Odisha has been historically prone to flood and drought every year. The huge potential of both ground and surface water resource has not been effectively managed for drinking, domestic, irrigation and industrial use in the State due to lack of holistic planning.
While a majority of the people of the State depends on agriculture, there should be integrated plan for water sector putting irrigation in priority area. Agriculture development will lead to increase in production, food security and income of the farmers and rural job opportunities, with improved irrigation potentiality in rain fed areas that can arrest the vulnerability in agriculture due to erratic rain or monsoon failure and drought like situation. The agriculture dependent people, 41 lakh farmers and 68 lakh agricultural workers as per census 2011, of Odisha have been suffering due to either flood or drought. The continuation of flood and drought every year along with other reasons has been contributing to reducing of cultivatable area as well as impacted over principal crops like paddy production in the State.
Paddy being the principal crop of the State covers about 78 per cent of the crop area; Kharif farming mostly done in the rainy season from mid May to mid October. While the farmers are struggling with a number of issues such as distress selling, credit, insurance, seed and fertiliser, the issue of drought and flood has been a regular phenomenon that impacted over production and economic condition of rural people engaged in production. It is mostly the disaster mitigation plan being carried out to manage the emergency situation with little help to farmers without long term investment in irrigation which is the core of agriculture development of the State. lack of irrigation also has been affecting pulses, oil seed, vegetable and other commercial crop cultivation. It has an impact over food market.
The small and marginal farmers and share croppers are mostly dependent on rain water and State-sponsored irrigation facilities because they cannot invest on private irrigation. Therefore it is mostly the State investment in irrigation that should be given utmost priority to boost agriculture production. The State has a large number of small and marginal farmers, share croppers with fragmented small holdings as the consolidation of holding has not been completed in the State.
There are 141 million hectares (ha) of net area sown in the country of which about 65 million ha (45 per cent of total area) is presently covered under irrigation. In Odisha the total net area sown is 4,394 ha with 1,259 ha net irrigated area and 3,135 ha rain fed area, revealed agricultural statistics by the Union Ministry of Agriculture last year.
The State wise percentage of irrigated area under principal crop shows Odisha has only 28.3 per cent of area covered which is below national average of 45 per cent and very less than States such as Punjab and Haryana which have achieved 98 per cent and 86 per cent irrigation coverage respectively. The irrigation potentialities created by the State have not even used effectively during last ten years as data shows a very minimal growth as well as utilization of irrigation facilities. In the year 2001, it was 3,605.82 ha and in 2013-14 it was 4,930.94 ha taking together Kharif and Rabi, but only two third has been utilized. It is said that Odisha has not yet utilised the ground water potential, out of total crop area of 4.9 million ha in 2011 only 0.07 million ha has been covered under ground water and 1.07 million ha by canal irrigation.
The Biju Krushak Vikas Yojana started in 2001 has been implemented through Odisha lift Irrigation Corporation under the Water Resources Department for sustainable harnessing of ground water in water deficit areas in 26 districts. The Pani Panchayat Act 2002, Odisha Integrated Agriculture and Water Management Project, Mahanadi Basin Development Plan, Jalanidhi, Micro Irrigation Programme, Watershed Mission, National Watershed Development Project for Rain fed Area and Drought Prone Area Programme are some of the initiatives of State Government with support of the Centre for irrigation. Odisha has extensive network of rivers and streams where canal and lift irrigation are very much effective along with taping of ground waters. The river basins of Budhabalang, Baitarani, Mahanadi, Brahmani, Rushikulya, Bansadhara, Nagavali and Indravati etc have not been developed which need long term plan and adequate investment. It will not only help in flood control but also ensure water security for the whole area and irrigation for agriculture throughout the year. The river valley projects for soil and water conservation in catchment areas of Hirakud, Rengali, Upper Colab, and Upper Indravati can be integrated to irrigation projects of the area. The distribution network in the command area has not been developed with proper networking.
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) of the Government of India started in 2015 under the leadership of the Prime Minster outlays `50,000 crore for a period of five years focus on irrigation projects by harnessing rain water, nurturing water conservation, ground water recharging and micro irrigation with slogan Jan Sanchaya and Jal Sinchan to counter dependency on rainfall in non irrigated area. It has proposed to the States to develop State and district level water use plan with holistic perspective of water sector of the district covering drinking, domestic use, irrigation for agriculture and industry and to promote sustainable water conservation practice with proposal of private investment in irrigation. It has plan to reusing treated urban waste water, creation of new water source, water harvesting structure and enhancing capacity of traditional water bodies such as Bandha, Katha, Pokhari in Odisha. While giving importance to lift irrigation from water bodies and make easy access of farmers to water lifting devises diesel, electricity, and solar pump sets, Odisha should use this opportunity in getting adequate Central resources for investment in irrigation of the State in rain fed areas. It is observed that there are a number of lift irrigation points in the State lying idle or defunct without electricity connection and there has been no storage capacity at tail end of the canals system. Electricity is very much essential to run lift irrigation projects. As alternative the use of solar energy should be popularised. Recently in Kalahandi, a solar irrigation system with solar panels fitted to operating motor pump of two horse power has been installed in Santapur village of Narla block. It has benefited 15 marginal farmers having ceiling surplus land which need to be replicated in other parts of the State.
There are number of sources such as Rastriya Krusi Vikas Yojana,(RKVY), MGNREGA, Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF), MP lAD, MlA lAD, TSP, SCSP, local bodies funds, NABARD, Regional Rural Banks, farmer cooperatives etc which can be converged for the irrigation project of the district. It is said that the districts having larger share of non irrigated area, lesser agriculture production in comparison to State average, high population of SC and ST, small and marginal farmers will have to get more priority in getting resources for irrigation project.
The most important is mobilisation of water users mostly farmers for the effective use of water in their area throughout the year. It has been observed that in many of the areas the farmers are not being mobilised and clarified about their role and responsibilities in the context of irrigation. In some places the role of Pani Panchayat has been quite effective but in many places there has been need of local farmer organisation to mobilise the farmers for water use. The Government should involve farmer organizations, PRI, CSOs and other resource agencies in the mission for irrigation for the agricultural development of the State.
(The writer is a researcher and rights activist, who can be mailed at manasbbsr15@gmail.com Mob -9437060797)