Water Users Association and Irrigation Management - Institute for ...

degradation is more in the command areas. It is, however, silent on the factors contributing
to salinity decrease in 10 percent of the villages. The study points out that it is essential to
improve the sub-soil drainage in the affected areas.
In the protected area of the Eastern Kosi Flood embankment, about 1.52 lakh hectares of
land has been atlected out of which 15,000 hectares remains waterlogged from June to
March where the depth of waterlogging varies from 0.9 m (meters) to 3.0 m. In low-lying
areas, waterlogging is found to be permanent. This has posed a serious threat to the
irrigation potential created by the Kosi project and to crop production (Singh 1987). The
main causes of waterlogging, as identified by the study, have been surface drainage
congestion, seepage from the eastern Kosi tlood embankment, escape of surplus canal
water due to non-utilization of the full irrigation potential. Another important cause of
waterlogging is the practice of irrigation by the inundation method. The study, does not
take into account the perspectives of the farmers in this regard. It has, however, suggested
the provision of surface drainage and underground drains for the entire Kosi command area
coupled with scientific watcr management.
Bowender & Ravi (1989) observe waterlogging in irrigation projects as an environmental
hazard. The problems and intensity of waterlogging in three major irrigation projects have
been discussed. According to the study, waterlogging should be seen in the economic sense
of the opportunity costs in terms of production lost and ineffective use of irrigation
facilities. Opportunities foregone in terms of loss of fertile land and in terms of nonavailability
of water to the tail enders results in lower output per unit of investment 10
agriculture. However, these observations lack empirical support.
Pawar (1989) has tried to identify the problems of waterlogging and salinity in the
Panchaganga basin of the Upper Krishna basin in Maharastra. The data pertaining to soil
problems were collected from 10 percent villages and about 15 samples of soil were
collected from each selected village and chemical properties were obtained in terms of pH
values. It was found that about 6,320 hectares are fully affected and another 39,644
hectares are moderately affected by salinity. In 1979, the per hectare yield of sugarcane was
between 125 to 150 tonnes, which has drastically declined to 35 tonnes in some areas in
27