India may have built state-of-the-art dams and canals, but delivering irrigation water to the last mile remains a major issue, thus necessitating the development of micro irrigation in the command area as an only solution for supply side as well as demand side management of irrigation water for the benefit of the small and marginal farmers, experts have said.
Anuj Kanwal, Commissioner Irrigation Water Management and Water Use Efficiency, Union Ministry of Jal Shakti highlighted the importance of addressing the last mile connectivity issue in irrigation management and stressed the role of Command Area Work in managing both supply and demand sides of irrigation water. He also highlighted the opportunity to implement low-cost community irrigation models, benefiting small and marginal farmers.
He was speaking at a workshop titled “Command Area Development Through Micro-Irrigation†in Lucknow held at Lucknow held recently to address critical challenges facing the irrigation sector in India, with a particular focus on Uttar Pradesh.
Ajith Radhakrishnan , Senior Specialist & Country Coordinator, 2030 WRG (World Bank) was of the view that “Improved water use technologies for farmers – such as micro-irrigation systems – can improve nutrient and energy efficiency by 28% and 30% respectively, and this can be directly translated into considerable water savings. Command areas offer an opportunity to test and implement low-cost community irrigation models that include on-farm storage and solar-powered pumps benefitting the small and marginal farmers of the State.†Looking ahead, Dr. Heera Lal, Chairman and Administrator of Greater Sharda Sahayak Samadesh and Special Secretary of the Irrigation and Water Resources Department in the UP Government, announced setting up a technical support unit to coordinate stakeholders and implement pilot projects on the ground, demonstrating a proactive approach to addressing irrigation challenges.
Dr. Yogesh Bandhu, Coordinator of the UP Accelerator Program at 2030 WRG (World Bank), highlighted the need for awareness and guidance in implementing micro-irrigation at scale.
