WATER SHARING AND TRANSFER IN SEMI ARID TROPICS: A PILOT STUDY IN KARNATAKA, INDIA

摘要

Almost 70 percent of India's agriculture depends on monsoon, while 30 percent on irrigation.Since Independence, heavy investments have been made in building 5101 major dams mainlyfor irrigation & hydro-power production. These efforts have increased food grain productionfrom 50 million metric tonnes in 1950 to 240 million metric tonnes in 2012. To meet the targetof doubling food production by 2020, a pilot experiment was taken up in Karnataka. The Pilotwas based on transfer and, sharing of water in water stressed areas by lifting water from amajor irrigation dams to a minor irrigation tanks and it was taken up in 2010. The base linedata on ground water table, migration of agriculturists, abandoning the agriculture, scarcity ofdrinking water and other environmental conditions before transferring water to minor irrigationtanks are compared to the changed fi gures after providing water. The Pilot had positive impactin restoring and sustaining the agriculture productivity. The sharing of water was materializedby modernizing irrigation canals, constructing control valves, adopting SRI method of ricecultivation, lining of canals and training the farmers in scientifi c water management practices.These actions could save more than 45 percent of water. The saved water was transferred tothe water stressed areas resulting in mitigating the drought condition, enhancing WUE andwater productivity.