Assessment of ecosystem services: The case of Eastern Yamuna canal

Irrigation is a critical input in crop production. Canal irrigation, on account of uncertain supply, straggled behind groundwater irrigation. Besides, higher maintenance cost and lower recovery to government expenditure on major and medium irrigation projects are major impediments to make canal as an efficient irrigation source. This study quantifies ecosystem services delivered by the canal in its command area. In Eastern Yamuna Canal(EYC) command, government incurs Rs.757.28 million as working expenses annually and only 3.01% of it is recovered as canal water charges. Accounting all the key services of the canal in monetary terms, the result shows that EYC delivered services to the ecosystem in its command area worth Rs.1122.86 million, 48.27% higher than working expenses. So, in business as usual scenario, canal irrigation system, despite yielding low revenue it generates ecosystem services worth more than its working expenses. Under pragmatic scenario, if government ensures timely availability of canal water as per crop water requirement and collecting water charges equal to working expenses from water users, then too, it could be win-win situation for government and farmers.