Availability of water for irrigated agriculture in India is declining due to a rise in demand from non-farm sectors even as there is pressure to grow more food, the Central Water Commission (CWC) said today.
"There is a need to meet the increased food requirements of the country, which requires increased water for irrigated agriculture. But, availability of water for irrigation is reducing due to relatively sharp increase in demand from other sectors," CWC Chairman A K Bajaj said, while addressing a conference organised by industry body CII on water here.
Depleting ground and surface water due to rising demand from non-farm sectors has reduced availability for irrigated agriculture, Bajaj said.
Irrigation uses more than 80 per cent of the total water available. At present, the government has developed irrigation potential for 104 million hectare (MH), of which only 70 MH has been utilised. Total farm land is about 143 MH.
So, there is a need to draw an action plan for achieving higher standards of efficiencies for water use in various sectors, Bajaj stressed.
Higher efficiency of water-usage for irrigation can be achieved with policy initiatives such as revision of the State Irrigation Acts, legislation to prevent encroachment of water bodies besides, the use of new technologies like drip irrigation, he said.
Echoing a similar view, Agriculture Ministry Additional Secretary G C Pati said, "Non-farm sectors have put pressure on availability of land and water for agriculture. With use of micro irrigation, 30-60 per cent of water can be saved and help increase productivity by 20-30 per cent."
Meanwhile Jain Irrigation Managing Director Anil B Jain said, "To bring more land under irrigation we need more water. But we saw that water availability is not growing at all."
He suggested new technologies like drip irrigation to ensure efficient water use in agriculture.
