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

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leading to en<strong>on</strong>nous transmissi<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> distributi<strong>on</strong> losses. causmg iniquitous<br />

distributi<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> rampant corrupti<strong>on</strong> (Vaidyanathan. 1999: 25).<br />

2.2.4 Studies <strong>on</strong> envir<strong>on</strong>mental implicati<strong>on</strong>s <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> irrigati<strong>on</strong> <strong>development</strong><br />

There has also been growing antag<strong>on</strong>ism towards the adversities caused by large<br />

canal based irrigati<strong>on</strong> projects in India. The multitude <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> ecological issues<br />

emerging out <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> irrigati<strong>on</strong> <strong>development</strong> point to the failure <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> scientific,<br />

bureaucratic <strong>and</strong> planning instituti<strong>on</strong>s to recognize the inherent socio-ec<strong>on</strong>omic<br />

<strong>and</strong> envir<strong>on</strong>mental c<strong>on</strong>tradicti<strong>on</strong>s associated with large dams.<br />

The' financial productivity test' applied by the British to test the viability<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> a project was followed even after Independence up to 1964. Because <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the<br />

limited validity <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> this criteri<strong>on</strong>, the social benefit cost analysis has replaced it<br />

(GOl. I 972a: 256). Apart from this, the envir<strong>on</strong>mental clearance is a necessary<br />

c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong> <strong>for</strong> the approval <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> irrigati<strong>on</strong> projects.<br />

Much <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the envir<strong>on</strong>mental issues reported from irrigati<strong>on</strong> projects relate<br />

to water logging <strong>and</strong> salinity, which are mostly caused by neglect <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> adequate<br />

l<strong>and</strong> <strong>development</strong> works be<strong>for</strong>e the release <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> canal water. The Central Water <strong>and</strong><br />

Power Commissi<strong>on</strong> (CWPC) has estimated way back in 1967 that as much as 71<br />

per cent <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the water is lost in transit from the reservoir to the field (CSE,<br />

1985: III). As per the latest estimates <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the Central Water Commissi<strong>on</strong>, the total<br />

degraded area has been reported to be 33.70 milli<strong>on</strong> ha., <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> which, 2S per cent <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

area has been affected by water logging, followed by salinity (16 %), acidity (13<br />

%J <strong>and</strong> alkalinity (II %). Besides, the area degraded due to ravines <strong>and</strong> gullies<br />

has been 18 per cent, shifting cultivati<strong>on</strong> 15 per cent <strong>and</strong> other problem affected<br />

49

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