Publication

Abstract : Water crisis has been one of the critical issues tormenting the nation. On one hand, India suffers the problem of inefficiency of the surface irrigation systems, while on the other hand, groundwater levels are seriously diminishing due to unabashed extractions. Skewed rainfall patterns further worsen the situation of water availability in India. In this context, it becomes essential to have a deep and thorough understanding of the optimal use of water keeping sustainability in mind so that the current as well as future generations can live in a water-stress free environment. The situation of water stress is much more complex and threatening in the state of Gujarat as the state has excessively depended on high capacity powered tubewells and pump sets to draw out more and more ground water to substitute the shortage of water from natural and surface water sources. While present agriculture has benefited from this, sustainability of groundwater has serious implications in the wake of continuously increasing water demands from agriculture as well as other sectors. Gujarat has been an active promoter of Water Saving Technologies, particularly Micro Irrigation System (MIS) in India, being one of the top six states to effectively adopt drip and sprinkler irrigation systems. However, it still is far behind its actual potential of adopting MIS (only 9 percent of the potential achieved). Gujarat has also experimented with high value crops that grow in a short duration of time and require relatively less water. The Gujarat Water Resources Development Corporation Ltd. (GWRDC) is actively engaged in ensuring the effective spread and timely implementation of PINS (Pressured Irrigation Network System) & MIS (Micro Irrigation System) in different districts of Gujarat. Nevertheless, the performance is far from successful in Gujarat. In this backdrop of growing water concerns, the study focuses on understanding the various benefits generated by MIS in terms of: (a) water saving; (b) increase in production; (c) savings in power consumption along with the socio-economic aspects underlies the adoption of the programme. Banaskantha district in North Gujarat has been selected as the target area, where 122 public tubewells and 375 farmers were surveyed to examine the techno-economic benefits of MIS, to ascertain the technical efficiency of tubewells, to understand farmers’ perceptions about the achievements and constraints related to MIS and suggest suitable future course of action that will improve the performance further. A specifically designed and targeted questionnaire was used as a tool to gather required information from farmers regarding household and tubewell information. Focus Group Discussions were also conducted, wherever needed, to elicit more detailed information.