INTEGRATING INDIGENOUS AND MODERN KNOWLEDGE OF WATER MANAGEMENT FOR INCREASING CROP PRODUCTIVITY IN HIMACHAL PRADESH, INDIA

摘要

This research paper studies the existing irrigation systems and their managementrnand analyze various problems faced by the farmers and to identify the issues of waterrnmanagement in traditional and modern methods for optimal use and conservation of waterrnon sustainable basis. An economic analysis reveals about 81.5% of the total cultivatedrnarea as rain fed. The productivities of important crops under rain fed conditions have beenrnworked out to be about half to one-third of those under irrigated conditions. Though thernnet irrigated area has increased by about 3% under minor irrigation schemes during thernlast decade yet the total production has not grown significantly. About 62% of kuhls (waterrnchannels found in precipitous mountain areas) have been reported to be managed privatelyrnin a traditional way. At the present level of water management, the weighted irrigationalrndevelopment index has been worked out as about 46%. The study has emphasized uponrnvarious issues of ‘composite method’ of traditional and modern approach for conservationrnand utilization of water which may increase the irrigational development index. The studyrnshows that the centuries old water harvesting structures of various sizes have been servingrnthe water users successfully even today, mainly due to a comprehensive integrated planningrntaking into consideration all the relevant parameters.