A CRITICAL STUDY OF IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT PROBLEM IN BARNA COMMAND

Abstract

Barna project is the first major river valley project of the Bhopal state in Madhya Pradesh. It is'constructed in Raisen District of Madhya Pradesh. The project has been designed for annual irrigation of 60,500 ha with irrigated cropping intensity of 104% and 125% on right and left bank canals, respectively. The Rabi irrigation in the command has been achieved to the extent of 64% irrigation intensity against the design intensity of 57%. On the contrary, the use of Kharif irrigation is almost nil against the proposed irrigation intensity of 52%. The designed annual irrigation has not been achieved in the project even after the 20 years of after irrigation development. The Kharif cropping pattern has been transformed by adoption of soybean as main crop of Kharif. Farmers of the command prefer only rainfed cultivation of Kharif crops as there is about 1000 mm rainfall, during the monsoon. Only protective irrigation of Kharif is given by farmers in the time of failure of monsoon. The possibility of Kharif development in the command in general is limited to protective irrigation only. There is about 0.25 TMC live storage balance in Barna reservoir after Rabi irrigation almost every year. The under utilisation of reservoir storage is mainly due to non achievement of annual irrigation in the command....