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POVERTY REDUCTION STRATEGY TN

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largest. 14 Cauvery water irrigates nearly 20 million hectares of land. But Tamil Nadu is<br />

lower riparian state. The total water resources of the state comprise surface water of<br />

24.1 billion cubic meters and groundwater of 23.1 billion cubic meters (Table 5.2).<br />

Utilization rate of surface water is estimated to be 93 percent and that of groundwater 60<br />

percent. Evidence indicates that the rate of extraction of groundwater has exceeded<br />

recharge rates in many parts of the state.<br />

Table 5.2: Water Resources<br />

Details MCM Percent TMC<br />

Surface 16769 35.5 592<br />

Shares from Other States 7391 15.6 261<br />

Groundwater 23070 48.8 815<br />

Total 47230 100.0 1668<br />

Source: Government of Tamil Nadu (2007), Eleventh Five Year Plan 2007-2012, State Planning Commission.<br />

Note: MCM – Million Cubic Meters; TMC - Thousand Million Cubic Feet<br />

Major water supply sources in Tamil Nadu are (i) canals with 9786 kms length,<br />

(ii) 41260 tanks, and (iii) 18.47 lakh wells (Table 5.3). Irrigation is a high volume user of<br />

water accounting for about 90 percent of total water uses. The sources of irrigation are<br />

major, medium (surface irrigation) and minor irrigation schemes including pump sets,<br />

tube wells and lift irrigation. 15 Surface irrigation schemes are generally funded from<br />

public sector outlays while ground water development is done largely through individual<br />

and cooperative efforts with the help of institutional finance mobilized through land<br />

development banks, nationalized commercial banks, state cooperative banks with<br />

refinance from National Bank for Agriculture and Development (NABARD) and<br />

government subsidy in certain cases.<br />

14<br />

All are flowing eastwards from the Western Ghats and Deccan plateau. Cauvery, Palar, Vellar, Vaigai, and<br />

Tambaraparani are major rivers. The Cauvery delta has been the rice bowl of the state for over 1500 years since the<br />

construction of the Grand Anicut.<br />

15 In 1950-51, irrigation projects were divided into three categories: major projects costing more than Rs. 50 million each;<br />

medium projects costing between Rs. 1 million and Rs. 50 million each; and minor works costing less than Rs. 1 million<br />

each. In 1978, the Indian government adopted a new classification, depending on cultivable areas that the project<br />

commands. Projects that have a cultivable command area of more than 10, 000 ha are considered as major while<br />

projects having command area between 2000-10000 ha are considered as medium projects. Minor schemes have a<br />

cultivable command area of less than 2000 ha.<br />

104

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