The life of Shukhdeo Oraon would have never changed, if he had not shifted his process of irrigation from regular means of water supply to the drip irrigation system back in 2011. Oraon who owns five acres of land in Chuttu Panchayat in Kanke block, annually saves Rs. 5 lakh after adopting the technique. From reducing wastage of water to injecting fertilizers in the pipeline, the system can do the dual task at the same time. The irrigation system also helps in maintaining the moisture level that ensures germination of saplings on time.
“After facing a heavy loss few years back, I decided that I will not continue farming but after getting the knowledge of drip irrigation system from Agriculture department, now I am able to save Rs. 5 lakh annually. I make an investment of nearly Rs. 12 lakh per year. In total five acres of land available, approximately 3.5 acres is covered in farming,” said Oraon who today makes good profit by selling quintal of fruits, green vegetables in the local markets after the adoption of technique.
From planting watermelons to other types of seasonal fruits like papayas, mangoes, guavas including some green vegetables, Oraon’s orchard is covered with varieties of fruits and vegetables. Today quite a number of village dwellers residing in Chuttu panchayat are using the drip irrigation technique to minimize the water consumption in their farms seeking the depleting condition of ground water level.
Ranchi DC, Manoj Kumar during the field inspection stated that in both drip and sprinkle irrigation techniques, the State government have decided to increase the total area of land coverage. Now a total area of 375 hectares will be covered up under these two
techniques.
“Drip and sprinkle irrigation techniques are the most feasible systems that have several benefits, besides conservation of water. The department of Agriculture initiative will reduce the dependency on deep borewell and check dam concept. Few more blocks are likely to be covered under this plan,” said the DC during the field visit and while promoting the concept of drip irrigation system at Chuttu panchayat located in Kanke block during the ‘Media Samvad’ on Wednesday.
The ‘adarsh gram panchayat’ is slowly reducing its dependence on alternate forms of water supply setting examples for other farmers who till date are either dependent on deep borewell or have to arrange water from the distant places.
In 2016, the district administration was successful in covering around 50 thousand farmers under this scheme. Quality seeds will be made available to the farmers and soil conservation department officials will impart some technical training to the farmers in the days to come.
Similarly, to ensure security and prevent mishaps, the district administration will do a bamboo fencing around the ‘Dovas’ being constructed in the district. The district administration has set the target of constructing 8000 houses under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana schemes by August 2017.
Enrollment of new voters, Kumar stated that soon a month long awareness campaign will be initiated under a flagship programme ‘No voter to be left behind’. The district administration is also gearing up to conduct the household survey to find out malnourished children whose biceps are less than 11.5 inches.