Water Use Efficiency in Irrigated Agriculture

The water use efficiency in India is 50 percent in dam and canal irrigated areas. In Australia and some other nations it is 90 percent.

As per my experience, while working as research officer in USAID Action Research Programme  in Gudha Irrigation Project , District Bundi, Rajasthan, India, I came to conclusion that the main reason of lower water use efficiency is the Govt. rule, which says the field channels in farmer's fields have to be constructed by the farmers at their own cost.  This has caused wastage of water from field channels and also rich farmers did not allowed to construct the field channels in their fields, to cover whole command area of field channel.

The poor and low caste farmers were not getting water in their fields, even when there was sufficient water in dam and main - minor canals. This problem can be overcome only by construction of field channels by the government at government cost  in all the existing , under construction and proposed dam and canal projects.  I invite the Central Board of Irrigation and Power, New Delhi India, Central water Commission, Water Resources departments of state governments in India and the organisation involved in irrigated agriculture to take further action to get the rule/ act changed to construct field channels by the government at government cost.

I invite the members of The Water Network and The Water Network to have a wide and detailed discussion and put pressure on Government of India to change the rule/ act, as suggested above.

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5 Comments

1. If Government finance irrigation infrastructure, it may increase effeciency but we must also empower farmers to think of effeciency in their own terms.

   1 Comment reply

   1. Most of the farmers are poor and do have small holdings. Some farmers do not allow field channel to be constructed in their fields. Hence the cultivators under command, beyond that farmer's field, do not get water due to absence of filed channel. When govt. will construct a field channel, the farmer will not be able to deny construction f field channel in his field.  The farmers try to be water efficient as per their resources and wisdom.

2. For the canal lining and which states more Prefer to use it and Why can brief me shall be highly appericiated.

   1 Comment reply

   1. Hi Rajesh, While I was in Govt. and consultancy jobs, the sand filter was used for drainage below concrete lining. In 1986, while I was in USA to ATTEND International Course on 'Water logging, Drainage and salinity Control' at Logan International Irrigation centre,  I seen the use of perforated pipes for sub soil drainage, to replace open drains, to unable farmers to use land for farming.  You may like to search internet for answer of your query. one such site is https://flsi.us/perforated-hdpe-pipe/ . You may also like to write to The United States Bureau of Reclamation for answer of your question. They are cooperative.

3. How is there use of Perforated PVC/HDPE Corrugated Pipes in Canal Lining ?

4. Other way to increase the efficiency is to change the irrigation method from "Flood" to drip and apply water by a properly designed controlled irrigation system.

   1 Comment reply

   1. @ you are right. But I am discussing here only field channel improvements

5. I also invite The International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) to consider and comment.