Lucknow, September 10: To address water scarcity in Bundelkhand, the Yogi Government’s India-Israel Bundelkhand Water Project is no longer limited to building reservoirs and irrigation infrastructure. Through the mini pilot project underway in Gangawali, Jhansi, efforts are now underway to assess how scientific management of available water can help achieve higher, better agricultural production with less water. In the next phase of the project, technologies such as drip, sprinkler, automated irrigation, solar pumping, water budgeting and protected farming will be tested under local conditions.
Special Secretary and Director, Ground Water Department, Namami Gange and Rural Water Supply Department, Dr. Rajesh Kumar Prajapati, stated that the most important aspect is that preparations are underway to promote the concept of ‘farming according to the amount of water available’. Through pond water budgeting, officials will assess the usable water available in the pond and, on that basis, propose limits for crop area and summer crops. This will enable the available water to be used to the maximum productive extent instead of extracting more water than required.
In a water-sensitive region like Bundelkhand, water budgeting is being made an important component of the project. During training programs, farmers will be taught how to prepare an account and balance of pond water. A system has been proposed to determine the crop area based on the available usable water and to set a water ceiling for summer crops. The direct benefit is that farming plans will be prepared with available water resources in mind. Instead of uncontrolled irrigation and extracting more water than required, the project will promote water-budget-based irrigation. This will make it possible to increase agricultural productivity through better use of limited water.
Dr. Rajesh Kumar Prajapati stated that in the initial phase of the project, no clear quantitative conclusion has emerged regarding improvement in groundwater levels. However, arrangements for borewells and observation wells have been made to scientifically assess the actual impact in the future. Through these, water sources and water use will be monitored.
The project proposes comparing pre-project and post-project groundwater data to assess how much pressure on groundwater is reduced through systems that increase water efficiency. In other words, arrangements are being made to evaluate the project not merely on claims, but on data.
Under India-Israel cooperation, modern technologies such as micro irrigation, drip, sprinkler, automated irrigation, SCADA, solar pumping, reservoir-based water management, water budgeting and protected farming are being demonstrated. The objective of the project is not merely to install foreign technology, but to assess which technology proves most effective under the local conditions of Bundelkhand. For this, a system has been proposed to measure parameters such as water quantity, irrigation efficiency, crop yield, farming costs, and water productivity.
In the next phase of the project, plans include laying pipelines from the reservoir to the fields, installing drip lines and sprinklers, and operationalizing greenhouse/tunnel and irrigation automation systems. Along with this, farmers will also be trained in the proper use of manure and fertilizers, preparation of water budgets, crop planning and operation of agricultural machinery. This will provide farmers not only with a new means of irrigation, but also technical knowledge to better manage water, crops and agricultural costs.
An important component of the project is to take successful technologies to farmers’ own fields. The technologies and systems that produce better results at the Gangawali demonstration farm, that is, the demonstration field, will be made available for adoption and replication in farmers’ fields. This will ensure that the mini pilot project does not remain limited to demonstration, but will create a basis for taking the successful model to farmers on a wider scale.
Project monitoring has not been limited to construction work. A system has been proposed to regularly record key parameters at the demonstration farms, including crop production, water use, equitable distribution of water, quantity of agricultural inputs, cost, gross profit, and farmers’ adoption of new technologies. Records related to the fields will be entered digitally. A system has also been proposed to prepare an information board of farmers’ results by season. This will enable a phased and scientific assessment of the project’s impact.
Anupam, Executive Engineer and Personal Assistant Director, Ground Water Department, said provisions have been made to bring the Agriculture, Horticulture and Ground Water departments on board through technical cooperation to verify the project’s results. This will help examine the project’s results and prepare the strategy ahead by using the expertise of different departments.
