Consultants’ Section, Ministry of Irrigation & Power, New Delhi.
Land classification is the systematic appraisal of lands into “Capability Classes”, indicating the relative degree of suitability of lands for sustained irrigation. The importance of pre-irrigation land classification in project planning and its use in the segregation of non-arable and arable lands and in indicating an equitable way of apportionment of project costs on lands according to their productive value are brought out.
The factors considered in classification and the existing practices in the United States of America and India are detailed and compared. The classes of lands and types of classification that are normally recognised are examined.
A plea is made for declaring that adequate pre-irrigation soil-surveys, drainage studies and classification of land be taken as important prerequisites for according approval to a scheme for execution.
