IMPACT EVALUATION OF WATER USERS SOCIETY IN THE COMMAND ' OF SAMRAT ASHOK SAGAR PROJECT

Abstract

India is an - agriculture based country and, its economy is dependent on agricultural production. The development of irrigation for agriculture production started since a long back in 2nd century A.D. by wells and small tanks in South India. Irrigation water management. plays" an important role in agricultural production, also it is required to meet out the present demand of food grains and fibres for increasing population. In India many major, medium, and minor irrigation systems were -built before and after independence to create the irrigation facilities, over the entire country. Madhya Pradesh has a large network of irrigation through major, medium and minor irrigation projects.. The 'potential created is '32.67 lakh ha. while utilisation is just -19.74, lakh ha. (60.4%). The wide gap exists -between the potential created and utilised due to infrastructural, social and organisational constraints. Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) is viewed by National Water Policy- and State Water Policy as means to improve the performance of irrigation system and to reduce the gap between created and utilised potential -and also to create better . confidence among beneficiaries. The farmers involvement in Irrigation Water Management is reviewed in developed countries like USA, Mexico, Japan and in developing countries like Indonesia, Philippines, etc. and found that it is successful according to local , conditions.