FIGHTING AGAINST THE MONSOON-BY IRRIGATION WAY

FIGHTING AGAINST THE MONSOON-BY IRRIGATION WAY

Water, as an input to agriculture, is critical for sustaining the food security. India faces the daunting task of increasing its food grain production by over 50 per cent in the next two decades. Increasing competition for water in agriculture, industry, domestic and environment uses is already manifested in inter- and intra-sector, basin, state, district and village level conflicts.

These will escalate further as India's annual per capita water availability goes below water scarce threshold level of 1700 cubic meter within the next two decades. In six of the country's 20 major river basins (with less than 1000 cubic meter of annual per capita availability), water resources are under stress and depleting. By the year 2025, five more basins will become water scarce and by 2050, only three basins in India will remain water sufficient. Supply expansion, to meet expanding needs, is constrained by availability and rising economic and environmental costs associated with its development and use. The status of irrigation infrastructure and prospects for its sustainability, both physical and financial, for future water-food security is the issue under focus.

Irrigation Infrastructure

Existing status

Irrigation has traditionally helped Indian agriculture to grow. But, the last decade witnessed a slowing down of increase in irrigation potential resulting in a slowdown of agriculture growth to a mere 2.6 per cent in 2006-07. Till March 2007, the anticipated irrigation potential created was of about 102.77 million hectares but the utilisation was only for 87.23 million hectares. This meant that still over 30 per cent of India’s agriculture land is dependent on rainwater for crop survival. Himanshu Thakkar of South Asia Network of Dams, Rivers and People, says the government’s irrigation policy has failed with growth rate of irrigated land falling from 4.23 per cent in 1970s to less than 1.5 per cent in the first decade of this century despite spending about one lakh crore for the sector in the 10th plan.

Since 1950, India has made direct public investment of Rs 88100 crore in providing major, medium and minor irrigation infrastructure with an irrigation potential of 91 MHa. India Water Vision, 2025 estimated the gross water demand for multiple uses to double in 25 years from now with corresponding investment needs of Rs 20000 crore per year. As of now, India's irrigation infrastructure is expanding by 1.8 Mha of irrigation potential with a public outlay of Rs 7000 crore per annum. Current annual expansion is one-third less than the maximum growth achieved in the past. Deceleration in irrigation potential created through major and medium schemes started during 1980s as a consequence of declining real government expenditure on this sector.

Amidst competition from non-agricultural uses in households, industry and environment, supply of irrigation will have to keep pace with the targeted annual agricultural growth rate of over 4% in the Tenth Five Year Plan. To achieve this growth rate, irrigation sector should grow by at least 5% per annum, given 1% growth in rainfed sector, Demand-supply management in water sector and efficiency in its every use is critical for providing sustainable water-food security to the country.

More importantly, existing and expanding irrigation infrastructure has to be physically and financially sustained for improving their efficiency. Yet concerns are emerging on the physical condition of the irrigation infrastructure created so far.

Vicious cycle

India's irrigation sector is caught in a vicious cycle. Inadequate funding for O&M over years has resulted in the neglect of maintenance and upkeep of the irrigation system leading to deterioration in the quality of irrigation service. Physically, the irrigation and drainage system is not able to receive and deliver the planned quantity of water matching with the demand pattern. Poor irrigation service, often not matching with the crop water requirements over space and time, results in low productivity of crops and income to the irrigators. Resultant dissatisfaction coupled with weak institutional linkage leads to under assessment of demand for water rates as well as low recovery of whatever is assessed. Progressive fall in the cost recovery increases revenue deficit causing adverse impact on O&M funding for maintenance works.

Vicious cycle of India's irrigation sector

Deferred maintenance of surface irrigation infrastructure over years has led to further deterioration of its physical service. This is witnessed by stagnating or falling irrigation coverage affecting agricultural growth in several regions. Surely, with future expansion in food production growth critically depending on the performance of irrigation sector, what is happening to the physical status of existing and expanding irrigation infrastructure does not augur well for India's future food security and agriculture performance.

Targets

Under the Irrigation Component of Bharat Nirman, the target of creation of additional irrigation potential of 1 crore hectare in 4 years (2005-06 to 2008-09) is planned to be met largely through expeditious completion of identified ongoing major and medium irrigation projects. Irrigation potential of 42 lakh hectare is planned to be created by expeditiously completing such ongoing major and medium projects.

There is a definite gap between irrigation potential created and the potential utilized. Under Bharat Nirman it is planned to restore and utilize irrigation potential of 10 lakh hectare through implementation of extension, renovation and modernization of schemes alongwith command area development and water management practices. There are considerable areas in the country with unutilized ground water resources. Irrigation potential of 28 lakh hectare is planned to be created through ground water development. The remaining target for creation of irrigation potential of 10 lakh hectare is planned to be created by way of minor irrigation schemes using surface flow. 10 lakh hectare of irrigation potential is also planned by way of repair, renovation and restoration of water bodies and extension, renovation and modernization of minor irrigation schemes. But the targets met at the Oct 2008 last year are very discouraging, which puts down the figure to 29.783 thousand ha only.

Assistance provided under AIBP

A Central loan assistance of Rs 36,417 crore under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) has been provided for 267 major and medium irrigation projects and 9,874 minor irrigation schemes since the introduction of the programme in 1996. According to the latest figures in April this year, the country had created an additional potential of 4,932 million hectares of land through major and medium irrigation projects and a potential of 271 million hectares through surface minor irrigation schemes upto March 2008. The provision for the AIBP in the 2009-10 was Rs 8,700 crore with Rs 7,000 crore allocation coming from the Planning Commission.

The total grants released for various AIBP schemes for 2008-09 was Rs 7,598 crore. The AIBP was launched in 1996-97 for providing loan assistance to the states for completing unfinished major and medium irrigation projects who were in advanced stage of completion and create additional irrigation potential in the country. Those who had received benefits included many north-eastern states, hilly states of Sikkim, Uttaranchal and Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and the infamous drought districts of Orrisa -- Koraput-Bolangir and Kalahandi (KBK). The AIBP has now changed its guidelines to benefit drought prone tribal areas of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and projects in the states where irrigation was below national average could be included with the Government funding 38 of the 65 major and medium irrigation projects in the relief package for agrarian distressed districts of these states.

Budget and its implications

Irrigation is sine qua non for agricultural growth but the Central Budget’s total provision for development of water resources is Rs 1003 crores only. About 40 million hectares of land is unutilised in the country precisely because there is no proper conservation and management of the rain water. Total allocation for what is known as National Programme for Comprehensive Land Resources Management is Rs 360 crores only in the current year’s budget. If rain water could be harvested large part of such land can be put to some productive use. Watershed development holds the key to development of such areas which is equally labour intensive. It may be noted that most of the so-called drought prone area in the country has higher rainfall than Punjab or Haryana which are the granaries of India. It is the inability to harness rainwater that explains low productivity in rainfed areas. But the budgetary outlay in the current year for watershed development is a measly Rs 1773 crores only. The Budget papers mention that it will cost about Rs 12,000 to develop one hectare.

It has now been decided to include watershed development programme under National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme and allocation for the same has been raised from Rs 16,000 crores in 2008-09 to Rs 30,100 crores in 2009-10. This is welcome but given the enormity of the problem of conservation, regeneration and augmentation of natural resources and of providing employment to roughly 80 lakh persons who are being added to the rural labour force every year investment on such activities will have to be raised manifold if in has to make any impact on the situation.

Conclusion

The recent failure of monsoon has an alarming effect on our food grain production thereby on Indian economy. So creation of extra water potential is of utmost importance. Not only creation but the judicious use of existing facilities is also very important.

By

Parag Rastogi

PGPABM II

MANAGE