3-Conjuctive use of surface and groundwater in Chambal command (M. P.)

Abstract

It is found that due to the advent of high yielding varieties of crops, vagaries of monsoon and other inter-state problems, the tail reaches of canals of the lower Chambal Command are unable to meet the irrigation requirements of the crops even during winter months. So far, out of 2.21 lakh hectares, 1.89 lakh hectares area has been irrigated during the years 1977-80 but due to shortage of water in the Gandhi Sagar dam, the actual irrigated area in years 1982-85 has come down to 1. 25 lakh hectares due to low rainfall in the catchment area of Gandhi Sagar dam. The average quantity of surface water used for the last three years is 0.121 million hectare metres. The total 0.188 million hectare metres water is required to irrigate 2.21 lakh hectares area. Out of this, 1/3 requirement is proposed to be met out of groundwater resources. At present only 0.40 lakh hectares area is irrigated by the groundwater resources in the Chambal Command. In this paper an attempt has been made to utilise the surface water with available groundwater in the Chambal Command area to increase the intensity of irrigation in the Chambal Command, M.P.