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
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