Sunday, September 2, 2018

Making irrigation systems compatible


Pune International Centre (PIC)
Round Table
on
Institutional and Policy Reforms to Accelerate Agriculture Growth
in Maharashtra
(Saturday, 1st September 2018 at MCCIA, Pune)

Making irrigation systems compatible & amenable to modern concepts

Pradeep Purandare [1]

1.0 Water Resources Development in Maharashtra:
The State has created Irrigation Potential of 49 Lakh ha through 87 major, 297 medium & 3526 minor projects. The irrigated area, however, is only 24 Lakh ha1 .The present total water use is 34000 MCM; the sector-wise water use being Irrigation (26180 MCM), Domestic (6800 MCM) & Industrial (1020 MCM).2 The water mission is still incomplete as 78 major, 128 medium & 543 minor projects are ongoing projects. The gap between potential created & utilised is a matter of serious concern. The number & severity of water conflicts is also increasing at an alarming rate. It’s time the State should address the Water Management, Governance & Regulation (WMGR) issues & check whether the irrigation system in Maharashtra is compatible & amenable with the demands of WMGR.

2.0 What WMGR demands?

Maharashtra adopted State Water Policy (SWP) in 2003. It not only clearly states that Integrated, Multi-sectoral, River basin Approach & State Water Plan are its objectives but even spell out a five-pronged strategy which comprises of following:
(a)      Enabling environment for better & more equitable & productive water management,
(b)      Restructuring the fundamental roles & relationships of the State & the water users,
(c)       Creating a new institutional arrangement for water governance,
(d)     Promoting new technology, &
(e)      Enactment of appropriate legislation.
  SWP is, thus, the genesis of Maharashtra Management of Irrigation Systems by Farmers Act, 2005 (MMISF) & Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Act, 2005 (MWRRA)
 On this background, WMGR demands a physical system which will enable volumetric supply of water to WUAs based on entitlement & measurement of water
[Implementation of water laws is also required. But that aspect is not dealt with in this paper]
3.0  Compatible Physical System:
Irrigation projects in Maharashtra have been designed only for flow irrigation considering supply of water to individual farmers. Their original planning did not provide for Lift Irrigation, Non-Irrigation [domestic & industrial water supply] & WUAs. However, they are now expected to simultaneously achieve multiple & at times, even conflicting objectives.3 The Overall Project Efficiency (OPE) assumed in the design of these projects normally ranges between 41 to 48% only! It is needless to say that the actual OPE is hardly 20 to 25% because of host of constraints. The point is too much is being expected from the system which is not designed for the same.

 
                    Defunct HR & CR                                          Cross bund

A typical irrigation project comprises of Reservoir, Main Canals, Distributaries, Minors & field channels. Main System of the irrigation projects means main canals & distributaries i.e. up to the head of minor if there is a WUA on minor. It is at present up-stream controlled, manually operated, mostly open channel system without any arrangement for operation of Head Regulators & Cross Regulators based on Real Time data.  Head Regulator (HR) and Cross Regulator (CR) Gates at strategic locations in canals & DISNET are of vital importance to control & regulate water supply.  But HR & CR Gates at present are cumbersome to operate. Their manual operation limits the flexibility of canal operation. In absence of real time data regarding water levels & discharge, gate operation becomes ad-hoc. Engineering control over water does not come into practice.  Volumetric supply becomes impossible. Timely & predictable water supply remains on paper. Inordinate delays & grossly inadequate water supply inevitably lead to water conflicts. . The point is unless the Main System is modernised there would not be any significant improvement in WMGR. In order to modernise Main System following needs to be done4,5

·          Provide motorized HR & CR gates
·         Special Gates M & R Mobile Units may be created 
·         Gradually replace conventional HR gates by Distributors & conventional CR gates in main canal   by automatic gates & that in distributaries by Duckbill or Diagonal weirs
·         Introduce Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) on main canals of major projects to start with.
·         Switch over to indirect measurement of water. Introduce modern technology in existing old projects at the time their rehabilitation & in ongoing projects before their completion.
·         Make modern technology mandatory for all future projects.
·         Industrial production of HR & CR gates, duckbill weirs, measuring devices & water meters and provision, installation, maintenance, repairs, calibration, automatic data
collection, etc could be a huge business opportunity
                        Duckbill Weir                                                Distributor
4.0 Water Management:
The State has evolved Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)6 over the period for water management. Those are as follows: 
·            Water Budgeting -  Preliminary Irrigation Program (PIP)
·            Maintenance & Repairs of canals & distribution network
·            Canal Scheduling based on Soil-Crop-Climate Approach
·            Monitoring & mid-course corrections
·            Measurement of  Irrigated Area
·            Measurement of  Water Utilized
·            Assessment & Recovery of Water Charges (Water Tariff)
·             Accounting & Auditing of Water
·            Benchmarking
·            Irrigation Status Reports
These SOPs have been the part of WALMI training since long but unfortunately those are not being scrupulously implemented. This is because irrigation system is not compatible & amenable with the demands of WMGR. Another reason is absence of Hydro- meteorological data base.  

5.0   Hydro- meteorological data base:
Following data & information is generally required for water budgeting, auditing & benchmarking.  .
·         Project-wise, Season-wise, source-wise , crop-wise area irrigated (including overlap , galper & influence zone)
·         Project-wise, Season-wise, source-wise availability & utilization of water for irrigation (both flow & lift)
·         Project-wise water used for domestic & industrial water supply
·         Project-wise encroachment of silt in both dead & live storages  
·         Project-wise rainfall, evaporation & other meteorological data
·         Project-wise Post Monsoon Flow
·         Project-wise conveyance losses in canals & distribution
In absence of direct measurement & Hydro- meteorological data base some assumptions are arbitrarily made by the officials which may not be appropriate. Possibility of using advanced technology may be explored to indirectly measure as many parameters as possible.  For remaining   parameters,   MWRRA, under sub section (s) & (t) of Section 11 of its Act, may determine the values of the parameters periodically for different river basins / sub basins & watersheds which may be used by the officials.

Standard software may be made available for preparing PIP & canal schedules. Project-wise PIP & canal schedules may be made available in public domain on or before a prescribed date MWRRA may ensure that Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is followed

In every walk of life technology has made wonders. Introduction of modern technology in Management of Irrigation Projects is also long overdue & very much awaited.
...............
References:
1.        GOM, WRD, Irrigation Status Report 2015-16, 2018
2   MWRRA, Criteria for Distribution of Surface Water Entitlements by River Basin Agencies for Domestic & Industrial Uses, Sept 2017
3.  Pradeep Purandare, “Canal Irrigation in Maharashtra: Present Status”; Dams, Rivers & People, July-Aug 2012

4   Report of the committee of experts on Integrated State Water Plan for Godavari Basin in Maharashtra, Vol II, June 2017
5   Pradeep Purandare, “Sinchan Nondee’,July 1992  [सिंचननोंदी]
6   Pradeep Purandare, “Paanyashappath”, Jan 2017 [पाण्याशप्पथ]


[1] Former Associate Professor, WALMI, Aurangabad,
  Former Expert - Member, Marathwada (Statutory) Development Board ,
  Former Expert –Member, Committee for Integrated State Water Plan
  Mobile 9822565232,   pradeeppurandare@gmail.com

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