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economics of on-farm development - Institute for Social and ...

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practice IS more c<strong>on</strong>spIcuous In the Peechi project. Since the project IS In<br />

operati<strong>on</strong> <strong>for</strong> the last four decades. the whole water distributi<strong>on</strong> system is in a<br />

dilapidated c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong>. This has resulted in water scarcity <strong>for</strong> tail-enders. because.<br />

water in the head reaches through breaches <strong>and</strong> seepage from the canals <strong>and</strong><br />

create waterlogging <strong>and</strong> salinity problems. The maintenance grant allocated <strong>for</strong><br />

the project is not even sufficient to remove the silt deposit in the canals <strong>and</strong><br />

branches. let al<strong>on</strong>e repairs to the irrigati<strong>on</strong> structures. Silt problem is more acute<br />

in the branch canals abutting the hills (GOK. 1997c:8). Poor delivery system has<br />

reduced the potential area irrigated by more than 30 per cent. The revamping <strong>and</strong><br />

c<strong>on</strong>solidati<strong>on</strong> programme taken up in the comm<strong>and</strong> area has addressed this<br />

problem <strong>and</strong> steps have been already taken by enhancing funds <strong>for</strong> lining <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the<br />

canals <strong>and</strong> <strong>for</strong> their repair <strong>and</strong> maintenance as revealed by the data presented in<br />

the <strong>for</strong>egoing secti<strong>on</strong>.<br />

A marked improvement in the groundwater levels in Peechi comm<strong>and</strong><br />

area seems to have motivated a large number <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>farm</strong>ers to go <strong>for</strong> c<strong>on</strong>junctive use<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> canal <strong>and</strong> groundw:ller.<br />

rhe details <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> "round\\Jter levels <strong>and</strong> wells<br />

o<br />

c<strong>on</strong>structed in the cnmm~nd ;lrl'~<br />

3re presented in t3hlc 1i.1 ':. It is inL're>ting to<br />

note th:ll the gl,)Undw3ter Inl'l h:ls increased suhstantially due to the canal<br />

seepage. The increase is. however. not uni<strong>for</strong>m. For instance. in the head n:aches.<br />

the increase has been 4.95 meters. compared to 4.41 meters in the middle reaches<br />

<strong>and</strong> 3.6 meters in the tail reaches. These variati<strong>on</strong>s are because <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> heavy seepage<br />

in the head reaches. This has natural Iv reduced the flow <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> water to the tail-end<br />

areas. Because <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> less water. seepage from the canals tends to be less intensi ve<br />

<strong>and</strong> there<strong>for</strong>e, less percolati<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> low recharge to the groundwater table in the<br />

242

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