A watershed development

Farmers in Punjab have overcome the problem of acute water and power shortage with the new Centre-sponsored micro-irrigation scheme

When Sunny Thiara, a farmer in Kahnpur Thiara village of Hoshiarpur, was asked to subscribe to a new irrigation scheme last year, he refused, stubborn in his belief that it would prove no good. But he was worried, of course. The water table was shrinking and he would either have to dig a deeper, expensive bore or get a new tubewell in the next couple of years. After much fretting, Thiara relented and went in for the Centre Sector Scheme of Micro Irrigation. It didn’t take long for Thiara to change his mind.

“The water consumption has reduced by 70 per cent, the water table has improved, the quality and quantity of the agricultural produce has gone up significantly, and most importantly, I don’t need to get a deeper bore or a new tubewell,” says a loquacious Thiara. “Though I refused initially, now I’m planning to cover the entire farm. I already have had it installed in 12 acres,” he adds.

It’s a lesson that 93 farmers in Hoshiarpur have learnt well. After initial resistance, the community has taken to the micro-irrigation system, irrigating 190 hectares of land. In the coming year, 662 hectares will be brought under the scheme in Hoshiarpur, while in Nawanshahr and Jalandhar too hundreds of acres are being irrigated with the new system. In all 2,000 hectares have been brought under the scheme in the past year in Punjab, with another 5,000 hectares to be covered next year.

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The CSSIM involves drip irrigation and micro sprinkling, with pipes laid in the fields and connected with the tubewell. As opposed to the traditional flooding system, where the water starts at one point and takes hours to cover the entire field, this system helps irrigate all the plants at the same time, with one plant getting nearly 35 litre of water in an hour.

It’s not too expensive either. “I spent Rs 85,000 for installing the drip system in 12 acres, the rest of the money coming from the government. Even one person can manage the irrigation of the entire farm,” says Har Narayan Singh of Janauri village in Hoshiarpur.

It’s an answer to the irrigation problem in the state, which is facing acute water shortage and where the water table is shrinking by one meter every year. The Centre-sponsored scheme was introduced last year in Punjab and has started showing results only now.

According to B.R. Abrol, the divisional soil conservation officer, Hoshiarpur, of the Rs 129 lakh grant for micro-irrigation for the district, Rs 33 lakh had already been spent. As an incentive, the farmers who have adopted the scheme are being given 50 per cent subsidy and tubewell connection on priority.

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“It’s a boon for the entire farmer community. I’m saving nearly 70 per cent of water, 65-70 per cent electricity and up to 40 per cent fertilisers,” says Har Narayan Singh. “I irrigate 1,200 citrus plants for just three-four hours after every four-five days, while earlier I used to run the tubewell for 12 hours a day.”

According to S.S. Saini, state chief conservator of soils, a fertiliser tank can also be linked to the water supply to provide the requisite amount of fertiliser.