irrigation but the rate of increase in paddy and other crops
are more or less same as the farm employment before and
after irrigation. It becomes clear that the employment situation
of farmers improved significantly due to the increase in
cropping intensity. From the comparative study of farm it
appears that there is increase in return, the lowest return from
the maize is 19.32 percent and the highest return from the
other crops is 10.278 percent.
The study showed that this Bagmati irrigation project has
increased net income of farmers and this project also played a
vital role to increase price of land too. After the
implementation of this project the price of land has increased
from time to time.
 How does irrigation enhance livelihood of
community?
A livelihood is as ‘the means of gaining a living, including
livelihood capabilities, tangible assets and intangible
assets’.
One widespread assumption in
development thinking is that irrigation is reducing poverty
and it is also believed that irrigation helps solving other
problems such as water shortages and food production. It
has been a favored strategy to bring about increases in
crop productivity, enhance food security, and expand
opportunities for higher and more stable incomes and
employment. It has also a direct impact on the
environment.

In development policy circles, irrigation was seen as ‘a

privileged solution’. Irrigation projects tend to favor some
farmers and households at the expense of others. Whether
and to what extent people were able to benefit from new
irrigation opportunities depended very much on their
ability correctly to apply water, purchases and required
sets of inputs, and to follow prescribed cultivation
techniques.
Irrigation help thriving the agriculture. We can link
irrigation facilities with the transportation development,
as it thrives the agricultural product the process of
exporting seeks the ways of distributing the products.
Ultimately bring out the development of transportation.
On the other hand, cottage industries get more prioritized
utilizing the locally available products. Due to lack of
irrigation facilities the potentiality of the farming has been
decreased. The numerous case if suicide by farmers is the
result of improper irrigation or lack of irrigation.

Indigenous means of working patterns get more

prioritized like 'kulo khanney','parma'.. which brings the
social harmony to the community. Simultaneously the
development of modern tools and technology is headed to
the indigenous farming pattern which equally boost the
foresight development of the community. Irrigation makes
it possible to grow cash crops. Its gives good returns to the
farmer. Examples of cash crops are; sugarcane, potato,
tobacco etc. It improves the groundwater storage as water
lost due to seepage adds to groundwater storage.
It improves the yields of crops. This means more income
for the farmer. We use it to help the growth of crops
during the period of not enough rainfall. Thus due to
proper irrigation, farmers can grow enough crops which
directly leads to more crop production and helps people to
grow proper economy.