The government wants to ensure irrigation facilities round the year by increasing the capacity of rivulets, canals and reservoirs to hold water constantly. To this end, the second amendment proposal of the project titled “Re-excavation of small rivers, canals and reservoirs in 64 districts (first phase)” has been sent to the Planning Commission.
When the project is implemented, the agricultural production will be increased with irrigation facilities in about 150,000 hectares of land. Besides, the risk of floods and waterlogging will be reduced by conserving biodiversity, increasing the drainage capacity of small rivers, canals and reservoirs in an area of approximately six lakh hectares.
Re-excavation will revitalize small rivers, canals and reservoirs, increase navigability and ensure easy communication of about 2,000 kilometers of navigation.
When the project is implemented, the agricultural
production will be increased with irrigation facilities
in about 150,000 hectares of land
Fisheries will be promoted by increasing and prolonging the water-holding capacity of small rivers, canals and reservoirs. Small rivers, canals and reservoirs will be afforested on both the banks and land will be developed on both the banks.
These kinds of projects should be implemented all over the country. It will be a ground-breaking initiative for our irrigation sector as by constructing and rehabilitating the irrigation canals and constructing irrigation structures, it will be possible to increase the area of irrigation and the productivity including crop density by providing uninterrupted irrigation water.
The government should promote the application of subsurface pipelines to farmers, as it is a proven means of ensuring irrigation productivity. Here, we need less water for irrigation as the degree of waste is less than the conventional open-drain irrigation method. The use of a subsurface pipeline can help bring sustainability to these projects.
Irrigating water has a huge cost of production due to numerous reasons which are pushing farmers into a tough situation. So, little sophistication is needed to improve irrigation practice and obtain a pivotal economic impact on crop production. Therefore, the time has come for more promotion of underground canals to enhance irrigation efficacy.
