4. Irrigation and National Water Policy

India had adapted a national water policy in the year 1987 which was revised in 2002. The policy document lays down the fact that planning and development of water resources should be governed by the national perspective. Certain aspects of policy related to irrigation are quoted below:

♤ Irrigation planning either in an individual project or in a watershed as a whole should take into account the irrigability of land, cost-effective irrigation options possible from all available sources of water and appropriate irrigation techniques for optimizing water use efficiency. Irrigation intensity should be such as to extend the benefits of irrigation to as large a number of farm families as possible, keeping in view the need to maximize production.

♤ There should be a close integration of water use and land use policies.

♤ Water allocation in an irrigation system should be done with due regard to equity and social

justice. Disparities in the availability of water between head-reach and tail end farms and between large and small farms should be obviated by adoption of a rotational water distribution system and supply on a volumetric basis subject to certain ceilings and rational pricing.

♤ Concerted efforts should be made to ensure that the irrigation potential created is fully utilised. For this purpose, the command area development approach should be adopted in all irrigation projects.

♤ Irrigation being the largest consumer of fresh water, the aim should be to get optimal productivity per unit of water. Scientific management farm practices and sprinkler and drip system of irrigation should be adopted wherever feasible.

♤ Reclamation of water-logged/saline affected land by scientific and cost effective methods should form a part of command area development programme.