Agriculture accounts for approximately 80% of India’s total freshwater utilization. While extensive irrigation infrastructure supported the Green Revolution, contemporary irrigation networks face structural inefficiencies, over-extraction, and climate variability that impact long-term agrarian productivity.

Major Challenges Faced by the Indian Irrigation System

• Dependence on Monsoon Variability: Over 45% of net cultivated area remains un-irrigated and rainfed, leaving yields exposed to erratic monsoon behavior and dry spells.
• Deterioration of Canal Infrastructure: Siltation of storage reservoirs, canal breaches, and unlined distributaries lead to distribution losses and waterlogging along command areas.
• Groundwater Depletion from Subsidized Power: Unmetered and subsidized agricultural electricity encourages excessive extraction via deep tube-wells, leading to aquifer over-exploitation across Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan.
• Prevalence of Flood Irrigation (Low Water-Use Efficiency): Widespread flood irrigation results in water loss through evaporation and percolation, yielding water-use efficiency of roughly 30% to 38% compared to 55%+ globally.
• Lag in Irrigation Potential Utilization: A significant gap persists between Irrigation Potential Created (IPC) and Irrigation Potential Utilized (IPU) due to incomplete field distribution channels.
• Agricultural Runoff and Soil Salinization: Over-irrigation combined with chemical fertilizer runoff causes soil salinization and contamination of riparian water tables.

Government Measures for Efficient Irrigation Management

• Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY): Launched in 2015 with key components:
  • Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP): Focuses on fast-tracking incomplete major and medium canal irrigation projects.
  • Har Khet Ko Pani: Creates minor irrigation sources and restores traditional water bodies.
  • Per Drop More Crop (PDMC): Subsidizes micro-irrigation technologies (drip and sprinkler systems), improving on-farm water efficiency by up to 50%.
• Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM): Encourages formation of statutory Water User Associations (WUAs) to transfer canal maintenance, water distribution, and minor fee collection directly to local farmers.
• Command Area Development & Water Management (CADWM): Promotes underground pipeline distribution networks to eliminate conveyance seepage losses.
• National Water Policy Reforms: Emphasizes sustainable river-basin management, conjunctive use of surface and groundwater, and water budgeting.
• Technological Applications: Utilizes satellite remote sensing and GIS mapping to evaluate canal water delivery and identify distribution bottlenecks.

Way Forward

• Shift toward solar-powered micro-irrigation systems (integrated under PM-KUSUM).
• Promote water-efficient cropping patterns, encouraging farmers in water-scarce zones to cultivate pulses, oilseeds, and millets instead of water-intensive cash crops.

Modernizing irrigation requires transitioning from supply expansion to demand management and precision micro-irrigation, ensuring sustainable water resources for national food security.