Evaluating the Conjunctive Use of Water in the Eastern Yamuna Canal (EYC) Command

This paper aims at critically evaluating the quantities of water utilized in crop production from various sources in three distributaries of EYC. Based on the analysis of data and other information, suggestions for improvement in the performance of irrigation system in EYC command for optimum utilization of water through conjunctive use have been made. In a study conducted in EYC command during the period 1999 to 2000, it was observed that the area irrigated by groundwater was 86.16 per cent in middle reach, 85.18 per cent in tail reach and minimum 82.76 per cent in head reach distributaries. The remaining 13.84 per cent, 14.82 per cent and 17.24 per cent area was irrigated by canal water. The increasing overexploitation of groundwater to meet out the crop irrigation demands has resulted into severly-depleted groundwater. The groundwater table in the EYC command has been depleted from 3.04 to 17.98 meter during the period 1975 to 2005, meaning thereby that about 0.51 meter depletion has taken place per year. The present study also explored the newly emerging Local Water Market Concept being adopted by the poor farmers of the region which has a great potential to become a national phenomenon that will not only increase the irrigated area of the country but also enhance the water productivity, because with the cost associated with water application; farmers will not allow any wastage to take place as being observed in today's situations.