Ensuring food security through water conservation and rain water harvesting - with special reference to western Uttar Pradesh, India

Water continues to play an unchallenged role in achieving food self sufficiency in India. It ensures sustainable agricultural growth, productivity, grain surpluses and also helps in alleviating rural poverty. However, ever growing demand for food grains due to increasing population has resulted in adoption of exploitive agriculture which inturn is adversely affecting the ecosystem resulting in diminishing per capita arable land, and depleting ground and surface water resources. Climatic uncertainties and increasing demand of water in various other sectors is putting pressure on natural resource and reducing allocations of water for agriculture. Exploitative agriculture has lead to the rapid exhaustion of this wonderful natural resource left to us through ages of natural farming.

Farmers in North western parts of India especially Western Uttar Pradesh, that are major contributors to nation's foodgrains stock, prefer rice wheat cropping pattern. Continuous cultivation of water guzzling crops like paddy through frequent flood irrigation has resulted into depletion of ground water. This has constrained to deepening of wells, spending more money for assured ground water irrigation and also resulting in higher energy consumptions for water pumping that has adversely affected the socio economic condition of the small farmers. Food security of the poor is at risk, as they face severe resource constraint not only in accessing the water, but also in investing in land and water management.

Present study focuses on addressing the problem of exploitive agriculture adopted in western Uttar Pradesh and its ecological implications where 92.4% net area is dependent on ground water for irrigation. This has resulted in withdrawal of ground water resources in shallow aquifers upto 92% of annual recharge. Ground water levels are declining at a significant rate of more than 20 cm per year.

Based on successful ground water management interventions taken up in Punjab and Sataon block, Rae Bareli district, Uttar Pradesh, a well coordinated multi-prong approach is to be taken upthrough involvement of various stakeholders. Studies carried out in 51 blocks of this area have suggested supply side interventions tapping 1500 MCM surplus monsoon runoff through construction of 177 checkdams, 4065 nala bunds and 1490 recharge trenches. Other measures such as revival of 7480 ponds, desiltation of 950 km stream beds have also been suggested.

In addition, demand side management for Water Conservation techniques are to be adopted in the areas with deeper water levels. An area of 144920 hectare has been identified for adoption of micro irrigation techniques. Use of pipes in place of open drains water for reducing conveyance losses up to 30% is also proposed. It is expected that ground water recharge of about 360 MCM and total saving of 399 MCM of ground water by provision of supplemental irrigation through conservation of runoff in surface structures will take place. Adoption of micro irrigation techniques would result in saving of 95 MCM groundwater through enhanced efficiency of irrigation systems. The total cost of these is projected to be $ 133 million. Benefits of the interventions is expected to enhance the livelihood of 10 million inhabitants living in the area.