|
Theme
of the week:
Situation Assessment Survey: Some Aspects of Farming
5. Irrigation*
1.
Introduction
Irrigation
was considered as a device of purposively providing land with water, other
than rainwater, by artificial means for crop production.
Situation
Assessment Survey of Farmers conducted along with AIDIS Survey and Land
Holding Survey by NSSO in their 59th round during January –
December 2003 give some insight on the cropped area and area irrigated by
different sources for different crops. Different sources used for
irrigation were rivers/springs, reservoirs,
canals, tube-wells, tanks and other sources during both kharif and
rabi season.
The
note is based on the data published by NSSO in their report no. 496 titled
‘Some Aspects of Farming’. This note, fifth in the series, attempts to
give a brief review gleaned out from the published data, on the above
subject, for the survey year, 2002-03.
The
definitions and concept of different terms used are given in the Annexure.
2.
Cropped Area and Area Under Irrigation
At
all-
India
level, 43.8 million farmer households during khariff season and 44.5
million farmer households in rabi season were engaged in cultivation and
orchards and plantation activities. These farmer households were devoting
93.0 million hectares of land in kharif season and 65.2 million hectares
of land in rabi season for agricultural
activities in 2002-03. Of this land, area
of 39.3 million hectares of land or about 42.2 per cent of the cropped
area was irrigated during kharif season by different sources of
irrigation.
|
Table
1: Cropped Area and Area Under Irrigation
|
|
|
Kharif
|
Rabi
|
|
State
|
Number
of
Farmer
Households ( ' 00 )
|
Cropped
Area ( ' 00 hectares)
|
Area
Under Irrigation
(
' 00 hectares)
|
Number
of Farmer Households ( ' 00 )
|
Cropped
Area ( ' 00 hectares)
|
Area
Under Irrigation (' 00 hectares)
|
|
Northern
Region
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Haryana
|
10507
|
23690
|
15837
|
(66.85)
|
12072
|
22231
|
19045
|
(85.67)
|
|
Himachal
Pradesh
|
2796
|
6502
|
991
|
(15.24)
|
2560
|
6178
|
893
|
(14.45)
|
|
Jammu
& Kashmir
|
5673
|
6517
|
2639
|
(40.49)
|
4538
|
6291
|
1502
|
(23.88)
|
|
Punjab
|
9944
|
24565
|
25218
|
(102.66)
|
10112
|
24039
|
25936
|
(107.89)
|
|
Rajasthan
|
14464
|
107288
|
22058
|
(20.56)
|
18304
|
59495
|
23905
|
(40.18)
|
|
North-Eastern
Region
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Arunachal
Pradesh
|
692
|
1582
|
464
|
(29.33)
|
410
|
1266
|
420
|
(33.17)
|
|
Assam
|
2002
|
20924
|
1492
|
(7.13)
|
5494
|
11991
|
2073
|
(17.29)
|
|
Manipur
|
565
|
1244
|
284
|
(22.83)
|
223
|
242
|
81
|
(33.47)
|
|
Meghalaya
|
860
|
2530
|
497
|
(19.64)
|
176
|
2053
|
58
|
(2.83)
|
|
Mizoram
|
14
|
833
|
12
|
(1.44)
|
0
|
844
|
0
|
(0.00)
|
|
Nagaland
|
487
|
566
|
252
|
(44.52)
|
366
|
555
|
160
|
(28.83)
|
|
Tripura
|
1225
|
1022
|
459
|
(44.91)
|
1421
|
413
|
345
|
(83.54)
|
|
Eastern
Region
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bihar
|
56237
|
44812
|
34819
|
(77.70)
|
63346
|
43112
|
35705
|
(82.82)
|
|
Jharkhand
|
7084
|
18991
|
1829
|
(9.63)
|
10834
|
8075
|
3153
|
(39.05)
|
|
Orissa
|
9960
|
32987
|
6271
|
(19.01)
|
6365
|
15750
|
2712
|
(17.22)
|
|
Sikkim
|
201
|
353
|
90
|
(25.50)
|
100
|
186
|
19
|
(10.22)
|
|
West Bengal
|
37243
|
32688
|
18874
|
(57.74)
|
45632
|
24985
|
18906
|
(75.67)
|
|
Central
Region
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Chattisgarh
|
10002
|
36075
|
10404
|
(28.84)
|
2490
|
17464
|
1940
|
(11.11)
|
|
Madhya
Pradesh
|
17707
|
104411
|
35865
|
(34.35)
|
25049
|
99126
|
46302
|
(46.71)
|
|
Uttar
Pradesh
|
130862
|
121593
|
88872
|
(73.09)
|
149010
|
122284
|
105482
|
(86.26)
|
|
Uttranchal
|
4991
|
4313
|
2523
|
(58.50)
|
4403
|
3985
|
2052
|
(51.49)
|
|
Western
Region
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gujarat
|
14027
|
56957
|
18323
|
(32.17)
|
13647
|
37403
|
16315
|
(43.62)
|
|
Maharashtra
|
22318
|
109440
|
29636
|
(27.08)
|
18616
|
47685
|
18993
|
(39.83)
|
|
Southern
Region
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Andhra
Pradesh
|
32700
|
68490
|
32807
|
(47.90)
|
18094
|
30878
|
15198
|
(49.22)
|
|
Karnataka
|
14096
|
62370
|
15699
|
(25.17)
|
9954
|
37007
|
10924
|
(29.52)
|
|
Kerala
|
6489
|
9122
|
3148
|
(34.51)
|
9342
|
8574
|
3543
|
(41.32)
|
|
Tamil
Nadu
|
24800
|
29399
|
22711
|
(77.25)
|
12125
|
18768
|
5266
|
(28.06)
|
|
Uts
|
202
|
482
|
247
|
(51.24)
|
170
|
317
|
167
|
(52.68)
|
|
All
India
|
438411
|
930110
|
392506
|
(42.20)
|
445209
|
651563
|
367025
|
(56.33)
|
|
Note:
Figures in brackets are percentage of irrigated area to cropped
area
|
|
|
|
|
This table is prepared from annexure table 10 and 11 and
table 3.4.1 published in the report
|
|
|
Source:
NSSO (2005), Some Aspects of Farming, 59th
Round (Jan-Dec 2003), Report No. 496 (59/33/3).
|
However,
it may be mentioned that cropped area or net sown area was not recorded
separately in the Schedule of enquiry during the survey. Hence, it has
been derived by adding areas of land reported to be under cultivation and
orchards and plantation. This means that land used mainly for dairying and
other animal farming including fisheries has not been considered
as irrigated as it is not relevant to such uses. Moreover, the
estimated irrigated area may exceed total cropped area in some states
because of a particular plot
of land might have been irrigated more than once .
A
state-wise analysis reveals that Punjab,
Bihar
, Haryana and Tamil Nadu in kharif season had large proportion of their
cropped area under irrigation; the level of irrigated area being, for all
states, higher during rabi season. The lowest levels of irrigation were
witnessed in
Assam
and Orissa in both seasons’ the proportion
being less than 20 per cent.
3.
Cropped Area Irrigated by Different Sources of Water Supply
- All Crops
Table
2 shows the proportion of cropped area irrigated according to different
sources of irrigation during kharif and rabi season for all crops.
Tube-well
is the main source of irrigation sharing
about 21 per cent of
cropped area in kharif season and about 34 per cent of cropped area in
rabi season at the all-India level. In Bihar, Haryana,
Punjab
and Uttar Pradesh more than 50 per cent of their cropped area was
irrigated by tube-wells in both seasons. In
Punjab
, more than 90 per cent of its cropped area was irrigated by this mode of
irrigation in both seasons.
About
8 to 9 per cent of the cropped area in both seasons hs been irrigated by
‘wells’. Tamil Nadu (32 to 35 per cent of cropped area) and Madhya
Pradesh (19 to 21 per cent) had higher share under well irrigation in both
seasons and to some extent, in Jharkhand and Kerala wells formed as a
source of irrigation during rabi season.
At
all-India level, canals, formed the third mode of irrigation in about 8
per cent of the cropped area in both seasons. Canal irrigation had been
more prevalent in
Haryana
,
Jammu and Kashmir
, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh in both seasons whereas in Punjab,
Bihar
, Orissa, Chattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu it was
prevalent during kharif season. Thus canal as a source of irrigation had
been used in either of the season in most of the Indian states as compared
to other modes of irrigation. This would be because of canal drawn from
the water reservoirs/ dams in these states
|
Table
2 - Area Irrigated from Different Sources - All Crops - State-wise
|
|
State
|
Season
|
Percentage
of cropped area irrigated by
|
|
|
|
River/Spring
|
Canal
|
Tube-well
|
Well
|
Tank
|
Other
Sources
|
Total
Irrigated Area
|
Total
Cropped Area
|
|
Northern
Region
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Haryana
|
Kharif
|
0.74
|
14.46
|
50.08
|
0.20
|
0.48
|
0.89
|
66.85
|
100.00
|
|
|
Rabi
|
1.07
|
14.75
|
68.53
|
0.23
|
0.26
|
0.83
|
85.67
|
100.00
|
|
Jammu and Kashmir
|
Kharif
|
5.12
|
24.75
|
2.06
|
0.27
|
0.93
|
7.36
|
40.49
|
100.00
|
|
|
Rabi
|
1.24
|
13.20
|
2.15
|
0.17
|
0.05
|
7.07
|
23.88
|
100.00
|
|
Punjab
|
Kharif
|
0.16
|
10.18
|
90.30
|
0.59
|
0.02
|
1.41
|
102.66
|
100.00
|
|
|
Rabi
|
0.00
|
7.54
|
95.62
|
0.90
|
1.81
|
2.02
|
107.89
|
100.00
|
|
Rajasthan
|
Kharif
|
0.15
|
3.47
|
8.24
|
4.62
|
0.08
|
4.00
|
20.56
|
100.00
|
|
|
Rabi
|
0.14
|
6.94
|
24.21
|
8.29
|
0.04
|
0.56
|
40.18
|
100.00
|
|
North-Eastern
Region
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Assam
|
Kharif
|
0.86
|
1.79
|
2.00
|
0.44
|
0.14
|
1.90
|
7.13
|
100.00
|
|
|
Rabi
|
1.61
|
2.16
|
7.71
|
1.12
|
1.01
|
3.68
|
17.29
|
100.00
|
|
Eastern
Region
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bihar
|
Kharif
|
3.98
|
11.64
|
55.36
|
0.39
|
2.08
|
4.25
|
77.70
|
100.00
|
|
|
Rabi
|
2.00
|
7.80
|
68.57
|
0.72
|
0.83
|
2.90
|
82.80
|
100.00
|
|
Jharkhand
|
Kharif
|
1.94
|
0.51
|
0.71
|
3.76
|
0.53
|
2.18
|
9.63
|
100.00
|
|
|
Rabi
|
7.84
|
7.06
|
3.29
|
17.96
|
0.53
|
2.37
|
39.05
|
100.00
|
|
Orissa
|
Kharif
|
3.15
|
13.24
|
0.56
|
0.37
|
1.05
|
0.64
|
19.01
|
100.00
|
|
|
Rabi
|
2.26
|
9.95
|
1.08
|
0.53
|
0.75
|
2.65
|
17.22
|
100.00
|
|
West Bengal
|
Kharif
|
3.53
|
10.39
|
32.44
|
2.23
|
3.91
|
5.24
|
57.74
|
100.00
|
|
|
Rabi
|
5.28
|
10.54
|
45.38
|
3.24
|
6.07
|
5.16
|
75.67
|
100.00
|
|
Central
Region
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Madhya
Pradesh
|
Kharif
|
3.68
|
1.13
|
8.72
|
19.41
|
0.29
|
1.12
|
34.35
|
100.00
|
|
|
Rabi
|
5.20
|
3.78
|
13.53
|
21.20
|
1.33
|
1.67
|
46.71
|
100.00
|
|
Chattisgarh
|
Kharif
|
1.15
|
19.33
|
5.80
|
0.22
|
0.83
|
1.51
|
28.84
|
100.00
|
|
|
Rabi
|
0.67
|
1.15
|
7.21
|
0.31
|
1.22
|
0.55
|
11.11
|
100.00
|
|
Uttar
Pradesh
|
Kharif
|
0.54
|
11.11
|
59.10
|
0.99
|
0.28
|
1.07
|
73.09
|
100.00
|
|
|
Rabi
|
0.63
|
11.88
|
69.62
|
2.90
|
0.34
|
0.89
|
86.26
|
100.00
|
|
Southern
Region
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Andhra
Pradesh
|
Kharif
|
1.62
|
15.24
|
14.85
|
8.60
|
4.24
|
3.35
|
47.90
|
100.00
|
|
|
Rabi
|
0.61
|
8.36
|
18.95
|
6.80
|
5.95
|
8.55
|
49.22
|
100.00
|
|
Karnataka
|
Kharif
|
2.17
|
7.62
|
8.94
|
4.39
|
0.87
|
1.18
|
25.17
|
100.00
|
|
|
Rabi
|
1.81
|
10.14
|
11.56
|
4.08
|
0.48
|
1.45
|
29.52
|
100.00
|
|
Kerala
|
Kharif
|
2.93
|
16.19
|
1.50
|
6.60
|
1.49
|
5.80
|
34.51
|
100.00
|
|
|
Rabi
|
2.94
|
9.32
|
1.05
|
10.03
|
0.97
|
17.01
|
41.32
|
100.00
|
|
Tamil
Nadu
|
Kharif
|
1.18
|
13.59
|
15.78
|
35.98
|
7.36
|
3.36
|
77.25
|
100.00
|
|
|
Rabi
|
0.80
|
5.61
|
15.98
|
32.08
|
1.51
|
2.08
|
58.06
|
100.00
|
|
All-India
|
Kharif
|
2.00
|
7.75
|
21.01
|
7.94
|
1.23
|
2.27
|
42.20
|
100.00
|
|
|
Rabi
|
2.20
|
7.68
|
33.82
|
9.04
|
1.13
|
2.46
|
56.33
|
100.00
|
|
Source:
See Table 1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
River/Spring
irrigation has been used to irrigate only about 2 per cent of the cropped
area at all-India level. Compared
to other states, it is more prevalent in
Bihar
,
Jharkhand,
Orissa, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, , in all these
states river irrigated area has been higher than the all
India
average cropped area.
Tank
irrigation is one of the scarcely used source of irrigation
except in Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal, which had their share
about 4-6 per cent as against 1.2 per cent share at all-
India
level.
4.
Distribution of Irrigated Area By Different Sources of Irrigation
|
Table
3: Distribution of Irrigated Area By Source of Irrigation
|
|
|
Kharif
|
Rabi
|
|
|
Irrigated
Area
in million hectares
|
Per
cent to Total Irrigated Area
|
Irrigated
Area
in million hectares
|
Per
cent to Total Irrigated Area
|
|
Tube-well
|
19.6
|
50.0
|
22.1
|
60.3
|
|
Well
|
7.4
|
18.9
|
5.9
|
16.1
|
|
Canal
|
7.1
|
18.3
|
5.0
|
13.5
|
|
River/Spring
|
1.8
|
4.7
|
1.4
|
3.8
|
|
Tank
|
1.1
|
2.9
|
0.7
|
2.0
|
|
Reservoir
|
0.2
|
0.4
|
neg
|
0.2
|
|
Other
sources
|
1.9
|
4.9
|
1.5
|
4.1
|
|
All-sources
|
39.0
|
100.0
|
36.5
|
100.0
|
|
Source:
See Table 1
|
Table
3 shows area irrigated by each source as a per cent of net irrigated area
at all-India level for all agricultural activities (cultivation and
orchards). During the referenc year of the survey 39.0 million hectares of
net sown area were irrigated
and was utilized by 43.8 million farmer households during khariff season.
As against this, 44.5 million farmer households have 36.5 million hectares
of nest sown land under irrigation in rabi season. About 19.6 million
hectares forming about 50 per cent of total irrigated area in kharif
season had been irrigated under Tube wells and it was 60 per cent ( 22.1
million hectares of irrigated land) in rabi season. Well share in kharif
season was about 19 per cent and 16 per cent in rabi season. Similarly,
area irrigated by canals at about 7 million hectares in kharif formed
about 18.3 per cent of the total irrigated area, but similar area was only
13.5 per cent in rabi season. Irrigated area under river/spring mode has
been 1.8 million hectares in kharif season
and 1.4 million hectares in rabi season forming
5 per cent and 4 per cent of total irrigated area in kharif and
rabi season respectively.
Table
4 gives state-wise per cent distribution of irrigated area by major source
of irrigation.
|
Table
4 : State-wise Distribution of Irrigated Area by Major Source of
Irrigation (per cent)
|
|
|
Khariff
|
Rabi
|
|
|
Tube-well
|
Well
|
Canal
|
River
|
Tube-well
|
Well
|
Canal
|
River
|
|
Northern
Region
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Haryana
|
75.43
|
0.30
|
21.69
|
1.10
|
81.41
|
0.27
|
17.46
|
1.27
|
|
Himachal
Pradesh
|
26.31
|
2.24
|
33.33
|
20.57
|
33.62
|
1.28
|
39.55
|
9.51
|
|
Jammu
& Kashmir
|
5.11
|
0.66
|
61.14
|
12.65
|
9.01
|
0.71
|
55.27
|
5.18
|
|
Punjab
|
88.65
|
0.58
|
9.95
|
0.15
|
89.62
|
0.84
|
7.03
|
0.00
|
|
Rajasthan
|
40.16
|
22.49
|
16.82
|
0.72
|
60.30
|
20.66
|
17.22
|
0.34
|
|
North-Eastern
Region
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |