M. Dinesh Kumar,A. Narayanamoorthy,MVK SIVAMOHAN,ARUN MUDGERIKAR, INSTITUTE FOR RESOURCE ANALYSIS AND POLICY HYDERABAD, , dinesh@irapindia.org
Abstract
This article reveals some of the fallacies in Indian irrigation. They are: 1] well irrigation is superior to canal irrigation; 2] surface irrigation is becoming increasingly irrelevant in India’s irrigation landscape in spite of growing investments, and therefore future investments in irrigation should be diverted for well irrigation; 3] the growth in well irrigation in semi arid regions of India can be sustained by using local runoff for recharging the aquifers; and 4] well irrigation can boost agricultural growth and eradicate poverty in water-abundant eastern India. The article argues that surface irrigation systems have inherent advantages over well irrigation systems such as higher dependability and the ability to effectively address spatial mismatch in resource availability and demand, which means that well irrigation is not a substitute for surface irrigation. Further, sustaining well irrigation in semi arid and arid regions would need “imported surface water” rather than local runoff for recharging.
Keywords: fallacies, irrigation, agricultural growth