Organizational Change for Participatory Irrigation Management

Surface and groundwater potential is maximum in Ganga basin followed by Brahmaputra.
While resource potential of Brahmaputra is difficult to tap due to geographical conditions,
Ganga basin has good potential for expansion and that is why Uttar Pradesh has maximum
irrigated area in the country. Up to now, India has tapped easily exploitable irrigation
potential, and further expansion is difficult. For example, inter-basin transfers etc. may be
necessary, which will require huge financial resources and efforts.
Another important aspect is that total assessed irrigation potential of India is only 139.89
million ha while cultivated area is 142.215 million ha at present. It indicates that whole of the
cultivated area cannot be irrigated according to present assessment. However, the gross
irrigated area is only 71.510 million ha, which is about 51 percent of the ultimate irrigation
potential leaving about 68.38 million ha. for further expansion of irrigation facilities.
Impact of Irrigation on Farm Productivity
With the expansion of irrigation facilities in India, use of other agricultural inputs such
as improved and high-yielding varieties of seeds, fertilizes and pesticides etc. had increased
considerably, resulting in considerable increase in farm production and crop productivity. At
the time of independence, the food production was 51 million mt. Now it is about 200 million
mt. Increase in food production with the increase in irrigated area is shown in Table 7. From
Table 7 it is clear that there had been a considerable increase in food production as well as in
average productivity since 1950-51 due to extension of irrigation facilities.
Table 7. Growth in Irrigated Area, Food Production, and Productivity
Year
Irrigated Area
(000 ha)
Total Area
(000 ha)
- 197 -
Production
(000 mt)
Average Yield
(kg/ha)
1950-51 18,317 97,321 50,825 522
1955-56 20,626 110,560 66,850 605
1960-61 22,080 115,581 82,018 710
1965-66 24,032 115,103 72,347 629
1970-71 30,558 124,316 108,422 872
1975-76 34,114 128,181 121,034 944
1980-81 37,614 126,669 129,589 1,023
1981-82 38,448 129,138 133,295 1,032
1982-83 40,206 125,095 129,519 1,035
1983-84 40,115 131,163 152,374 1,162
1984-85 40,628 126,673 145,539 1,149
1985-86 41,675 128,023 150,440 1,175
1986-87 40,484 127,195 143,418 1,128
1987-88 42,909 119,696 140,354 1,173
1988-89 43,671 127,674 169,922 1,331
1989-90 44,526 126,507 170,627 1,349
1990-91 45,459 127,835 176,390 1,380
1991-92 46,283 121,871 168,373 1,382
1992-93 48,259 123,148 179,483 1,457
1993-94 49,900 122,754 184,260 1,501
1994-95 - 123,548 191,093 1,547
1995-96 - 123,437 185,048 1,499
1996-97 - 124,509 199,321 1,601