Irrigation

Irrigation plays an important role in the agriculture sector of J&K economy. Our state does not receive rain throughout the year. In Jammu region, temperature conditions favour cultivation of crops throughout the year but due to non availability of water in the region, the plant growth is limited. Rainy season provides sufficient water from July to September. In winter also, this region receives several showers of rain. The remaining months of the year, are by and large dry.

In Kashmir valley, it rains mostly in winter when temperature is too low for plant growth. When the temperature begins to rise in May and onwards, the rainfall decreases and except some showers of rain in July-August, most of the growing season remains dry. Since ages, the farm economy has been dependant on a single crop and the cultivator cannot take chances with it. The farmer always requires sufficient water supply for his filed, therefore, he depends mostly upon canals for irrigation. Much snow fed streams, running down the slopes of the mountains, makes it very easy for him to construct small canals or pools. In this view, 60% of the land in the valley is irrigated.

The outlay for the irrigation/Flood Control sector including Ravi-Tawi Irrigation scheme) during the year 2013-14 was Rs. 66404.98 lacs (which comprises Rs. 265.20 lacs as Revenue Component and Rs. 66139.78 lacs as Cap. Component) against which an expenditure of Rs. 57765.11 lacs (including USB) was incurred during the year 2013-14.
An outlay of Rs. 41344.53 lacs (Rs. 265.20 lacs as Rev. Component and Rs. 41079.23 lacs as Cap component) has been earmarked for the current financial year i.e 2014-15 against which an amount of Rs. 5587.02 lacs has been incurred up to ending Jan. 2015.

The net area sown in the state during 2013-14 was 741 thousand hectares whereas the gross area sown (total area sown under different crops) was 1160 thousand hectares. The mode of irrigating the crops mainly used is the canals. About 89 per cent of the net area irrigated is irrigated through canals while tanks, tube wells and other means are also used.

A slight decrease was witnessed, during the year 2013-14, in the net area irrigated, as it decreased from 325.08 thousand hectares in 2012-13 to 323.26 thousand hectares. However, when net area irrigated for the year 2013-14 is compared with the figures for 1974-75, one observes an increase of only 30 thousand hectares in the irrigation potential utilized over a period of more than three decades.

The inter district position shows that the net as well as gross sown area in Leh and Kargil are cent percent irrigated. Among the districts with large Gross Area Irrigated, Ganderbal has 77.15 percent, Anantnag has 73.11 percent, and Shopian has 72.78 percent. Districts with very low percentage of gross area irrigated are Reasi (6.52%), Ramban (6.16%).

Crops Irrigated
The crops which are provided irrigation are rice, wheat, maize, oil seeds and fruits & vegetables. Among these crops, rice, which needs to be kept covered with shallow water, claimed maximum percentage of area under irrigation. In fact, around 87% of the area irrigated was under rice in 2013-14. 29% area under wheat and 8% under maize was also irrigated during the same year.

Major/Medium Irrigation Sector
The irrigation projects are classified into three categories viz major, medium and minor irrigation projects. A Project which have a Cultivable Command Area (CCA) of more than 10,000 hectare is termed as major project. A project which has a CCA of less than 10,000 hectare but more than 2,000 hectare are termed as medium projects and those which have a CCA of 2,000 hectare or less are known as minor projects. Minor irrigation projects have both surface and ground water as their sources, while major and medium projects mostly exploit surface water resources.

In our state, irrigation potential is created under funding through Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP), Border Area Development Programme (BADP) and State Sector/District Sector schemes (including NABARD loan assistance). Presently, 9 major/medium irrigation schemes are under implementation in the state out of which, 5 are funded under AIBP, 3 in the state sector and remaining 1 scheme under loan raised from NABARD. The total estimated cost of these schemes is Rs. 513.01 crore, against which a cumulative expenditure of Rs. 330.74 crore was incurred ending March, 2014.

The Main projects undertaken include modernization of Ranbir Canal, Rest./ mod. of main Ravi canal and its distr. System (RTIC), Kandi Canal Baderwah, Tral LIS, and Perkachik Khous Canal.

Major/Medium Irrigation project namely, Rajpora LIS, Pulwama, were completed during 2012-13.

Besides proposals of 3 new Projects under MMI sector namely, Lar Canal Budgam, Zaingeer Canal Phase-II, Grimtoo Canal costing Rs. 220.32 crores, have been submitted to GOI, Ministry of Water Resources (MOWR) for which investment clearance has been obtained from Planning Commission of India, but central assistance for them are yet to be released.

Minor Irrigation
775 Minor Irrigation schemes costing Rs. 1663.72 crore were taken up under AIBP out of which 478 schemes ( 465 under AIBP & 13 under NABARD) were completed up to ending 3/2014. Besides 130 new MI schemes at an estimated to cost Rs. 69.04 crore, have been submitted to GOI, MOWR for sanction.

Water Rates
The prevailing water rates for flow irrigation in few States as compared to J&K are as under:

Flood Management Programme:
Under Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Flood Management Programme 28 projects costing Rs. 370.60 crores were approved and sanctioned by the Ministry of Water Resources, Govt. of India and funds to the tune of Rs. 322.68 crores were released by Govt. of India till March, 2013. Besides, 129 new projects were prepared and submitted to Ministry of Water Resources, Govt. of India for obtaining their sanction and funding out of which 17 new projects costing Rs. 194.96 crores have been sanctioned during the year 2013-14. A brief profile of ongoing Flood Management Projects is given as under:-

Ground Water Atlas
The Ground water Atlas of a region provides a summary of the most important in­formation available for each principal aquifer, a rock unit that will yield usable quantities of water to the wells in that region. It compiles data pertaining to the ground water resources and also describes the location, extent and geologic and hydrologic characteristic of all the important aquifers in that region. In all the states/UTs of the country, the preparation of Ground Water Atlas has been taken up with 14 states already having prepared, printed and released the Atlas. The preparation of Atlas in 12 states/ UTs is under progress but no such project has been taken up in J&K state.

Rawi Tawi Irrigation Complex (RTIC)
The Rawi Tawi Irrigation Complex is a conglomerate of two canals namely the Ravi Canal and the Tawi Lift Canal. The Ravi canal was envisaged for construction in early 1970s to draw J&K state's share of 1150 cusecs water of river Ravi through gravity to irrigate the arid Kandi lands of Kathua and Jammu districts. In the beginning, the canal was to take off from the right bank of Thein Dam (now called Ranjit Sagar Dam), but because of a subsequent agreement reached between the states of Punjab and J&K, it had to take off from the right bank of Shahpur Kandi Barrage. This Barrage, which was to be constructed by Punjab government, still has not been taken up in full swing despite the lapse of around 30 years after signing of the said agreement.

Out of the projected length of 81 kms of the main canal, the work on which was taken up in 1975-76, 79 kms length of the canal has been completed and also, out of 20 distributaries, 17 have also been completed with part construction of minors and sub minors and Kuhls (field channels). Due to absence of Shahpur Kandi Barrage, the state has not been able to get the full share of water from river Ravi. In order to utilize the constructed portion of Ravi canal system, the RTIC has set up two lift stations, one at Basantpur (1993) for lifting 500 cusecs of water directly from river Ravi and the other at Lakhanpur (1984) for lifting 200 cusecs through the Kashmir/Kathua canal. This is an expensive venture. With this arrangement, the RTIC has created an annual irrigation potential of 40,000 hectares out of the project potential of 53,900 hectares and utilization of the created potential is of the order of 11,000 hectares. The full potential of the canal has not been achieved due to certain contributing factors, the prominent among them being very old pumping machinery, low and interrupted power supplies, bad condition of the canal and its distribution system, and poor maintenance of the canal due to inadequate yearly funding over the years. The work on Tawi Lift Canal, the other component of RTIC, was started in 1970 to irrigate annually an area of 12,880 hectares of Kandi lands of parts of Jammu district along the National Highway, was completed in 1977. The utilization has been of the order of 6,000 hectares. This 28 km long lined canal is fed by lifting 300 cusecs of Tawi water through 6 pumping units of 60 cusecs capacity each (one unit being standby). The canal has a distribution network of 172 km length. The reasons for low utilization of the potential of this system are similar to those for Ravi canal.

In view of the PTAA 2004 and the fact that the Punjab Govt. has deprived the State of J&K the allocated share of Ravi water, causing huge losses, the State Govt. has decided to go ahead with an alternative proposal for extension of main Ravi Canal from Basantpur to up-stream of Ranjit Sagar Dam (Reservoir) near Village Satwain - A Multipurpose Hydro Irrigation Power Project in District Kathua costing Rs. 410.00 crores which includes Rs. 275.14 crore civil cost. Pursuant to the State Cabinet Decision No: 177/24/2013 dated : 16-08-2013, Administrative Approval for construction of this project has been accorded on 26-8-2013. The intake structure of the said scheme has been put to e-tendering in the first instance which amounts to Rs. 7.30 crores. EIA/Bio-diversity assessment study and mitigation of plan is being prepared from a independent agency for complete three seasons. The process for acquisition of land about 176K-18 Marla is in process.

Reforms in Water Sector
A comprehensive legislation namely the J&K Water Resource Regularization & Management Act, 2010 has been enacted. Under the Act the Water Resources Regulatory Authority has been set up to ensure judicious and optimum utilization of water resources of the state i.e. surface/ground water as per Water Policy as well as push ahead the reforms in the water sector. Under the Act, revise water tariff rates have been got approved by the cabinet for various uses of water thereby effectively kick-starting the much awaited water reforms process. Rs. 2422 crores have been realized so far on account of water usage charges on hydroelectric projects in the state.