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India has a large agrarian population that depends on this sector for their survival. Also, India has the largest population in the world to feed. So food security will remain challenging for the country. Thus, irrigation, which is a vital input for agriculture, is important. Irrigation has both protective and productive functions in the development of a crop. It can boost the production of a crop significantly. Under British Rule, very little emphasis was placed on irrigation, but since independence, both central and state governments have focussed on the development of irrigation. As a result of these efforts, the land area under irrigation has increased significantly to 48 percent of the total sown area. But still, there is a large dependency on the groundwater for irrigation, and that has led to a severe groundwater crisis in many districts in India. In addition to this, the water use efficiency in irrigation remains low, which threatens already limited surface and groundwater resources. To address these issues and increase the land under irrigation, the government is running Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana since the year 2015. Adoption of a water efficient irrigation system is the key focus of this scheme.
Drip Irrigation: in this type of irrigation, water is directly applied to the root zone of the crop. This is done by using drippers or emitters at fixed intervals according to the needs. These emitters and drippers are placed above the soil surface or sub-surface. Water is discharged at a rate lower than the infiltration rate of soil.
Sprinkler Irrigation: in this method, water is distributed in a manner that mimics natural rainfall. Water is sprayed through nozzles over an area. There are different types of sprinkler irrigation systems:
Sub-surface Drip Irrigation: In this irrigation method, drip pipes are buried below the soil surface. This allows the water to be discharged directly to the roots of the crops. It is one of the most water efficient irrigation methods, and distribution is uniform. Also, weed growth is minimal because most of the weed seeds are at the surface, which is devoid of water. This method is most suitable for dryland farming, as very little water is used and evaporation is minimised.
Fertigation involves the application of fertilisers by using the irrigation network on the field. For this, water soluble solid fertilisers or liquid fertilisers are supplied through drip or sprinkler irrigation. The word fertigation is a combination of two words: fertiliser and irrigation. The twin objectives of applying fertilisers and supplying irrigation are accomplished with one single task.
Water Use Efficiency (WUE): The ratio between effective water usage and actual water discharged is known as Water Use Efficiency (WUE) in irrigation.
Status of Water Resources in India
Water Utilisation in Agriculture
Irrigation is the process of making water (other than rainfall) available to the crops through artificial means. It is vital for plant growth.
Significance of Irrigation
Depending on the source of water available for irrigation, irrigation systems can be classified as:
Source of Irrigation (Yearbook 2018) | ||
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Canals | Government | 23.4% |
Private | 0.23% | |
Total | 23.66% | |
Tanks | 2.52% | |
Tube Wells | 46.2% | |
Wells | 16.6% | |
Other Sources | 11% |
Once the water reaches from the source of irrigation to the farm, it has to be distributed uniformly throughout the farm land so that the growth of crops is also uniform. Based on the mode of delivery, irrigation can be classified into the following types:
Micro Irrigation Method
Water Use Efficiency (WUE)
The ratio between effective water usage and actual water discharged is known as Water Use Efficiency (WUE) in irrigation.
Advantages of Sprinkler Irrigation | Disadvantages of Sprinkler Irrigation |
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Advantages of Drip Irrigation | Disadvantages of Drip Irrigation |
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Fertigation
Advantages | Disadvantages |
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Government Efforts
Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP)
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PMKSY Har Khet Ko Pani
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PMKSY Per Drop More Crop
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PMKSY Watershed Development
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Currently, India has the highest cultivable land area under irrigation in the world. But, it is less than half of its arable land area. A large part of the country is still dependent on monsoon for cultivation. In addition to this, groundwater is the major source of irrigation, which is causing the water tables to go down at a rapid pace. Apart from this, the water use efficiency of existing irrigation remains low. Given that the per capita water availability of the country is decreasing very fast, it is vital to bring about a substantial change in irrigation practices. There must be a faster adoption of micro irrigation by the farmers to increase water use efficiency. To cater to a large population, there is an urgent need to expand the area under irrigation. For this, all water resources must be harnessed and utilised efficiently. Furthermore, farmers must be made aware of water saving practices and technologies so that there is effective implementation of government policies in this sector.
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