Irrigation efficiency of Punjab, Haryana low

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 4

In a country where availability of water is a cause for concern, the low use-efficiency of limited natural resource for purposes such as irrigation and drinking may come as a shocker to many. What is worse is the fact that a water-use efficiency study of 28 major and medium irrigation projects in four major agrarian states —Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh—shows irrigation efficiency of just 38 per cent.

In other words, a large portion of the precious resource is going waste, without being utlilised for the purpose it is meant for. Judicious and efficient water use was still a dream, given such a low efficiency level in the irrigation sector, said a parliamentary panel headed by BJP member Hukum Singh in a report submitted last week.

The renewable water resource should be improved to increase its availability from four per cent at present, the committee said, asking the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga to expedite early formation of the National Bureau of Water Use Efficiency to enable adoption of measures to get specific standards in water conservation.

In India, the water use efficiency in irrigation projects for surface water is only 30 per cent, for ground water it is 55 per cent, for drinking water supply in urban and rural areas is 60 per cent and 70 per cent, respectively. For industries, it is 80 per cent.

In comparison to international standards of 60 per cent for surface water, 75 per cent for ground water, 90 per cent for drinking water supply and 95 per cent for industries, it is rather low.

Being endowed with only four per cent of the global water resources for supporting 18 per cent of the world population residing in India, the panel stressed more attention to the irrigation sector and urgent need to replace outdated system.