IMPROVEMENT OF WATERCOURSES ON JHANJOKHAR MINOR IN SALAWA COMMAND

Abstract

To meet the challenge of increasing demand on food and fibre, productivity of irrigation water is to be increased by scientific management. With increase in cropping intensities irrigation systems are becoming deficient in supply of irriga-tion water compared to requirement of crops. Deficiency is more in tail reaches and tail-ender farmers are deprived from their due share of the collective output viz, the irrigation water. The situation c,Als for improvement by increasing system efficiencies. Huge amount of water i,s wasted due to low field application efficiencies and low efficiencies of conveyance network. In a canal irrigation system channel network up to minor is looked after by Government dep artni nts and it is the responsibility of Government to improve the network upto maximum. efficiencies. Water courses are however maintained by farmers. It is common experience that convey- ance efficiency of water courses are of low order. To improve the water courses, the farmers must be given sound improvement techniques which can be economically applied to achieve maximum benefits. Improvement techniques range from the least costly cleaning and repair of channels to the costliest channe 1 lining. Optima_ combination of the techniques should be applied, so that difference between value of water saved and annual cost of improvement is maximum, In case of rotational irrigation system, the reaches of branched water courses used for maximum time are to be improved by the costlier technique and those used for less time by less costly technique....