Irrigation in Bihar

Irrigation in Bihar

One of the major input requirement of agriculture is the availability of water resources. The water resources are also needed in a timely manner. Optimum use of water resource, which is indeed abundant, is the key to enhancement of irrigation efficiency in an agrarian economy like Bihar.

Initiatives has been taken to provide assured irrigation facilities to entire cultivation process in the state. To maximize agricultural production and to free agriculture from the vagaries of monsoon, the state government has undertaken several steps in major, medium as well as minor irrigation sectors.

Presently, around 52 percent of the total geographical area enjoys irrigation facilities. The state government is taking major steps to enhance the spread of irrigation.

During the period 2000-01 to 2008-09, the total irrigated area has increased from 44.6 lakh hectares to 49.2 lakh hectares. This implies a growth of 10.4 percent over a period of 8 years. 

One of the major problems being faced in the spread of irrigation is the non completion of major irrigation projects, inhibiting the growth of canal irrigation is the state.

In 2008-09, about 55.3 percent of the total irrigated area in Bihar came from tubewells (both private and state). These tubewells are often run on diesels which is expensive, in the absence of adequate supply of power.

With improvements in the power sector, irrigation coverage through tubewells is likely to improve in future.

There are six major sources of irrigation — surface canals (major), surface canals (minor), tanks (including ahars and pynes), tubewells, other wells and other sources.

Tanks and other sources are becoming less important over time, leaving the other four sources for providing irrigation facilities to agricultural operations. In 2009-10, canals (major and minor) provided 27.47 percent and tubewells provided 61.39 percent of total irrigation.

Sourcewise tubewells are an extremely important source of irrigation, providing more than 50 percent of the total irrigation in 30 districts. However, irrigation from surface canals (both major and minor) plays an important part in no less than 8 districts – Rohtas, Kaimur, Bhojpur, Buxar, Aurangabad, Banka, Munger and Lakhisarai. In each of these districts, surface canals provide more than 50 percent of the irrigation facilities. All these 8 districts are notable rice producing districts of Bihar.

The Department of Water Resource of the state government decides targets for irrigation support in each year, both for kharif and rabi.Though irrigation availability is not so high in Bihar, utlization of whatever irrigation facility is available is very high. As regards kharif irrigation, the targets for 2008 were fully met in most of the districts, the achievement being higher than the targets in some districts.

In 2008, the overall achievement was 84.47 percent,and the short fall was remarkably high in Bhojpur and Vaishali. The achievement for 2009 was also stable at 84.54 percent. No district reported severe shortfall, except Vaishali where the achievement was as low as 31.68 percent.

In case of targets for rabi irrigation, overall achievement was 86.40 percent and 86.36 percent in 2008 and 2009 respectively. In 2008, the districts where achievement was much below the average were Gaya, Bhagalpur, Lakhisarai and Banka.

In 2009, the situation did not change and the districts recording severe shortfall were again those four districts. Nalanda also reported considerable shortfall in terms of achievement in 2009.