Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd., Jalgaon
Online published on 2 April, 2015.
India is a vast country and has approximately 17% of the total population of the globe. It is estimated that its population would be in the range 1449 million in 2025 and 1751 million in 2050. To feed such a vast population we need to increase our food production substantially. That means we have to increase agricultural productivity on top priority. Agricultural productivity can be increased by adopting following ways:
By introduction of high yielding hybrid varieties,
By increasing the additional area under cropping and
By increasing area under irrigation: This is the most practical and technically feasible solution. By increasing area under irrigation we can definitely increase the productivity of crops without any limitations/side effects such as diseases etc. However there are exceptional cases where because of over irrigation the soils have become saline/alkaline. These types of problems can be taken care of by judicious use of available water resources by introducing modern irrigation systems such as drip and sprinkler irrigation.
Thus irrigation and judicious use of water resources plays vital role in increasing the productivity of crops. It seems to be the only solution to increase the food production and thereby provide food for all. Shortage of arable land, land degradation, loss of agricultural land to urbanization, water shortages, water pollution and irrigation problems such as wastage of water, excessive use of water, unreliable water supply, non-uniformity of water application, rotational water supply and seasonal water supply are the limitations and constraints in food production.
In order to further increase the productivity per unit volume of water, use of piped network systems (Conveyance) and micro irrigation systems (End use distribution) becomes necessary. Use of piped distribution network systems and micro irrigation systems in canal command areas will not only result in to increased productivity but also into increased water use efficiency. There are various models already available for modernization of canal systems through use of micro irrigation systems and piped network systems. Every model is tailor made and no single model suits for all the conditions. Choice of the model will depend up on topography, soil type, cropping pattern, land extent etc and it has to be a location specific. It can also be observed that there are substantial advantages in terms of water saving and yield increase in case of modern technology as compared to traditional canal irrigation.
