Lift Irrigation, Lucknow, U.P.
The failure of monsoon during 1966 in U.P. led to installation of diesel pump-sets on boats in rivers as an emergency measure for lifting water for withering paddy crops. The utility of the schemes attracted the public attention and there was demand for long time measures such as pump-sets on floating barges. Electric pump-sets were found necessary, particularly in Eastern U. P. areas which lie. towards tail ends of large irrigation systems taking off from Western U. P.
The success of 1.416 cumec (50 cusecs), 600 H.P. electric pumping station on the Ganga in 1967 led to installation of larger pumping sets in the following year, 3 large pump canal schemes with pumping stations of about 4000 H.P. to feed canals of 11.9 to 10.2 cumec (425 to 360 cusecs) capacity were taken up and completed in 1968. These sets installed on floating barges stood the heavy floods of 1969. More lift irrigation schemes have now been taken up in the State.
Irrigation by lifting water from tanks, barhas and pits had been the earliest method of irrigation. However, with the growth of technical knowledge, irrigation by lifting water through hand-made devices like Dauras, etc., was considered cumbersome and new devices for flow irrigation began to be developed. Consequently, dams, reservoirs, tubewells, etc., came into prominence, stress has been given for the extension of only these schemes, in all the Five-year Plans.
