Foodgrains production in project area hit due to water shortage

MP Jain

Jaipur, May 17: A substantial fall in the area under irrigation has reduced the foodgrains production in the Indira Gandhi Canal Project (IGCP) command area in Rajasthan, covering both the rabi as well as the kharif crops. This is the first time that such a big dip in the area under irrigation has taken place due to severe water shortage.

According to IGCP authorities here, the water level in the Pong Dam is down by over 42 ft compared to last year, touching the level of 1305 ft above the sea level. The present level is considered much on the lower side in the history of the canal.

Though the filling should have begun with effect from May 20, due to the melting of snows, the filling is rather slow compared to the previous year. According to sources, much will now depend on the rains.

The rabi crops have covered only 55 per cent of the area in the command area of the IGCP, the total area being less than 3 lakh hectares this year. Under the kharif season, the area covered last year was 4.25 lakh hectares. The canal carries waters from Beas, Ravi and Sutlej.

The total area opened in the IGCP command is put at 12.78 lakh hectares where full irrigation is available. However, the area opned for both the rabi and kharif crops will come to around 10 lakh hectares. On completion and the development of the command area, the total area to be opened is put at 19.67 lakh hectares. According to Mr AK Gupta, chairman of IGCP, optimum utilisation of the canal waters had not been possible due to the slow pace of land allotment. The land allotment work is done by the colonisation department of the government.

Sources in the department say that steps have now been taken to expedite the land allotment work. There is no dearth of takers of the land in the command area. Even big farmers from Punjab and Haryana have shown interest in the command area of the canal.

IGCP consists of stage-I and stage-II and work on it had begun way back in 1958-59. The stage-I comprises the 205-km long feeder and 189-km long main canal. Its total distribution system covers 3454 km. The stage-II consists of 256 km long main canal with the distribution system being 5606 km. The length of the main canal including the feeder is 393 km and the length of the distribution system is 3243 km. The work on stage-II is under progress with the thrust being placed on development with the distribution work.