Irrigated area in Maharashtra declining due to non-irrigation use of water

* On an average, the irrigated area in the State has declined by 1,50,000 hectares between 2001-02 and 2010-11
* With increase in committed non-irrigation use of water, irrigated area in State likely to come down by 4.20 lakh hectares in future

By Kartik Lokhande 

Though the Democratic Front (DF) Government has been claiming that the irrigation potential in the State has increased over the years, the Special Inquiry Team (SIT) appointed by it has found that irrigated area in Maharashtra is declining due to growing non-irrigation use of water from irrigation projects. As per the report, the average decline in irrigated area in the State between 2001-02 and 2010-11 is 1,50,000 hectares!
As per the official data, an average 26 per cent of water from irrigation projects is being used for non-irrigation purposes. Of five irrigation development corporations (IDCs), non-irrigation use is as high as 70 per cent in Jalgaon-based Tapi IDC. It is followed by Konkan IDC based in Thane with 52 per cent non-irrigation use, Pune-based Maharashtra Krishna Valley Development Corporation (MKVDC) having 25 per cent non-irrigation use, Aurangabad-based Godavari Marathwada IDC with 19 per cent non-irrigation use.
However, as against popular perception, 65 per cent of the non-irrigation use is for water supply to cities. Industrial use is only 11 per cent, and 24 per cent is used for other non-irrigation purposes like water released in rivers and for lakes, water drawn for immersion of idols, fairs, fish-seed centres, emergency release of water as per the request of respective district administration etc. In case of MKVDC, such non-irrigation use of water is five times the industrial use.
Following the multi-crore irrigation scam, DF Government had appointed a SIT led by eminent water expert Dr Madhavrao Chitaley. The committee submitted its report to the Government recently. As per the report, the average committed non-irrigation use of water in the State was 4,053 million cubic metres (MCuM) between 2001-02 and 2010-11. During the same period, actual non-irrigation use of water was 4,555 MCuM, which was more than committed use. The committee compiled data of five irrigation development corporations (IDCs) in State and concluded that with rising non-irrigation use, the irrigated area had declined by an average 1,50,000 hectares.
State Government has approved non-irrigation use of 6,850 MCuM of water for domestic and industrial purposes. As the already committed non-irrigation use is 4,053 MCuM, an estimated 2,797 MCuM water will be used for non-irrigation purposes additionally as the State has cleared new proposals. Considering that 150 hectares of agricultural area is irrigated in 1 MCuM water, this means that 4.20 lakh hectares area of the State will be deprived of irrigation in future. Thus, though there might be increase in creation of irrigation potential, actual irrigated area will continue declining in future.
Considering the peculiar situation of Maharashtra, and in particular the rainfed region of Vidarbha where irrigation facilities are comparatively lesser, industrial and domestic uses consuming the share of irrigation will hit the agricultural economy hard. Already, farmers are committing suicides as they have got no protection from the irregular and erratic rainfall. In such a situation if water available for irrigation also is diverted for industrial and domestic consumption in big cities, farmers will be in a bigger trouble.

IDC-wise non-irrigation use of
water from irrigation projects
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IDC                         Non-irrigation use

------------------------------------------------------------------

Tapi IDC                          70%

Konkan IDC                    52%

MKVDC                          25%

GMIDC                           19%

Vidarbha IDC                  14%

------------------------------------------------------------------

Average                           26%

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Decline in irrigated area due

to non-irrigation use of water

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Year             Committed non-irrigation     Actual non-irrigation     Decline in

                              use of water                       use of water            irrigated area

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2001-02               3,900 MCuM                     3,351 MCuM              25,000 Ha

2002-03               3,901 MCuM                     4,570 MCuM           1,79,000 Ha

2003-04               3,922 MCuM                     4,799 MCuM            2,02,000 Ha

2004-05               3,928 MCuM                     4,382 MCuM            1,48,000 Ha

2005-06               3,955 MCuM                     4,753 MCuM            1,95,000 Ha

2006-07               3,980 MCuM                     4,175 MCuM               90,000 Ha

2007-08               4,129 MCuM                     4,941 MCuM            1,84,000 Ha

2008-09               4,144 MCuM                     5,358 MCuM             2,34,000 Ha

2009-10               4,307 MCuM                     4,408 MCuM             1,12,000 Ha

2010-11               4,369 MCuM                     4,817 MCuM             1,26,000 Ha

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Average              4,053 MCuM                     4,555 MCuM              1,50,000 Ha

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(Source: SIT Report, 2014) 

(30-07-14) 

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