role of wrd&m in bharat nirman during wrd 2007

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Theme Paper on ROLE OF " WATE RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT & MA AGEMENT IN BHARAT NIRMAN Indian Water Re 0 rces Soci tv at Water. Resources Development and Management Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee Roorkee - 247 667 (Uttarakhand)

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Page 1: ROLE OF WRD&M IN BHARAT NIRMAN DURING WRD 2007

Theme Paper

on

ROLE OF WATE RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT amp MA AGEMENT

IN BHARAT NIRMAN

Indian Water Re 0 rces Soci tv at Water Resources Development and Management

Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee Roorkee - 247 667 (Uttarakhand)

CONTENTS

Chapter No Title Page No

Chapter I Water Resources Development Present and Future Scenario

Chapter II Role of Water Resources Development in 11 Ascertaining Socio-economic Growth

Chapter III Bharat Nirman Plan (2005-2009) 15

Chapter IV Water Sector Issues and Opportunities 22 in Bharat Nirman Plan

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CHAPTER I

WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT PRESENT AND FUTURE SCENARIO

10 Introduction

India though have achieved remarkable progress in the area of water resources development since independence is nevertheless experiencing range of issues in the water sector primarily due to meteorological reasons such as severe climatic variations as well as factors like rapid growth of population urbanization amp industrialization The demographic and economic growth of the country is further slated to carryon its momentuin for at least half a century more The water sector in India which comfnands merely 4 of the global freshwater resources and supports 16 of the worlds popUlation is hard-pressed to maintain the delicate balance between the demand and supply due to shrinking per capita availability and difficulties faced in development of remammg resources

The cabinet has declared the year 2007 as Water Year with the focus on developing consensus on appropriate measures including legislation on better management of the water sector timely completion of irrigation projects maintenance of existing projects to ensure water availability to farmers awareness programmes for the masses organization of conferences workshops on important development and management issues Water Resources day is being organized since 1987-88 and World Water Day since 1994 to deliberate and formulate strategy on some of the important aspects of water resources development and management and the saine theme is propagated throughout the country during the year

Water being the most vital input for middot supporting life and sustaining socioshyeconomic development the policies and strategies impinge on society largely Hence for the overall development of the country the proper handling of this finite resource is crucial The success of Government of Indias endeavour a]ong with State Governments and Panchayat Raj Institutions in Bharat Nirman Plan is rooted on efficient water resources development and management

11 National Water Policy

The National Water Policy was adopted in September 1987 However since a number of issues and challenges emerged in the development and management of the water resources the National Water Policy (1987) was reviewed and the updated National Water Policy (2002) was adopted by the National Water Resources Council in its 5th meeting held on 1 st April 2002 Recognising water as a precious national asset the National Water Policy (2002) embodies the Nations resolve that planning development and management of ~ater resources would be governed by National Perspectives The policy recognizes the drainage basin as the basic unit of planning development and

management of water resources and calls for appropriate measures to optimise utilisation of this resource

The updated National WaterPolicy lays emphasis on integrated water resources development and management for optimal and sustainable utilisation of the available surface and groundwater The role of creation of well-developed information system

_ water conservation demand management performance improvement participatory approach to water resources management promotion of non-conventional methods for water utilisation etc have been duly emphasized in the National Water Policy 2002 It integrates quantity and quality aspects as well as environmental considerations for water

- through adequate institutional arrangements Besides ecological needs have also been assigned due priority in the water allocation The involvements of beneficiaries and stakeholders in the project planning and participatory approach in water resources management have been equally stressed in the policy Significant emphasis has also been laid on water quality aspects which include maintaining minimum flow in the streams and treatment middot of effluents to acceptable standards Issues like resettlement amp

-rehabilitation have also been emphasized in the revised policy

12 -Water Resources Availability 121 Average Water Resources Potential

Proper assessment of the availability of water from surface and sub-surface sources is the cornerstone _ for proper planning development and management As already elaborated above the precipitation in the form of rain and snowfall is a crucial component of the hydrological cycle that makes fresh water available on a renewable basis The geographical area India is 329 million hectares (Mba) The mean annual shyrainfall taking the country as a whole is 1170 mm This gives an annual precipitation of about 4000 Km3

A significant part of this p~ecipitation seeps into the ground and the balance flows through streams and rivers and collects in water bodies adding to the surface flow A part of the water that seeps into the ground remains as soil moisture in

-the upper layers and the rest adds to the ground water resources Subsequently a major part of the water from surface flows soil m~istureand ground water sources when put to -various uses returns to the atmosphere through evapo-transpiration and evaporation Part of the water from -surface flows may enter ground wltlter and add to ground water resources and part of the ground water again returns to streams and rivers Thus the surface and the ground water sources are inter-linked continuously inter-active and therefore very much part of a single entity It is therefore extremely difficult if not impossible to quantify them separately over a period of time in given locations

As per the Reassessment of Water Resources Potential of India by Central Water Commission in 1993 the average annual water resources potential ofthe country is 1869

- Billion Cubic Metre (BCM) - shy

The National Commission for Water Resources Development (NCIWRD) while assessing the potential agreed with the estimates of the Reassessment study carried out

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by ewc (1993) excepting the cases of Brahmaputra and Krishna basins Taking into account of the above two basin variations the estimation of NCIWRD yielded that the average annual water resources potential of the country is 1953 BCM

The Standing Sub-Committee for Assessment of Availability and Requirement of Water for Diverse Uses in the Country constituted by the MoWR in its Report (August

2000) observed that the latest assessment made by CWC in the year 1993 that is 1869 BCM are considered as reliable

122 Ground Water Resources

Groundwater in India is the primary source of water supply for domestic and many industrial usesmiddot More importantly it is the single largest and most productive source of irrigation water At present 85 of the water supplies for domestic use in rural areas 50 of water for urban and industrial uses and 55 of the irrigation water requirements are being met from groundwater

The arumal replenishable groundwater resources has been estimated to be at 433 BCM This is the sum total of the potential due to natural recharge from rainfall and the potential due to recharge augmentation from canal irrigation system

123 Utilisable Water Resources

Within the limitations of physiographic conditions and socio-political environment legal and constitutional constraints and the technology of development available at a given point of time utilizable quantity of water from the surface has been assessed from time to time It has been estimated that out of the average annual water resource potential of 1869 BCM the average annual utilisable water resource (surface and ground) is 1123 BCM of which about 690 BCM is from surface water and 433 BCM is from ground water

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13middot Present scenario of water resources development

During the plan-period India witnessed considerable developmental activities that covered an sectors like irrigation drinking water supply hydropower generation etc The key aspects of the water resources scenario in India are discussed below

131 Irrigation sector

The cultivable area of the country is estimated to be about 186 Mha out of which about 142 Mha is under cultivation The ultimate irrigation potential of the country through major medium and minor irrigation projects has been assessed as 140 million middot hectare middot (Mha) by conventional storage and diversion works The ultimate irrigation potential of the country is 140 Mha of which 5850 Mha is major and medium irrigation projects 1740 mha is minor surface water schemes and 6410 Mha is ground water schemes The imgation potential created of the country which was only 226 Mha during

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the time of independence has gone upto 10277 Mha by March 2006 The irrigation potential utilised presently stands at 8556 Mha The growth in irrigation sector has contributed significantly to the rise in food production from 51 Million Tonnes at the time of independence to the present level of 21 0 Million Tonnes This has resulted in the country becoming self sufficient in food production

As much as 52 percent rise in food grain production can be attributed to increase in irrigated area Productivity of irrigated lands in India ranges from around 15 tonnes per ha to 40 tonnes per ha for cereal crops compared to achievable target of about 5 to 6 tonnes per ha Though productivity in irrigated areas has increased such increases are still way below the world standards and of developing countries like China and Brazil With rise in population and industrialization putting pressure on land it is expected that cultivated area will stabilize at 140-145 Mha As irrigated agriculture is more productive than rainfed agriculture to meet the countries future needs of food and fibre it is imperative to bring more area under irrigation

At present irrigation sector consumes as much as 83 of available water resources With the demand from other sectors rising at a faster pace the availability of water for irrigation would reduce It is therefore necessary to improve the performance of existing system Higher degree of efficiencies in the management of water use in irrigation sector is required to be achieved to sustain production of crops Irrigation efficiency should be improved from the present average of about 35-40 per cent to the maximum achievable ie around 60 per cent Wherever water is scares if economically advantageous deficit irrigation may be practiced Water intensive crops such as sugarcane and paddy should be discouraged in the areas of water scarcity

132 Creation of storages

Severe spatial and temporal vanatlOns in rainfall promptedthat creation of storages be given due priority within the overall plan for water resources development The successive Five-year Plans initiated after independence therefore laid significant

emphasis on creation of storages that resulted in many remarkable achievements Many major medium and minor water resources projects have been constructed during these last six decades and India today with about 4050 completed large dams and 475 are under various stages of construction ranks third in the world after China and USA in terms of number of large dams All these projects have resulted in increasing the live storage capacity from 156 BCM at the time of independence to 282 BCM including 57 BCM from minor irrigation schemes of surface water now Storages held in these dams are insurance against the vagaries of nature Proj ects under construction are likely to add another 64 BCM while 108 BCM is to be contributed by the projects under contemplation

Even after such relentless persuasion to create more storages till date the present level of development on the country in terms of creation oflive storages is only just more than 11 of the average annual water resources potential of the country The level of creation of storages in India is decisively lower compared to some other nations in the

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world The per capita storage in the country which is about 275 m3 is way below the storage achieved in many of the countries such as Russia (6103 m Australia (4733 m Brazil (3145 m United States (1964 m Turkey (1739 m Spain (1410 m Mexico middot

3(1245 m China (1111 m ) and South Africa (753 m3) and there is an urgent need to

vigorously pursue the case for creating storages wherever feasible given its projected rise in population urbanization amp industrialization

133 Urban amp Rural Water Supply

The National Water Policy 2002 gives over riding priority to drinking water over other uses The objective of any water supply scheme is to supply safe and clean water in adequate quantity and as economically as possible Lot of effluent or wastewater is generated in domestic sector which flows back untreated to the already shrinking water bodies Groundmiddotwater is also getting contaminated In development of water resources for domestic use the middot most important and challenging issue is that of sustainability of resource and quality With population growth and rise in urbanization the demand for treated water for domestic use is increasing rapidly

About 92 of urban population has been covered by safe drinking water Drinking water requirement of most of mega cities are met from reservoir of irrigation or multi-purpose schemes existing nearby and even by long distance transfer The rural habitations have been provided access to the safe drinking water from hand pumps and stand posts and about as well as mini and regional piped water supply schemes More than 85 percent of rural water supply is ground water based and consumes about 5 percent of the total annual replenishable ground water

134 Development in Power sector

Another important developing sector of economy using substantial quantity of water is power sector and therefore water resources is an integral component for the development of power sector in India Coil oil gas and hydroelectric potential constitute the conventional sources for electricity in the country Of these coal-based thermal power plants and in some regions hydropower have been the mainstay of electricity generation Presently the total installed capacity of the country is 128435 MW of which the thermal power accounts for 84234 MW which is 656 of the total installed capacity

Hydropower is a renewable economic non- polluting and environmentally benign source of energy Hydropower stations have the inherent ability for instantaneous starting stopping load variations etc and help in improving reliability of the power system Furthermore there is no fuel cost during the life of the station as hydropower generation is a non-consumptive use of water The benefits of hydropower as a clean environment friendly and economically attractive source of energy have now been sufficiently recognized The need for its accelerated development also comes from its capability of erihanced system reliability and economics of utilization of resources The

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National Water Policy 2002 has accorded high priority to hydropower development only next to drinking water and irrigation water use in context to water allocation priorities

The total installed capacity in hydropower is 34110 MW ie 266 of the total installed capacity Only around 23 of the total hydropower potential (the total hydroelectric potential in the country is assessed as 84044 MW at 60 load factor which is equivalent to an installed capacity of 150000 MW) has been harnessed so far The combined installed capacity for nuclear and renewable sources is 10091 MW The share of hydropower in the overall energy mix needs to be boosted to achieve an ideal hydroelectric-thermal mix of 40 60

135 Flood Protection

Flood is one of the natural calamities that India faces almost every year in varying degree or magnitUde The frequent occurrence of flood can be attributed to various factors including wide variation in rainfall over time and space and inadequate carrying capacity of rivers The problems get accumulated due to silting bank erosion landslide poor natural drainage glacial lake outburst etc Indiscriminate development and encroachment of flood plain areas improper planning amp construction of roads railway lines etc have also been responsible for increase in flood damages Total flood prone area in the country as per the Report of Rashtriya Barh Aayog (RBA) of 1980 is 40 mha This has now been reassessed to 4536 mha On an average an area of 755 mha is affected by the floods every year and the average annual flood damage is Rs 1805 crore

A multi pronged strategy ranging from modifying the floods by means of structural measures toleaming to live with the floods by means of other non structural measures is well within pragmatic realism in flood management Measures for protection against extreme floods of low frequency are seldom economically feasible The term flood management may rationally be expected to refer to the provision of a reasonable degree of protection against floods by structural non structural measures to mitigate the recurring havoc caused by floods

After the disastrous floods experienced by the country in 1954 a National Programme of Flood management was launched During the five decades since then different methods of flood protection both long term and short term have been adopted in different States depending upon the nature of problem and local conditions The available information compiled from details furnished by the States relating to length of embankment and drainage channels indicates that 33929 km of embanlanents and 38810 km of drainage channels have been constructed In addition 2458 town protection works have been completed and 4716 villages raised above flood levels This have resulted in providing reasonable protection to an area of 1822 mha

Apart from the direct flood control works reservoirs with specific flood cushion have been constructed on the Damodar river to provide protection to areas in the downstream In addition storages constructed across Mahanadi (at Hirakud) Sutlej (at Bhakra) Chambal (at Gandhi sagar) Brahmani (at Rengali) and Tapi (at Ukai) as also a

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number of other major and medium reservOIrs have helped greatly III reducing the intensity of flood and flood damages

In addition to the structural flood protection measures non-structural measures like flood forecasting and warning of incoming floods have also played significant role in reducing the loss of life and movable property apart from alerting the civil and engineering authorities in-charge of various works to take appropriate advance action to fight the onslaught of floods The Central Water Commission manages a major network of 173 such flood forecasting stations on inter-state rivers in 18 States The techniques of observation of hydrological and hydro-meterological data and their transmission to the forecasting station have been constantly under review for making necessary improvements to make the forecasts more accurate and also to give higher lead time On an average CWC is issuing 5619 flood forecasts with 9655 accuracy

136 Industrial Water Use

While at present the estimated water requirement for industrial water use is only around 8-12 BCM with urbanization and industrialization the water demand for industrial purposes is also slated to increase significantly Necessary measures to reduce the demand should be taken by adopting processes with minimum use of water recycle and re-use etc Tariff rates should be prescribed so that industries feel compelled to look into technological intervention leading reduced water requirement per unit production

137 Other Uses like Navigation Ecology Recreational activities etc

Navigable waterways in India comprising of river systems canals hackwaters creeks and tidal inlet extend to about 14500 kms Most waterways however suffer from navigational inadequacies such as shallow waters narrow width and bank erosion Moreover vertical and horizontal clearances at overhead structures are not adequate for navigation throughout the year Consequently at present about 5200 kms of major rivers and 485 kms of canals are considered suitable for mechanized crafts

In the earlier period with less of population and consequently less of related activities nature could cope with whatever damage was inflicted on the resources quickly restoring the balance But in recent times with the growth of population and its consequent activities the restorative capacity of nature and the environment is being continuously eroded affecting the quality of life on the planet Earth Ecology is now concerned not only with living elements but also with their interrelationships with society and culture Prevention of environmental degradation and degradation of the natural resources base is essential for sustainable development

The negative environmental consequences are caused due to deforestation soil erosion unplanned ildustrialization indiscriminate use of fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture drought floods water logging water pollution population growth large scale

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poverty etc Glohal climatic change and atmospheric pollution could also have an impact on fresh water resources and their availability Protection enhancement and restoration of water quality and abatement of water pollution are necessary for providing not only safe drinking water and maintaining and improving human health but are also important for sustaining land quality agriculture and industrial production and for supporting the socio-economic growth as such

The need for water demand for ecological purposes including conserving the environment maintaining lean period flows aquatic life etc therefore needs to be worked out on scientific basis Allocation for this purpose should be made while considering the construction of new reservoirsstorages

Recreational facilities also sometimes contribute to a large extentmiddot in the development of economy at the micro level (of a particular localized area) through promotion of tourism The reservoir sites owing to their topographical as well as environmental advantage often become the hub of such recreational activities Besides a host of direct benefits water therefore plays a significant role in contributing indirectly to the growth of the nation through promotion of tourism employment generation etc

14 Future projected scenario 141 Assessment by Standing Sub-Committee

A Standing Sub-Committee for assessment of availability and requirement of water for diverse uses in the country constituted by the Ministry of Water Resources in its report (August 2000) assessed the requirements of water for various sectors as given in the Table-1 below

Table-I Water Requirement for Various Sector~

Sector Water Demand in Billion Cubic meter (BCM) 2000 2010 2025 2050

Irrigation 541 688 910 1072 Drinking Water 42 56 73 102 Industry 8 12 23 63 Energy 2 5 15 130 Others 41 52 72 80 Total 634 813 1093 1447

On the basis of the above assessment the Sub-Committee observed that against the total utilizable water resources of 1122 BCM the projected demand during the year 2025 and 2050 comes to around 1093 and 1447 respectively The scenario indicates water deficiency in the overall national perspective The deficiency may have to be managed by using the return flows from various uses which may be around 80 from domestic uses

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ie 58 and 81 BCM in the year 2025 and 2050 respectively The return flow from irrigation sector may be around 10 ie 91 and 107 BCM in the year 2025 and 2050 respectively The return flow from industry sector is estimated to be 65 Besides water has to be made available through inter-basin transfer of river waters by 2050 The demand of industry and energy sector may be managed by reuse and recycling of return flows and reuse of water from treated wastewater Proper treatment of effluent to desired standards will have to be ensured to use the return flow in irrigation horticulture etc The water requirements of water deficit areas will be met by inter basin transfer of water from surplus basins after developing the untapped water resources

142 National Commission on Integrated Water Resources Development (NCIWRD)

The National Commission on Integrated Water Resources Development (NCIWRD) in its report (1999) has also assessed the water requirement for various purposes for different years and the demand of water is given in the Table-2 below

It would be observed that the assessment made by the National Commission for irrigation is relatively on lower side as compared to that estimated by the Standing SubshyCommittee In respect of other uses the estimate made by the National Commission is generally on a higher side The main reason for such variation in the estimate is the assumption made by the National Commission in respect of the overall improvement of irrigation efficiency The National Commission has assumed that the irrigation efficiency will gradually increase to 60 from the present level of 35 to 40 Considerable effort is required to achieve the objective middot of efficiency in water resource system and particularly in the irrigation system which is the major water consumptive sector

Table-2 Water Demand for Diverse Uses

Sl No

Total Water Use (in BCM) Uses Year

1997-98 Year 2010 Year 2025 Year 2050

Low High Low High Low High 1 Irrigation 524 543 557 561 611 628 807 2 Domestic 30 42 43 55 62 90 111 3 Industries 30 37 middot37 67 67 81 81 4 Power 9 18 19 31 33 63 70 5 Inland Navigation 0 7 7 10 10 15 15 6 Flood Control 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 Environment(1 )

Afforestati on 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

8 Env(2)Ecology 0 5 6 10 10 middot 20 20 9 Evaporation losses 36 42 42 50 50 76 76

Total 629 694 710 784 843 973 1180

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middotIt is of paramount importance that the aim should be at reducing water requirement to the low demand scenario Taking into account the water availability and the requirement till the year 2050 the National Commission concluded that there is no need to take an alarmist view However three major considerations have to be kept in the forefront while formulating an integrated water policy and plan First the balance between the requirement and availability can be struck only if utmost efficiency is introduced in water use Second average availability at the national level does not imply that all basins are capable of meeting their full requirement from internal resources Third the issue of equity in the access to water between regions and between sections of population assumes greater importance in what is foreseen as a fragile balance between these and related problems of integrated water use planning in the context of supply and requirement of water estimated by the Commission middot

JO

CHAPTER II

ROLE OF WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT IN ASCERTAINING SOCIO-ECONOMIC GROWTH

Right from independence India has been developing atmiddot a very fast pace Consequently it is hardly any surprise that rapid urbanization through infrastructure development has been the key feature of the last few decades At the same time the steep rise in population hasresulted in a phenomenal increase in the demand for food and water supply Till now one of the potent solutions to these multi-faceted challenges has been creation of large storages to wither out the spatial cindtemporal variations The sector wise development which has changed the socio economic status of the country is analysed below

21 Agricultural Production

The direct relationship between food production and assured irrigation is so pronounced that it hardly requires any further explanation During independence the food production of the country was only a meager 50 million tones while the irrigation potential created was 22 m~llion ha By the tum of the century while the irrigation potential created has shot upto 10277 Mha thefood production has crossed 200 million tones If we concentrate over the states which have out performed in the food production like Punjab Haryana Gujarat Uttar Pradesh Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra West Bengal it is apparent that the large and medium water resources storage projects have played the key role Such remarkable achievement have been possible due to the fact that large areas of these States are being covered under assured irrigation

22 Domestic and Industrial Water Supply

The National Water Policy adopted by the Government of India in 2002 accords highest priority to drinking water supply The Vision document for Integrated Water Resources Development formulated by th~ Ministry of Water Resources in 2002 states that 92 of the urban popUlation and 97 of the rural population are having access to safe drinking water This achievement has been largely possible due to the significant contributions made by the large projects a few examples ofwhich are listed below

Delhi the capital of India which is situated on the banks of the Yamuna gets only a fraction of its needs from river Yamuna though situated on its banks The balance needs are met with releases from Bhakra and Ramganga pams The population of the city has grown from 14 million in 1951 to close to 14 million by 2001 Though in 1950s the entire water need of the city was possible to be met with from Jamuna (essentially the flows that were regenerated) this was soon not possible Ramganga and Bhakra waters had to be supplemented for meeting the

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requirements Infact the releases from the Tehri Dam for the Sonia Vihar Water Treatment plant seems to be the only silver lining for the city plagued by water crisis particularly during the summer months Besides this allocation for drinking water supply t6 Delhi has also been provided in upcoming Renuka and Kishau dam Projects in Yamuna Basin for meeting the future needs

bull The entire water supply of Mumbai is dependant Vaitrana Upper Vaitama Tansa and Bhatsa

on a senes of dams like

bull The acute scarcity of water supply in Chennai is well known The states of Andhra Pradesh Maharashtra and Kamataka agreed to provide a part of their allocated share of Krishna water (to the extent of 15 TMC) for drinking water requirements of Chennai city

bull Water supply of Pune town in Maharashtra is Sagar) Khadakwasla dam and Temghar dam

met with from Panchet(Tangi

bull Hyderabad is mainly dependent on Himayatsagar Manjra and Singur Dams

its water supply from Osmansagar

bull The water supply for Bangalore city heavily depends on Cauvery Stage-I Stage-II and Stage-III projects

bull A sizeable number of cities having population more than one million as per the 2001 census are having their water demand met from several projects The prominent cities among them being Bhopal Indore Jabalpur Nagpur Nashik and Surat

In addition to above a major dam at Bisalpur had been constructed in Chambal Basin to provide water supply to Ajmer City besides towns of Beawar and Tonk in Rajasthan Warrangal town in Andhra Pradesh depends for water supply on Sriramsagar Dam Shillong water supply is to be ensured with a dam under construction in the North-East

The position of drinking water supply in various towns and villages has improved after the coming up of Bhakra and Beas Proj ects Cities of Delhi Chandigarh and town of Patiala and Ropar apart from numerous towns and villages in the states of Haryana and Rajasthan are getting their supply of drinking water from the canals fed by these projects

Drinking water supply for most of the cities and towns in the country are dependant on storages and diversions for the purpose proving the important fact that stored water distributed temporally as well as spatially serves the basic needs in a sustained manner for a sizeable population

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Industrial water requirement though considerably low in comparison to agriculture and domestic water demand has its own share of importance Most of the industries require assured water supply for their effective performance It is therefore quite natural that the pr~sence of a large project capable of delivering assured water supply invariably boosts up the industrial development of the area Numerous examples may be cited to back the above contention however the more important ones are given below

For catering the needs of Bokaro Steel Plant a dam at Tenughat in the Damodar River Basin had to be constructed

bull Similarly a cluster of thermal and super-thermal stations in uP is entirely dependent on the water stored at Rihand Dam on a tributary of the Sone River in uP

bull For the Vishkhapatnam Steel Plant the water IS to be supplied from Yeleru Reservoir

bull As abundant and assured cooling water is available from Ukai reservoir a large thermal power station having installed capacity of 850 MW is also set up and commissioned at Ukai since 1975 Other huge industries like Essar Gujarat Reliance Petrochemicals KRlBHCO ONGC NTPC etc are direct beneficiaries from Ukai-Kakrapar project as regards industrial water supply

bull For the requirements of Udaipur and Chittor plants of Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL) Gosunda Dam was necessary This meets not only the needs of HZL but also the water-supply needs of Udaipur

Major industries getting water from Bhakra Canals are National Fertilizers Ltd Nangal Ropar Thermal Plant and C-Thermal Delhi besides numerous other small industrial units

23 Hydropower generation

The hydropower generated from the large projects like Bhakra-Nangal Hirakud Iddukki Ukai Srisailam Gandhisagar Rana Pratapsagar Jawaharsagar projects have not only provided middotcheap energy but also has immensely helped in meeting the peaking demands Thus there is not even an iota of doubt about the role played by these projects in improving the economy of their command area Infact hydropower being durable non-polluting and extremely cheap its viability as an effective mode of producing energy increases even further

It is often been contended by the social activists that the improvement in irrigation facilities and the resultant boom in food production is largely due to the minor irrigation and ground water irrigation schemes There is no point in denying the fact that the harnessing of minor irrigation as well as ground water irrigation facilities is equally

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important in promoting food production but more often that not we ignore the power requirement for operating the pumps for lifting ground water In fact in the recent times one of the most debated issues have been providing free power to the farmers proving the importance of availability of cheap power to the agricultural community

24 Flood Control and Drought Mitigation

It wont be an overstatement to acknowledge the benefit offered by those large projects by providing the required cushion against the raging floods An estimation of the past 100 years will invariably indicate the astronomical damages that were inflicted on our country by the floods Even in the 21 st cenfliry after so much advancement we are often rendered helpless to the fury of floods particularly in the North-East where the protection upto the desired level is yet to be materialized Even then all the projects mentioned above like the Hirakud Bhakra-Nangal Ukai-Kakrapar Nagarjunasagar had given immense relief to the people of their command area by not only restricting the financial losses but at times even saving the loss of lives

The greatest inexplicable paradox of this countrys water resources scenario has been the co-existence of droughts and floods and the beauty of the large projects is that they have the capability to handle both the situations simultaneously and thus ironing out the erratic climatic behavior to a large extent The excess monsoon received in a particular year is being used by these projects to wonderful effect in another year facing paucity of rainfall

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CHAPTER III

Bharat Nirman Plan (2005-2009)

Government of India in partnership with State Governments and Panchayat Raj Institutions has launched Bharat Nirman programme as a time-bound business plan for action in rural infrastructure for the span of four years (2005-2009) Under Bharat Nirman Plan action is proposed in the areas of irrigation road rural housing rural water supply rural electrification and rural telecommunication connectivity Specific targets are set to be achieved under each of these goals so that there is accountability in the progress of this initiative The goals in different sectors are as under

31 IClectricity

Goal Every village to be provided electricity remaining 125000 villages to be covered by 2009

The Ministry of Power has the responsibility of providing electricity to the remaining 125000 villages through the programme instrument of Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana In addition it will also provide 23 million households with electricity As per the Census of 2001 125000 villages remained uncovered To be able to achieve this objective Rural Electricity Distribution Backbone with at least a 33111 KV sub-station would be set up in each block at least one Distribution TransfOlmer in each habitation of every village or hamlet as Village Electrification Infrastructure Standshyalone grid with generation where grid supply is not feasible These Stand-alone grids would be set up in partnership with the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy also

Rural Electrification Corporation would be the agency for implementation The Mcmagement of Rural Distribution will be fioanchisees that could be Users Associations individual entrepreneurs Cooperatives Non-Governmental Organizations Panchayat Institutions Services of Central Services undertakings like National Them1al Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POClL) National Hydro Electric Power Corporation Limited (NHPC) and Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) will be made available for the execution of rural electrification projects These CPSUs have been allocated districts in each state wherein they will implement the rural electrification network

90 capital subsidy will be provided for overall cost of the projects under the scheme The capital subsidy for eligible projects under the scheme will be through the Rural Electrification Corporation Limited which will be the nodal agency Electrification of unelectrified below-poverty-line households will be financed with 100 capital subsidy at Rs1500 per connection in all rural habitations Others will be paying for the connections at prescribed connection charges and no subsidy will be made availableFor creation of village eIectrification infrastructure first priority will be given to unshy

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electrified villages Preference for electrification will be given to Dalit Bastis Tribal settlements and habitations of weaker sections

32 Roads

Goal Every habitation over 1000 population andabove (500 in hilly and tribal areas) to be provided an all-weather road remaining 66802 habitations to be covered by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development has the responsibility of ensuring that every habitation over 1000 population and every habitation with more than 500 in hilly and tribal areas is connected with an all-weather road by 2009 This is expected to generate multiplier effects in the rural economy of linking production to markets and services This work which is being undertaken under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana since 2000 has been modified to address the above goals within the stipulated timeshyframeTo achieve the targets of Bharat Nirman 146185 Kms road length is proposed to be constructed by 2009 This will benefit 66802 unconnected eligible habitations in the country To ensure full farm-to-market connectivity it is also proposed to upgrade 194132 kms of the existing Associated Through Routes

A district and rural roads plan has been prepared listing out complete network of all roads in the district that has village roads major district roads state roads and national highways The concept of core network has been operationalised to focus on those set of roads which are considered essential to provid~ connectivity to all habitations of the desired size The Core Network is the basic in$trumentality for prioritization of construction and allocation of funds for maintenance Action has been initiated to develop GIS-based applications to further enhance the utility of the Core Network

The programme is implemented through a framework of consultation with public representatives ranging from the panchayat level up to Parlian1ent A Rural Roads Manual guides the implementation of the programme A separate Book of Specification and a Standard Data Book have been prepared As per this standard bidding documents are to be adopted by the states For MIS there is a computerized Online Management and Monitoring Accounting System

Approximately Rs48000 crores is proposed to be invested to achieve this objective 100 of the funds of this programme is being provided by the Central Government

33 Drinking Water

Goal Every habitation to have a safe source of drinking water 55067 uncovered habitations to be covered by 2009 In addition all habitations which have slipped back from full coverage to partial coverage due to failure of source and habitations which have water quality problems to be addressed

16

The Ministry of Rural Development Department of Drinking Water Supply is responsible for meeting this goal in partnership with State Governments The programme instrument of the Govemment of India is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme under implementation since 1972-73 which is funded on a 50 matching share basis between the Government of India and the State Government Since 1972 over 37 lakh hand pumps and l5 lakh pipe water supply systems have been set up to provide safe water to over 15 lakh habitations in the country at a cost of over Rs 50000 crore The norms which are fixed to achieve the goal are - 40 litres per capita per day (lpcd) of safe drinking water for human beings - 30 Ipcd additional for cattle in the Desert Development Programme Areas - One hand pump or stand post for every 250 persons - The water source should exist within 16 km in the plains and within 100 metres

elevation in the hilly areas

The backlog for coverage is under estimation based on a habitation survey for the categories of uncovered villages slipped- back villages and villages affected with a problem of water quality 55067 villages remain uncovered and are targeted for coverage as first priority The category of slipped-back villages estimated by the Planning Commission at the beginning of the Tenth Plan as 28 lakh habitations These are so on account of a number of factors like - Sources going dry or lowering of the ground water table - Sources becoming quality affected - Systems outliving their lives - Systems working below rated capacity due to poor operation and maintenance - Increase in population resulting in lower per capita availability - Emergence of new habitations According to the data received from State Governments based on a survey undertaken in 2000216968 habitations are affected due to a variety of water quality problems consists of excess fluoride 31306 excess arsenic 5029 excess salinity23495 excess iron118088 excess nitrate 13958 and multiple quality problems 25092

The Govemment of India has decided that under Bharat Nirman names of habitations would have to be provided by State Governments for availing funds from Government of India This would give maximum transparency to the programme State Governments would be required to place the habitations proposed for coverage and covered on this site in course of time

The scheme is funded on a 50 basis by the Gol and expenditure ofRsA050 crores is expected for the current year The actual requirement will be worked out based on the names of habitations supplied by the states and funded

34 Telephone

Goal Every village to be connected by telephone remaining 66822 villagesto be covered by November 2007

17

The Department of Telecom in the Ministry of Communications and Infonnation Technology has the responsibility of providing telephone cOlmectivity to the 66822 villages that remain to be covered

The resources for implementation of universal services obligation are raised through a Universal Service Levy which has presently been fixed at 5 of the adjusted gross revenue of all telecom service providers except the pure value added service providers like internet voice mail e-mail service providers The rules also make a provision for the Central Government to give grants and loans to the Fund The balance to the credit of the Fund does not lapse at the end of the financial year usa Fund assigns the task of providing Village Public Telephones (VPTs) on the basis of bids through open tender and in this case the work has been assigned to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd Out of the 66822 villages identified connectivity in 14183 remote and far-flung villages will be provided through digital satellite phone tenninals From the USOF assistance is provided for both capital expenditure as well as operational expenditure It is estimated that a total sum of Rs451 crore would be required to provide VPTs in these 66822 villages and the entire sum will be met out of USOF and no separate allocation from Government would be required

As an additional incentives telecom service providers are being assisted through the USOF to penetrate into the rural areas for the following activities - Maintenance of existing village public telephones (VPTs) - Provision of an additional mral community phone in villages with a population of more

than two thousand and where no public call office exists - Replacement of village public telephones installed on Multi Access Radio Relay

(MARR) technology - Telephone lines installed in household in specified rural areas

Rural teledensity will be significantly enhanced during the period of Bharat Nirman

The Government is committed to expanding mral connectivity through a slew of measures so that rural users can access information of value and transact business This will include cOlmecting block headquarters with fibre optic network using wireless technology to achieve last mile connectivity and operating information kiosks through a partnership of citizens panchayats civil society organizations the private sector and Government

35 Irrigation

Goal J 0 million hectares (J 00 lakhs) of additional irrigation capacity to be created by 2009

The Ministry of Water Resources in collaboration with State Governments is responsible for creation of additional 10 million hectares of irrigation capacity by the year 2009 through major medium and minor irrigation projects complemented by ground water development

18

The ultimate irrigation potential for the country has been estimated as 140 million hectare (Mba) which include potential through Major and Medium irrigation projects (5846 Mha) surface water based minor irrigation schemes (1754 Mha) and ground water development (6400 Mha) So far the irrigation potential of 10277 Mha has already been created However the created potential has not been fully utilized and the gap between created and utilized potential has been estimated to be of the order of 17 Mha

351 Major and Medium Irrigation (MMI) Proj ects

For the country as a whole 66 of the ultimate irrigationpotential of major and medium projects has been created 477 Major and Medium irrigation projects have spilled over to Xl In addition the States have proposed 223 Major and Medium projects and 86 ERM projects during XI Plan An outlay of Rs 30670 crore has been provided for the new proj ects in the XI Plan

So far 173 major and medium 4169 minor and 21 Extension Renovation and Modernization (ERM) projects have been provided Central Loan Assistance under Accelerated Irrigation benefit Programme (AIBP) The potential creation through projects supported under AIBP has been found to be 035 Mha per year with about 047 Mha per year in the last two years As per existing Plan the projected creation of irrigation potential through AIBP is 050 Mba per year in the remaining period of X Five Year Plan

The average rate of creation of irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects from 1951 to 1997 has been found to be of the order of 051 Mha per year During the year 1997 to 2005 the rate for creati n has been found to be 092 Mah per year The pace of creation of new irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects has increased in the recent past This is due to fruition of projects started much earlier which have been expedited due to increased support through AIBP

The projects for extension renovation and modernization (ERM) of major and medium irrigation schemes are also being implemented with arrangement similar to that for completion of ongoing major and medium schemes The implementation of ERM projects along with Command Area Development and Water Management (CAD and WM) help in sustaining the created facilities and in improving the utilization

35 2 Minor Irrigatioll Schemes

There is considerable variation in creation of ilTIgation potential through minor irrigation (both surface and ground water) schemes from State to State While full potential through minor irrigation has been tapped in some of the States it is relatively very low in others

19

Minor irrigation through surface water covers water sources (tanks and small reservoirs) with a culturable command area (CCA) of less than 2000 ha About 70 of the ultimate potential through surface water based minor irrigation schemes has since been created The Report of the National Commission for Integrated Water Resources Development points out that the carrying capacity of tanks has decreased over time for a variety of reasons and that the restoration and renovation of tanks and other local sources is a priority task

Since 2004-05 a pilot scheme for repair renovation and restoration of water bodies directly linked to agriculture has been taken up by the Government as a state-sector scheme in the 16 districts of the country which is proposed to be expanded

353 Ground Water Development

From the surveys conducted for estimation of availability and status of ground water the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has identified areas that are over-exploited (where exploitation is more than natural recharge of ground water) and areas that are critical or dark (where draft is between 70 to 100 of the natural recharge ofground water) The recent survey indicates that out of 7414 identified units (blockstalukaswatershed) 471 are Overexploited and 318 are Critical or Dark units Thus less than 11 of the total units fall under the category of over-exploited and critical The ultimate irrigation potential to be created is based on the assessed replenishable groundwater after duly accounting for the domestic and industrial uses (about 10) It has been assessed that ground water is still available for utilization in many parts of the country particularly in the eastern parts of the country Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and in specific pockets of Andhra Pradesh Kamataka Maharashtra and Jammu amp Kashmir In Punjab Haryana Rajasthan Gujarat and Tamil Nadu the rechargeable quantum of ground water has been exceeded and mining of static reserves has commenced This reinforces the need to take urgent steps to increase recharge and conservation

354 Targets under Bharat Nirman

Sl No Component Target I Completion of ongoing Major amp medium Irrigation

Projects 42Mha

II Minor irrigation schemes bull Surface water 10 Mha bull Ground Water 18 Mha

10Mha l8Mha

28Mha

III Enhancing utilization of completed projects bull ERM of major amp medium projects bull Repair renovation and restoration of water bodiesERM of minor irrigation schemes

lOMha 10Mha

20Mha

IV Ground water development in area with unutilized ground water potential (for benefit of small and marginal farmers and Tribals amp Dalits) -

lOMba

20

Creation of potential of 1 Mha through ground water development in areas with unutilized ground water potential would primarily benefit small and marginal farmers who are mostly tribals dalits and weaker sections of society The scheme envisages full involvement of Panchayati Raj Institutions in implementation of the schemes

36 Housing

Goal 60 lakh houses to be constructed for the rural poor by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development through the IndiraAwaas Yojana undertakes this activity as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme where the cost is shared between the Centre and States on 7525 basis

The 2001 Census places the rural housing shortage figure ~n India at around 1491akhs Construction of 60 lakh houses over the next four years across the country is envisaged starting from 2005-06 to address a significant portion of this backlog

The criteria adopted for allocation of financial resources between the StatesUTs give greater emphasis to the states with higher incidence or shelterlessness 75 weightage is given to housing shortage and 25 to the poverty ratios prescribed by the Planning Commission for State-level allocations For district-level allocations 75 weightage is given again to housing shortage and 25 to SCST population of the districts concerned Grant assistance is provided to the extent of Rs 25000 per house for normal middot areas and Rs 27500 for hilly areas Funds are released to the DRDAs in two installments

Implementation guidelines of the scheme specifically target the rural below poverty line (BPL) households The respective Gram Sabha does the selection of beneficiaries from the BPL list and no higher approval is required The guidelines also clearlY Specify that the house allotment should be in the name of the female member of the family as a first priority While seeking to empower the rural women the scheme also provides priority to physically and mentally challenged persons exservicemen widows and freed bonded labourers It is stipulated that at least 60 of the beneficiaries should belong to the SCST communities TheIAY scheme also lays emphasis on sanitation and health by incorporating the cost of a sanitary latrine and smokeless chulah into the per unit grant provided to the beneficiary for constructionlupgradation of the dwelling unit

21

CHAPTER IV

WATER SECTOR ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN BHARAT NIRMAN PLAN

Water resource is a vital input in the development endeavours of the country Its finite availability and ever increasing demand in every sector have aggravated the problem manifold in case of India The requirement of faster development in irrigation water supply industrial use flood protection is evident assuming the future scenario Bharat Nirman Plan has rightly stressed on the irrigation and water supply where as the other sectors requirement is to be redressed with equal priority for the sustainable development of India

The water sector is grappled with the following Issues

Irrigation development Command area development amp Catchment area treatment Creation of storages Conunctive use of surface and ground water Efficiency improvement in distribution system Bridging the gap between irrigation potential created and potential utilised Flood Management

41 Irrigation Development

In India with the constitution of the Planning commission in 1950 and the advent of planning process in the first five year plan (1951-56) the country launched a major irrigation programme A number of multipurpose and major projects such as Bhakra Nangal Nagarjunasagar Kosi Chambal Hirakund Kakrapar and Tungbhadra were taken up Simultaneously minor irrigation schemes including ground water were given emphasis under the Agricultural Sector along with financial assistance from the Centre

During the period of Second Five Year Plan (1956-61) Third Five Year Plan (1961-66) and the Three Annual Plans (1966-69) irrigation programmes continued with addition of new projects During the Fourth Five Year Plan (1969-74) the emphasis was shifted to the completion of ongoing projects integrated use of surface and ground water adoption of efficient management techniques and modernization of existing schemes However new projects continued to be added

During the fifth Plan (1974-79) command Area Development Programme Was launched as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with the objective of reducing the lag between potential created and optimum utilization of available land and water Initially 60 major and medium proj ects were covered with a CCA of 15 Mha

22

During the Annual Plans of 1978-80 and the Sixth Five Year Plan ( 1980-85) new starts continued and at the end of Seventh Plan there were as many as 182 major and 312 medium ongoing proj ects requiring an estimated amount of Rs 39044 crore at the 1990shy91 price level for their completion New starts were therefore restricted considerably and greater emphasis was laid on completion of projects which were in the advanced stages of completion (those with an expenditure of 75 per cent or more) This was continued during 1990-91 and 1991-92 Annual Plans VIII Plan (1992-97) and IX Plan (1997 -2000)

For speedy completion of ongoing projects in advance stage of construction Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) was launched in 1996-97 During VIII Plan period irrigation potential of 22 Mha was created under major and medium sector at an annual rate of 044 Mha per annum During IX plan period this increased to 412 Mha out of which 165 Mha (nearly 40) was through AIBP Renovation Modernisation and Rehabilitation of old irrigation schemes gained momentum Users participation in major and medium irrigation schemes received greater attention Repairs and improvemen to the minor irrigation projects as a part of integrated micro-development also received encouragement Similarly sprinkler and drip irrigation programmes and the conjunctive use of surface and ground water gained momentum The project completed along with minor irrigation and ground water development have created an estimated potential of about 10277 Mha by the end of the X Plan

Although plan expenditure on irrigation has increased from Rs44l 8 crore in the 1st Plan to Rs 9574342 crore (outlay) in the X plan the share in total plan expenditure has decreased from 23 in the 1st Plan to 63 in the X Plan

The created irrigation potential increased from 226 Mha (97 Mha through major amp medium and 129 Mha through minor irrigation) in preplan period to 102Mha (4235 Mha through major and medium and 6042 1Tha through minor including ground water schemes) upto the end of X Plan with an annual average growth of 14 Mha In the corresponding period the potential utilistion has been from 226 Mha period to 8100 Mha

411 Central Assistance under AIBP

During IX Plan period irrigation potential of 165 Mha was created through AIBP at an average rate of 033 Mha per annum During the first three years of X plan the potential creation in major and medium irrigation sector through AIBP is around 14 Mha 047 Mha per annum In spite of rationalizing completion schedule of projects under AIBP several projects are lying behind schedule It is desirable to work out realistic time frame and cost to completion for projects to be considered under AIBP It is pertinent to mention that the spirit of the programme ie completion of last mile projects should not get diluted in the enthusiasm of inclusion of large number of projects under this programme As reported by the state governments but of total 200 projects presently under AIBP 95 projects would be completed by the end of X plan

23

The Central Assistance under AIBP as loan and grant provided up to March 2006 is Rs 1943790 crore out of which Rs 1883010 crore has been provided in Major and Medium irrigation sector

Impact ofAIBP

Plan Potential Created (Mha) Contribution of AIBP(Mha) IX 410 165 ( 402) X 530 300 ( 566)

Keeping an eye over the future requirement the Working Group on Water Resources for the XI Five Year Plan has brought out several suggestions in order to expedite completion of the projects which is very very essential Some other issues relating irrigation sector were also addressed in addition to this The strategies adopted for XI Plan proposal are swnmarized as below

1 Ongoing projects which have already achieved 90 or more of the ultimate potential should be considered as completed~ Critically review all such projects which are having only marginal benefit left or are near impossible to complete because of various problems and declare them completed or curtailed or deleted The balance cost of the remaining projects should be updated realistically for consideration under XI plan

2 Inter-Se priority should be decided considering various aspects such as externally aided proj ects interstate proj ects proj ects benefiting drought prone or tribal areas etc as per the guidelines prepared by National Commission for integrated Water Resources Development Plan

3 High priority should be accorded to the Pre-seventh and Seventh Plan Projects for funding under AIBP with emphasis to complete these projects during XI Plan List of such projects is appended as Annex31 Fund allocation under AIBP should be enhanced for this purpose ifnecessary

4 Foremost priority should be given for completion of ongoing projects and new projects should be taken up very selectively keeping in view the necessity for removal of regional imbalances and development of drought prone and tribal areas

5 Since the fund requirement for mediumminor irrigation projects are less adequate fund may be made available for completion of these projects without jeopardizing programme for important major projects ERM Projects should be given due priority where the eroded potential can be restored with ~oderate expenditure

24

6 A separate budget head upto 15 of Plan fund may be provided as Irrigation Maintenance Fund (IMF) and full amount of irrigation revenue as collectged should be credited to IMF

7 In addition to liabilities of completed projects and provision for ongoing and new projects the State plan proposals should incorporate provisions for special repairs of existing irrigation systems dam safety measures improved water management and water development aspect encompassing survey and investigation research and development training and National Hydrology Project

8 Substantial higher outlay should be provided in Central Plan to bring out effective role in plan activities of the Central Institutions by way of suitably strengthening them and provide adequate funds for taking new initiatives under Central Plan

9 The existing regionalstate level institutions such as W ALMIs should be strengthened and brought into mainstream activities for irrigation management improvement

10 Dam safety measures should be taken up all over country which is very essential in the context of disaster Prevention and Management

11 The performance evaluation of completed projects needs to be continued for benchmarking and improvement in irrigation efficiency

In addition to above recommendations on Minor Irrigation Sector are gIven as follows

1 Renovation Restoration of old tanks as well as old diversion channels in hilly regions along with improving efficiency of the projects Besides surface lift schemes may also be given due consideration particularly in hilly regions for irrigating high terraces

2 Expansion of irrigation facilities through a time bound programme for exploiting the huge ground water potential in the Eastern Region

3 Promotion of Micro Irrigation system in Water deficit areas 4 Promotion of Ground Water Development in areas haaving untapped unutilized

potential 5 National rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) may be linked with minor

irrigation Ground Water Development 6 A comprehensive act for regulation and development of ground water on

sustainable basis both in public and private sector

42 Command Area Development

In respect of command area development works for performance improvement-of the projects the working group has recommended the following recommendations for consideration

25

(a) Central funding for CAD works may be enhanced from present level of 5050 to 7525 for all the States while for states of North eastern Region and Hilly Special Category States the funding may be 90 from Government of India For software activities like trainings adaptive trials demonstrations monitoring and evaluation etc 100 Central funding may be considered in place of the existing pattern of 75 25 between the Centre and the States Funds can be directly given to W ALMIs and other State Central agencies for carrying out such activities

(b) It is proposed to increase the functional grant from Rs 600 per ha to Rs 1000 per ha which is to be shared in the ratio ofRs 675225100 between the centre State and the farmers while keeping all cost norms unchanged The State Governments may also be allowed to raise fund for its share through institutional funding or public borrowings through bonds on the pattern of Krishna Bhagya Nigam of Karnataka Government

(c) As per the existing system of release of Central Assistance the funds are transferred to the pool of State Finance Department which in tum releases funds to the implementing departments This procedure is not amenable for timely availability of the funds to the CADAs Therefore direct funding to CADAs from the Ministry in a mission mode can be considered to alleviate this problem For instance the Ministry of rural Development has a system of direct release of Central share of funds to the District Rural Development Authorities (DRDA) Jilla Parishads for implementing the schemes of the Central Ministry

(d) To ensure optimum utilization of created irrigation potential the CADWM should be made a part of the new major and medium projects

(e) Formation of WUAs under PTh1 Act is mandatory for implementation of CADWM programme Transition time of 2 years (upto the end of financial year 2008-09) may be allowed to those States which have not enact~d their PIM Acts so far Further relaxation may be only be allowed with the approval of CCEA

(f) WUAs should be involved in planning budgeting implementation and management of irrigation systems to be transferred to them There is a need to enforce a regime whereby farmers pay the water rates to meet the OampM expenditure rates Conditions of reforms should be imposed before handing over the projects to WUAs

(g) Volumetric supply of irrigation water to WUAs should be introduced

(h) Reputed NGOs with requisite skills may be involved for promotion of WUAs Rehabilitation of Canal Systems and Water Management for at least 2-3 years The estimated expenditure of Rs 600-800 per ha on account of this may be provided by the central government in the form of grant

(i) Autonomy of WUAs should be maintained in regard to Water Management However there may be linkages with Panchayati Raj Institutions through cross representation It may be considered to provide support to W ALMIs Agriculture Universities and reputed NGOs for improved water management at micro level It may also be considered to provide incentives for activities ofWUAs

26

(j) The WUAs should include women members from the land owning holding house holds in the Command Area irrespective of their ownership of the land

(k) Periodic evaluation of CAD Projects should be undertaken and suitable corrective measures may be taken if necessary

(1) Components for reclamation of waterlogged areas as well as correction of conveyance deficiencies with enhanced scope may be implemented to cover all the projects in the country details of which could be approved in consultation with expert organizations such as CWC CSSRI CGWB etc

(m) Water Resources Irrigation Departments need to undertake assessment periodically (at least once in 5 years) to determine the training needs at different levels of personnel deployed in water resources development and management Facilities available for capacity building are to be considered instead of establishing new training centres There has to be networking of existing training facilities so that training will be effective and economical It is desirable to have a separate scheme for training and capacity building for State Governments as well as central Government

43 Creation of Storage

Creation of storages is of prime importance in order to avoid severe domestic crisis on water issues As per the estimates given in the working group report there is a need of approximately live storage of around 450 km3

Major amp Medium Projects (Existing) -213 KJ13

Major amp Medium Projects (Under construction) -76 KM3 Minor Storages (Existing amp Under construction) -70 KM3 Total Live Storages in projects existing and under construction - 359 Km3

Likely loss in Live storage due to sedimentation upto 2050 which has to be compensated for -53 Km3 (say) Balance available live storage from the above in 2050 - 306 Km3 say 300 Km3

Therefore further new live storage to be created to have a live storage of 450 Km3 by 2050 is 150Km3

For creation the needed storage in addition to the present way of envisaging attention has to be paid to changing popUlation dynamics changing pattern of human settlements climatic change causing change in pattern of spatial and temporal variation in rainfall deterioration in water quality etc

44 Conjunctive Use of surface and ground water

Conjunctive use of surface and ground water can address the situation in two ways by decreasing the dependence on a single source and the quality of the available waterThis will reduce the chance of desalination as well Working group has suggested for the conjunctive use of middotgood quality water and saline seawater which will be helpful in reducing the cost of water requirement for irrigation

27

45 Efficiency improvement in the distribution system as well as in field

Deficiencies of the irrigated agriculture in India have been a cause of concern and a huge amount of thinking and analysis ha been done to devise ways and means to improve it The Working Group has recommended some important recommendations in this matter

1 Standardized definitions of irrigation efficiencies need to be evolved for use in India after reviewing available material All water resources of a basin form a unified resource and hence the basin efficiency concept which integrates all surface water and ground water uses as well as reuse and recirculation is important The basin efficiency also needs to be estimated along with project related efficiencies

2 Conjunctive use of water to be given higher priority particularly in alluvial areas as a very effective means of improving water use amp basin efficiency and of saving possible water logging and salination For givin an encouragement to conjunctive use irrigation Act may be amended if req ired The policy of favoring selective lining of canals should be continued LD ater allowances and somewhat inadequate conveyance capacities lead to be r efficiencies and less water loggingrelated problems These need to be encouraged

3 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Water Csers Associations (WUAs) should include a standard clause which binds the users to effective conjunctive use of surface and ground water On rising of gro nd water table the MOW should allow the department to cut the surface water supply

4 Where there are minor irrigation tanks minor urface lifts etc middotin the command these should be integrated with major project works and not be treated as separate entity Such tanks should be filled with cfulals water as per requirement Also such works will allow reuse of the seeped wateT

5 Each major irrigation system authorities should annually prepare the water budget accruing for all water stored or diverted all losses all reuse of lost waters estimated evaporation etc

6 Sufficient funds for operation and maintenance work to be provided Creation of Irrigation Maintenance Corporation as provided in the irrigation management policy is considered so that a linkage between revenues from water and OampM funds is established Water rates may accordingly be increased in a phased manner

7 Priority may be assigned toERM schemes for projects where water distribution systems are to be handed over to WUAs Where total ERM scheme is not contemplated one time maintenance deferred maintenance of a project may be allowed as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance of a project may be allowed

28

as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance budget to be decided in consultation with the farmers and walk through survey to assess what is appropriate and achievable within the available fund

8 All the schemes more than 25 years old should be studied in details to bring out the status of schemes in respect of structural safety and performance and ERM schemes may be formulated and taken up based on such studies

9 Drip sprinklers are mostly for horticulture vegetable crops (and surgarcane) in the present major and medium surface irrigation system These may be encouraged for other crops also Any compulsion for a particular cropping pattern needs to be removed whenever WUAs are formed amp volumetric water rates come into practice Use of sprinkler or drips or rotational surface supplies requires additional on farm storage (either as dug out ponds or elevatged storage with pump) This becomes essential since supply rotates are 10 daily or fortnightly whereas drips amp sprinkler require daily or 1 in 2 days operation Such storage creation needs to be within the ambit of subsidies for drips and sprinklers

10 As automation is a costly affair it is to be adopted for pilot schemes and not for larger area However preferably this should be introduced for conjunctive use of ground water and not always for surface water

The group has also recommended the concept of Target Efficiency of the water delivery system timely and equitable distribution ohvater increasing production per unit area and per unit volume of water used and financial sustainability of the water delivery infrastructure

46 Bridging the gap between the Potential created and potential utilised

There may be various reasons for increase in the gap between potential creation and potential utilized Some ofthese are

a likely over estimation and double counting of potential creation and inaccuracies discrepancies in reporting of potential utilized

b Loss of potential due to siltation in reservoirs ponds etc and deterioration of water distribution system

c Time gap between potential creation and command area development

d Assumption of optimistic cropping pattern in economic analysis and deviation in cropping pattern as compared to that envisaged during planning

e Over-drawl of water in head reaches depriving potential utilization by tail enders

f Unused canal flow during night hours

29

l

It is desirable to introduce more reliable and accurate system of assessment for potential created and utilized There should be a coordinating statistical organization in each State for reporting the figures of potential created and utilized The Remote Sensing Technique can also be effectively utilized for counter verification of figures reported The loss in potential due to siltation ageing of various distribution systems etc needs to be periodically assessed and accounted

The productivity of irrigated crop as assumed in economic analysis often seem to be optimistic and are not based on experience of nearby irrigation projects Use of water for irrigation and selection of crops have been left to the discretion of users farmers The adverse consequences of such freedom have been manifested as water logging in some commands Somewhere overexploitation of ground -vater has been leading to progressive fall in ground water level It is therefore necessary that a regulatory mechanism is brought into practice by which undesirable or unsuitable crops are discouraged and tendency to over use of irrigation water is c~ecked Similarly in areas where ground water is being used for irrigation a regulatory mechanism should be in place to deter over exploitation of ground water beyond allOvable limit

Sometimes apprehension of scarcity of water and non availability of water when needed also lead to over withdrawal by head end users Since extra tion of ground water is costly farmers tend to take water more than their requirements when that is available through canals Higher cost of ground water is primarily because of cost of power required for lifting of water In case source of solar power is created for lifting of water the cost of ground water will get substantially reduced This may facilitate and give farmers option to use surface water and ground water thom any extra cost Once this option is available and known to farmers that they are aware that use of more water than the optimal requirement is likely to reduce the yield certainly there would be reductionin

overdraw of water by head enders Thus there is a need to extend u~er friendly system and increase awareness and cooperation among farmers through Participatory Irrigation Management Water Users Associatiortsneed to be empowered to look into these aspects Further the piped distribution system and micro irrigation should be adopted as far as possible

In India night imgation is not practiced in general As a result waters flowing in canals during night hours either pass unutilized or wasted on account of uncontrolled flooding It is desirable that the night irrigation is introduced in policy and practice

47 Flood Management

In regard to flood management the strategies recommended are given here under

(a) Undertake construction of dams and reservoir schemes with adequate flood cushion for long term solution of flood problems Efforts should also be made for utilizing the existing reservoirs in the country for flood moderation to the extent

30

possible Even in Reservoirs constructed for power other purposes the rule curves may be framed in such way that effective flood moderation is achieved

(b) Flood Forecasting and flood warning network of ewe be extended and integrated with similar networks of the state governments so as to get real time information at a central point say in central flood control room under FMO ewe This activity should be extended to cover rivers originating from or flowing to the neighbouring countries

( c) To take up development of digital elevation model of flood prone areas for taking up schemes for inundation forecast preparation of flood risk maps planning of flood management schemes etc

(d) Identification of appropriate location for breaching spiling sections in the flood embankment for the controlled flooding of the protected areas for restoring fertility recharge of soil moisture and ground water

( e) Integrating flood management schemes with other infrastructural development programmes in the sectors of roads railways inland waterways and canal command area development works as well as recently declared Rural Employment Guarantee Programme

(f) Watershed management in the hilly catchmentgs of the rivers ongmating in Nepal Bhutan and hilly areas of India should be selectively chosen and funded fully Implementation should be done through a joint mechanism Ministry of Agriculture who is the nodal Ministry for the watershed management works should work out a detailed program in consultation with the Ministry of Water Resources

(g) To give adequate emphasis on the operation and maintenance (OampM) of the flood protection measures already created a percentage of outlay of the flood sector should be earmarked for this purpose

(h) Raising and strengthening of the existing embankments if required after detailed studies of hydrological morphological topographical and developmental aspects to stabilize the benefits of these measures

(i) Natural swamps and lakes to be developed into detention basins and capacity of existing depressions be improved for absorbing flood waters Special drives for development of Tal and Diara areas

G) Erosion of land either by sea or rivers to be minimized through suitable cost effective measures

(k) Flood proofing program such as raised platform and quick drainage facilities to be taken up in a)l the flood prone states

31

(1) Drainage improvement in critical areas in the country to be given priority

(m) Dredging at selective locations ie outfalls etc in the rivers and the tributaries as a way to reduce flood levels in low-lying areas and help in quick drainage

(n) Encourage RampD activities for improved flood management

(0) To encourage peoples participation

(p) To expedite projects peaks

on interlinking of rivers for helping in attenuating flood

(q) Steps to ensure implementation of action plan prepared by NDMA for flood management should be taken

(r) On-going schemes of earlier plans be completed expeditiously All the on going schemes spilling over to the XI Plan in which at least 50 execution has taken place should get first priority on fund allocation during the XI Plan

(s) The cost for flood component in a multi-purpose water resources development projects as a long-term solution to flood problem should be funded by Government of India

(t) Maintenance of existing flood management works to optimize its benefits

32

48 Achievement in irrigation during the two years of the Bharat Nirman Plan

The statewise achievement in two years ending on September 2006 is given below It shows that 2183776 thousand hectare has been added to the irrigation potential A daunting task still left to be achieved in coming two years

thF19ures are III ousand h ec ares t

I

i rOo

rarget bull Major amp Aebievements upSI No

States UrsName MinorMedium Total to September

Irrigation Irrigation 2006 r i

1 Andhra Pradesh 44127 112523 156649 302065

2 Arunachal Pradesh 00 2239 2239 4 777 3 Assam 303 4275 7306 3314

4 Bihar 41399 12858 169979 279451 5 Chhattisgarh 4435 14668 19103 65661

6 Goa 2442 26 2702 1224 7 Gujarat 94573 00 945 73 255224

8 Haryana 3373 241 5783 33301 9 Himachal Pradesh 3091 4691 7788 8842

10 lharkhand 8122 25314 33436 15 701 11 Jammu amp Kashmir 1801 9254 11055 14847

12 Karnataka 26282 124 38682 11131 13 Kerala 1609 2168 3777 15856

14 Madhya Pradesh 61172 162 77372 8138 15 Maharashtra 465 31 35651 82181 9313

16 Manipur 5195 155 6745 0 17 Meghalaya 00 1493 1493 2073

18 Mizoram 00 1096 1096 0628 19 Nagaland 00 1612 1612 259

20 Orissa 19899 13295 33194 3266 21 Punjab 4034 2056 609 68755

22 Rajasthan 37974 401 41984 26459 23 Sikkim 00 703 703 08

24 Tamil Nadu 00 2355 23 55 16461 25 Tripura 2689 5429 8118 6327 26 Uttar Pradesh 82516 15208 977 24 464 372 27 Uttranchal 00 3829 3829 34 967

28 West Bengal 13567 56384 69951 346

29 Andman amp Nicobar Island 00 033 033 0

30 Pondicherry 00 275 275 0 ~-

Total 2183766507867 479958 987826

I

L 33

------------------~------

The achievements are up to March 2006 only The progressachievement of 2006-07 was under compilationscrutiny in ewe at the time of preparation of this document

The figures for states ofKerala and Rajasthan pertain to the achievement of whole year 2006-07 and for the State of Uttar Pradesh the achievement is up to December2006

49 Conclusions

Water sector development encompasses multidisciplinary considerations There is no scope of overlooking any sector while giving priority to any sector or sectors The integrated planning is the only possible way to tackle the water resources development The participatory approach is the key for its sustainability Bharat middot Nirman Plan of Government of India by setting up goals for the period of four years is a boost to the already existing schemes in different ministries Irrigation and public water supply is the basic components of development have been rightly considered in the Bharat Nirman Plan The ambitious project has already traveled through a span of two years and has achieved some part of the goals The balance part has to be done with equal fervor The recent modification in AlBP norms is the evidence of the governmental zeal in achieving the goals For the continuance of the food sufficiency the irrigation development is the feasible quick solution The component of Irrigation in Bharat Nirman is thus a huge help for the required development in the water sector

34

Page 2: ROLE OF WRD&M IN BHARAT NIRMAN DURING WRD 2007

CONTENTS

Chapter No Title Page No

Chapter I Water Resources Development Present and Future Scenario

Chapter II Role of Water Resources Development in 11 Ascertaining Socio-economic Growth

Chapter III Bharat Nirman Plan (2005-2009) 15

Chapter IV Water Sector Issues and Opportunities 22 in Bharat Nirman Plan

1

CHAPTER I

WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT PRESENT AND FUTURE SCENARIO

10 Introduction

India though have achieved remarkable progress in the area of water resources development since independence is nevertheless experiencing range of issues in the water sector primarily due to meteorological reasons such as severe climatic variations as well as factors like rapid growth of population urbanization amp industrialization The demographic and economic growth of the country is further slated to carryon its momentuin for at least half a century more The water sector in India which comfnands merely 4 of the global freshwater resources and supports 16 of the worlds popUlation is hard-pressed to maintain the delicate balance between the demand and supply due to shrinking per capita availability and difficulties faced in development of remammg resources

The cabinet has declared the year 2007 as Water Year with the focus on developing consensus on appropriate measures including legislation on better management of the water sector timely completion of irrigation projects maintenance of existing projects to ensure water availability to farmers awareness programmes for the masses organization of conferences workshops on important development and management issues Water Resources day is being organized since 1987-88 and World Water Day since 1994 to deliberate and formulate strategy on some of the important aspects of water resources development and management and the saine theme is propagated throughout the country during the year

Water being the most vital input for middot supporting life and sustaining socioshyeconomic development the policies and strategies impinge on society largely Hence for the overall development of the country the proper handling of this finite resource is crucial The success of Government of Indias endeavour a]ong with State Governments and Panchayat Raj Institutions in Bharat Nirman Plan is rooted on efficient water resources development and management

11 National Water Policy

The National Water Policy was adopted in September 1987 However since a number of issues and challenges emerged in the development and management of the water resources the National Water Policy (1987) was reviewed and the updated National Water Policy (2002) was adopted by the National Water Resources Council in its 5th meeting held on 1 st April 2002 Recognising water as a precious national asset the National Water Policy (2002) embodies the Nations resolve that planning development and management of ~ater resources would be governed by National Perspectives The policy recognizes the drainage basin as the basic unit of planning development and

management of water resources and calls for appropriate measures to optimise utilisation of this resource

The updated National WaterPolicy lays emphasis on integrated water resources development and management for optimal and sustainable utilisation of the available surface and groundwater The role of creation of well-developed information system

_ water conservation demand management performance improvement participatory approach to water resources management promotion of non-conventional methods for water utilisation etc have been duly emphasized in the National Water Policy 2002 It integrates quantity and quality aspects as well as environmental considerations for water

- through adequate institutional arrangements Besides ecological needs have also been assigned due priority in the water allocation The involvements of beneficiaries and stakeholders in the project planning and participatory approach in water resources management have been equally stressed in the policy Significant emphasis has also been laid on water quality aspects which include maintaining minimum flow in the streams and treatment middot of effluents to acceptable standards Issues like resettlement amp

-rehabilitation have also been emphasized in the revised policy

12 -Water Resources Availability 121 Average Water Resources Potential

Proper assessment of the availability of water from surface and sub-surface sources is the cornerstone _ for proper planning development and management As already elaborated above the precipitation in the form of rain and snowfall is a crucial component of the hydrological cycle that makes fresh water available on a renewable basis The geographical area India is 329 million hectares (Mba) The mean annual shyrainfall taking the country as a whole is 1170 mm This gives an annual precipitation of about 4000 Km3

A significant part of this p~ecipitation seeps into the ground and the balance flows through streams and rivers and collects in water bodies adding to the surface flow A part of the water that seeps into the ground remains as soil moisture in

-the upper layers and the rest adds to the ground water resources Subsequently a major part of the water from surface flows soil m~istureand ground water sources when put to -various uses returns to the atmosphere through evapo-transpiration and evaporation Part of the water from -surface flows may enter ground wltlter and add to ground water resources and part of the ground water again returns to streams and rivers Thus the surface and the ground water sources are inter-linked continuously inter-active and therefore very much part of a single entity It is therefore extremely difficult if not impossible to quantify them separately over a period of time in given locations

As per the Reassessment of Water Resources Potential of India by Central Water Commission in 1993 the average annual water resources potential ofthe country is 1869

- Billion Cubic Metre (BCM) - shy

The National Commission for Water Resources Development (NCIWRD) while assessing the potential agreed with the estimates of the Reassessment study carried out

2

by ewc (1993) excepting the cases of Brahmaputra and Krishna basins Taking into account of the above two basin variations the estimation of NCIWRD yielded that the average annual water resources potential of the country is 1953 BCM

The Standing Sub-Committee for Assessment of Availability and Requirement of Water for Diverse Uses in the Country constituted by the MoWR in its Report (August

2000) observed that the latest assessment made by CWC in the year 1993 that is 1869 BCM are considered as reliable

122 Ground Water Resources

Groundwater in India is the primary source of water supply for domestic and many industrial usesmiddot More importantly it is the single largest and most productive source of irrigation water At present 85 of the water supplies for domestic use in rural areas 50 of water for urban and industrial uses and 55 of the irrigation water requirements are being met from groundwater

The arumal replenishable groundwater resources has been estimated to be at 433 BCM This is the sum total of the potential due to natural recharge from rainfall and the potential due to recharge augmentation from canal irrigation system

123 Utilisable Water Resources

Within the limitations of physiographic conditions and socio-political environment legal and constitutional constraints and the technology of development available at a given point of time utilizable quantity of water from the surface has been assessed from time to time It has been estimated that out of the average annual water resource potential of 1869 BCM the average annual utilisable water resource (surface and ground) is 1123 BCM of which about 690 BCM is from surface water and 433 BCM is from ground water

i

13middot Present scenario of water resources development

During the plan-period India witnessed considerable developmental activities that covered an sectors like irrigation drinking water supply hydropower generation etc The key aspects of the water resources scenario in India are discussed below

131 Irrigation sector

The cultivable area of the country is estimated to be about 186 Mha out of which about 142 Mha is under cultivation The ultimate irrigation potential of the country through major medium and minor irrigation projects has been assessed as 140 million middot hectare middot (Mha) by conventional storage and diversion works The ultimate irrigation potential of the country is 140 Mha of which 5850 Mha is major and medium irrigation projects 1740 mha is minor surface water schemes and 6410 Mha is ground water schemes The imgation potential created of the country which was only 226 Mha during

3

the time of independence has gone upto 10277 Mha by March 2006 The irrigation potential utilised presently stands at 8556 Mha The growth in irrigation sector has contributed significantly to the rise in food production from 51 Million Tonnes at the time of independence to the present level of 21 0 Million Tonnes This has resulted in the country becoming self sufficient in food production

As much as 52 percent rise in food grain production can be attributed to increase in irrigated area Productivity of irrigated lands in India ranges from around 15 tonnes per ha to 40 tonnes per ha for cereal crops compared to achievable target of about 5 to 6 tonnes per ha Though productivity in irrigated areas has increased such increases are still way below the world standards and of developing countries like China and Brazil With rise in population and industrialization putting pressure on land it is expected that cultivated area will stabilize at 140-145 Mha As irrigated agriculture is more productive than rainfed agriculture to meet the countries future needs of food and fibre it is imperative to bring more area under irrigation

At present irrigation sector consumes as much as 83 of available water resources With the demand from other sectors rising at a faster pace the availability of water for irrigation would reduce It is therefore necessary to improve the performance of existing system Higher degree of efficiencies in the management of water use in irrigation sector is required to be achieved to sustain production of crops Irrigation efficiency should be improved from the present average of about 35-40 per cent to the maximum achievable ie around 60 per cent Wherever water is scares if economically advantageous deficit irrigation may be practiced Water intensive crops such as sugarcane and paddy should be discouraged in the areas of water scarcity

132 Creation of storages

Severe spatial and temporal vanatlOns in rainfall promptedthat creation of storages be given due priority within the overall plan for water resources development The successive Five-year Plans initiated after independence therefore laid significant

emphasis on creation of storages that resulted in many remarkable achievements Many major medium and minor water resources projects have been constructed during these last six decades and India today with about 4050 completed large dams and 475 are under various stages of construction ranks third in the world after China and USA in terms of number of large dams All these projects have resulted in increasing the live storage capacity from 156 BCM at the time of independence to 282 BCM including 57 BCM from minor irrigation schemes of surface water now Storages held in these dams are insurance against the vagaries of nature Proj ects under construction are likely to add another 64 BCM while 108 BCM is to be contributed by the projects under contemplation

Even after such relentless persuasion to create more storages till date the present level of development on the country in terms of creation oflive storages is only just more than 11 of the average annual water resources potential of the country The level of creation of storages in India is decisively lower compared to some other nations in the

4

world The per capita storage in the country which is about 275 m3 is way below the storage achieved in many of the countries such as Russia (6103 m Australia (4733 m Brazil (3145 m United States (1964 m Turkey (1739 m Spain (1410 m Mexico middot

3(1245 m China (1111 m ) and South Africa (753 m3) and there is an urgent need to

vigorously pursue the case for creating storages wherever feasible given its projected rise in population urbanization amp industrialization

133 Urban amp Rural Water Supply

The National Water Policy 2002 gives over riding priority to drinking water over other uses The objective of any water supply scheme is to supply safe and clean water in adequate quantity and as economically as possible Lot of effluent or wastewater is generated in domestic sector which flows back untreated to the already shrinking water bodies Groundmiddotwater is also getting contaminated In development of water resources for domestic use the middot most important and challenging issue is that of sustainability of resource and quality With population growth and rise in urbanization the demand for treated water for domestic use is increasing rapidly

About 92 of urban population has been covered by safe drinking water Drinking water requirement of most of mega cities are met from reservoir of irrigation or multi-purpose schemes existing nearby and even by long distance transfer The rural habitations have been provided access to the safe drinking water from hand pumps and stand posts and about as well as mini and regional piped water supply schemes More than 85 percent of rural water supply is ground water based and consumes about 5 percent of the total annual replenishable ground water

134 Development in Power sector

Another important developing sector of economy using substantial quantity of water is power sector and therefore water resources is an integral component for the development of power sector in India Coil oil gas and hydroelectric potential constitute the conventional sources for electricity in the country Of these coal-based thermal power plants and in some regions hydropower have been the mainstay of electricity generation Presently the total installed capacity of the country is 128435 MW of which the thermal power accounts for 84234 MW which is 656 of the total installed capacity

Hydropower is a renewable economic non- polluting and environmentally benign source of energy Hydropower stations have the inherent ability for instantaneous starting stopping load variations etc and help in improving reliability of the power system Furthermore there is no fuel cost during the life of the station as hydropower generation is a non-consumptive use of water The benefits of hydropower as a clean environment friendly and economically attractive source of energy have now been sufficiently recognized The need for its accelerated development also comes from its capability of erihanced system reliability and economics of utilization of resources The

5

National Water Policy 2002 has accorded high priority to hydropower development only next to drinking water and irrigation water use in context to water allocation priorities

The total installed capacity in hydropower is 34110 MW ie 266 of the total installed capacity Only around 23 of the total hydropower potential (the total hydroelectric potential in the country is assessed as 84044 MW at 60 load factor which is equivalent to an installed capacity of 150000 MW) has been harnessed so far The combined installed capacity for nuclear and renewable sources is 10091 MW The share of hydropower in the overall energy mix needs to be boosted to achieve an ideal hydroelectric-thermal mix of 40 60

135 Flood Protection

Flood is one of the natural calamities that India faces almost every year in varying degree or magnitUde The frequent occurrence of flood can be attributed to various factors including wide variation in rainfall over time and space and inadequate carrying capacity of rivers The problems get accumulated due to silting bank erosion landslide poor natural drainage glacial lake outburst etc Indiscriminate development and encroachment of flood plain areas improper planning amp construction of roads railway lines etc have also been responsible for increase in flood damages Total flood prone area in the country as per the Report of Rashtriya Barh Aayog (RBA) of 1980 is 40 mha This has now been reassessed to 4536 mha On an average an area of 755 mha is affected by the floods every year and the average annual flood damage is Rs 1805 crore

A multi pronged strategy ranging from modifying the floods by means of structural measures toleaming to live with the floods by means of other non structural measures is well within pragmatic realism in flood management Measures for protection against extreme floods of low frequency are seldom economically feasible The term flood management may rationally be expected to refer to the provision of a reasonable degree of protection against floods by structural non structural measures to mitigate the recurring havoc caused by floods

After the disastrous floods experienced by the country in 1954 a National Programme of Flood management was launched During the five decades since then different methods of flood protection both long term and short term have been adopted in different States depending upon the nature of problem and local conditions The available information compiled from details furnished by the States relating to length of embankment and drainage channels indicates that 33929 km of embanlanents and 38810 km of drainage channels have been constructed In addition 2458 town protection works have been completed and 4716 villages raised above flood levels This have resulted in providing reasonable protection to an area of 1822 mha

Apart from the direct flood control works reservoirs with specific flood cushion have been constructed on the Damodar river to provide protection to areas in the downstream In addition storages constructed across Mahanadi (at Hirakud) Sutlej (at Bhakra) Chambal (at Gandhi sagar) Brahmani (at Rengali) and Tapi (at Ukai) as also a

6

number of other major and medium reservOIrs have helped greatly III reducing the intensity of flood and flood damages

In addition to the structural flood protection measures non-structural measures like flood forecasting and warning of incoming floods have also played significant role in reducing the loss of life and movable property apart from alerting the civil and engineering authorities in-charge of various works to take appropriate advance action to fight the onslaught of floods The Central Water Commission manages a major network of 173 such flood forecasting stations on inter-state rivers in 18 States The techniques of observation of hydrological and hydro-meterological data and their transmission to the forecasting station have been constantly under review for making necessary improvements to make the forecasts more accurate and also to give higher lead time On an average CWC is issuing 5619 flood forecasts with 9655 accuracy

136 Industrial Water Use

While at present the estimated water requirement for industrial water use is only around 8-12 BCM with urbanization and industrialization the water demand for industrial purposes is also slated to increase significantly Necessary measures to reduce the demand should be taken by adopting processes with minimum use of water recycle and re-use etc Tariff rates should be prescribed so that industries feel compelled to look into technological intervention leading reduced water requirement per unit production

137 Other Uses like Navigation Ecology Recreational activities etc

Navigable waterways in India comprising of river systems canals hackwaters creeks and tidal inlet extend to about 14500 kms Most waterways however suffer from navigational inadequacies such as shallow waters narrow width and bank erosion Moreover vertical and horizontal clearances at overhead structures are not adequate for navigation throughout the year Consequently at present about 5200 kms of major rivers and 485 kms of canals are considered suitable for mechanized crafts

In the earlier period with less of population and consequently less of related activities nature could cope with whatever damage was inflicted on the resources quickly restoring the balance But in recent times with the growth of population and its consequent activities the restorative capacity of nature and the environment is being continuously eroded affecting the quality of life on the planet Earth Ecology is now concerned not only with living elements but also with their interrelationships with society and culture Prevention of environmental degradation and degradation of the natural resources base is essential for sustainable development

The negative environmental consequences are caused due to deforestation soil erosion unplanned ildustrialization indiscriminate use of fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture drought floods water logging water pollution population growth large scale

7 -

poverty etc Glohal climatic change and atmospheric pollution could also have an impact on fresh water resources and their availability Protection enhancement and restoration of water quality and abatement of water pollution are necessary for providing not only safe drinking water and maintaining and improving human health but are also important for sustaining land quality agriculture and industrial production and for supporting the socio-economic growth as such

The need for water demand for ecological purposes including conserving the environment maintaining lean period flows aquatic life etc therefore needs to be worked out on scientific basis Allocation for this purpose should be made while considering the construction of new reservoirsstorages

Recreational facilities also sometimes contribute to a large extentmiddot in the development of economy at the micro level (of a particular localized area) through promotion of tourism The reservoir sites owing to their topographical as well as environmental advantage often become the hub of such recreational activities Besides a host of direct benefits water therefore plays a significant role in contributing indirectly to the growth of the nation through promotion of tourism employment generation etc

14 Future projected scenario 141 Assessment by Standing Sub-Committee

A Standing Sub-Committee for assessment of availability and requirement of water for diverse uses in the country constituted by the Ministry of Water Resources in its report (August 2000) assessed the requirements of water for various sectors as given in the Table-1 below

Table-I Water Requirement for Various Sector~

Sector Water Demand in Billion Cubic meter (BCM) 2000 2010 2025 2050

Irrigation 541 688 910 1072 Drinking Water 42 56 73 102 Industry 8 12 23 63 Energy 2 5 15 130 Others 41 52 72 80 Total 634 813 1093 1447

On the basis of the above assessment the Sub-Committee observed that against the total utilizable water resources of 1122 BCM the projected demand during the year 2025 and 2050 comes to around 1093 and 1447 respectively The scenario indicates water deficiency in the overall national perspective The deficiency may have to be managed by using the return flows from various uses which may be around 80 from domestic uses

8

~------------------------------------------------------ -----

ie 58 and 81 BCM in the year 2025 and 2050 respectively The return flow from irrigation sector may be around 10 ie 91 and 107 BCM in the year 2025 and 2050 respectively The return flow from industry sector is estimated to be 65 Besides water has to be made available through inter-basin transfer of river waters by 2050 The demand of industry and energy sector may be managed by reuse and recycling of return flows and reuse of water from treated wastewater Proper treatment of effluent to desired standards will have to be ensured to use the return flow in irrigation horticulture etc The water requirements of water deficit areas will be met by inter basin transfer of water from surplus basins after developing the untapped water resources

142 National Commission on Integrated Water Resources Development (NCIWRD)

The National Commission on Integrated Water Resources Development (NCIWRD) in its report (1999) has also assessed the water requirement for various purposes for different years and the demand of water is given in the Table-2 below

It would be observed that the assessment made by the National Commission for irrigation is relatively on lower side as compared to that estimated by the Standing SubshyCommittee In respect of other uses the estimate made by the National Commission is generally on a higher side The main reason for such variation in the estimate is the assumption made by the National Commission in respect of the overall improvement of irrigation efficiency The National Commission has assumed that the irrigation efficiency will gradually increase to 60 from the present level of 35 to 40 Considerable effort is required to achieve the objective middot of efficiency in water resource system and particularly in the irrigation system which is the major water consumptive sector

Table-2 Water Demand for Diverse Uses

Sl No

Total Water Use (in BCM) Uses Year

1997-98 Year 2010 Year 2025 Year 2050

Low High Low High Low High 1 Irrigation 524 543 557 561 611 628 807 2 Domestic 30 42 43 55 62 90 111 3 Industries 30 37 middot37 67 67 81 81 4 Power 9 18 19 31 33 63 70 5 Inland Navigation 0 7 7 10 10 15 15 6 Flood Control 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 Environment(1 )

Afforestati on 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

8 Env(2)Ecology 0 5 6 10 10 middot 20 20 9 Evaporation losses 36 42 42 50 50 76 76

Total 629 694 710 784 843 973 1180

9

middotIt is of paramount importance that the aim should be at reducing water requirement to the low demand scenario Taking into account the water availability and the requirement till the year 2050 the National Commission concluded that there is no need to take an alarmist view However three major considerations have to be kept in the forefront while formulating an integrated water policy and plan First the balance between the requirement and availability can be struck only if utmost efficiency is introduced in water use Second average availability at the national level does not imply that all basins are capable of meeting their full requirement from internal resources Third the issue of equity in the access to water between regions and between sections of population assumes greater importance in what is foreseen as a fragile balance between these and related problems of integrated water use planning in the context of supply and requirement of water estimated by the Commission middot

JO

CHAPTER II

ROLE OF WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT IN ASCERTAINING SOCIO-ECONOMIC GROWTH

Right from independence India has been developing atmiddot a very fast pace Consequently it is hardly any surprise that rapid urbanization through infrastructure development has been the key feature of the last few decades At the same time the steep rise in population hasresulted in a phenomenal increase in the demand for food and water supply Till now one of the potent solutions to these multi-faceted challenges has been creation of large storages to wither out the spatial cindtemporal variations The sector wise development which has changed the socio economic status of the country is analysed below

21 Agricultural Production

The direct relationship between food production and assured irrigation is so pronounced that it hardly requires any further explanation During independence the food production of the country was only a meager 50 million tones while the irrigation potential created was 22 m~llion ha By the tum of the century while the irrigation potential created has shot upto 10277 Mha thefood production has crossed 200 million tones If we concentrate over the states which have out performed in the food production like Punjab Haryana Gujarat Uttar Pradesh Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra West Bengal it is apparent that the large and medium water resources storage projects have played the key role Such remarkable achievement have been possible due to the fact that large areas of these States are being covered under assured irrigation

22 Domestic and Industrial Water Supply

The National Water Policy adopted by the Government of India in 2002 accords highest priority to drinking water supply The Vision document for Integrated Water Resources Development formulated by th~ Ministry of Water Resources in 2002 states that 92 of the urban popUlation and 97 of the rural population are having access to safe drinking water This achievement has been largely possible due to the significant contributions made by the large projects a few examples ofwhich are listed below

Delhi the capital of India which is situated on the banks of the Yamuna gets only a fraction of its needs from river Yamuna though situated on its banks The balance needs are met with releases from Bhakra and Ramganga pams The population of the city has grown from 14 million in 1951 to close to 14 million by 2001 Though in 1950s the entire water need of the city was possible to be met with from Jamuna (essentially the flows that were regenerated) this was soon not possible Ramganga and Bhakra waters had to be supplemented for meeting the

11

requirements Infact the releases from the Tehri Dam for the Sonia Vihar Water Treatment plant seems to be the only silver lining for the city plagued by water crisis particularly during the summer months Besides this allocation for drinking water supply t6 Delhi has also been provided in upcoming Renuka and Kishau dam Projects in Yamuna Basin for meeting the future needs

bull The entire water supply of Mumbai is dependant Vaitrana Upper Vaitama Tansa and Bhatsa

on a senes of dams like

bull The acute scarcity of water supply in Chennai is well known The states of Andhra Pradesh Maharashtra and Kamataka agreed to provide a part of their allocated share of Krishna water (to the extent of 15 TMC) for drinking water requirements of Chennai city

bull Water supply of Pune town in Maharashtra is Sagar) Khadakwasla dam and Temghar dam

met with from Panchet(Tangi

bull Hyderabad is mainly dependent on Himayatsagar Manjra and Singur Dams

its water supply from Osmansagar

bull The water supply for Bangalore city heavily depends on Cauvery Stage-I Stage-II and Stage-III projects

bull A sizeable number of cities having population more than one million as per the 2001 census are having their water demand met from several projects The prominent cities among them being Bhopal Indore Jabalpur Nagpur Nashik and Surat

In addition to above a major dam at Bisalpur had been constructed in Chambal Basin to provide water supply to Ajmer City besides towns of Beawar and Tonk in Rajasthan Warrangal town in Andhra Pradesh depends for water supply on Sriramsagar Dam Shillong water supply is to be ensured with a dam under construction in the North-East

The position of drinking water supply in various towns and villages has improved after the coming up of Bhakra and Beas Proj ects Cities of Delhi Chandigarh and town of Patiala and Ropar apart from numerous towns and villages in the states of Haryana and Rajasthan are getting their supply of drinking water from the canals fed by these projects

Drinking water supply for most of the cities and towns in the country are dependant on storages and diversions for the purpose proving the important fact that stored water distributed temporally as well as spatially serves the basic needs in a sustained manner for a sizeable population

12

Industrial water requirement though considerably low in comparison to agriculture and domestic water demand has its own share of importance Most of the industries require assured water supply for their effective performance It is therefore quite natural that the pr~sence of a large project capable of delivering assured water supply invariably boosts up the industrial development of the area Numerous examples may be cited to back the above contention however the more important ones are given below

For catering the needs of Bokaro Steel Plant a dam at Tenughat in the Damodar River Basin had to be constructed

bull Similarly a cluster of thermal and super-thermal stations in uP is entirely dependent on the water stored at Rihand Dam on a tributary of the Sone River in uP

bull For the Vishkhapatnam Steel Plant the water IS to be supplied from Yeleru Reservoir

bull As abundant and assured cooling water is available from Ukai reservoir a large thermal power station having installed capacity of 850 MW is also set up and commissioned at Ukai since 1975 Other huge industries like Essar Gujarat Reliance Petrochemicals KRlBHCO ONGC NTPC etc are direct beneficiaries from Ukai-Kakrapar project as regards industrial water supply

bull For the requirements of Udaipur and Chittor plants of Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL) Gosunda Dam was necessary This meets not only the needs of HZL but also the water-supply needs of Udaipur

Major industries getting water from Bhakra Canals are National Fertilizers Ltd Nangal Ropar Thermal Plant and C-Thermal Delhi besides numerous other small industrial units

23 Hydropower generation

The hydropower generated from the large projects like Bhakra-Nangal Hirakud Iddukki Ukai Srisailam Gandhisagar Rana Pratapsagar Jawaharsagar projects have not only provided middotcheap energy but also has immensely helped in meeting the peaking demands Thus there is not even an iota of doubt about the role played by these projects in improving the economy of their command area Infact hydropower being durable non-polluting and extremely cheap its viability as an effective mode of producing energy increases even further

It is often been contended by the social activists that the improvement in irrigation facilities and the resultant boom in food production is largely due to the minor irrigation and ground water irrigation schemes There is no point in denying the fact that the harnessing of minor irrigation as well as ground water irrigation facilities is equally

13

important in promoting food production but more often that not we ignore the power requirement for operating the pumps for lifting ground water In fact in the recent times one of the most debated issues have been providing free power to the farmers proving the importance of availability of cheap power to the agricultural community

24 Flood Control and Drought Mitigation

It wont be an overstatement to acknowledge the benefit offered by those large projects by providing the required cushion against the raging floods An estimation of the past 100 years will invariably indicate the astronomical damages that were inflicted on our country by the floods Even in the 21 st cenfliry after so much advancement we are often rendered helpless to the fury of floods particularly in the North-East where the protection upto the desired level is yet to be materialized Even then all the projects mentioned above like the Hirakud Bhakra-Nangal Ukai-Kakrapar Nagarjunasagar had given immense relief to the people of their command area by not only restricting the financial losses but at times even saving the loss of lives

The greatest inexplicable paradox of this countrys water resources scenario has been the co-existence of droughts and floods and the beauty of the large projects is that they have the capability to handle both the situations simultaneously and thus ironing out the erratic climatic behavior to a large extent The excess monsoon received in a particular year is being used by these projects to wonderful effect in another year facing paucity of rainfall

14

CHAPTER III

Bharat Nirman Plan (2005-2009)

Government of India in partnership with State Governments and Panchayat Raj Institutions has launched Bharat Nirman programme as a time-bound business plan for action in rural infrastructure for the span of four years (2005-2009) Under Bharat Nirman Plan action is proposed in the areas of irrigation road rural housing rural water supply rural electrification and rural telecommunication connectivity Specific targets are set to be achieved under each of these goals so that there is accountability in the progress of this initiative The goals in different sectors are as under

31 IClectricity

Goal Every village to be provided electricity remaining 125000 villages to be covered by 2009

The Ministry of Power has the responsibility of providing electricity to the remaining 125000 villages through the programme instrument of Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana In addition it will also provide 23 million households with electricity As per the Census of 2001 125000 villages remained uncovered To be able to achieve this objective Rural Electricity Distribution Backbone with at least a 33111 KV sub-station would be set up in each block at least one Distribution TransfOlmer in each habitation of every village or hamlet as Village Electrification Infrastructure Standshyalone grid with generation where grid supply is not feasible These Stand-alone grids would be set up in partnership with the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy also

Rural Electrification Corporation would be the agency for implementation The Mcmagement of Rural Distribution will be fioanchisees that could be Users Associations individual entrepreneurs Cooperatives Non-Governmental Organizations Panchayat Institutions Services of Central Services undertakings like National Them1al Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POClL) National Hydro Electric Power Corporation Limited (NHPC) and Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) will be made available for the execution of rural electrification projects These CPSUs have been allocated districts in each state wherein they will implement the rural electrification network

90 capital subsidy will be provided for overall cost of the projects under the scheme The capital subsidy for eligible projects under the scheme will be through the Rural Electrification Corporation Limited which will be the nodal agency Electrification of unelectrified below-poverty-line households will be financed with 100 capital subsidy at Rs1500 per connection in all rural habitations Others will be paying for the connections at prescribed connection charges and no subsidy will be made availableFor creation of village eIectrification infrastructure first priority will be given to unshy

15

electrified villages Preference for electrification will be given to Dalit Bastis Tribal settlements and habitations of weaker sections

32 Roads

Goal Every habitation over 1000 population andabove (500 in hilly and tribal areas) to be provided an all-weather road remaining 66802 habitations to be covered by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development has the responsibility of ensuring that every habitation over 1000 population and every habitation with more than 500 in hilly and tribal areas is connected with an all-weather road by 2009 This is expected to generate multiplier effects in the rural economy of linking production to markets and services This work which is being undertaken under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana since 2000 has been modified to address the above goals within the stipulated timeshyframeTo achieve the targets of Bharat Nirman 146185 Kms road length is proposed to be constructed by 2009 This will benefit 66802 unconnected eligible habitations in the country To ensure full farm-to-market connectivity it is also proposed to upgrade 194132 kms of the existing Associated Through Routes

A district and rural roads plan has been prepared listing out complete network of all roads in the district that has village roads major district roads state roads and national highways The concept of core network has been operationalised to focus on those set of roads which are considered essential to provid~ connectivity to all habitations of the desired size The Core Network is the basic in$trumentality for prioritization of construction and allocation of funds for maintenance Action has been initiated to develop GIS-based applications to further enhance the utility of the Core Network

The programme is implemented through a framework of consultation with public representatives ranging from the panchayat level up to Parlian1ent A Rural Roads Manual guides the implementation of the programme A separate Book of Specification and a Standard Data Book have been prepared As per this standard bidding documents are to be adopted by the states For MIS there is a computerized Online Management and Monitoring Accounting System

Approximately Rs48000 crores is proposed to be invested to achieve this objective 100 of the funds of this programme is being provided by the Central Government

33 Drinking Water

Goal Every habitation to have a safe source of drinking water 55067 uncovered habitations to be covered by 2009 In addition all habitations which have slipped back from full coverage to partial coverage due to failure of source and habitations which have water quality problems to be addressed

16

The Ministry of Rural Development Department of Drinking Water Supply is responsible for meeting this goal in partnership with State Governments The programme instrument of the Govemment of India is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme under implementation since 1972-73 which is funded on a 50 matching share basis between the Government of India and the State Government Since 1972 over 37 lakh hand pumps and l5 lakh pipe water supply systems have been set up to provide safe water to over 15 lakh habitations in the country at a cost of over Rs 50000 crore The norms which are fixed to achieve the goal are - 40 litres per capita per day (lpcd) of safe drinking water for human beings - 30 Ipcd additional for cattle in the Desert Development Programme Areas - One hand pump or stand post for every 250 persons - The water source should exist within 16 km in the plains and within 100 metres

elevation in the hilly areas

The backlog for coverage is under estimation based on a habitation survey for the categories of uncovered villages slipped- back villages and villages affected with a problem of water quality 55067 villages remain uncovered and are targeted for coverage as first priority The category of slipped-back villages estimated by the Planning Commission at the beginning of the Tenth Plan as 28 lakh habitations These are so on account of a number of factors like - Sources going dry or lowering of the ground water table - Sources becoming quality affected - Systems outliving their lives - Systems working below rated capacity due to poor operation and maintenance - Increase in population resulting in lower per capita availability - Emergence of new habitations According to the data received from State Governments based on a survey undertaken in 2000216968 habitations are affected due to a variety of water quality problems consists of excess fluoride 31306 excess arsenic 5029 excess salinity23495 excess iron118088 excess nitrate 13958 and multiple quality problems 25092

The Govemment of India has decided that under Bharat Nirman names of habitations would have to be provided by State Governments for availing funds from Government of India This would give maximum transparency to the programme State Governments would be required to place the habitations proposed for coverage and covered on this site in course of time

The scheme is funded on a 50 basis by the Gol and expenditure ofRsA050 crores is expected for the current year The actual requirement will be worked out based on the names of habitations supplied by the states and funded

34 Telephone

Goal Every village to be connected by telephone remaining 66822 villagesto be covered by November 2007

17

The Department of Telecom in the Ministry of Communications and Infonnation Technology has the responsibility of providing telephone cOlmectivity to the 66822 villages that remain to be covered

The resources for implementation of universal services obligation are raised through a Universal Service Levy which has presently been fixed at 5 of the adjusted gross revenue of all telecom service providers except the pure value added service providers like internet voice mail e-mail service providers The rules also make a provision for the Central Government to give grants and loans to the Fund The balance to the credit of the Fund does not lapse at the end of the financial year usa Fund assigns the task of providing Village Public Telephones (VPTs) on the basis of bids through open tender and in this case the work has been assigned to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd Out of the 66822 villages identified connectivity in 14183 remote and far-flung villages will be provided through digital satellite phone tenninals From the USOF assistance is provided for both capital expenditure as well as operational expenditure It is estimated that a total sum of Rs451 crore would be required to provide VPTs in these 66822 villages and the entire sum will be met out of USOF and no separate allocation from Government would be required

As an additional incentives telecom service providers are being assisted through the USOF to penetrate into the rural areas for the following activities - Maintenance of existing village public telephones (VPTs) - Provision of an additional mral community phone in villages with a population of more

than two thousand and where no public call office exists - Replacement of village public telephones installed on Multi Access Radio Relay

(MARR) technology - Telephone lines installed in household in specified rural areas

Rural teledensity will be significantly enhanced during the period of Bharat Nirman

The Government is committed to expanding mral connectivity through a slew of measures so that rural users can access information of value and transact business This will include cOlmecting block headquarters with fibre optic network using wireless technology to achieve last mile connectivity and operating information kiosks through a partnership of citizens panchayats civil society organizations the private sector and Government

35 Irrigation

Goal J 0 million hectares (J 00 lakhs) of additional irrigation capacity to be created by 2009

The Ministry of Water Resources in collaboration with State Governments is responsible for creation of additional 10 million hectares of irrigation capacity by the year 2009 through major medium and minor irrigation projects complemented by ground water development

18

The ultimate irrigation potential for the country has been estimated as 140 million hectare (Mba) which include potential through Major and Medium irrigation projects (5846 Mha) surface water based minor irrigation schemes (1754 Mha) and ground water development (6400 Mha) So far the irrigation potential of 10277 Mha has already been created However the created potential has not been fully utilized and the gap between created and utilized potential has been estimated to be of the order of 17 Mha

351 Major and Medium Irrigation (MMI) Proj ects

For the country as a whole 66 of the ultimate irrigationpotential of major and medium projects has been created 477 Major and Medium irrigation projects have spilled over to Xl In addition the States have proposed 223 Major and Medium projects and 86 ERM projects during XI Plan An outlay of Rs 30670 crore has been provided for the new proj ects in the XI Plan

So far 173 major and medium 4169 minor and 21 Extension Renovation and Modernization (ERM) projects have been provided Central Loan Assistance under Accelerated Irrigation benefit Programme (AIBP) The potential creation through projects supported under AIBP has been found to be 035 Mha per year with about 047 Mha per year in the last two years As per existing Plan the projected creation of irrigation potential through AIBP is 050 Mba per year in the remaining period of X Five Year Plan

The average rate of creation of irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects from 1951 to 1997 has been found to be of the order of 051 Mha per year During the year 1997 to 2005 the rate for creati n has been found to be 092 Mah per year The pace of creation of new irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects has increased in the recent past This is due to fruition of projects started much earlier which have been expedited due to increased support through AIBP

The projects for extension renovation and modernization (ERM) of major and medium irrigation schemes are also being implemented with arrangement similar to that for completion of ongoing major and medium schemes The implementation of ERM projects along with Command Area Development and Water Management (CAD and WM) help in sustaining the created facilities and in improving the utilization

35 2 Minor Irrigatioll Schemes

There is considerable variation in creation of ilTIgation potential through minor irrigation (both surface and ground water) schemes from State to State While full potential through minor irrigation has been tapped in some of the States it is relatively very low in others

19

Minor irrigation through surface water covers water sources (tanks and small reservoirs) with a culturable command area (CCA) of less than 2000 ha About 70 of the ultimate potential through surface water based minor irrigation schemes has since been created The Report of the National Commission for Integrated Water Resources Development points out that the carrying capacity of tanks has decreased over time for a variety of reasons and that the restoration and renovation of tanks and other local sources is a priority task

Since 2004-05 a pilot scheme for repair renovation and restoration of water bodies directly linked to agriculture has been taken up by the Government as a state-sector scheme in the 16 districts of the country which is proposed to be expanded

353 Ground Water Development

From the surveys conducted for estimation of availability and status of ground water the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has identified areas that are over-exploited (where exploitation is more than natural recharge of ground water) and areas that are critical or dark (where draft is between 70 to 100 of the natural recharge ofground water) The recent survey indicates that out of 7414 identified units (blockstalukaswatershed) 471 are Overexploited and 318 are Critical or Dark units Thus less than 11 of the total units fall under the category of over-exploited and critical The ultimate irrigation potential to be created is based on the assessed replenishable groundwater after duly accounting for the domestic and industrial uses (about 10) It has been assessed that ground water is still available for utilization in many parts of the country particularly in the eastern parts of the country Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and in specific pockets of Andhra Pradesh Kamataka Maharashtra and Jammu amp Kashmir In Punjab Haryana Rajasthan Gujarat and Tamil Nadu the rechargeable quantum of ground water has been exceeded and mining of static reserves has commenced This reinforces the need to take urgent steps to increase recharge and conservation

354 Targets under Bharat Nirman

Sl No Component Target I Completion of ongoing Major amp medium Irrigation

Projects 42Mha

II Minor irrigation schemes bull Surface water 10 Mha bull Ground Water 18 Mha

10Mha l8Mha

28Mha

III Enhancing utilization of completed projects bull ERM of major amp medium projects bull Repair renovation and restoration of water bodiesERM of minor irrigation schemes

lOMha 10Mha

20Mha

IV Ground water development in area with unutilized ground water potential (for benefit of small and marginal farmers and Tribals amp Dalits) -

lOMba

20

Creation of potential of 1 Mha through ground water development in areas with unutilized ground water potential would primarily benefit small and marginal farmers who are mostly tribals dalits and weaker sections of society The scheme envisages full involvement of Panchayati Raj Institutions in implementation of the schemes

36 Housing

Goal 60 lakh houses to be constructed for the rural poor by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development through the IndiraAwaas Yojana undertakes this activity as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme where the cost is shared between the Centre and States on 7525 basis

The 2001 Census places the rural housing shortage figure ~n India at around 1491akhs Construction of 60 lakh houses over the next four years across the country is envisaged starting from 2005-06 to address a significant portion of this backlog

The criteria adopted for allocation of financial resources between the StatesUTs give greater emphasis to the states with higher incidence or shelterlessness 75 weightage is given to housing shortage and 25 to the poverty ratios prescribed by the Planning Commission for State-level allocations For district-level allocations 75 weightage is given again to housing shortage and 25 to SCST population of the districts concerned Grant assistance is provided to the extent of Rs 25000 per house for normal middot areas and Rs 27500 for hilly areas Funds are released to the DRDAs in two installments

Implementation guidelines of the scheme specifically target the rural below poverty line (BPL) households The respective Gram Sabha does the selection of beneficiaries from the BPL list and no higher approval is required The guidelines also clearlY Specify that the house allotment should be in the name of the female member of the family as a first priority While seeking to empower the rural women the scheme also provides priority to physically and mentally challenged persons exservicemen widows and freed bonded labourers It is stipulated that at least 60 of the beneficiaries should belong to the SCST communities TheIAY scheme also lays emphasis on sanitation and health by incorporating the cost of a sanitary latrine and smokeless chulah into the per unit grant provided to the beneficiary for constructionlupgradation of the dwelling unit

21

CHAPTER IV

WATER SECTOR ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN BHARAT NIRMAN PLAN

Water resource is a vital input in the development endeavours of the country Its finite availability and ever increasing demand in every sector have aggravated the problem manifold in case of India The requirement of faster development in irrigation water supply industrial use flood protection is evident assuming the future scenario Bharat Nirman Plan has rightly stressed on the irrigation and water supply where as the other sectors requirement is to be redressed with equal priority for the sustainable development of India

The water sector is grappled with the following Issues

Irrigation development Command area development amp Catchment area treatment Creation of storages Conunctive use of surface and ground water Efficiency improvement in distribution system Bridging the gap between irrigation potential created and potential utilised Flood Management

41 Irrigation Development

In India with the constitution of the Planning commission in 1950 and the advent of planning process in the first five year plan (1951-56) the country launched a major irrigation programme A number of multipurpose and major projects such as Bhakra Nangal Nagarjunasagar Kosi Chambal Hirakund Kakrapar and Tungbhadra were taken up Simultaneously minor irrigation schemes including ground water were given emphasis under the Agricultural Sector along with financial assistance from the Centre

During the period of Second Five Year Plan (1956-61) Third Five Year Plan (1961-66) and the Three Annual Plans (1966-69) irrigation programmes continued with addition of new projects During the Fourth Five Year Plan (1969-74) the emphasis was shifted to the completion of ongoing projects integrated use of surface and ground water adoption of efficient management techniques and modernization of existing schemes However new projects continued to be added

During the fifth Plan (1974-79) command Area Development Programme Was launched as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with the objective of reducing the lag between potential created and optimum utilization of available land and water Initially 60 major and medium proj ects were covered with a CCA of 15 Mha

22

During the Annual Plans of 1978-80 and the Sixth Five Year Plan ( 1980-85) new starts continued and at the end of Seventh Plan there were as many as 182 major and 312 medium ongoing proj ects requiring an estimated amount of Rs 39044 crore at the 1990shy91 price level for their completion New starts were therefore restricted considerably and greater emphasis was laid on completion of projects which were in the advanced stages of completion (those with an expenditure of 75 per cent or more) This was continued during 1990-91 and 1991-92 Annual Plans VIII Plan (1992-97) and IX Plan (1997 -2000)

For speedy completion of ongoing projects in advance stage of construction Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) was launched in 1996-97 During VIII Plan period irrigation potential of 22 Mha was created under major and medium sector at an annual rate of 044 Mha per annum During IX plan period this increased to 412 Mha out of which 165 Mha (nearly 40) was through AIBP Renovation Modernisation and Rehabilitation of old irrigation schemes gained momentum Users participation in major and medium irrigation schemes received greater attention Repairs and improvemen to the minor irrigation projects as a part of integrated micro-development also received encouragement Similarly sprinkler and drip irrigation programmes and the conjunctive use of surface and ground water gained momentum The project completed along with minor irrigation and ground water development have created an estimated potential of about 10277 Mha by the end of the X Plan

Although plan expenditure on irrigation has increased from Rs44l 8 crore in the 1st Plan to Rs 9574342 crore (outlay) in the X plan the share in total plan expenditure has decreased from 23 in the 1st Plan to 63 in the X Plan

The created irrigation potential increased from 226 Mha (97 Mha through major amp medium and 129 Mha through minor irrigation) in preplan period to 102Mha (4235 Mha through major and medium and 6042 1Tha through minor including ground water schemes) upto the end of X Plan with an annual average growth of 14 Mha In the corresponding period the potential utilistion has been from 226 Mha period to 8100 Mha

411 Central Assistance under AIBP

During IX Plan period irrigation potential of 165 Mha was created through AIBP at an average rate of 033 Mha per annum During the first three years of X plan the potential creation in major and medium irrigation sector through AIBP is around 14 Mha 047 Mha per annum In spite of rationalizing completion schedule of projects under AIBP several projects are lying behind schedule It is desirable to work out realistic time frame and cost to completion for projects to be considered under AIBP It is pertinent to mention that the spirit of the programme ie completion of last mile projects should not get diluted in the enthusiasm of inclusion of large number of projects under this programme As reported by the state governments but of total 200 projects presently under AIBP 95 projects would be completed by the end of X plan

23

The Central Assistance under AIBP as loan and grant provided up to March 2006 is Rs 1943790 crore out of which Rs 1883010 crore has been provided in Major and Medium irrigation sector

Impact ofAIBP

Plan Potential Created (Mha) Contribution of AIBP(Mha) IX 410 165 ( 402) X 530 300 ( 566)

Keeping an eye over the future requirement the Working Group on Water Resources for the XI Five Year Plan has brought out several suggestions in order to expedite completion of the projects which is very very essential Some other issues relating irrigation sector were also addressed in addition to this The strategies adopted for XI Plan proposal are swnmarized as below

1 Ongoing projects which have already achieved 90 or more of the ultimate potential should be considered as completed~ Critically review all such projects which are having only marginal benefit left or are near impossible to complete because of various problems and declare them completed or curtailed or deleted The balance cost of the remaining projects should be updated realistically for consideration under XI plan

2 Inter-Se priority should be decided considering various aspects such as externally aided proj ects interstate proj ects proj ects benefiting drought prone or tribal areas etc as per the guidelines prepared by National Commission for integrated Water Resources Development Plan

3 High priority should be accorded to the Pre-seventh and Seventh Plan Projects for funding under AIBP with emphasis to complete these projects during XI Plan List of such projects is appended as Annex31 Fund allocation under AIBP should be enhanced for this purpose ifnecessary

4 Foremost priority should be given for completion of ongoing projects and new projects should be taken up very selectively keeping in view the necessity for removal of regional imbalances and development of drought prone and tribal areas

5 Since the fund requirement for mediumminor irrigation projects are less adequate fund may be made available for completion of these projects without jeopardizing programme for important major projects ERM Projects should be given due priority where the eroded potential can be restored with ~oderate expenditure

24

6 A separate budget head upto 15 of Plan fund may be provided as Irrigation Maintenance Fund (IMF) and full amount of irrigation revenue as collectged should be credited to IMF

7 In addition to liabilities of completed projects and provision for ongoing and new projects the State plan proposals should incorporate provisions for special repairs of existing irrigation systems dam safety measures improved water management and water development aspect encompassing survey and investigation research and development training and National Hydrology Project

8 Substantial higher outlay should be provided in Central Plan to bring out effective role in plan activities of the Central Institutions by way of suitably strengthening them and provide adequate funds for taking new initiatives under Central Plan

9 The existing regionalstate level institutions such as W ALMIs should be strengthened and brought into mainstream activities for irrigation management improvement

10 Dam safety measures should be taken up all over country which is very essential in the context of disaster Prevention and Management

11 The performance evaluation of completed projects needs to be continued for benchmarking and improvement in irrigation efficiency

In addition to above recommendations on Minor Irrigation Sector are gIven as follows

1 Renovation Restoration of old tanks as well as old diversion channels in hilly regions along with improving efficiency of the projects Besides surface lift schemes may also be given due consideration particularly in hilly regions for irrigating high terraces

2 Expansion of irrigation facilities through a time bound programme for exploiting the huge ground water potential in the Eastern Region

3 Promotion of Micro Irrigation system in Water deficit areas 4 Promotion of Ground Water Development in areas haaving untapped unutilized

potential 5 National rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) may be linked with minor

irrigation Ground Water Development 6 A comprehensive act for regulation and development of ground water on

sustainable basis both in public and private sector

42 Command Area Development

In respect of command area development works for performance improvement-of the projects the working group has recommended the following recommendations for consideration

25

(a) Central funding for CAD works may be enhanced from present level of 5050 to 7525 for all the States while for states of North eastern Region and Hilly Special Category States the funding may be 90 from Government of India For software activities like trainings adaptive trials demonstrations monitoring and evaluation etc 100 Central funding may be considered in place of the existing pattern of 75 25 between the Centre and the States Funds can be directly given to W ALMIs and other State Central agencies for carrying out such activities

(b) It is proposed to increase the functional grant from Rs 600 per ha to Rs 1000 per ha which is to be shared in the ratio ofRs 675225100 between the centre State and the farmers while keeping all cost norms unchanged The State Governments may also be allowed to raise fund for its share through institutional funding or public borrowings through bonds on the pattern of Krishna Bhagya Nigam of Karnataka Government

(c) As per the existing system of release of Central Assistance the funds are transferred to the pool of State Finance Department which in tum releases funds to the implementing departments This procedure is not amenable for timely availability of the funds to the CADAs Therefore direct funding to CADAs from the Ministry in a mission mode can be considered to alleviate this problem For instance the Ministry of rural Development has a system of direct release of Central share of funds to the District Rural Development Authorities (DRDA) Jilla Parishads for implementing the schemes of the Central Ministry

(d) To ensure optimum utilization of created irrigation potential the CADWM should be made a part of the new major and medium projects

(e) Formation of WUAs under PTh1 Act is mandatory for implementation of CADWM programme Transition time of 2 years (upto the end of financial year 2008-09) may be allowed to those States which have not enact~d their PIM Acts so far Further relaxation may be only be allowed with the approval of CCEA

(f) WUAs should be involved in planning budgeting implementation and management of irrigation systems to be transferred to them There is a need to enforce a regime whereby farmers pay the water rates to meet the OampM expenditure rates Conditions of reforms should be imposed before handing over the projects to WUAs

(g) Volumetric supply of irrigation water to WUAs should be introduced

(h) Reputed NGOs with requisite skills may be involved for promotion of WUAs Rehabilitation of Canal Systems and Water Management for at least 2-3 years The estimated expenditure of Rs 600-800 per ha on account of this may be provided by the central government in the form of grant

(i) Autonomy of WUAs should be maintained in regard to Water Management However there may be linkages with Panchayati Raj Institutions through cross representation It may be considered to provide support to W ALMIs Agriculture Universities and reputed NGOs for improved water management at micro level It may also be considered to provide incentives for activities ofWUAs

26

(j) The WUAs should include women members from the land owning holding house holds in the Command Area irrespective of their ownership of the land

(k) Periodic evaluation of CAD Projects should be undertaken and suitable corrective measures may be taken if necessary

(1) Components for reclamation of waterlogged areas as well as correction of conveyance deficiencies with enhanced scope may be implemented to cover all the projects in the country details of which could be approved in consultation with expert organizations such as CWC CSSRI CGWB etc

(m) Water Resources Irrigation Departments need to undertake assessment periodically (at least once in 5 years) to determine the training needs at different levels of personnel deployed in water resources development and management Facilities available for capacity building are to be considered instead of establishing new training centres There has to be networking of existing training facilities so that training will be effective and economical It is desirable to have a separate scheme for training and capacity building for State Governments as well as central Government

43 Creation of Storage

Creation of storages is of prime importance in order to avoid severe domestic crisis on water issues As per the estimates given in the working group report there is a need of approximately live storage of around 450 km3

Major amp Medium Projects (Existing) -213 KJ13

Major amp Medium Projects (Under construction) -76 KM3 Minor Storages (Existing amp Under construction) -70 KM3 Total Live Storages in projects existing and under construction - 359 Km3

Likely loss in Live storage due to sedimentation upto 2050 which has to be compensated for -53 Km3 (say) Balance available live storage from the above in 2050 - 306 Km3 say 300 Km3

Therefore further new live storage to be created to have a live storage of 450 Km3 by 2050 is 150Km3

For creation the needed storage in addition to the present way of envisaging attention has to be paid to changing popUlation dynamics changing pattern of human settlements climatic change causing change in pattern of spatial and temporal variation in rainfall deterioration in water quality etc

44 Conjunctive Use of surface and ground water

Conjunctive use of surface and ground water can address the situation in two ways by decreasing the dependence on a single source and the quality of the available waterThis will reduce the chance of desalination as well Working group has suggested for the conjunctive use of middotgood quality water and saline seawater which will be helpful in reducing the cost of water requirement for irrigation

27

45 Efficiency improvement in the distribution system as well as in field

Deficiencies of the irrigated agriculture in India have been a cause of concern and a huge amount of thinking and analysis ha been done to devise ways and means to improve it The Working Group has recommended some important recommendations in this matter

1 Standardized definitions of irrigation efficiencies need to be evolved for use in India after reviewing available material All water resources of a basin form a unified resource and hence the basin efficiency concept which integrates all surface water and ground water uses as well as reuse and recirculation is important The basin efficiency also needs to be estimated along with project related efficiencies

2 Conjunctive use of water to be given higher priority particularly in alluvial areas as a very effective means of improving water use amp basin efficiency and of saving possible water logging and salination For givin an encouragement to conjunctive use irrigation Act may be amended if req ired The policy of favoring selective lining of canals should be continued LD ater allowances and somewhat inadequate conveyance capacities lead to be r efficiencies and less water loggingrelated problems These need to be encouraged

3 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Water Csers Associations (WUAs) should include a standard clause which binds the users to effective conjunctive use of surface and ground water On rising of gro nd water table the MOW should allow the department to cut the surface water supply

4 Where there are minor irrigation tanks minor urface lifts etc middotin the command these should be integrated with major project works and not be treated as separate entity Such tanks should be filled with cfulals water as per requirement Also such works will allow reuse of the seeped wateT

5 Each major irrigation system authorities should annually prepare the water budget accruing for all water stored or diverted all losses all reuse of lost waters estimated evaporation etc

6 Sufficient funds for operation and maintenance work to be provided Creation of Irrigation Maintenance Corporation as provided in the irrigation management policy is considered so that a linkage between revenues from water and OampM funds is established Water rates may accordingly be increased in a phased manner

7 Priority may be assigned toERM schemes for projects where water distribution systems are to be handed over to WUAs Where total ERM scheme is not contemplated one time maintenance deferred maintenance of a project may be allowed as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance of a project may be allowed

28

as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance budget to be decided in consultation with the farmers and walk through survey to assess what is appropriate and achievable within the available fund

8 All the schemes more than 25 years old should be studied in details to bring out the status of schemes in respect of structural safety and performance and ERM schemes may be formulated and taken up based on such studies

9 Drip sprinklers are mostly for horticulture vegetable crops (and surgarcane) in the present major and medium surface irrigation system These may be encouraged for other crops also Any compulsion for a particular cropping pattern needs to be removed whenever WUAs are formed amp volumetric water rates come into practice Use of sprinkler or drips or rotational surface supplies requires additional on farm storage (either as dug out ponds or elevatged storage with pump) This becomes essential since supply rotates are 10 daily or fortnightly whereas drips amp sprinkler require daily or 1 in 2 days operation Such storage creation needs to be within the ambit of subsidies for drips and sprinklers

10 As automation is a costly affair it is to be adopted for pilot schemes and not for larger area However preferably this should be introduced for conjunctive use of ground water and not always for surface water

The group has also recommended the concept of Target Efficiency of the water delivery system timely and equitable distribution ohvater increasing production per unit area and per unit volume of water used and financial sustainability of the water delivery infrastructure

46 Bridging the gap between the Potential created and potential utilised

There may be various reasons for increase in the gap between potential creation and potential utilized Some ofthese are

a likely over estimation and double counting of potential creation and inaccuracies discrepancies in reporting of potential utilized

b Loss of potential due to siltation in reservoirs ponds etc and deterioration of water distribution system

c Time gap between potential creation and command area development

d Assumption of optimistic cropping pattern in economic analysis and deviation in cropping pattern as compared to that envisaged during planning

e Over-drawl of water in head reaches depriving potential utilization by tail enders

f Unused canal flow during night hours

29

l

It is desirable to introduce more reliable and accurate system of assessment for potential created and utilized There should be a coordinating statistical organization in each State for reporting the figures of potential created and utilized The Remote Sensing Technique can also be effectively utilized for counter verification of figures reported The loss in potential due to siltation ageing of various distribution systems etc needs to be periodically assessed and accounted

The productivity of irrigated crop as assumed in economic analysis often seem to be optimistic and are not based on experience of nearby irrigation projects Use of water for irrigation and selection of crops have been left to the discretion of users farmers The adverse consequences of such freedom have been manifested as water logging in some commands Somewhere overexploitation of ground -vater has been leading to progressive fall in ground water level It is therefore necessary that a regulatory mechanism is brought into practice by which undesirable or unsuitable crops are discouraged and tendency to over use of irrigation water is c~ecked Similarly in areas where ground water is being used for irrigation a regulatory mechanism should be in place to deter over exploitation of ground water beyond allOvable limit

Sometimes apprehension of scarcity of water and non availability of water when needed also lead to over withdrawal by head end users Since extra tion of ground water is costly farmers tend to take water more than their requirements when that is available through canals Higher cost of ground water is primarily because of cost of power required for lifting of water In case source of solar power is created for lifting of water the cost of ground water will get substantially reduced This may facilitate and give farmers option to use surface water and ground water thom any extra cost Once this option is available and known to farmers that they are aware that use of more water than the optimal requirement is likely to reduce the yield certainly there would be reductionin

overdraw of water by head enders Thus there is a need to extend u~er friendly system and increase awareness and cooperation among farmers through Participatory Irrigation Management Water Users Associatiortsneed to be empowered to look into these aspects Further the piped distribution system and micro irrigation should be adopted as far as possible

In India night imgation is not practiced in general As a result waters flowing in canals during night hours either pass unutilized or wasted on account of uncontrolled flooding It is desirable that the night irrigation is introduced in policy and practice

47 Flood Management

In regard to flood management the strategies recommended are given here under

(a) Undertake construction of dams and reservoir schemes with adequate flood cushion for long term solution of flood problems Efforts should also be made for utilizing the existing reservoirs in the country for flood moderation to the extent

30

possible Even in Reservoirs constructed for power other purposes the rule curves may be framed in such way that effective flood moderation is achieved

(b) Flood Forecasting and flood warning network of ewe be extended and integrated with similar networks of the state governments so as to get real time information at a central point say in central flood control room under FMO ewe This activity should be extended to cover rivers originating from or flowing to the neighbouring countries

( c) To take up development of digital elevation model of flood prone areas for taking up schemes for inundation forecast preparation of flood risk maps planning of flood management schemes etc

(d) Identification of appropriate location for breaching spiling sections in the flood embankment for the controlled flooding of the protected areas for restoring fertility recharge of soil moisture and ground water

( e) Integrating flood management schemes with other infrastructural development programmes in the sectors of roads railways inland waterways and canal command area development works as well as recently declared Rural Employment Guarantee Programme

(f) Watershed management in the hilly catchmentgs of the rivers ongmating in Nepal Bhutan and hilly areas of India should be selectively chosen and funded fully Implementation should be done through a joint mechanism Ministry of Agriculture who is the nodal Ministry for the watershed management works should work out a detailed program in consultation with the Ministry of Water Resources

(g) To give adequate emphasis on the operation and maintenance (OampM) of the flood protection measures already created a percentage of outlay of the flood sector should be earmarked for this purpose

(h) Raising and strengthening of the existing embankments if required after detailed studies of hydrological morphological topographical and developmental aspects to stabilize the benefits of these measures

(i) Natural swamps and lakes to be developed into detention basins and capacity of existing depressions be improved for absorbing flood waters Special drives for development of Tal and Diara areas

G) Erosion of land either by sea or rivers to be minimized through suitable cost effective measures

(k) Flood proofing program such as raised platform and quick drainage facilities to be taken up in a)l the flood prone states

31

(1) Drainage improvement in critical areas in the country to be given priority

(m) Dredging at selective locations ie outfalls etc in the rivers and the tributaries as a way to reduce flood levels in low-lying areas and help in quick drainage

(n) Encourage RampD activities for improved flood management

(0) To encourage peoples participation

(p) To expedite projects peaks

on interlinking of rivers for helping in attenuating flood

(q) Steps to ensure implementation of action plan prepared by NDMA for flood management should be taken

(r) On-going schemes of earlier plans be completed expeditiously All the on going schemes spilling over to the XI Plan in which at least 50 execution has taken place should get first priority on fund allocation during the XI Plan

(s) The cost for flood component in a multi-purpose water resources development projects as a long-term solution to flood problem should be funded by Government of India

(t) Maintenance of existing flood management works to optimize its benefits

32

48 Achievement in irrigation during the two years of the Bharat Nirman Plan

The statewise achievement in two years ending on September 2006 is given below It shows that 2183776 thousand hectare has been added to the irrigation potential A daunting task still left to be achieved in coming two years

thF19ures are III ousand h ec ares t

I

i rOo

rarget bull Major amp Aebievements upSI No

States UrsName MinorMedium Total to September

Irrigation Irrigation 2006 r i

1 Andhra Pradesh 44127 112523 156649 302065

2 Arunachal Pradesh 00 2239 2239 4 777 3 Assam 303 4275 7306 3314

4 Bihar 41399 12858 169979 279451 5 Chhattisgarh 4435 14668 19103 65661

6 Goa 2442 26 2702 1224 7 Gujarat 94573 00 945 73 255224

8 Haryana 3373 241 5783 33301 9 Himachal Pradesh 3091 4691 7788 8842

10 lharkhand 8122 25314 33436 15 701 11 Jammu amp Kashmir 1801 9254 11055 14847

12 Karnataka 26282 124 38682 11131 13 Kerala 1609 2168 3777 15856

14 Madhya Pradesh 61172 162 77372 8138 15 Maharashtra 465 31 35651 82181 9313

16 Manipur 5195 155 6745 0 17 Meghalaya 00 1493 1493 2073

18 Mizoram 00 1096 1096 0628 19 Nagaland 00 1612 1612 259

20 Orissa 19899 13295 33194 3266 21 Punjab 4034 2056 609 68755

22 Rajasthan 37974 401 41984 26459 23 Sikkim 00 703 703 08

24 Tamil Nadu 00 2355 23 55 16461 25 Tripura 2689 5429 8118 6327 26 Uttar Pradesh 82516 15208 977 24 464 372 27 Uttranchal 00 3829 3829 34 967

28 West Bengal 13567 56384 69951 346

29 Andman amp Nicobar Island 00 033 033 0

30 Pondicherry 00 275 275 0 ~-

Total 2183766507867 479958 987826

I

L 33

------------------~------

The achievements are up to March 2006 only The progressachievement of 2006-07 was under compilationscrutiny in ewe at the time of preparation of this document

The figures for states ofKerala and Rajasthan pertain to the achievement of whole year 2006-07 and for the State of Uttar Pradesh the achievement is up to December2006

49 Conclusions

Water sector development encompasses multidisciplinary considerations There is no scope of overlooking any sector while giving priority to any sector or sectors The integrated planning is the only possible way to tackle the water resources development The participatory approach is the key for its sustainability Bharat middot Nirman Plan of Government of India by setting up goals for the period of four years is a boost to the already existing schemes in different ministries Irrigation and public water supply is the basic components of development have been rightly considered in the Bharat Nirman Plan The ambitious project has already traveled through a span of two years and has achieved some part of the goals The balance part has to be done with equal fervor The recent modification in AlBP norms is the evidence of the governmental zeal in achieving the goals For the continuance of the food sufficiency the irrigation development is the feasible quick solution The component of Irrigation in Bharat Nirman is thus a huge help for the required development in the water sector

34

Page 3: ROLE OF WRD&M IN BHARAT NIRMAN DURING WRD 2007

CHAPTER I

WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT PRESENT AND FUTURE SCENARIO

10 Introduction

India though have achieved remarkable progress in the area of water resources development since independence is nevertheless experiencing range of issues in the water sector primarily due to meteorological reasons such as severe climatic variations as well as factors like rapid growth of population urbanization amp industrialization The demographic and economic growth of the country is further slated to carryon its momentuin for at least half a century more The water sector in India which comfnands merely 4 of the global freshwater resources and supports 16 of the worlds popUlation is hard-pressed to maintain the delicate balance between the demand and supply due to shrinking per capita availability and difficulties faced in development of remammg resources

The cabinet has declared the year 2007 as Water Year with the focus on developing consensus on appropriate measures including legislation on better management of the water sector timely completion of irrigation projects maintenance of existing projects to ensure water availability to farmers awareness programmes for the masses organization of conferences workshops on important development and management issues Water Resources day is being organized since 1987-88 and World Water Day since 1994 to deliberate and formulate strategy on some of the important aspects of water resources development and management and the saine theme is propagated throughout the country during the year

Water being the most vital input for middot supporting life and sustaining socioshyeconomic development the policies and strategies impinge on society largely Hence for the overall development of the country the proper handling of this finite resource is crucial The success of Government of Indias endeavour a]ong with State Governments and Panchayat Raj Institutions in Bharat Nirman Plan is rooted on efficient water resources development and management

11 National Water Policy

The National Water Policy was adopted in September 1987 However since a number of issues and challenges emerged in the development and management of the water resources the National Water Policy (1987) was reviewed and the updated National Water Policy (2002) was adopted by the National Water Resources Council in its 5th meeting held on 1 st April 2002 Recognising water as a precious national asset the National Water Policy (2002) embodies the Nations resolve that planning development and management of ~ater resources would be governed by National Perspectives The policy recognizes the drainage basin as the basic unit of planning development and

management of water resources and calls for appropriate measures to optimise utilisation of this resource

The updated National WaterPolicy lays emphasis on integrated water resources development and management for optimal and sustainable utilisation of the available surface and groundwater The role of creation of well-developed information system

_ water conservation demand management performance improvement participatory approach to water resources management promotion of non-conventional methods for water utilisation etc have been duly emphasized in the National Water Policy 2002 It integrates quantity and quality aspects as well as environmental considerations for water

- through adequate institutional arrangements Besides ecological needs have also been assigned due priority in the water allocation The involvements of beneficiaries and stakeholders in the project planning and participatory approach in water resources management have been equally stressed in the policy Significant emphasis has also been laid on water quality aspects which include maintaining minimum flow in the streams and treatment middot of effluents to acceptable standards Issues like resettlement amp

-rehabilitation have also been emphasized in the revised policy

12 -Water Resources Availability 121 Average Water Resources Potential

Proper assessment of the availability of water from surface and sub-surface sources is the cornerstone _ for proper planning development and management As already elaborated above the precipitation in the form of rain and snowfall is a crucial component of the hydrological cycle that makes fresh water available on a renewable basis The geographical area India is 329 million hectares (Mba) The mean annual shyrainfall taking the country as a whole is 1170 mm This gives an annual precipitation of about 4000 Km3

A significant part of this p~ecipitation seeps into the ground and the balance flows through streams and rivers and collects in water bodies adding to the surface flow A part of the water that seeps into the ground remains as soil moisture in

-the upper layers and the rest adds to the ground water resources Subsequently a major part of the water from surface flows soil m~istureand ground water sources when put to -various uses returns to the atmosphere through evapo-transpiration and evaporation Part of the water from -surface flows may enter ground wltlter and add to ground water resources and part of the ground water again returns to streams and rivers Thus the surface and the ground water sources are inter-linked continuously inter-active and therefore very much part of a single entity It is therefore extremely difficult if not impossible to quantify them separately over a period of time in given locations

As per the Reassessment of Water Resources Potential of India by Central Water Commission in 1993 the average annual water resources potential ofthe country is 1869

- Billion Cubic Metre (BCM) - shy

The National Commission for Water Resources Development (NCIWRD) while assessing the potential agreed with the estimates of the Reassessment study carried out

2

by ewc (1993) excepting the cases of Brahmaputra and Krishna basins Taking into account of the above two basin variations the estimation of NCIWRD yielded that the average annual water resources potential of the country is 1953 BCM

The Standing Sub-Committee for Assessment of Availability and Requirement of Water for Diverse Uses in the Country constituted by the MoWR in its Report (August

2000) observed that the latest assessment made by CWC in the year 1993 that is 1869 BCM are considered as reliable

122 Ground Water Resources

Groundwater in India is the primary source of water supply for domestic and many industrial usesmiddot More importantly it is the single largest and most productive source of irrigation water At present 85 of the water supplies for domestic use in rural areas 50 of water for urban and industrial uses and 55 of the irrigation water requirements are being met from groundwater

The arumal replenishable groundwater resources has been estimated to be at 433 BCM This is the sum total of the potential due to natural recharge from rainfall and the potential due to recharge augmentation from canal irrigation system

123 Utilisable Water Resources

Within the limitations of physiographic conditions and socio-political environment legal and constitutional constraints and the technology of development available at a given point of time utilizable quantity of water from the surface has been assessed from time to time It has been estimated that out of the average annual water resource potential of 1869 BCM the average annual utilisable water resource (surface and ground) is 1123 BCM of which about 690 BCM is from surface water and 433 BCM is from ground water

i

13middot Present scenario of water resources development

During the plan-period India witnessed considerable developmental activities that covered an sectors like irrigation drinking water supply hydropower generation etc The key aspects of the water resources scenario in India are discussed below

131 Irrigation sector

The cultivable area of the country is estimated to be about 186 Mha out of which about 142 Mha is under cultivation The ultimate irrigation potential of the country through major medium and minor irrigation projects has been assessed as 140 million middot hectare middot (Mha) by conventional storage and diversion works The ultimate irrigation potential of the country is 140 Mha of which 5850 Mha is major and medium irrigation projects 1740 mha is minor surface water schemes and 6410 Mha is ground water schemes The imgation potential created of the country which was only 226 Mha during

3

the time of independence has gone upto 10277 Mha by March 2006 The irrigation potential utilised presently stands at 8556 Mha The growth in irrigation sector has contributed significantly to the rise in food production from 51 Million Tonnes at the time of independence to the present level of 21 0 Million Tonnes This has resulted in the country becoming self sufficient in food production

As much as 52 percent rise in food grain production can be attributed to increase in irrigated area Productivity of irrigated lands in India ranges from around 15 tonnes per ha to 40 tonnes per ha for cereal crops compared to achievable target of about 5 to 6 tonnes per ha Though productivity in irrigated areas has increased such increases are still way below the world standards and of developing countries like China and Brazil With rise in population and industrialization putting pressure on land it is expected that cultivated area will stabilize at 140-145 Mha As irrigated agriculture is more productive than rainfed agriculture to meet the countries future needs of food and fibre it is imperative to bring more area under irrigation

At present irrigation sector consumes as much as 83 of available water resources With the demand from other sectors rising at a faster pace the availability of water for irrigation would reduce It is therefore necessary to improve the performance of existing system Higher degree of efficiencies in the management of water use in irrigation sector is required to be achieved to sustain production of crops Irrigation efficiency should be improved from the present average of about 35-40 per cent to the maximum achievable ie around 60 per cent Wherever water is scares if economically advantageous deficit irrigation may be practiced Water intensive crops such as sugarcane and paddy should be discouraged in the areas of water scarcity

132 Creation of storages

Severe spatial and temporal vanatlOns in rainfall promptedthat creation of storages be given due priority within the overall plan for water resources development The successive Five-year Plans initiated after independence therefore laid significant

emphasis on creation of storages that resulted in many remarkable achievements Many major medium and minor water resources projects have been constructed during these last six decades and India today with about 4050 completed large dams and 475 are under various stages of construction ranks third in the world after China and USA in terms of number of large dams All these projects have resulted in increasing the live storage capacity from 156 BCM at the time of independence to 282 BCM including 57 BCM from minor irrigation schemes of surface water now Storages held in these dams are insurance against the vagaries of nature Proj ects under construction are likely to add another 64 BCM while 108 BCM is to be contributed by the projects under contemplation

Even after such relentless persuasion to create more storages till date the present level of development on the country in terms of creation oflive storages is only just more than 11 of the average annual water resources potential of the country The level of creation of storages in India is decisively lower compared to some other nations in the

4

world The per capita storage in the country which is about 275 m3 is way below the storage achieved in many of the countries such as Russia (6103 m Australia (4733 m Brazil (3145 m United States (1964 m Turkey (1739 m Spain (1410 m Mexico middot

3(1245 m China (1111 m ) and South Africa (753 m3) and there is an urgent need to

vigorously pursue the case for creating storages wherever feasible given its projected rise in population urbanization amp industrialization

133 Urban amp Rural Water Supply

The National Water Policy 2002 gives over riding priority to drinking water over other uses The objective of any water supply scheme is to supply safe and clean water in adequate quantity and as economically as possible Lot of effluent or wastewater is generated in domestic sector which flows back untreated to the already shrinking water bodies Groundmiddotwater is also getting contaminated In development of water resources for domestic use the middot most important and challenging issue is that of sustainability of resource and quality With population growth and rise in urbanization the demand for treated water for domestic use is increasing rapidly

About 92 of urban population has been covered by safe drinking water Drinking water requirement of most of mega cities are met from reservoir of irrigation or multi-purpose schemes existing nearby and even by long distance transfer The rural habitations have been provided access to the safe drinking water from hand pumps and stand posts and about as well as mini and regional piped water supply schemes More than 85 percent of rural water supply is ground water based and consumes about 5 percent of the total annual replenishable ground water

134 Development in Power sector

Another important developing sector of economy using substantial quantity of water is power sector and therefore water resources is an integral component for the development of power sector in India Coil oil gas and hydroelectric potential constitute the conventional sources for electricity in the country Of these coal-based thermal power plants and in some regions hydropower have been the mainstay of electricity generation Presently the total installed capacity of the country is 128435 MW of which the thermal power accounts for 84234 MW which is 656 of the total installed capacity

Hydropower is a renewable economic non- polluting and environmentally benign source of energy Hydropower stations have the inherent ability for instantaneous starting stopping load variations etc and help in improving reliability of the power system Furthermore there is no fuel cost during the life of the station as hydropower generation is a non-consumptive use of water The benefits of hydropower as a clean environment friendly and economically attractive source of energy have now been sufficiently recognized The need for its accelerated development also comes from its capability of erihanced system reliability and economics of utilization of resources The

5

National Water Policy 2002 has accorded high priority to hydropower development only next to drinking water and irrigation water use in context to water allocation priorities

The total installed capacity in hydropower is 34110 MW ie 266 of the total installed capacity Only around 23 of the total hydropower potential (the total hydroelectric potential in the country is assessed as 84044 MW at 60 load factor which is equivalent to an installed capacity of 150000 MW) has been harnessed so far The combined installed capacity for nuclear and renewable sources is 10091 MW The share of hydropower in the overall energy mix needs to be boosted to achieve an ideal hydroelectric-thermal mix of 40 60

135 Flood Protection

Flood is one of the natural calamities that India faces almost every year in varying degree or magnitUde The frequent occurrence of flood can be attributed to various factors including wide variation in rainfall over time and space and inadequate carrying capacity of rivers The problems get accumulated due to silting bank erosion landslide poor natural drainage glacial lake outburst etc Indiscriminate development and encroachment of flood plain areas improper planning amp construction of roads railway lines etc have also been responsible for increase in flood damages Total flood prone area in the country as per the Report of Rashtriya Barh Aayog (RBA) of 1980 is 40 mha This has now been reassessed to 4536 mha On an average an area of 755 mha is affected by the floods every year and the average annual flood damage is Rs 1805 crore

A multi pronged strategy ranging from modifying the floods by means of structural measures toleaming to live with the floods by means of other non structural measures is well within pragmatic realism in flood management Measures for protection against extreme floods of low frequency are seldom economically feasible The term flood management may rationally be expected to refer to the provision of a reasonable degree of protection against floods by structural non structural measures to mitigate the recurring havoc caused by floods

After the disastrous floods experienced by the country in 1954 a National Programme of Flood management was launched During the five decades since then different methods of flood protection both long term and short term have been adopted in different States depending upon the nature of problem and local conditions The available information compiled from details furnished by the States relating to length of embankment and drainage channels indicates that 33929 km of embanlanents and 38810 km of drainage channels have been constructed In addition 2458 town protection works have been completed and 4716 villages raised above flood levels This have resulted in providing reasonable protection to an area of 1822 mha

Apart from the direct flood control works reservoirs with specific flood cushion have been constructed on the Damodar river to provide protection to areas in the downstream In addition storages constructed across Mahanadi (at Hirakud) Sutlej (at Bhakra) Chambal (at Gandhi sagar) Brahmani (at Rengali) and Tapi (at Ukai) as also a

6

number of other major and medium reservOIrs have helped greatly III reducing the intensity of flood and flood damages

In addition to the structural flood protection measures non-structural measures like flood forecasting and warning of incoming floods have also played significant role in reducing the loss of life and movable property apart from alerting the civil and engineering authorities in-charge of various works to take appropriate advance action to fight the onslaught of floods The Central Water Commission manages a major network of 173 such flood forecasting stations on inter-state rivers in 18 States The techniques of observation of hydrological and hydro-meterological data and their transmission to the forecasting station have been constantly under review for making necessary improvements to make the forecasts more accurate and also to give higher lead time On an average CWC is issuing 5619 flood forecasts with 9655 accuracy

136 Industrial Water Use

While at present the estimated water requirement for industrial water use is only around 8-12 BCM with urbanization and industrialization the water demand for industrial purposes is also slated to increase significantly Necessary measures to reduce the demand should be taken by adopting processes with minimum use of water recycle and re-use etc Tariff rates should be prescribed so that industries feel compelled to look into technological intervention leading reduced water requirement per unit production

137 Other Uses like Navigation Ecology Recreational activities etc

Navigable waterways in India comprising of river systems canals hackwaters creeks and tidal inlet extend to about 14500 kms Most waterways however suffer from navigational inadequacies such as shallow waters narrow width and bank erosion Moreover vertical and horizontal clearances at overhead structures are not adequate for navigation throughout the year Consequently at present about 5200 kms of major rivers and 485 kms of canals are considered suitable for mechanized crafts

In the earlier period with less of population and consequently less of related activities nature could cope with whatever damage was inflicted on the resources quickly restoring the balance But in recent times with the growth of population and its consequent activities the restorative capacity of nature and the environment is being continuously eroded affecting the quality of life on the planet Earth Ecology is now concerned not only with living elements but also with their interrelationships with society and culture Prevention of environmental degradation and degradation of the natural resources base is essential for sustainable development

The negative environmental consequences are caused due to deforestation soil erosion unplanned ildustrialization indiscriminate use of fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture drought floods water logging water pollution population growth large scale

7 -

poverty etc Glohal climatic change and atmospheric pollution could also have an impact on fresh water resources and their availability Protection enhancement and restoration of water quality and abatement of water pollution are necessary for providing not only safe drinking water and maintaining and improving human health but are also important for sustaining land quality agriculture and industrial production and for supporting the socio-economic growth as such

The need for water demand for ecological purposes including conserving the environment maintaining lean period flows aquatic life etc therefore needs to be worked out on scientific basis Allocation for this purpose should be made while considering the construction of new reservoirsstorages

Recreational facilities also sometimes contribute to a large extentmiddot in the development of economy at the micro level (of a particular localized area) through promotion of tourism The reservoir sites owing to their topographical as well as environmental advantage often become the hub of such recreational activities Besides a host of direct benefits water therefore plays a significant role in contributing indirectly to the growth of the nation through promotion of tourism employment generation etc

14 Future projected scenario 141 Assessment by Standing Sub-Committee

A Standing Sub-Committee for assessment of availability and requirement of water for diverse uses in the country constituted by the Ministry of Water Resources in its report (August 2000) assessed the requirements of water for various sectors as given in the Table-1 below

Table-I Water Requirement for Various Sector~

Sector Water Demand in Billion Cubic meter (BCM) 2000 2010 2025 2050

Irrigation 541 688 910 1072 Drinking Water 42 56 73 102 Industry 8 12 23 63 Energy 2 5 15 130 Others 41 52 72 80 Total 634 813 1093 1447

On the basis of the above assessment the Sub-Committee observed that against the total utilizable water resources of 1122 BCM the projected demand during the year 2025 and 2050 comes to around 1093 and 1447 respectively The scenario indicates water deficiency in the overall national perspective The deficiency may have to be managed by using the return flows from various uses which may be around 80 from domestic uses

8

~------------------------------------------------------ -----

ie 58 and 81 BCM in the year 2025 and 2050 respectively The return flow from irrigation sector may be around 10 ie 91 and 107 BCM in the year 2025 and 2050 respectively The return flow from industry sector is estimated to be 65 Besides water has to be made available through inter-basin transfer of river waters by 2050 The demand of industry and energy sector may be managed by reuse and recycling of return flows and reuse of water from treated wastewater Proper treatment of effluent to desired standards will have to be ensured to use the return flow in irrigation horticulture etc The water requirements of water deficit areas will be met by inter basin transfer of water from surplus basins after developing the untapped water resources

142 National Commission on Integrated Water Resources Development (NCIWRD)

The National Commission on Integrated Water Resources Development (NCIWRD) in its report (1999) has also assessed the water requirement for various purposes for different years and the demand of water is given in the Table-2 below

It would be observed that the assessment made by the National Commission for irrigation is relatively on lower side as compared to that estimated by the Standing SubshyCommittee In respect of other uses the estimate made by the National Commission is generally on a higher side The main reason for such variation in the estimate is the assumption made by the National Commission in respect of the overall improvement of irrigation efficiency The National Commission has assumed that the irrigation efficiency will gradually increase to 60 from the present level of 35 to 40 Considerable effort is required to achieve the objective middot of efficiency in water resource system and particularly in the irrigation system which is the major water consumptive sector

Table-2 Water Demand for Diverse Uses

Sl No

Total Water Use (in BCM) Uses Year

1997-98 Year 2010 Year 2025 Year 2050

Low High Low High Low High 1 Irrigation 524 543 557 561 611 628 807 2 Domestic 30 42 43 55 62 90 111 3 Industries 30 37 middot37 67 67 81 81 4 Power 9 18 19 31 33 63 70 5 Inland Navigation 0 7 7 10 10 15 15 6 Flood Control 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 Environment(1 )

Afforestati on 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

8 Env(2)Ecology 0 5 6 10 10 middot 20 20 9 Evaporation losses 36 42 42 50 50 76 76

Total 629 694 710 784 843 973 1180

9

middotIt is of paramount importance that the aim should be at reducing water requirement to the low demand scenario Taking into account the water availability and the requirement till the year 2050 the National Commission concluded that there is no need to take an alarmist view However three major considerations have to be kept in the forefront while formulating an integrated water policy and plan First the balance between the requirement and availability can be struck only if utmost efficiency is introduced in water use Second average availability at the national level does not imply that all basins are capable of meeting their full requirement from internal resources Third the issue of equity in the access to water between regions and between sections of population assumes greater importance in what is foreseen as a fragile balance between these and related problems of integrated water use planning in the context of supply and requirement of water estimated by the Commission middot

JO

CHAPTER II

ROLE OF WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT IN ASCERTAINING SOCIO-ECONOMIC GROWTH

Right from independence India has been developing atmiddot a very fast pace Consequently it is hardly any surprise that rapid urbanization through infrastructure development has been the key feature of the last few decades At the same time the steep rise in population hasresulted in a phenomenal increase in the demand for food and water supply Till now one of the potent solutions to these multi-faceted challenges has been creation of large storages to wither out the spatial cindtemporal variations The sector wise development which has changed the socio economic status of the country is analysed below

21 Agricultural Production

The direct relationship between food production and assured irrigation is so pronounced that it hardly requires any further explanation During independence the food production of the country was only a meager 50 million tones while the irrigation potential created was 22 m~llion ha By the tum of the century while the irrigation potential created has shot upto 10277 Mha thefood production has crossed 200 million tones If we concentrate over the states which have out performed in the food production like Punjab Haryana Gujarat Uttar Pradesh Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra West Bengal it is apparent that the large and medium water resources storage projects have played the key role Such remarkable achievement have been possible due to the fact that large areas of these States are being covered under assured irrigation

22 Domestic and Industrial Water Supply

The National Water Policy adopted by the Government of India in 2002 accords highest priority to drinking water supply The Vision document for Integrated Water Resources Development formulated by th~ Ministry of Water Resources in 2002 states that 92 of the urban popUlation and 97 of the rural population are having access to safe drinking water This achievement has been largely possible due to the significant contributions made by the large projects a few examples ofwhich are listed below

Delhi the capital of India which is situated on the banks of the Yamuna gets only a fraction of its needs from river Yamuna though situated on its banks The balance needs are met with releases from Bhakra and Ramganga pams The population of the city has grown from 14 million in 1951 to close to 14 million by 2001 Though in 1950s the entire water need of the city was possible to be met with from Jamuna (essentially the flows that were regenerated) this was soon not possible Ramganga and Bhakra waters had to be supplemented for meeting the

11

requirements Infact the releases from the Tehri Dam for the Sonia Vihar Water Treatment plant seems to be the only silver lining for the city plagued by water crisis particularly during the summer months Besides this allocation for drinking water supply t6 Delhi has also been provided in upcoming Renuka and Kishau dam Projects in Yamuna Basin for meeting the future needs

bull The entire water supply of Mumbai is dependant Vaitrana Upper Vaitama Tansa and Bhatsa

on a senes of dams like

bull The acute scarcity of water supply in Chennai is well known The states of Andhra Pradesh Maharashtra and Kamataka agreed to provide a part of their allocated share of Krishna water (to the extent of 15 TMC) for drinking water requirements of Chennai city

bull Water supply of Pune town in Maharashtra is Sagar) Khadakwasla dam and Temghar dam

met with from Panchet(Tangi

bull Hyderabad is mainly dependent on Himayatsagar Manjra and Singur Dams

its water supply from Osmansagar

bull The water supply for Bangalore city heavily depends on Cauvery Stage-I Stage-II and Stage-III projects

bull A sizeable number of cities having population more than one million as per the 2001 census are having their water demand met from several projects The prominent cities among them being Bhopal Indore Jabalpur Nagpur Nashik and Surat

In addition to above a major dam at Bisalpur had been constructed in Chambal Basin to provide water supply to Ajmer City besides towns of Beawar and Tonk in Rajasthan Warrangal town in Andhra Pradesh depends for water supply on Sriramsagar Dam Shillong water supply is to be ensured with a dam under construction in the North-East

The position of drinking water supply in various towns and villages has improved after the coming up of Bhakra and Beas Proj ects Cities of Delhi Chandigarh and town of Patiala and Ropar apart from numerous towns and villages in the states of Haryana and Rajasthan are getting their supply of drinking water from the canals fed by these projects

Drinking water supply for most of the cities and towns in the country are dependant on storages and diversions for the purpose proving the important fact that stored water distributed temporally as well as spatially serves the basic needs in a sustained manner for a sizeable population

12

Industrial water requirement though considerably low in comparison to agriculture and domestic water demand has its own share of importance Most of the industries require assured water supply for their effective performance It is therefore quite natural that the pr~sence of a large project capable of delivering assured water supply invariably boosts up the industrial development of the area Numerous examples may be cited to back the above contention however the more important ones are given below

For catering the needs of Bokaro Steel Plant a dam at Tenughat in the Damodar River Basin had to be constructed

bull Similarly a cluster of thermal and super-thermal stations in uP is entirely dependent on the water stored at Rihand Dam on a tributary of the Sone River in uP

bull For the Vishkhapatnam Steel Plant the water IS to be supplied from Yeleru Reservoir

bull As abundant and assured cooling water is available from Ukai reservoir a large thermal power station having installed capacity of 850 MW is also set up and commissioned at Ukai since 1975 Other huge industries like Essar Gujarat Reliance Petrochemicals KRlBHCO ONGC NTPC etc are direct beneficiaries from Ukai-Kakrapar project as regards industrial water supply

bull For the requirements of Udaipur and Chittor plants of Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL) Gosunda Dam was necessary This meets not only the needs of HZL but also the water-supply needs of Udaipur

Major industries getting water from Bhakra Canals are National Fertilizers Ltd Nangal Ropar Thermal Plant and C-Thermal Delhi besides numerous other small industrial units

23 Hydropower generation

The hydropower generated from the large projects like Bhakra-Nangal Hirakud Iddukki Ukai Srisailam Gandhisagar Rana Pratapsagar Jawaharsagar projects have not only provided middotcheap energy but also has immensely helped in meeting the peaking demands Thus there is not even an iota of doubt about the role played by these projects in improving the economy of their command area Infact hydropower being durable non-polluting and extremely cheap its viability as an effective mode of producing energy increases even further

It is often been contended by the social activists that the improvement in irrigation facilities and the resultant boom in food production is largely due to the minor irrigation and ground water irrigation schemes There is no point in denying the fact that the harnessing of minor irrigation as well as ground water irrigation facilities is equally

13

important in promoting food production but more often that not we ignore the power requirement for operating the pumps for lifting ground water In fact in the recent times one of the most debated issues have been providing free power to the farmers proving the importance of availability of cheap power to the agricultural community

24 Flood Control and Drought Mitigation

It wont be an overstatement to acknowledge the benefit offered by those large projects by providing the required cushion against the raging floods An estimation of the past 100 years will invariably indicate the astronomical damages that were inflicted on our country by the floods Even in the 21 st cenfliry after so much advancement we are often rendered helpless to the fury of floods particularly in the North-East where the protection upto the desired level is yet to be materialized Even then all the projects mentioned above like the Hirakud Bhakra-Nangal Ukai-Kakrapar Nagarjunasagar had given immense relief to the people of their command area by not only restricting the financial losses but at times even saving the loss of lives

The greatest inexplicable paradox of this countrys water resources scenario has been the co-existence of droughts and floods and the beauty of the large projects is that they have the capability to handle both the situations simultaneously and thus ironing out the erratic climatic behavior to a large extent The excess monsoon received in a particular year is being used by these projects to wonderful effect in another year facing paucity of rainfall

14

CHAPTER III

Bharat Nirman Plan (2005-2009)

Government of India in partnership with State Governments and Panchayat Raj Institutions has launched Bharat Nirman programme as a time-bound business plan for action in rural infrastructure for the span of four years (2005-2009) Under Bharat Nirman Plan action is proposed in the areas of irrigation road rural housing rural water supply rural electrification and rural telecommunication connectivity Specific targets are set to be achieved under each of these goals so that there is accountability in the progress of this initiative The goals in different sectors are as under

31 IClectricity

Goal Every village to be provided electricity remaining 125000 villages to be covered by 2009

The Ministry of Power has the responsibility of providing electricity to the remaining 125000 villages through the programme instrument of Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana In addition it will also provide 23 million households with electricity As per the Census of 2001 125000 villages remained uncovered To be able to achieve this objective Rural Electricity Distribution Backbone with at least a 33111 KV sub-station would be set up in each block at least one Distribution TransfOlmer in each habitation of every village or hamlet as Village Electrification Infrastructure Standshyalone grid with generation where grid supply is not feasible These Stand-alone grids would be set up in partnership with the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy also

Rural Electrification Corporation would be the agency for implementation The Mcmagement of Rural Distribution will be fioanchisees that could be Users Associations individual entrepreneurs Cooperatives Non-Governmental Organizations Panchayat Institutions Services of Central Services undertakings like National Them1al Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POClL) National Hydro Electric Power Corporation Limited (NHPC) and Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) will be made available for the execution of rural electrification projects These CPSUs have been allocated districts in each state wherein they will implement the rural electrification network

90 capital subsidy will be provided for overall cost of the projects under the scheme The capital subsidy for eligible projects under the scheme will be through the Rural Electrification Corporation Limited which will be the nodal agency Electrification of unelectrified below-poverty-line households will be financed with 100 capital subsidy at Rs1500 per connection in all rural habitations Others will be paying for the connections at prescribed connection charges and no subsidy will be made availableFor creation of village eIectrification infrastructure first priority will be given to unshy

15

electrified villages Preference for electrification will be given to Dalit Bastis Tribal settlements and habitations of weaker sections

32 Roads

Goal Every habitation over 1000 population andabove (500 in hilly and tribal areas) to be provided an all-weather road remaining 66802 habitations to be covered by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development has the responsibility of ensuring that every habitation over 1000 population and every habitation with more than 500 in hilly and tribal areas is connected with an all-weather road by 2009 This is expected to generate multiplier effects in the rural economy of linking production to markets and services This work which is being undertaken under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana since 2000 has been modified to address the above goals within the stipulated timeshyframeTo achieve the targets of Bharat Nirman 146185 Kms road length is proposed to be constructed by 2009 This will benefit 66802 unconnected eligible habitations in the country To ensure full farm-to-market connectivity it is also proposed to upgrade 194132 kms of the existing Associated Through Routes

A district and rural roads plan has been prepared listing out complete network of all roads in the district that has village roads major district roads state roads and national highways The concept of core network has been operationalised to focus on those set of roads which are considered essential to provid~ connectivity to all habitations of the desired size The Core Network is the basic in$trumentality for prioritization of construction and allocation of funds for maintenance Action has been initiated to develop GIS-based applications to further enhance the utility of the Core Network

The programme is implemented through a framework of consultation with public representatives ranging from the panchayat level up to Parlian1ent A Rural Roads Manual guides the implementation of the programme A separate Book of Specification and a Standard Data Book have been prepared As per this standard bidding documents are to be adopted by the states For MIS there is a computerized Online Management and Monitoring Accounting System

Approximately Rs48000 crores is proposed to be invested to achieve this objective 100 of the funds of this programme is being provided by the Central Government

33 Drinking Water

Goal Every habitation to have a safe source of drinking water 55067 uncovered habitations to be covered by 2009 In addition all habitations which have slipped back from full coverage to partial coverage due to failure of source and habitations which have water quality problems to be addressed

16

The Ministry of Rural Development Department of Drinking Water Supply is responsible for meeting this goal in partnership with State Governments The programme instrument of the Govemment of India is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme under implementation since 1972-73 which is funded on a 50 matching share basis between the Government of India and the State Government Since 1972 over 37 lakh hand pumps and l5 lakh pipe water supply systems have been set up to provide safe water to over 15 lakh habitations in the country at a cost of over Rs 50000 crore The norms which are fixed to achieve the goal are - 40 litres per capita per day (lpcd) of safe drinking water for human beings - 30 Ipcd additional for cattle in the Desert Development Programme Areas - One hand pump or stand post for every 250 persons - The water source should exist within 16 km in the plains and within 100 metres

elevation in the hilly areas

The backlog for coverage is under estimation based on a habitation survey for the categories of uncovered villages slipped- back villages and villages affected with a problem of water quality 55067 villages remain uncovered and are targeted for coverage as first priority The category of slipped-back villages estimated by the Planning Commission at the beginning of the Tenth Plan as 28 lakh habitations These are so on account of a number of factors like - Sources going dry or lowering of the ground water table - Sources becoming quality affected - Systems outliving their lives - Systems working below rated capacity due to poor operation and maintenance - Increase in population resulting in lower per capita availability - Emergence of new habitations According to the data received from State Governments based on a survey undertaken in 2000216968 habitations are affected due to a variety of water quality problems consists of excess fluoride 31306 excess arsenic 5029 excess salinity23495 excess iron118088 excess nitrate 13958 and multiple quality problems 25092

The Govemment of India has decided that under Bharat Nirman names of habitations would have to be provided by State Governments for availing funds from Government of India This would give maximum transparency to the programme State Governments would be required to place the habitations proposed for coverage and covered on this site in course of time

The scheme is funded on a 50 basis by the Gol and expenditure ofRsA050 crores is expected for the current year The actual requirement will be worked out based on the names of habitations supplied by the states and funded

34 Telephone

Goal Every village to be connected by telephone remaining 66822 villagesto be covered by November 2007

17

The Department of Telecom in the Ministry of Communications and Infonnation Technology has the responsibility of providing telephone cOlmectivity to the 66822 villages that remain to be covered

The resources for implementation of universal services obligation are raised through a Universal Service Levy which has presently been fixed at 5 of the adjusted gross revenue of all telecom service providers except the pure value added service providers like internet voice mail e-mail service providers The rules also make a provision for the Central Government to give grants and loans to the Fund The balance to the credit of the Fund does not lapse at the end of the financial year usa Fund assigns the task of providing Village Public Telephones (VPTs) on the basis of bids through open tender and in this case the work has been assigned to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd Out of the 66822 villages identified connectivity in 14183 remote and far-flung villages will be provided through digital satellite phone tenninals From the USOF assistance is provided for both capital expenditure as well as operational expenditure It is estimated that a total sum of Rs451 crore would be required to provide VPTs in these 66822 villages and the entire sum will be met out of USOF and no separate allocation from Government would be required

As an additional incentives telecom service providers are being assisted through the USOF to penetrate into the rural areas for the following activities - Maintenance of existing village public telephones (VPTs) - Provision of an additional mral community phone in villages with a population of more

than two thousand and where no public call office exists - Replacement of village public telephones installed on Multi Access Radio Relay

(MARR) technology - Telephone lines installed in household in specified rural areas

Rural teledensity will be significantly enhanced during the period of Bharat Nirman

The Government is committed to expanding mral connectivity through a slew of measures so that rural users can access information of value and transact business This will include cOlmecting block headquarters with fibre optic network using wireless technology to achieve last mile connectivity and operating information kiosks through a partnership of citizens panchayats civil society organizations the private sector and Government

35 Irrigation

Goal J 0 million hectares (J 00 lakhs) of additional irrigation capacity to be created by 2009

The Ministry of Water Resources in collaboration with State Governments is responsible for creation of additional 10 million hectares of irrigation capacity by the year 2009 through major medium and minor irrigation projects complemented by ground water development

18

The ultimate irrigation potential for the country has been estimated as 140 million hectare (Mba) which include potential through Major and Medium irrigation projects (5846 Mha) surface water based minor irrigation schemes (1754 Mha) and ground water development (6400 Mha) So far the irrigation potential of 10277 Mha has already been created However the created potential has not been fully utilized and the gap between created and utilized potential has been estimated to be of the order of 17 Mha

351 Major and Medium Irrigation (MMI) Proj ects

For the country as a whole 66 of the ultimate irrigationpotential of major and medium projects has been created 477 Major and Medium irrigation projects have spilled over to Xl In addition the States have proposed 223 Major and Medium projects and 86 ERM projects during XI Plan An outlay of Rs 30670 crore has been provided for the new proj ects in the XI Plan

So far 173 major and medium 4169 minor and 21 Extension Renovation and Modernization (ERM) projects have been provided Central Loan Assistance under Accelerated Irrigation benefit Programme (AIBP) The potential creation through projects supported under AIBP has been found to be 035 Mha per year with about 047 Mha per year in the last two years As per existing Plan the projected creation of irrigation potential through AIBP is 050 Mba per year in the remaining period of X Five Year Plan

The average rate of creation of irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects from 1951 to 1997 has been found to be of the order of 051 Mha per year During the year 1997 to 2005 the rate for creati n has been found to be 092 Mah per year The pace of creation of new irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects has increased in the recent past This is due to fruition of projects started much earlier which have been expedited due to increased support through AIBP

The projects for extension renovation and modernization (ERM) of major and medium irrigation schemes are also being implemented with arrangement similar to that for completion of ongoing major and medium schemes The implementation of ERM projects along with Command Area Development and Water Management (CAD and WM) help in sustaining the created facilities and in improving the utilization

35 2 Minor Irrigatioll Schemes

There is considerable variation in creation of ilTIgation potential through minor irrigation (both surface and ground water) schemes from State to State While full potential through minor irrigation has been tapped in some of the States it is relatively very low in others

19

Minor irrigation through surface water covers water sources (tanks and small reservoirs) with a culturable command area (CCA) of less than 2000 ha About 70 of the ultimate potential through surface water based minor irrigation schemes has since been created The Report of the National Commission for Integrated Water Resources Development points out that the carrying capacity of tanks has decreased over time for a variety of reasons and that the restoration and renovation of tanks and other local sources is a priority task

Since 2004-05 a pilot scheme for repair renovation and restoration of water bodies directly linked to agriculture has been taken up by the Government as a state-sector scheme in the 16 districts of the country which is proposed to be expanded

353 Ground Water Development

From the surveys conducted for estimation of availability and status of ground water the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has identified areas that are over-exploited (where exploitation is more than natural recharge of ground water) and areas that are critical or dark (where draft is between 70 to 100 of the natural recharge ofground water) The recent survey indicates that out of 7414 identified units (blockstalukaswatershed) 471 are Overexploited and 318 are Critical or Dark units Thus less than 11 of the total units fall under the category of over-exploited and critical The ultimate irrigation potential to be created is based on the assessed replenishable groundwater after duly accounting for the domestic and industrial uses (about 10) It has been assessed that ground water is still available for utilization in many parts of the country particularly in the eastern parts of the country Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and in specific pockets of Andhra Pradesh Kamataka Maharashtra and Jammu amp Kashmir In Punjab Haryana Rajasthan Gujarat and Tamil Nadu the rechargeable quantum of ground water has been exceeded and mining of static reserves has commenced This reinforces the need to take urgent steps to increase recharge and conservation

354 Targets under Bharat Nirman

Sl No Component Target I Completion of ongoing Major amp medium Irrigation

Projects 42Mha

II Minor irrigation schemes bull Surface water 10 Mha bull Ground Water 18 Mha

10Mha l8Mha

28Mha

III Enhancing utilization of completed projects bull ERM of major amp medium projects bull Repair renovation and restoration of water bodiesERM of minor irrigation schemes

lOMha 10Mha

20Mha

IV Ground water development in area with unutilized ground water potential (for benefit of small and marginal farmers and Tribals amp Dalits) -

lOMba

20

Creation of potential of 1 Mha through ground water development in areas with unutilized ground water potential would primarily benefit small and marginal farmers who are mostly tribals dalits and weaker sections of society The scheme envisages full involvement of Panchayati Raj Institutions in implementation of the schemes

36 Housing

Goal 60 lakh houses to be constructed for the rural poor by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development through the IndiraAwaas Yojana undertakes this activity as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme where the cost is shared between the Centre and States on 7525 basis

The 2001 Census places the rural housing shortage figure ~n India at around 1491akhs Construction of 60 lakh houses over the next four years across the country is envisaged starting from 2005-06 to address a significant portion of this backlog

The criteria adopted for allocation of financial resources between the StatesUTs give greater emphasis to the states with higher incidence or shelterlessness 75 weightage is given to housing shortage and 25 to the poverty ratios prescribed by the Planning Commission for State-level allocations For district-level allocations 75 weightage is given again to housing shortage and 25 to SCST population of the districts concerned Grant assistance is provided to the extent of Rs 25000 per house for normal middot areas and Rs 27500 for hilly areas Funds are released to the DRDAs in two installments

Implementation guidelines of the scheme specifically target the rural below poverty line (BPL) households The respective Gram Sabha does the selection of beneficiaries from the BPL list and no higher approval is required The guidelines also clearlY Specify that the house allotment should be in the name of the female member of the family as a first priority While seeking to empower the rural women the scheme also provides priority to physically and mentally challenged persons exservicemen widows and freed bonded labourers It is stipulated that at least 60 of the beneficiaries should belong to the SCST communities TheIAY scheme also lays emphasis on sanitation and health by incorporating the cost of a sanitary latrine and smokeless chulah into the per unit grant provided to the beneficiary for constructionlupgradation of the dwelling unit

21

CHAPTER IV

WATER SECTOR ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN BHARAT NIRMAN PLAN

Water resource is a vital input in the development endeavours of the country Its finite availability and ever increasing demand in every sector have aggravated the problem manifold in case of India The requirement of faster development in irrigation water supply industrial use flood protection is evident assuming the future scenario Bharat Nirman Plan has rightly stressed on the irrigation and water supply where as the other sectors requirement is to be redressed with equal priority for the sustainable development of India

The water sector is grappled with the following Issues

Irrigation development Command area development amp Catchment area treatment Creation of storages Conunctive use of surface and ground water Efficiency improvement in distribution system Bridging the gap between irrigation potential created and potential utilised Flood Management

41 Irrigation Development

In India with the constitution of the Planning commission in 1950 and the advent of planning process in the first five year plan (1951-56) the country launched a major irrigation programme A number of multipurpose and major projects such as Bhakra Nangal Nagarjunasagar Kosi Chambal Hirakund Kakrapar and Tungbhadra were taken up Simultaneously minor irrigation schemes including ground water were given emphasis under the Agricultural Sector along with financial assistance from the Centre

During the period of Second Five Year Plan (1956-61) Third Five Year Plan (1961-66) and the Three Annual Plans (1966-69) irrigation programmes continued with addition of new projects During the Fourth Five Year Plan (1969-74) the emphasis was shifted to the completion of ongoing projects integrated use of surface and ground water adoption of efficient management techniques and modernization of existing schemes However new projects continued to be added

During the fifth Plan (1974-79) command Area Development Programme Was launched as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with the objective of reducing the lag between potential created and optimum utilization of available land and water Initially 60 major and medium proj ects were covered with a CCA of 15 Mha

22

During the Annual Plans of 1978-80 and the Sixth Five Year Plan ( 1980-85) new starts continued and at the end of Seventh Plan there were as many as 182 major and 312 medium ongoing proj ects requiring an estimated amount of Rs 39044 crore at the 1990shy91 price level for their completion New starts were therefore restricted considerably and greater emphasis was laid on completion of projects which were in the advanced stages of completion (those with an expenditure of 75 per cent or more) This was continued during 1990-91 and 1991-92 Annual Plans VIII Plan (1992-97) and IX Plan (1997 -2000)

For speedy completion of ongoing projects in advance stage of construction Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) was launched in 1996-97 During VIII Plan period irrigation potential of 22 Mha was created under major and medium sector at an annual rate of 044 Mha per annum During IX plan period this increased to 412 Mha out of which 165 Mha (nearly 40) was through AIBP Renovation Modernisation and Rehabilitation of old irrigation schemes gained momentum Users participation in major and medium irrigation schemes received greater attention Repairs and improvemen to the minor irrigation projects as a part of integrated micro-development also received encouragement Similarly sprinkler and drip irrigation programmes and the conjunctive use of surface and ground water gained momentum The project completed along with minor irrigation and ground water development have created an estimated potential of about 10277 Mha by the end of the X Plan

Although plan expenditure on irrigation has increased from Rs44l 8 crore in the 1st Plan to Rs 9574342 crore (outlay) in the X plan the share in total plan expenditure has decreased from 23 in the 1st Plan to 63 in the X Plan

The created irrigation potential increased from 226 Mha (97 Mha through major amp medium and 129 Mha through minor irrigation) in preplan period to 102Mha (4235 Mha through major and medium and 6042 1Tha through minor including ground water schemes) upto the end of X Plan with an annual average growth of 14 Mha In the corresponding period the potential utilistion has been from 226 Mha period to 8100 Mha

411 Central Assistance under AIBP

During IX Plan period irrigation potential of 165 Mha was created through AIBP at an average rate of 033 Mha per annum During the first three years of X plan the potential creation in major and medium irrigation sector through AIBP is around 14 Mha 047 Mha per annum In spite of rationalizing completion schedule of projects under AIBP several projects are lying behind schedule It is desirable to work out realistic time frame and cost to completion for projects to be considered under AIBP It is pertinent to mention that the spirit of the programme ie completion of last mile projects should not get diluted in the enthusiasm of inclusion of large number of projects under this programme As reported by the state governments but of total 200 projects presently under AIBP 95 projects would be completed by the end of X plan

23

The Central Assistance under AIBP as loan and grant provided up to March 2006 is Rs 1943790 crore out of which Rs 1883010 crore has been provided in Major and Medium irrigation sector

Impact ofAIBP

Plan Potential Created (Mha) Contribution of AIBP(Mha) IX 410 165 ( 402) X 530 300 ( 566)

Keeping an eye over the future requirement the Working Group on Water Resources for the XI Five Year Plan has brought out several suggestions in order to expedite completion of the projects which is very very essential Some other issues relating irrigation sector were also addressed in addition to this The strategies adopted for XI Plan proposal are swnmarized as below

1 Ongoing projects which have already achieved 90 or more of the ultimate potential should be considered as completed~ Critically review all such projects which are having only marginal benefit left or are near impossible to complete because of various problems and declare them completed or curtailed or deleted The balance cost of the remaining projects should be updated realistically for consideration under XI plan

2 Inter-Se priority should be decided considering various aspects such as externally aided proj ects interstate proj ects proj ects benefiting drought prone or tribal areas etc as per the guidelines prepared by National Commission for integrated Water Resources Development Plan

3 High priority should be accorded to the Pre-seventh and Seventh Plan Projects for funding under AIBP with emphasis to complete these projects during XI Plan List of such projects is appended as Annex31 Fund allocation under AIBP should be enhanced for this purpose ifnecessary

4 Foremost priority should be given for completion of ongoing projects and new projects should be taken up very selectively keeping in view the necessity for removal of regional imbalances and development of drought prone and tribal areas

5 Since the fund requirement for mediumminor irrigation projects are less adequate fund may be made available for completion of these projects without jeopardizing programme for important major projects ERM Projects should be given due priority where the eroded potential can be restored with ~oderate expenditure

24

6 A separate budget head upto 15 of Plan fund may be provided as Irrigation Maintenance Fund (IMF) and full amount of irrigation revenue as collectged should be credited to IMF

7 In addition to liabilities of completed projects and provision for ongoing and new projects the State plan proposals should incorporate provisions for special repairs of existing irrigation systems dam safety measures improved water management and water development aspect encompassing survey and investigation research and development training and National Hydrology Project

8 Substantial higher outlay should be provided in Central Plan to bring out effective role in plan activities of the Central Institutions by way of suitably strengthening them and provide adequate funds for taking new initiatives under Central Plan

9 The existing regionalstate level institutions such as W ALMIs should be strengthened and brought into mainstream activities for irrigation management improvement

10 Dam safety measures should be taken up all over country which is very essential in the context of disaster Prevention and Management

11 The performance evaluation of completed projects needs to be continued for benchmarking and improvement in irrigation efficiency

In addition to above recommendations on Minor Irrigation Sector are gIven as follows

1 Renovation Restoration of old tanks as well as old diversion channels in hilly regions along with improving efficiency of the projects Besides surface lift schemes may also be given due consideration particularly in hilly regions for irrigating high terraces

2 Expansion of irrigation facilities through a time bound programme for exploiting the huge ground water potential in the Eastern Region

3 Promotion of Micro Irrigation system in Water deficit areas 4 Promotion of Ground Water Development in areas haaving untapped unutilized

potential 5 National rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) may be linked with minor

irrigation Ground Water Development 6 A comprehensive act for regulation and development of ground water on

sustainable basis both in public and private sector

42 Command Area Development

In respect of command area development works for performance improvement-of the projects the working group has recommended the following recommendations for consideration

25

(a) Central funding for CAD works may be enhanced from present level of 5050 to 7525 for all the States while for states of North eastern Region and Hilly Special Category States the funding may be 90 from Government of India For software activities like trainings adaptive trials demonstrations monitoring and evaluation etc 100 Central funding may be considered in place of the existing pattern of 75 25 between the Centre and the States Funds can be directly given to W ALMIs and other State Central agencies for carrying out such activities

(b) It is proposed to increase the functional grant from Rs 600 per ha to Rs 1000 per ha which is to be shared in the ratio ofRs 675225100 between the centre State and the farmers while keeping all cost norms unchanged The State Governments may also be allowed to raise fund for its share through institutional funding or public borrowings through bonds on the pattern of Krishna Bhagya Nigam of Karnataka Government

(c) As per the existing system of release of Central Assistance the funds are transferred to the pool of State Finance Department which in tum releases funds to the implementing departments This procedure is not amenable for timely availability of the funds to the CADAs Therefore direct funding to CADAs from the Ministry in a mission mode can be considered to alleviate this problem For instance the Ministry of rural Development has a system of direct release of Central share of funds to the District Rural Development Authorities (DRDA) Jilla Parishads for implementing the schemes of the Central Ministry

(d) To ensure optimum utilization of created irrigation potential the CADWM should be made a part of the new major and medium projects

(e) Formation of WUAs under PTh1 Act is mandatory for implementation of CADWM programme Transition time of 2 years (upto the end of financial year 2008-09) may be allowed to those States which have not enact~d their PIM Acts so far Further relaxation may be only be allowed with the approval of CCEA

(f) WUAs should be involved in planning budgeting implementation and management of irrigation systems to be transferred to them There is a need to enforce a regime whereby farmers pay the water rates to meet the OampM expenditure rates Conditions of reforms should be imposed before handing over the projects to WUAs

(g) Volumetric supply of irrigation water to WUAs should be introduced

(h) Reputed NGOs with requisite skills may be involved for promotion of WUAs Rehabilitation of Canal Systems and Water Management for at least 2-3 years The estimated expenditure of Rs 600-800 per ha on account of this may be provided by the central government in the form of grant

(i) Autonomy of WUAs should be maintained in regard to Water Management However there may be linkages with Panchayati Raj Institutions through cross representation It may be considered to provide support to W ALMIs Agriculture Universities and reputed NGOs for improved water management at micro level It may also be considered to provide incentives for activities ofWUAs

26

(j) The WUAs should include women members from the land owning holding house holds in the Command Area irrespective of their ownership of the land

(k) Periodic evaluation of CAD Projects should be undertaken and suitable corrective measures may be taken if necessary

(1) Components for reclamation of waterlogged areas as well as correction of conveyance deficiencies with enhanced scope may be implemented to cover all the projects in the country details of which could be approved in consultation with expert organizations such as CWC CSSRI CGWB etc

(m) Water Resources Irrigation Departments need to undertake assessment periodically (at least once in 5 years) to determine the training needs at different levels of personnel deployed in water resources development and management Facilities available for capacity building are to be considered instead of establishing new training centres There has to be networking of existing training facilities so that training will be effective and economical It is desirable to have a separate scheme for training and capacity building for State Governments as well as central Government

43 Creation of Storage

Creation of storages is of prime importance in order to avoid severe domestic crisis on water issues As per the estimates given in the working group report there is a need of approximately live storage of around 450 km3

Major amp Medium Projects (Existing) -213 KJ13

Major amp Medium Projects (Under construction) -76 KM3 Minor Storages (Existing amp Under construction) -70 KM3 Total Live Storages in projects existing and under construction - 359 Km3

Likely loss in Live storage due to sedimentation upto 2050 which has to be compensated for -53 Km3 (say) Balance available live storage from the above in 2050 - 306 Km3 say 300 Km3

Therefore further new live storage to be created to have a live storage of 450 Km3 by 2050 is 150Km3

For creation the needed storage in addition to the present way of envisaging attention has to be paid to changing popUlation dynamics changing pattern of human settlements climatic change causing change in pattern of spatial and temporal variation in rainfall deterioration in water quality etc

44 Conjunctive Use of surface and ground water

Conjunctive use of surface and ground water can address the situation in two ways by decreasing the dependence on a single source and the quality of the available waterThis will reduce the chance of desalination as well Working group has suggested for the conjunctive use of middotgood quality water and saline seawater which will be helpful in reducing the cost of water requirement for irrigation

27

45 Efficiency improvement in the distribution system as well as in field

Deficiencies of the irrigated agriculture in India have been a cause of concern and a huge amount of thinking and analysis ha been done to devise ways and means to improve it The Working Group has recommended some important recommendations in this matter

1 Standardized definitions of irrigation efficiencies need to be evolved for use in India after reviewing available material All water resources of a basin form a unified resource and hence the basin efficiency concept which integrates all surface water and ground water uses as well as reuse and recirculation is important The basin efficiency also needs to be estimated along with project related efficiencies

2 Conjunctive use of water to be given higher priority particularly in alluvial areas as a very effective means of improving water use amp basin efficiency and of saving possible water logging and salination For givin an encouragement to conjunctive use irrigation Act may be amended if req ired The policy of favoring selective lining of canals should be continued LD ater allowances and somewhat inadequate conveyance capacities lead to be r efficiencies and less water loggingrelated problems These need to be encouraged

3 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Water Csers Associations (WUAs) should include a standard clause which binds the users to effective conjunctive use of surface and ground water On rising of gro nd water table the MOW should allow the department to cut the surface water supply

4 Where there are minor irrigation tanks minor urface lifts etc middotin the command these should be integrated with major project works and not be treated as separate entity Such tanks should be filled with cfulals water as per requirement Also such works will allow reuse of the seeped wateT

5 Each major irrigation system authorities should annually prepare the water budget accruing for all water stored or diverted all losses all reuse of lost waters estimated evaporation etc

6 Sufficient funds for operation and maintenance work to be provided Creation of Irrigation Maintenance Corporation as provided in the irrigation management policy is considered so that a linkage between revenues from water and OampM funds is established Water rates may accordingly be increased in a phased manner

7 Priority may be assigned toERM schemes for projects where water distribution systems are to be handed over to WUAs Where total ERM scheme is not contemplated one time maintenance deferred maintenance of a project may be allowed as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance of a project may be allowed

28

as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance budget to be decided in consultation with the farmers and walk through survey to assess what is appropriate and achievable within the available fund

8 All the schemes more than 25 years old should be studied in details to bring out the status of schemes in respect of structural safety and performance and ERM schemes may be formulated and taken up based on such studies

9 Drip sprinklers are mostly for horticulture vegetable crops (and surgarcane) in the present major and medium surface irrigation system These may be encouraged for other crops also Any compulsion for a particular cropping pattern needs to be removed whenever WUAs are formed amp volumetric water rates come into practice Use of sprinkler or drips or rotational surface supplies requires additional on farm storage (either as dug out ponds or elevatged storage with pump) This becomes essential since supply rotates are 10 daily or fortnightly whereas drips amp sprinkler require daily or 1 in 2 days operation Such storage creation needs to be within the ambit of subsidies for drips and sprinklers

10 As automation is a costly affair it is to be adopted for pilot schemes and not for larger area However preferably this should be introduced for conjunctive use of ground water and not always for surface water

The group has also recommended the concept of Target Efficiency of the water delivery system timely and equitable distribution ohvater increasing production per unit area and per unit volume of water used and financial sustainability of the water delivery infrastructure

46 Bridging the gap between the Potential created and potential utilised

There may be various reasons for increase in the gap between potential creation and potential utilized Some ofthese are

a likely over estimation and double counting of potential creation and inaccuracies discrepancies in reporting of potential utilized

b Loss of potential due to siltation in reservoirs ponds etc and deterioration of water distribution system

c Time gap between potential creation and command area development

d Assumption of optimistic cropping pattern in economic analysis and deviation in cropping pattern as compared to that envisaged during planning

e Over-drawl of water in head reaches depriving potential utilization by tail enders

f Unused canal flow during night hours

29

l

It is desirable to introduce more reliable and accurate system of assessment for potential created and utilized There should be a coordinating statistical organization in each State for reporting the figures of potential created and utilized The Remote Sensing Technique can also be effectively utilized for counter verification of figures reported The loss in potential due to siltation ageing of various distribution systems etc needs to be periodically assessed and accounted

The productivity of irrigated crop as assumed in economic analysis often seem to be optimistic and are not based on experience of nearby irrigation projects Use of water for irrigation and selection of crops have been left to the discretion of users farmers The adverse consequences of such freedom have been manifested as water logging in some commands Somewhere overexploitation of ground -vater has been leading to progressive fall in ground water level It is therefore necessary that a regulatory mechanism is brought into practice by which undesirable or unsuitable crops are discouraged and tendency to over use of irrigation water is c~ecked Similarly in areas where ground water is being used for irrigation a regulatory mechanism should be in place to deter over exploitation of ground water beyond allOvable limit

Sometimes apprehension of scarcity of water and non availability of water when needed also lead to over withdrawal by head end users Since extra tion of ground water is costly farmers tend to take water more than their requirements when that is available through canals Higher cost of ground water is primarily because of cost of power required for lifting of water In case source of solar power is created for lifting of water the cost of ground water will get substantially reduced This may facilitate and give farmers option to use surface water and ground water thom any extra cost Once this option is available and known to farmers that they are aware that use of more water than the optimal requirement is likely to reduce the yield certainly there would be reductionin

overdraw of water by head enders Thus there is a need to extend u~er friendly system and increase awareness and cooperation among farmers through Participatory Irrigation Management Water Users Associatiortsneed to be empowered to look into these aspects Further the piped distribution system and micro irrigation should be adopted as far as possible

In India night imgation is not practiced in general As a result waters flowing in canals during night hours either pass unutilized or wasted on account of uncontrolled flooding It is desirable that the night irrigation is introduced in policy and practice

47 Flood Management

In regard to flood management the strategies recommended are given here under

(a) Undertake construction of dams and reservoir schemes with adequate flood cushion for long term solution of flood problems Efforts should also be made for utilizing the existing reservoirs in the country for flood moderation to the extent

30

possible Even in Reservoirs constructed for power other purposes the rule curves may be framed in such way that effective flood moderation is achieved

(b) Flood Forecasting and flood warning network of ewe be extended and integrated with similar networks of the state governments so as to get real time information at a central point say in central flood control room under FMO ewe This activity should be extended to cover rivers originating from or flowing to the neighbouring countries

( c) To take up development of digital elevation model of flood prone areas for taking up schemes for inundation forecast preparation of flood risk maps planning of flood management schemes etc

(d) Identification of appropriate location for breaching spiling sections in the flood embankment for the controlled flooding of the protected areas for restoring fertility recharge of soil moisture and ground water

( e) Integrating flood management schemes with other infrastructural development programmes in the sectors of roads railways inland waterways and canal command area development works as well as recently declared Rural Employment Guarantee Programme

(f) Watershed management in the hilly catchmentgs of the rivers ongmating in Nepal Bhutan and hilly areas of India should be selectively chosen and funded fully Implementation should be done through a joint mechanism Ministry of Agriculture who is the nodal Ministry for the watershed management works should work out a detailed program in consultation with the Ministry of Water Resources

(g) To give adequate emphasis on the operation and maintenance (OampM) of the flood protection measures already created a percentage of outlay of the flood sector should be earmarked for this purpose

(h) Raising and strengthening of the existing embankments if required after detailed studies of hydrological morphological topographical and developmental aspects to stabilize the benefits of these measures

(i) Natural swamps and lakes to be developed into detention basins and capacity of existing depressions be improved for absorbing flood waters Special drives for development of Tal and Diara areas

G) Erosion of land either by sea or rivers to be minimized through suitable cost effective measures

(k) Flood proofing program such as raised platform and quick drainage facilities to be taken up in a)l the flood prone states

31

(1) Drainage improvement in critical areas in the country to be given priority

(m) Dredging at selective locations ie outfalls etc in the rivers and the tributaries as a way to reduce flood levels in low-lying areas and help in quick drainage

(n) Encourage RampD activities for improved flood management

(0) To encourage peoples participation

(p) To expedite projects peaks

on interlinking of rivers for helping in attenuating flood

(q) Steps to ensure implementation of action plan prepared by NDMA for flood management should be taken

(r) On-going schemes of earlier plans be completed expeditiously All the on going schemes spilling over to the XI Plan in which at least 50 execution has taken place should get first priority on fund allocation during the XI Plan

(s) The cost for flood component in a multi-purpose water resources development projects as a long-term solution to flood problem should be funded by Government of India

(t) Maintenance of existing flood management works to optimize its benefits

32

48 Achievement in irrigation during the two years of the Bharat Nirman Plan

The statewise achievement in two years ending on September 2006 is given below It shows that 2183776 thousand hectare has been added to the irrigation potential A daunting task still left to be achieved in coming two years

thF19ures are III ousand h ec ares t

I

i rOo

rarget bull Major amp Aebievements upSI No

States UrsName MinorMedium Total to September

Irrigation Irrigation 2006 r i

1 Andhra Pradesh 44127 112523 156649 302065

2 Arunachal Pradesh 00 2239 2239 4 777 3 Assam 303 4275 7306 3314

4 Bihar 41399 12858 169979 279451 5 Chhattisgarh 4435 14668 19103 65661

6 Goa 2442 26 2702 1224 7 Gujarat 94573 00 945 73 255224

8 Haryana 3373 241 5783 33301 9 Himachal Pradesh 3091 4691 7788 8842

10 lharkhand 8122 25314 33436 15 701 11 Jammu amp Kashmir 1801 9254 11055 14847

12 Karnataka 26282 124 38682 11131 13 Kerala 1609 2168 3777 15856

14 Madhya Pradesh 61172 162 77372 8138 15 Maharashtra 465 31 35651 82181 9313

16 Manipur 5195 155 6745 0 17 Meghalaya 00 1493 1493 2073

18 Mizoram 00 1096 1096 0628 19 Nagaland 00 1612 1612 259

20 Orissa 19899 13295 33194 3266 21 Punjab 4034 2056 609 68755

22 Rajasthan 37974 401 41984 26459 23 Sikkim 00 703 703 08

24 Tamil Nadu 00 2355 23 55 16461 25 Tripura 2689 5429 8118 6327 26 Uttar Pradesh 82516 15208 977 24 464 372 27 Uttranchal 00 3829 3829 34 967

28 West Bengal 13567 56384 69951 346

29 Andman amp Nicobar Island 00 033 033 0

30 Pondicherry 00 275 275 0 ~-

Total 2183766507867 479958 987826

I

L 33

------------------~------

The achievements are up to March 2006 only The progressachievement of 2006-07 was under compilationscrutiny in ewe at the time of preparation of this document

The figures for states ofKerala and Rajasthan pertain to the achievement of whole year 2006-07 and for the State of Uttar Pradesh the achievement is up to December2006

49 Conclusions

Water sector development encompasses multidisciplinary considerations There is no scope of overlooking any sector while giving priority to any sector or sectors The integrated planning is the only possible way to tackle the water resources development The participatory approach is the key for its sustainability Bharat middot Nirman Plan of Government of India by setting up goals for the period of four years is a boost to the already existing schemes in different ministries Irrigation and public water supply is the basic components of development have been rightly considered in the Bharat Nirman Plan The ambitious project has already traveled through a span of two years and has achieved some part of the goals The balance part has to be done with equal fervor The recent modification in AlBP norms is the evidence of the governmental zeal in achieving the goals For the continuance of the food sufficiency the irrigation development is the feasible quick solution The component of Irrigation in Bharat Nirman is thus a huge help for the required development in the water sector

34

Page 4: ROLE OF WRD&M IN BHARAT NIRMAN DURING WRD 2007

management of water resources and calls for appropriate measures to optimise utilisation of this resource

The updated National WaterPolicy lays emphasis on integrated water resources development and management for optimal and sustainable utilisation of the available surface and groundwater The role of creation of well-developed information system

_ water conservation demand management performance improvement participatory approach to water resources management promotion of non-conventional methods for water utilisation etc have been duly emphasized in the National Water Policy 2002 It integrates quantity and quality aspects as well as environmental considerations for water

- through adequate institutional arrangements Besides ecological needs have also been assigned due priority in the water allocation The involvements of beneficiaries and stakeholders in the project planning and participatory approach in water resources management have been equally stressed in the policy Significant emphasis has also been laid on water quality aspects which include maintaining minimum flow in the streams and treatment middot of effluents to acceptable standards Issues like resettlement amp

-rehabilitation have also been emphasized in the revised policy

12 -Water Resources Availability 121 Average Water Resources Potential

Proper assessment of the availability of water from surface and sub-surface sources is the cornerstone _ for proper planning development and management As already elaborated above the precipitation in the form of rain and snowfall is a crucial component of the hydrological cycle that makes fresh water available on a renewable basis The geographical area India is 329 million hectares (Mba) The mean annual shyrainfall taking the country as a whole is 1170 mm This gives an annual precipitation of about 4000 Km3

A significant part of this p~ecipitation seeps into the ground and the balance flows through streams and rivers and collects in water bodies adding to the surface flow A part of the water that seeps into the ground remains as soil moisture in

-the upper layers and the rest adds to the ground water resources Subsequently a major part of the water from surface flows soil m~istureand ground water sources when put to -various uses returns to the atmosphere through evapo-transpiration and evaporation Part of the water from -surface flows may enter ground wltlter and add to ground water resources and part of the ground water again returns to streams and rivers Thus the surface and the ground water sources are inter-linked continuously inter-active and therefore very much part of a single entity It is therefore extremely difficult if not impossible to quantify them separately over a period of time in given locations

As per the Reassessment of Water Resources Potential of India by Central Water Commission in 1993 the average annual water resources potential ofthe country is 1869

- Billion Cubic Metre (BCM) - shy

The National Commission for Water Resources Development (NCIWRD) while assessing the potential agreed with the estimates of the Reassessment study carried out

2

by ewc (1993) excepting the cases of Brahmaputra and Krishna basins Taking into account of the above two basin variations the estimation of NCIWRD yielded that the average annual water resources potential of the country is 1953 BCM

The Standing Sub-Committee for Assessment of Availability and Requirement of Water for Diverse Uses in the Country constituted by the MoWR in its Report (August

2000) observed that the latest assessment made by CWC in the year 1993 that is 1869 BCM are considered as reliable

122 Ground Water Resources

Groundwater in India is the primary source of water supply for domestic and many industrial usesmiddot More importantly it is the single largest and most productive source of irrigation water At present 85 of the water supplies for domestic use in rural areas 50 of water for urban and industrial uses and 55 of the irrigation water requirements are being met from groundwater

The arumal replenishable groundwater resources has been estimated to be at 433 BCM This is the sum total of the potential due to natural recharge from rainfall and the potential due to recharge augmentation from canal irrigation system

123 Utilisable Water Resources

Within the limitations of physiographic conditions and socio-political environment legal and constitutional constraints and the technology of development available at a given point of time utilizable quantity of water from the surface has been assessed from time to time It has been estimated that out of the average annual water resource potential of 1869 BCM the average annual utilisable water resource (surface and ground) is 1123 BCM of which about 690 BCM is from surface water and 433 BCM is from ground water

i

13middot Present scenario of water resources development

During the plan-period India witnessed considerable developmental activities that covered an sectors like irrigation drinking water supply hydropower generation etc The key aspects of the water resources scenario in India are discussed below

131 Irrigation sector

The cultivable area of the country is estimated to be about 186 Mha out of which about 142 Mha is under cultivation The ultimate irrigation potential of the country through major medium and minor irrigation projects has been assessed as 140 million middot hectare middot (Mha) by conventional storage and diversion works The ultimate irrigation potential of the country is 140 Mha of which 5850 Mha is major and medium irrigation projects 1740 mha is minor surface water schemes and 6410 Mha is ground water schemes The imgation potential created of the country which was only 226 Mha during

3

the time of independence has gone upto 10277 Mha by March 2006 The irrigation potential utilised presently stands at 8556 Mha The growth in irrigation sector has contributed significantly to the rise in food production from 51 Million Tonnes at the time of independence to the present level of 21 0 Million Tonnes This has resulted in the country becoming self sufficient in food production

As much as 52 percent rise in food grain production can be attributed to increase in irrigated area Productivity of irrigated lands in India ranges from around 15 tonnes per ha to 40 tonnes per ha for cereal crops compared to achievable target of about 5 to 6 tonnes per ha Though productivity in irrigated areas has increased such increases are still way below the world standards and of developing countries like China and Brazil With rise in population and industrialization putting pressure on land it is expected that cultivated area will stabilize at 140-145 Mha As irrigated agriculture is more productive than rainfed agriculture to meet the countries future needs of food and fibre it is imperative to bring more area under irrigation

At present irrigation sector consumes as much as 83 of available water resources With the demand from other sectors rising at a faster pace the availability of water for irrigation would reduce It is therefore necessary to improve the performance of existing system Higher degree of efficiencies in the management of water use in irrigation sector is required to be achieved to sustain production of crops Irrigation efficiency should be improved from the present average of about 35-40 per cent to the maximum achievable ie around 60 per cent Wherever water is scares if economically advantageous deficit irrigation may be practiced Water intensive crops such as sugarcane and paddy should be discouraged in the areas of water scarcity

132 Creation of storages

Severe spatial and temporal vanatlOns in rainfall promptedthat creation of storages be given due priority within the overall plan for water resources development The successive Five-year Plans initiated after independence therefore laid significant

emphasis on creation of storages that resulted in many remarkable achievements Many major medium and minor water resources projects have been constructed during these last six decades and India today with about 4050 completed large dams and 475 are under various stages of construction ranks third in the world after China and USA in terms of number of large dams All these projects have resulted in increasing the live storage capacity from 156 BCM at the time of independence to 282 BCM including 57 BCM from minor irrigation schemes of surface water now Storages held in these dams are insurance against the vagaries of nature Proj ects under construction are likely to add another 64 BCM while 108 BCM is to be contributed by the projects under contemplation

Even after such relentless persuasion to create more storages till date the present level of development on the country in terms of creation oflive storages is only just more than 11 of the average annual water resources potential of the country The level of creation of storages in India is decisively lower compared to some other nations in the

4

world The per capita storage in the country which is about 275 m3 is way below the storage achieved in many of the countries such as Russia (6103 m Australia (4733 m Brazil (3145 m United States (1964 m Turkey (1739 m Spain (1410 m Mexico middot

3(1245 m China (1111 m ) and South Africa (753 m3) and there is an urgent need to

vigorously pursue the case for creating storages wherever feasible given its projected rise in population urbanization amp industrialization

133 Urban amp Rural Water Supply

The National Water Policy 2002 gives over riding priority to drinking water over other uses The objective of any water supply scheme is to supply safe and clean water in adequate quantity and as economically as possible Lot of effluent or wastewater is generated in domestic sector which flows back untreated to the already shrinking water bodies Groundmiddotwater is also getting contaminated In development of water resources for domestic use the middot most important and challenging issue is that of sustainability of resource and quality With population growth and rise in urbanization the demand for treated water for domestic use is increasing rapidly

About 92 of urban population has been covered by safe drinking water Drinking water requirement of most of mega cities are met from reservoir of irrigation or multi-purpose schemes existing nearby and even by long distance transfer The rural habitations have been provided access to the safe drinking water from hand pumps and stand posts and about as well as mini and regional piped water supply schemes More than 85 percent of rural water supply is ground water based and consumes about 5 percent of the total annual replenishable ground water

134 Development in Power sector

Another important developing sector of economy using substantial quantity of water is power sector and therefore water resources is an integral component for the development of power sector in India Coil oil gas and hydroelectric potential constitute the conventional sources for electricity in the country Of these coal-based thermal power plants and in some regions hydropower have been the mainstay of electricity generation Presently the total installed capacity of the country is 128435 MW of which the thermal power accounts for 84234 MW which is 656 of the total installed capacity

Hydropower is a renewable economic non- polluting and environmentally benign source of energy Hydropower stations have the inherent ability for instantaneous starting stopping load variations etc and help in improving reliability of the power system Furthermore there is no fuel cost during the life of the station as hydropower generation is a non-consumptive use of water The benefits of hydropower as a clean environment friendly and economically attractive source of energy have now been sufficiently recognized The need for its accelerated development also comes from its capability of erihanced system reliability and economics of utilization of resources The

5

National Water Policy 2002 has accorded high priority to hydropower development only next to drinking water and irrigation water use in context to water allocation priorities

The total installed capacity in hydropower is 34110 MW ie 266 of the total installed capacity Only around 23 of the total hydropower potential (the total hydroelectric potential in the country is assessed as 84044 MW at 60 load factor which is equivalent to an installed capacity of 150000 MW) has been harnessed so far The combined installed capacity for nuclear and renewable sources is 10091 MW The share of hydropower in the overall energy mix needs to be boosted to achieve an ideal hydroelectric-thermal mix of 40 60

135 Flood Protection

Flood is one of the natural calamities that India faces almost every year in varying degree or magnitUde The frequent occurrence of flood can be attributed to various factors including wide variation in rainfall over time and space and inadequate carrying capacity of rivers The problems get accumulated due to silting bank erosion landslide poor natural drainage glacial lake outburst etc Indiscriminate development and encroachment of flood plain areas improper planning amp construction of roads railway lines etc have also been responsible for increase in flood damages Total flood prone area in the country as per the Report of Rashtriya Barh Aayog (RBA) of 1980 is 40 mha This has now been reassessed to 4536 mha On an average an area of 755 mha is affected by the floods every year and the average annual flood damage is Rs 1805 crore

A multi pronged strategy ranging from modifying the floods by means of structural measures toleaming to live with the floods by means of other non structural measures is well within pragmatic realism in flood management Measures for protection against extreme floods of low frequency are seldom economically feasible The term flood management may rationally be expected to refer to the provision of a reasonable degree of protection against floods by structural non structural measures to mitigate the recurring havoc caused by floods

After the disastrous floods experienced by the country in 1954 a National Programme of Flood management was launched During the five decades since then different methods of flood protection both long term and short term have been adopted in different States depending upon the nature of problem and local conditions The available information compiled from details furnished by the States relating to length of embankment and drainage channels indicates that 33929 km of embanlanents and 38810 km of drainage channels have been constructed In addition 2458 town protection works have been completed and 4716 villages raised above flood levels This have resulted in providing reasonable protection to an area of 1822 mha

Apart from the direct flood control works reservoirs with specific flood cushion have been constructed on the Damodar river to provide protection to areas in the downstream In addition storages constructed across Mahanadi (at Hirakud) Sutlej (at Bhakra) Chambal (at Gandhi sagar) Brahmani (at Rengali) and Tapi (at Ukai) as also a

6

number of other major and medium reservOIrs have helped greatly III reducing the intensity of flood and flood damages

In addition to the structural flood protection measures non-structural measures like flood forecasting and warning of incoming floods have also played significant role in reducing the loss of life and movable property apart from alerting the civil and engineering authorities in-charge of various works to take appropriate advance action to fight the onslaught of floods The Central Water Commission manages a major network of 173 such flood forecasting stations on inter-state rivers in 18 States The techniques of observation of hydrological and hydro-meterological data and their transmission to the forecasting station have been constantly under review for making necessary improvements to make the forecasts more accurate and also to give higher lead time On an average CWC is issuing 5619 flood forecasts with 9655 accuracy

136 Industrial Water Use

While at present the estimated water requirement for industrial water use is only around 8-12 BCM with urbanization and industrialization the water demand for industrial purposes is also slated to increase significantly Necessary measures to reduce the demand should be taken by adopting processes with minimum use of water recycle and re-use etc Tariff rates should be prescribed so that industries feel compelled to look into technological intervention leading reduced water requirement per unit production

137 Other Uses like Navigation Ecology Recreational activities etc

Navigable waterways in India comprising of river systems canals hackwaters creeks and tidal inlet extend to about 14500 kms Most waterways however suffer from navigational inadequacies such as shallow waters narrow width and bank erosion Moreover vertical and horizontal clearances at overhead structures are not adequate for navigation throughout the year Consequently at present about 5200 kms of major rivers and 485 kms of canals are considered suitable for mechanized crafts

In the earlier period with less of population and consequently less of related activities nature could cope with whatever damage was inflicted on the resources quickly restoring the balance But in recent times with the growth of population and its consequent activities the restorative capacity of nature and the environment is being continuously eroded affecting the quality of life on the planet Earth Ecology is now concerned not only with living elements but also with their interrelationships with society and culture Prevention of environmental degradation and degradation of the natural resources base is essential for sustainable development

The negative environmental consequences are caused due to deforestation soil erosion unplanned ildustrialization indiscriminate use of fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture drought floods water logging water pollution population growth large scale

7 -

poverty etc Glohal climatic change and atmospheric pollution could also have an impact on fresh water resources and their availability Protection enhancement and restoration of water quality and abatement of water pollution are necessary for providing not only safe drinking water and maintaining and improving human health but are also important for sustaining land quality agriculture and industrial production and for supporting the socio-economic growth as such

The need for water demand for ecological purposes including conserving the environment maintaining lean period flows aquatic life etc therefore needs to be worked out on scientific basis Allocation for this purpose should be made while considering the construction of new reservoirsstorages

Recreational facilities also sometimes contribute to a large extentmiddot in the development of economy at the micro level (of a particular localized area) through promotion of tourism The reservoir sites owing to their topographical as well as environmental advantage often become the hub of such recreational activities Besides a host of direct benefits water therefore plays a significant role in contributing indirectly to the growth of the nation through promotion of tourism employment generation etc

14 Future projected scenario 141 Assessment by Standing Sub-Committee

A Standing Sub-Committee for assessment of availability and requirement of water for diverse uses in the country constituted by the Ministry of Water Resources in its report (August 2000) assessed the requirements of water for various sectors as given in the Table-1 below

Table-I Water Requirement for Various Sector~

Sector Water Demand in Billion Cubic meter (BCM) 2000 2010 2025 2050

Irrigation 541 688 910 1072 Drinking Water 42 56 73 102 Industry 8 12 23 63 Energy 2 5 15 130 Others 41 52 72 80 Total 634 813 1093 1447

On the basis of the above assessment the Sub-Committee observed that against the total utilizable water resources of 1122 BCM the projected demand during the year 2025 and 2050 comes to around 1093 and 1447 respectively The scenario indicates water deficiency in the overall national perspective The deficiency may have to be managed by using the return flows from various uses which may be around 80 from domestic uses

8

~------------------------------------------------------ -----

ie 58 and 81 BCM in the year 2025 and 2050 respectively The return flow from irrigation sector may be around 10 ie 91 and 107 BCM in the year 2025 and 2050 respectively The return flow from industry sector is estimated to be 65 Besides water has to be made available through inter-basin transfer of river waters by 2050 The demand of industry and energy sector may be managed by reuse and recycling of return flows and reuse of water from treated wastewater Proper treatment of effluent to desired standards will have to be ensured to use the return flow in irrigation horticulture etc The water requirements of water deficit areas will be met by inter basin transfer of water from surplus basins after developing the untapped water resources

142 National Commission on Integrated Water Resources Development (NCIWRD)

The National Commission on Integrated Water Resources Development (NCIWRD) in its report (1999) has also assessed the water requirement for various purposes for different years and the demand of water is given in the Table-2 below

It would be observed that the assessment made by the National Commission for irrigation is relatively on lower side as compared to that estimated by the Standing SubshyCommittee In respect of other uses the estimate made by the National Commission is generally on a higher side The main reason for such variation in the estimate is the assumption made by the National Commission in respect of the overall improvement of irrigation efficiency The National Commission has assumed that the irrigation efficiency will gradually increase to 60 from the present level of 35 to 40 Considerable effort is required to achieve the objective middot of efficiency in water resource system and particularly in the irrigation system which is the major water consumptive sector

Table-2 Water Demand for Diverse Uses

Sl No

Total Water Use (in BCM) Uses Year

1997-98 Year 2010 Year 2025 Year 2050

Low High Low High Low High 1 Irrigation 524 543 557 561 611 628 807 2 Domestic 30 42 43 55 62 90 111 3 Industries 30 37 middot37 67 67 81 81 4 Power 9 18 19 31 33 63 70 5 Inland Navigation 0 7 7 10 10 15 15 6 Flood Control 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 Environment(1 )

Afforestati on 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

8 Env(2)Ecology 0 5 6 10 10 middot 20 20 9 Evaporation losses 36 42 42 50 50 76 76

Total 629 694 710 784 843 973 1180

9

middotIt is of paramount importance that the aim should be at reducing water requirement to the low demand scenario Taking into account the water availability and the requirement till the year 2050 the National Commission concluded that there is no need to take an alarmist view However three major considerations have to be kept in the forefront while formulating an integrated water policy and plan First the balance between the requirement and availability can be struck only if utmost efficiency is introduced in water use Second average availability at the national level does not imply that all basins are capable of meeting their full requirement from internal resources Third the issue of equity in the access to water between regions and between sections of population assumes greater importance in what is foreseen as a fragile balance between these and related problems of integrated water use planning in the context of supply and requirement of water estimated by the Commission middot

JO

CHAPTER II

ROLE OF WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT IN ASCERTAINING SOCIO-ECONOMIC GROWTH

Right from independence India has been developing atmiddot a very fast pace Consequently it is hardly any surprise that rapid urbanization through infrastructure development has been the key feature of the last few decades At the same time the steep rise in population hasresulted in a phenomenal increase in the demand for food and water supply Till now one of the potent solutions to these multi-faceted challenges has been creation of large storages to wither out the spatial cindtemporal variations The sector wise development which has changed the socio economic status of the country is analysed below

21 Agricultural Production

The direct relationship between food production and assured irrigation is so pronounced that it hardly requires any further explanation During independence the food production of the country was only a meager 50 million tones while the irrigation potential created was 22 m~llion ha By the tum of the century while the irrigation potential created has shot upto 10277 Mha thefood production has crossed 200 million tones If we concentrate over the states which have out performed in the food production like Punjab Haryana Gujarat Uttar Pradesh Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra West Bengal it is apparent that the large and medium water resources storage projects have played the key role Such remarkable achievement have been possible due to the fact that large areas of these States are being covered under assured irrigation

22 Domestic and Industrial Water Supply

The National Water Policy adopted by the Government of India in 2002 accords highest priority to drinking water supply The Vision document for Integrated Water Resources Development formulated by th~ Ministry of Water Resources in 2002 states that 92 of the urban popUlation and 97 of the rural population are having access to safe drinking water This achievement has been largely possible due to the significant contributions made by the large projects a few examples ofwhich are listed below

Delhi the capital of India which is situated on the banks of the Yamuna gets only a fraction of its needs from river Yamuna though situated on its banks The balance needs are met with releases from Bhakra and Ramganga pams The population of the city has grown from 14 million in 1951 to close to 14 million by 2001 Though in 1950s the entire water need of the city was possible to be met with from Jamuna (essentially the flows that were regenerated) this was soon not possible Ramganga and Bhakra waters had to be supplemented for meeting the

11

requirements Infact the releases from the Tehri Dam for the Sonia Vihar Water Treatment plant seems to be the only silver lining for the city plagued by water crisis particularly during the summer months Besides this allocation for drinking water supply t6 Delhi has also been provided in upcoming Renuka and Kishau dam Projects in Yamuna Basin for meeting the future needs

bull The entire water supply of Mumbai is dependant Vaitrana Upper Vaitama Tansa and Bhatsa

on a senes of dams like

bull The acute scarcity of water supply in Chennai is well known The states of Andhra Pradesh Maharashtra and Kamataka agreed to provide a part of their allocated share of Krishna water (to the extent of 15 TMC) for drinking water requirements of Chennai city

bull Water supply of Pune town in Maharashtra is Sagar) Khadakwasla dam and Temghar dam

met with from Panchet(Tangi

bull Hyderabad is mainly dependent on Himayatsagar Manjra and Singur Dams

its water supply from Osmansagar

bull The water supply for Bangalore city heavily depends on Cauvery Stage-I Stage-II and Stage-III projects

bull A sizeable number of cities having population more than one million as per the 2001 census are having their water demand met from several projects The prominent cities among them being Bhopal Indore Jabalpur Nagpur Nashik and Surat

In addition to above a major dam at Bisalpur had been constructed in Chambal Basin to provide water supply to Ajmer City besides towns of Beawar and Tonk in Rajasthan Warrangal town in Andhra Pradesh depends for water supply on Sriramsagar Dam Shillong water supply is to be ensured with a dam under construction in the North-East

The position of drinking water supply in various towns and villages has improved after the coming up of Bhakra and Beas Proj ects Cities of Delhi Chandigarh and town of Patiala and Ropar apart from numerous towns and villages in the states of Haryana and Rajasthan are getting their supply of drinking water from the canals fed by these projects

Drinking water supply for most of the cities and towns in the country are dependant on storages and diversions for the purpose proving the important fact that stored water distributed temporally as well as spatially serves the basic needs in a sustained manner for a sizeable population

12

Industrial water requirement though considerably low in comparison to agriculture and domestic water demand has its own share of importance Most of the industries require assured water supply for their effective performance It is therefore quite natural that the pr~sence of a large project capable of delivering assured water supply invariably boosts up the industrial development of the area Numerous examples may be cited to back the above contention however the more important ones are given below

For catering the needs of Bokaro Steel Plant a dam at Tenughat in the Damodar River Basin had to be constructed

bull Similarly a cluster of thermal and super-thermal stations in uP is entirely dependent on the water stored at Rihand Dam on a tributary of the Sone River in uP

bull For the Vishkhapatnam Steel Plant the water IS to be supplied from Yeleru Reservoir

bull As abundant and assured cooling water is available from Ukai reservoir a large thermal power station having installed capacity of 850 MW is also set up and commissioned at Ukai since 1975 Other huge industries like Essar Gujarat Reliance Petrochemicals KRlBHCO ONGC NTPC etc are direct beneficiaries from Ukai-Kakrapar project as regards industrial water supply

bull For the requirements of Udaipur and Chittor plants of Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL) Gosunda Dam was necessary This meets not only the needs of HZL but also the water-supply needs of Udaipur

Major industries getting water from Bhakra Canals are National Fertilizers Ltd Nangal Ropar Thermal Plant and C-Thermal Delhi besides numerous other small industrial units

23 Hydropower generation

The hydropower generated from the large projects like Bhakra-Nangal Hirakud Iddukki Ukai Srisailam Gandhisagar Rana Pratapsagar Jawaharsagar projects have not only provided middotcheap energy but also has immensely helped in meeting the peaking demands Thus there is not even an iota of doubt about the role played by these projects in improving the economy of their command area Infact hydropower being durable non-polluting and extremely cheap its viability as an effective mode of producing energy increases even further

It is often been contended by the social activists that the improvement in irrigation facilities and the resultant boom in food production is largely due to the minor irrigation and ground water irrigation schemes There is no point in denying the fact that the harnessing of minor irrigation as well as ground water irrigation facilities is equally

13

important in promoting food production but more often that not we ignore the power requirement for operating the pumps for lifting ground water In fact in the recent times one of the most debated issues have been providing free power to the farmers proving the importance of availability of cheap power to the agricultural community

24 Flood Control and Drought Mitigation

It wont be an overstatement to acknowledge the benefit offered by those large projects by providing the required cushion against the raging floods An estimation of the past 100 years will invariably indicate the astronomical damages that were inflicted on our country by the floods Even in the 21 st cenfliry after so much advancement we are often rendered helpless to the fury of floods particularly in the North-East where the protection upto the desired level is yet to be materialized Even then all the projects mentioned above like the Hirakud Bhakra-Nangal Ukai-Kakrapar Nagarjunasagar had given immense relief to the people of their command area by not only restricting the financial losses but at times even saving the loss of lives

The greatest inexplicable paradox of this countrys water resources scenario has been the co-existence of droughts and floods and the beauty of the large projects is that they have the capability to handle both the situations simultaneously and thus ironing out the erratic climatic behavior to a large extent The excess monsoon received in a particular year is being used by these projects to wonderful effect in another year facing paucity of rainfall

14

CHAPTER III

Bharat Nirman Plan (2005-2009)

Government of India in partnership with State Governments and Panchayat Raj Institutions has launched Bharat Nirman programme as a time-bound business plan for action in rural infrastructure for the span of four years (2005-2009) Under Bharat Nirman Plan action is proposed in the areas of irrigation road rural housing rural water supply rural electrification and rural telecommunication connectivity Specific targets are set to be achieved under each of these goals so that there is accountability in the progress of this initiative The goals in different sectors are as under

31 IClectricity

Goal Every village to be provided electricity remaining 125000 villages to be covered by 2009

The Ministry of Power has the responsibility of providing electricity to the remaining 125000 villages through the programme instrument of Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana In addition it will also provide 23 million households with electricity As per the Census of 2001 125000 villages remained uncovered To be able to achieve this objective Rural Electricity Distribution Backbone with at least a 33111 KV sub-station would be set up in each block at least one Distribution TransfOlmer in each habitation of every village or hamlet as Village Electrification Infrastructure Standshyalone grid with generation where grid supply is not feasible These Stand-alone grids would be set up in partnership with the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy also

Rural Electrification Corporation would be the agency for implementation The Mcmagement of Rural Distribution will be fioanchisees that could be Users Associations individual entrepreneurs Cooperatives Non-Governmental Organizations Panchayat Institutions Services of Central Services undertakings like National Them1al Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POClL) National Hydro Electric Power Corporation Limited (NHPC) and Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) will be made available for the execution of rural electrification projects These CPSUs have been allocated districts in each state wherein they will implement the rural electrification network

90 capital subsidy will be provided for overall cost of the projects under the scheme The capital subsidy for eligible projects under the scheme will be through the Rural Electrification Corporation Limited which will be the nodal agency Electrification of unelectrified below-poverty-line households will be financed with 100 capital subsidy at Rs1500 per connection in all rural habitations Others will be paying for the connections at prescribed connection charges and no subsidy will be made availableFor creation of village eIectrification infrastructure first priority will be given to unshy

15

electrified villages Preference for electrification will be given to Dalit Bastis Tribal settlements and habitations of weaker sections

32 Roads

Goal Every habitation over 1000 population andabove (500 in hilly and tribal areas) to be provided an all-weather road remaining 66802 habitations to be covered by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development has the responsibility of ensuring that every habitation over 1000 population and every habitation with more than 500 in hilly and tribal areas is connected with an all-weather road by 2009 This is expected to generate multiplier effects in the rural economy of linking production to markets and services This work which is being undertaken under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana since 2000 has been modified to address the above goals within the stipulated timeshyframeTo achieve the targets of Bharat Nirman 146185 Kms road length is proposed to be constructed by 2009 This will benefit 66802 unconnected eligible habitations in the country To ensure full farm-to-market connectivity it is also proposed to upgrade 194132 kms of the existing Associated Through Routes

A district and rural roads plan has been prepared listing out complete network of all roads in the district that has village roads major district roads state roads and national highways The concept of core network has been operationalised to focus on those set of roads which are considered essential to provid~ connectivity to all habitations of the desired size The Core Network is the basic in$trumentality for prioritization of construction and allocation of funds for maintenance Action has been initiated to develop GIS-based applications to further enhance the utility of the Core Network

The programme is implemented through a framework of consultation with public representatives ranging from the panchayat level up to Parlian1ent A Rural Roads Manual guides the implementation of the programme A separate Book of Specification and a Standard Data Book have been prepared As per this standard bidding documents are to be adopted by the states For MIS there is a computerized Online Management and Monitoring Accounting System

Approximately Rs48000 crores is proposed to be invested to achieve this objective 100 of the funds of this programme is being provided by the Central Government

33 Drinking Water

Goal Every habitation to have a safe source of drinking water 55067 uncovered habitations to be covered by 2009 In addition all habitations which have slipped back from full coverage to partial coverage due to failure of source and habitations which have water quality problems to be addressed

16

The Ministry of Rural Development Department of Drinking Water Supply is responsible for meeting this goal in partnership with State Governments The programme instrument of the Govemment of India is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme under implementation since 1972-73 which is funded on a 50 matching share basis between the Government of India and the State Government Since 1972 over 37 lakh hand pumps and l5 lakh pipe water supply systems have been set up to provide safe water to over 15 lakh habitations in the country at a cost of over Rs 50000 crore The norms which are fixed to achieve the goal are - 40 litres per capita per day (lpcd) of safe drinking water for human beings - 30 Ipcd additional for cattle in the Desert Development Programme Areas - One hand pump or stand post for every 250 persons - The water source should exist within 16 km in the plains and within 100 metres

elevation in the hilly areas

The backlog for coverage is under estimation based on a habitation survey for the categories of uncovered villages slipped- back villages and villages affected with a problem of water quality 55067 villages remain uncovered and are targeted for coverage as first priority The category of slipped-back villages estimated by the Planning Commission at the beginning of the Tenth Plan as 28 lakh habitations These are so on account of a number of factors like - Sources going dry or lowering of the ground water table - Sources becoming quality affected - Systems outliving their lives - Systems working below rated capacity due to poor operation and maintenance - Increase in population resulting in lower per capita availability - Emergence of new habitations According to the data received from State Governments based on a survey undertaken in 2000216968 habitations are affected due to a variety of water quality problems consists of excess fluoride 31306 excess arsenic 5029 excess salinity23495 excess iron118088 excess nitrate 13958 and multiple quality problems 25092

The Govemment of India has decided that under Bharat Nirman names of habitations would have to be provided by State Governments for availing funds from Government of India This would give maximum transparency to the programme State Governments would be required to place the habitations proposed for coverage and covered on this site in course of time

The scheme is funded on a 50 basis by the Gol and expenditure ofRsA050 crores is expected for the current year The actual requirement will be worked out based on the names of habitations supplied by the states and funded

34 Telephone

Goal Every village to be connected by telephone remaining 66822 villagesto be covered by November 2007

17

The Department of Telecom in the Ministry of Communications and Infonnation Technology has the responsibility of providing telephone cOlmectivity to the 66822 villages that remain to be covered

The resources for implementation of universal services obligation are raised through a Universal Service Levy which has presently been fixed at 5 of the adjusted gross revenue of all telecom service providers except the pure value added service providers like internet voice mail e-mail service providers The rules also make a provision for the Central Government to give grants and loans to the Fund The balance to the credit of the Fund does not lapse at the end of the financial year usa Fund assigns the task of providing Village Public Telephones (VPTs) on the basis of bids through open tender and in this case the work has been assigned to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd Out of the 66822 villages identified connectivity in 14183 remote and far-flung villages will be provided through digital satellite phone tenninals From the USOF assistance is provided for both capital expenditure as well as operational expenditure It is estimated that a total sum of Rs451 crore would be required to provide VPTs in these 66822 villages and the entire sum will be met out of USOF and no separate allocation from Government would be required

As an additional incentives telecom service providers are being assisted through the USOF to penetrate into the rural areas for the following activities - Maintenance of existing village public telephones (VPTs) - Provision of an additional mral community phone in villages with a population of more

than two thousand and where no public call office exists - Replacement of village public telephones installed on Multi Access Radio Relay

(MARR) technology - Telephone lines installed in household in specified rural areas

Rural teledensity will be significantly enhanced during the period of Bharat Nirman

The Government is committed to expanding mral connectivity through a slew of measures so that rural users can access information of value and transact business This will include cOlmecting block headquarters with fibre optic network using wireless technology to achieve last mile connectivity and operating information kiosks through a partnership of citizens panchayats civil society organizations the private sector and Government

35 Irrigation

Goal J 0 million hectares (J 00 lakhs) of additional irrigation capacity to be created by 2009

The Ministry of Water Resources in collaboration with State Governments is responsible for creation of additional 10 million hectares of irrigation capacity by the year 2009 through major medium and minor irrigation projects complemented by ground water development

18

The ultimate irrigation potential for the country has been estimated as 140 million hectare (Mba) which include potential through Major and Medium irrigation projects (5846 Mha) surface water based minor irrigation schemes (1754 Mha) and ground water development (6400 Mha) So far the irrigation potential of 10277 Mha has already been created However the created potential has not been fully utilized and the gap between created and utilized potential has been estimated to be of the order of 17 Mha

351 Major and Medium Irrigation (MMI) Proj ects

For the country as a whole 66 of the ultimate irrigationpotential of major and medium projects has been created 477 Major and Medium irrigation projects have spilled over to Xl In addition the States have proposed 223 Major and Medium projects and 86 ERM projects during XI Plan An outlay of Rs 30670 crore has been provided for the new proj ects in the XI Plan

So far 173 major and medium 4169 minor and 21 Extension Renovation and Modernization (ERM) projects have been provided Central Loan Assistance under Accelerated Irrigation benefit Programme (AIBP) The potential creation through projects supported under AIBP has been found to be 035 Mha per year with about 047 Mha per year in the last two years As per existing Plan the projected creation of irrigation potential through AIBP is 050 Mba per year in the remaining period of X Five Year Plan

The average rate of creation of irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects from 1951 to 1997 has been found to be of the order of 051 Mha per year During the year 1997 to 2005 the rate for creati n has been found to be 092 Mah per year The pace of creation of new irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects has increased in the recent past This is due to fruition of projects started much earlier which have been expedited due to increased support through AIBP

The projects for extension renovation and modernization (ERM) of major and medium irrigation schemes are also being implemented with arrangement similar to that for completion of ongoing major and medium schemes The implementation of ERM projects along with Command Area Development and Water Management (CAD and WM) help in sustaining the created facilities and in improving the utilization

35 2 Minor Irrigatioll Schemes

There is considerable variation in creation of ilTIgation potential through minor irrigation (both surface and ground water) schemes from State to State While full potential through minor irrigation has been tapped in some of the States it is relatively very low in others

19

Minor irrigation through surface water covers water sources (tanks and small reservoirs) with a culturable command area (CCA) of less than 2000 ha About 70 of the ultimate potential through surface water based minor irrigation schemes has since been created The Report of the National Commission for Integrated Water Resources Development points out that the carrying capacity of tanks has decreased over time for a variety of reasons and that the restoration and renovation of tanks and other local sources is a priority task

Since 2004-05 a pilot scheme for repair renovation and restoration of water bodies directly linked to agriculture has been taken up by the Government as a state-sector scheme in the 16 districts of the country which is proposed to be expanded

353 Ground Water Development

From the surveys conducted for estimation of availability and status of ground water the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has identified areas that are over-exploited (where exploitation is more than natural recharge of ground water) and areas that are critical or dark (where draft is between 70 to 100 of the natural recharge ofground water) The recent survey indicates that out of 7414 identified units (blockstalukaswatershed) 471 are Overexploited and 318 are Critical or Dark units Thus less than 11 of the total units fall under the category of over-exploited and critical The ultimate irrigation potential to be created is based on the assessed replenishable groundwater after duly accounting for the domestic and industrial uses (about 10) It has been assessed that ground water is still available for utilization in many parts of the country particularly in the eastern parts of the country Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and in specific pockets of Andhra Pradesh Kamataka Maharashtra and Jammu amp Kashmir In Punjab Haryana Rajasthan Gujarat and Tamil Nadu the rechargeable quantum of ground water has been exceeded and mining of static reserves has commenced This reinforces the need to take urgent steps to increase recharge and conservation

354 Targets under Bharat Nirman

Sl No Component Target I Completion of ongoing Major amp medium Irrigation

Projects 42Mha

II Minor irrigation schemes bull Surface water 10 Mha bull Ground Water 18 Mha

10Mha l8Mha

28Mha

III Enhancing utilization of completed projects bull ERM of major amp medium projects bull Repair renovation and restoration of water bodiesERM of minor irrigation schemes

lOMha 10Mha

20Mha

IV Ground water development in area with unutilized ground water potential (for benefit of small and marginal farmers and Tribals amp Dalits) -

lOMba

20

Creation of potential of 1 Mha through ground water development in areas with unutilized ground water potential would primarily benefit small and marginal farmers who are mostly tribals dalits and weaker sections of society The scheme envisages full involvement of Panchayati Raj Institutions in implementation of the schemes

36 Housing

Goal 60 lakh houses to be constructed for the rural poor by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development through the IndiraAwaas Yojana undertakes this activity as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme where the cost is shared between the Centre and States on 7525 basis

The 2001 Census places the rural housing shortage figure ~n India at around 1491akhs Construction of 60 lakh houses over the next four years across the country is envisaged starting from 2005-06 to address a significant portion of this backlog

The criteria adopted for allocation of financial resources between the StatesUTs give greater emphasis to the states with higher incidence or shelterlessness 75 weightage is given to housing shortage and 25 to the poverty ratios prescribed by the Planning Commission for State-level allocations For district-level allocations 75 weightage is given again to housing shortage and 25 to SCST population of the districts concerned Grant assistance is provided to the extent of Rs 25000 per house for normal middot areas and Rs 27500 for hilly areas Funds are released to the DRDAs in two installments

Implementation guidelines of the scheme specifically target the rural below poverty line (BPL) households The respective Gram Sabha does the selection of beneficiaries from the BPL list and no higher approval is required The guidelines also clearlY Specify that the house allotment should be in the name of the female member of the family as a first priority While seeking to empower the rural women the scheme also provides priority to physically and mentally challenged persons exservicemen widows and freed bonded labourers It is stipulated that at least 60 of the beneficiaries should belong to the SCST communities TheIAY scheme also lays emphasis on sanitation and health by incorporating the cost of a sanitary latrine and smokeless chulah into the per unit grant provided to the beneficiary for constructionlupgradation of the dwelling unit

21

CHAPTER IV

WATER SECTOR ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN BHARAT NIRMAN PLAN

Water resource is a vital input in the development endeavours of the country Its finite availability and ever increasing demand in every sector have aggravated the problem manifold in case of India The requirement of faster development in irrigation water supply industrial use flood protection is evident assuming the future scenario Bharat Nirman Plan has rightly stressed on the irrigation and water supply where as the other sectors requirement is to be redressed with equal priority for the sustainable development of India

The water sector is grappled with the following Issues

Irrigation development Command area development amp Catchment area treatment Creation of storages Conunctive use of surface and ground water Efficiency improvement in distribution system Bridging the gap between irrigation potential created and potential utilised Flood Management

41 Irrigation Development

In India with the constitution of the Planning commission in 1950 and the advent of planning process in the first five year plan (1951-56) the country launched a major irrigation programme A number of multipurpose and major projects such as Bhakra Nangal Nagarjunasagar Kosi Chambal Hirakund Kakrapar and Tungbhadra were taken up Simultaneously minor irrigation schemes including ground water were given emphasis under the Agricultural Sector along with financial assistance from the Centre

During the period of Second Five Year Plan (1956-61) Third Five Year Plan (1961-66) and the Three Annual Plans (1966-69) irrigation programmes continued with addition of new projects During the Fourth Five Year Plan (1969-74) the emphasis was shifted to the completion of ongoing projects integrated use of surface and ground water adoption of efficient management techniques and modernization of existing schemes However new projects continued to be added

During the fifth Plan (1974-79) command Area Development Programme Was launched as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with the objective of reducing the lag between potential created and optimum utilization of available land and water Initially 60 major and medium proj ects were covered with a CCA of 15 Mha

22

During the Annual Plans of 1978-80 and the Sixth Five Year Plan ( 1980-85) new starts continued and at the end of Seventh Plan there were as many as 182 major and 312 medium ongoing proj ects requiring an estimated amount of Rs 39044 crore at the 1990shy91 price level for their completion New starts were therefore restricted considerably and greater emphasis was laid on completion of projects which were in the advanced stages of completion (those with an expenditure of 75 per cent or more) This was continued during 1990-91 and 1991-92 Annual Plans VIII Plan (1992-97) and IX Plan (1997 -2000)

For speedy completion of ongoing projects in advance stage of construction Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) was launched in 1996-97 During VIII Plan period irrigation potential of 22 Mha was created under major and medium sector at an annual rate of 044 Mha per annum During IX plan period this increased to 412 Mha out of which 165 Mha (nearly 40) was through AIBP Renovation Modernisation and Rehabilitation of old irrigation schemes gained momentum Users participation in major and medium irrigation schemes received greater attention Repairs and improvemen to the minor irrigation projects as a part of integrated micro-development also received encouragement Similarly sprinkler and drip irrigation programmes and the conjunctive use of surface and ground water gained momentum The project completed along with minor irrigation and ground water development have created an estimated potential of about 10277 Mha by the end of the X Plan

Although plan expenditure on irrigation has increased from Rs44l 8 crore in the 1st Plan to Rs 9574342 crore (outlay) in the X plan the share in total plan expenditure has decreased from 23 in the 1st Plan to 63 in the X Plan

The created irrigation potential increased from 226 Mha (97 Mha through major amp medium and 129 Mha through minor irrigation) in preplan period to 102Mha (4235 Mha through major and medium and 6042 1Tha through minor including ground water schemes) upto the end of X Plan with an annual average growth of 14 Mha In the corresponding period the potential utilistion has been from 226 Mha period to 8100 Mha

411 Central Assistance under AIBP

During IX Plan period irrigation potential of 165 Mha was created through AIBP at an average rate of 033 Mha per annum During the first three years of X plan the potential creation in major and medium irrigation sector through AIBP is around 14 Mha 047 Mha per annum In spite of rationalizing completion schedule of projects under AIBP several projects are lying behind schedule It is desirable to work out realistic time frame and cost to completion for projects to be considered under AIBP It is pertinent to mention that the spirit of the programme ie completion of last mile projects should not get diluted in the enthusiasm of inclusion of large number of projects under this programme As reported by the state governments but of total 200 projects presently under AIBP 95 projects would be completed by the end of X plan

23

The Central Assistance under AIBP as loan and grant provided up to March 2006 is Rs 1943790 crore out of which Rs 1883010 crore has been provided in Major and Medium irrigation sector

Impact ofAIBP

Plan Potential Created (Mha) Contribution of AIBP(Mha) IX 410 165 ( 402) X 530 300 ( 566)

Keeping an eye over the future requirement the Working Group on Water Resources for the XI Five Year Plan has brought out several suggestions in order to expedite completion of the projects which is very very essential Some other issues relating irrigation sector were also addressed in addition to this The strategies adopted for XI Plan proposal are swnmarized as below

1 Ongoing projects which have already achieved 90 or more of the ultimate potential should be considered as completed~ Critically review all such projects which are having only marginal benefit left or are near impossible to complete because of various problems and declare them completed or curtailed or deleted The balance cost of the remaining projects should be updated realistically for consideration under XI plan

2 Inter-Se priority should be decided considering various aspects such as externally aided proj ects interstate proj ects proj ects benefiting drought prone or tribal areas etc as per the guidelines prepared by National Commission for integrated Water Resources Development Plan

3 High priority should be accorded to the Pre-seventh and Seventh Plan Projects for funding under AIBP with emphasis to complete these projects during XI Plan List of such projects is appended as Annex31 Fund allocation under AIBP should be enhanced for this purpose ifnecessary

4 Foremost priority should be given for completion of ongoing projects and new projects should be taken up very selectively keeping in view the necessity for removal of regional imbalances and development of drought prone and tribal areas

5 Since the fund requirement for mediumminor irrigation projects are less adequate fund may be made available for completion of these projects without jeopardizing programme for important major projects ERM Projects should be given due priority where the eroded potential can be restored with ~oderate expenditure

24

6 A separate budget head upto 15 of Plan fund may be provided as Irrigation Maintenance Fund (IMF) and full amount of irrigation revenue as collectged should be credited to IMF

7 In addition to liabilities of completed projects and provision for ongoing and new projects the State plan proposals should incorporate provisions for special repairs of existing irrigation systems dam safety measures improved water management and water development aspect encompassing survey and investigation research and development training and National Hydrology Project

8 Substantial higher outlay should be provided in Central Plan to bring out effective role in plan activities of the Central Institutions by way of suitably strengthening them and provide adequate funds for taking new initiatives under Central Plan

9 The existing regionalstate level institutions such as W ALMIs should be strengthened and brought into mainstream activities for irrigation management improvement

10 Dam safety measures should be taken up all over country which is very essential in the context of disaster Prevention and Management

11 The performance evaluation of completed projects needs to be continued for benchmarking and improvement in irrigation efficiency

In addition to above recommendations on Minor Irrigation Sector are gIven as follows

1 Renovation Restoration of old tanks as well as old diversion channels in hilly regions along with improving efficiency of the projects Besides surface lift schemes may also be given due consideration particularly in hilly regions for irrigating high terraces

2 Expansion of irrigation facilities through a time bound programme for exploiting the huge ground water potential in the Eastern Region

3 Promotion of Micro Irrigation system in Water deficit areas 4 Promotion of Ground Water Development in areas haaving untapped unutilized

potential 5 National rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) may be linked with minor

irrigation Ground Water Development 6 A comprehensive act for regulation and development of ground water on

sustainable basis both in public and private sector

42 Command Area Development

In respect of command area development works for performance improvement-of the projects the working group has recommended the following recommendations for consideration

25

(a) Central funding for CAD works may be enhanced from present level of 5050 to 7525 for all the States while for states of North eastern Region and Hilly Special Category States the funding may be 90 from Government of India For software activities like trainings adaptive trials demonstrations monitoring and evaluation etc 100 Central funding may be considered in place of the existing pattern of 75 25 between the Centre and the States Funds can be directly given to W ALMIs and other State Central agencies for carrying out such activities

(b) It is proposed to increase the functional grant from Rs 600 per ha to Rs 1000 per ha which is to be shared in the ratio ofRs 675225100 between the centre State and the farmers while keeping all cost norms unchanged The State Governments may also be allowed to raise fund for its share through institutional funding or public borrowings through bonds on the pattern of Krishna Bhagya Nigam of Karnataka Government

(c) As per the existing system of release of Central Assistance the funds are transferred to the pool of State Finance Department which in tum releases funds to the implementing departments This procedure is not amenable for timely availability of the funds to the CADAs Therefore direct funding to CADAs from the Ministry in a mission mode can be considered to alleviate this problem For instance the Ministry of rural Development has a system of direct release of Central share of funds to the District Rural Development Authorities (DRDA) Jilla Parishads for implementing the schemes of the Central Ministry

(d) To ensure optimum utilization of created irrigation potential the CADWM should be made a part of the new major and medium projects

(e) Formation of WUAs under PTh1 Act is mandatory for implementation of CADWM programme Transition time of 2 years (upto the end of financial year 2008-09) may be allowed to those States which have not enact~d their PIM Acts so far Further relaxation may be only be allowed with the approval of CCEA

(f) WUAs should be involved in planning budgeting implementation and management of irrigation systems to be transferred to them There is a need to enforce a regime whereby farmers pay the water rates to meet the OampM expenditure rates Conditions of reforms should be imposed before handing over the projects to WUAs

(g) Volumetric supply of irrigation water to WUAs should be introduced

(h) Reputed NGOs with requisite skills may be involved for promotion of WUAs Rehabilitation of Canal Systems and Water Management for at least 2-3 years The estimated expenditure of Rs 600-800 per ha on account of this may be provided by the central government in the form of grant

(i) Autonomy of WUAs should be maintained in regard to Water Management However there may be linkages with Panchayati Raj Institutions through cross representation It may be considered to provide support to W ALMIs Agriculture Universities and reputed NGOs for improved water management at micro level It may also be considered to provide incentives for activities ofWUAs

26

(j) The WUAs should include women members from the land owning holding house holds in the Command Area irrespective of their ownership of the land

(k) Periodic evaluation of CAD Projects should be undertaken and suitable corrective measures may be taken if necessary

(1) Components for reclamation of waterlogged areas as well as correction of conveyance deficiencies with enhanced scope may be implemented to cover all the projects in the country details of which could be approved in consultation with expert organizations such as CWC CSSRI CGWB etc

(m) Water Resources Irrigation Departments need to undertake assessment periodically (at least once in 5 years) to determine the training needs at different levels of personnel deployed in water resources development and management Facilities available for capacity building are to be considered instead of establishing new training centres There has to be networking of existing training facilities so that training will be effective and economical It is desirable to have a separate scheme for training and capacity building for State Governments as well as central Government

43 Creation of Storage

Creation of storages is of prime importance in order to avoid severe domestic crisis on water issues As per the estimates given in the working group report there is a need of approximately live storage of around 450 km3

Major amp Medium Projects (Existing) -213 KJ13

Major amp Medium Projects (Under construction) -76 KM3 Minor Storages (Existing amp Under construction) -70 KM3 Total Live Storages in projects existing and under construction - 359 Km3

Likely loss in Live storage due to sedimentation upto 2050 which has to be compensated for -53 Km3 (say) Balance available live storage from the above in 2050 - 306 Km3 say 300 Km3

Therefore further new live storage to be created to have a live storage of 450 Km3 by 2050 is 150Km3

For creation the needed storage in addition to the present way of envisaging attention has to be paid to changing popUlation dynamics changing pattern of human settlements climatic change causing change in pattern of spatial and temporal variation in rainfall deterioration in water quality etc

44 Conjunctive Use of surface and ground water

Conjunctive use of surface and ground water can address the situation in two ways by decreasing the dependence on a single source and the quality of the available waterThis will reduce the chance of desalination as well Working group has suggested for the conjunctive use of middotgood quality water and saline seawater which will be helpful in reducing the cost of water requirement for irrigation

27

45 Efficiency improvement in the distribution system as well as in field

Deficiencies of the irrigated agriculture in India have been a cause of concern and a huge amount of thinking and analysis ha been done to devise ways and means to improve it The Working Group has recommended some important recommendations in this matter

1 Standardized definitions of irrigation efficiencies need to be evolved for use in India after reviewing available material All water resources of a basin form a unified resource and hence the basin efficiency concept which integrates all surface water and ground water uses as well as reuse and recirculation is important The basin efficiency also needs to be estimated along with project related efficiencies

2 Conjunctive use of water to be given higher priority particularly in alluvial areas as a very effective means of improving water use amp basin efficiency and of saving possible water logging and salination For givin an encouragement to conjunctive use irrigation Act may be amended if req ired The policy of favoring selective lining of canals should be continued LD ater allowances and somewhat inadequate conveyance capacities lead to be r efficiencies and less water loggingrelated problems These need to be encouraged

3 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Water Csers Associations (WUAs) should include a standard clause which binds the users to effective conjunctive use of surface and ground water On rising of gro nd water table the MOW should allow the department to cut the surface water supply

4 Where there are minor irrigation tanks minor urface lifts etc middotin the command these should be integrated with major project works and not be treated as separate entity Such tanks should be filled with cfulals water as per requirement Also such works will allow reuse of the seeped wateT

5 Each major irrigation system authorities should annually prepare the water budget accruing for all water stored or diverted all losses all reuse of lost waters estimated evaporation etc

6 Sufficient funds for operation and maintenance work to be provided Creation of Irrigation Maintenance Corporation as provided in the irrigation management policy is considered so that a linkage between revenues from water and OampM funds is established Water rates may accordingly be increased in a phased manner

7 Priority may be assigned toERM schemes for projects where water distribution systems are to be handed over to WUAs Where total ERM scheme is not contemplated one time maintenance deferred maintenance of a project may be allowed as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance of a project may be allowed

28

as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance budget to be decided in consultation with the farmers and walk through survey to assess what is appropriate and achievable within the available fund

8 All the schemes more than 25 years old should be studied in details to bring out the status of schemes in respect of structural safety and performance and ERM schemes may be formulated and taken up based on such studies

9 Drip sprinklers are mostly for horticulture vegetable crops (and surgarcane) in the present major and medium surface irrigation system These may be encouraged for other crops also Any compulsion for a particular cropping pattern needs to be removed whenever WUAs are formed amp volumetric water rates come into practice Use of sprinkler or drips or rotational surface supplies requires additional on farm storage (either as dug out ponds or elevatged storage with pump) This becomes essential since supply rotates are 10 daily or fortnightly whereas drips amp sprinkler require daily or 1 in 2 days operation Such storage creation needs to be within the ambit of subsidies for drips and sprinklers

10 As automation is a costly affair it is to be adopted for pilot schemes and not for larger area However preferably this should be introduced for conjunctive use of ground water and not always for surface water

The group has also recommended the concept of Target Efficiency of the water delivery system timely and equitable distribution ohvater increasing production per unit area and per unit volume of water used and financial sustainability of the water delivery infrastructure

46 Bridging the gap between the Potential created and potential utilised

There may be various reasons for increase in the gap between potential creation and potential utilized Some ofthese are

a likely over estimation and double counting of potential creation and inaccuracies discrepancies in reporting of potential utilized

b Loss of potential due to siltation in reservoirs ponds etc and deterioration of water distribution system

c Time gap between potential creation and command area development

d Assumption of optimistic cropping pattern in economic analysis and deviation in cropping pattern as compared to that envisaged during planning

e Over-drawl of water in head reaches depriving potential utilization by tail enders

f Unused canal flow during night hours

29

l

It is desirable to introduce more reliable and accurate system of assessment for potential created and utilized There should be a coordinating statistical organization in each State for reporting the figures of potential created and utilized The Remote Sensing Technique can also be effectively utilized for counter verification of figures reported The loss in potential due to siltation ageing of various distribution systems etc needs to be periodically assessed and accounted

The productivity of irrigated crop as assumed in economic analysis often seem to be optimistic and are not based on experience of nearby irrigation projects Use of water for irrigation and selection of crops have been left to the discretion of users farmers The adverse consequences of such freedom have been manifested as water logging in some commands Somewhere overexploitation of ground -vater has been leading to progressive fall in ground water level It is therefore necessary that a regulatory mechanism is brought into practice by which undesirable or unsuitable crops are discouraged and tendency to over use of irrigation water is c~ecked Similarly in areas where ground water is being used for irrigation a regulatory mechanism should be in place to deter over exploitation of ground water beyond allOvable limit

Sometimes apprehension of scarcity of water and non availability of water when needed also lead to over withdrawal by head end users Since extra tion of ground water is costly farmers tend to take water more than their requirements when that is available through canals Higher cost of ground water is primarily because of cost of power required for lifting of water In case source of solar power is created for lifting of water the cost of ground water will get substantially reduced This may facilitate and give farmers option to use surface water and ground water thom any extra cost Once this option is available and known to farmers that they are aware that use of more water than the optimal requirement is likely to reduce the yield certainly there would be reductionin

overdraw of water by head enders Thus there is a need to extend u~er friendly system and increase awareness and cooperation among farmers through Participatory Irrigation Management Water Users Associatiortsneed to be empowered to look into these aspects Further the piped distribution system and micro irrigation should be adopted as far as possible

In India night imgation is not practiced in general As a result waters flowing in canals during night hours either pass unutilized or wasted on account of uncontrolled flooding It is desirable that the night irrigation is introduced in policy and practice

47 Flood Management

In regard to flood management the strategies recommended are given here under

(a) Undertake construction of dams and reservoir schemes with adequate flood cushion for long term solution of flood problems Efforts should also be made for utilizing the existing reservoirs in the country for flood moderation to the extent

30

possible Even in Reservoirs constructed for power other purposes the rule curves may be framed in such way that effective flood moderation is achieved

(b) Flood Forecasting and flood warning network of ewe be extended and integrated with similar networks of the state governments so as to get real time information at a central point say in central flood control room under FMO ewe This activity should be extended to cover rivers originating from or flowing to the neighbouring countries

( c) To take up development of digital elevation model of flood prone areas for taking up schemes for inundation forecast preparation of flood risk maps planning of flood management schemes etc

(d) Identification of appropriate location for breaching spiling sections in the flood embankment for the controlled flooding of the protected areas for restoring fertility recharge of soil moisture and ground water

( e) Integrating flood management schemes with other infrastructural development programmes in the sectors of roads railways inland waterways and canal command area development works as well as recently declared Rural Employment Guarantee Programme

(f) Watershed management in the hilly catchmentgs of the rivers ongmating in Nepal Bhutan and hilly areas of India should be selectively chosen and funded fully Implementation should be done through a joint mechanism Ministry of Agriculture who is the nodal Ministry for the watershed management works should work out a detailed program in consultation with the Ministry of Water Resources

(g) To give adequate emphasis on the operation and maintenance (OampM) of the flood protection measures already created a percentage of outlay of the flood sector should be earmarked for this purpose

(h) Raising and strengthening of the existing embankments if required after detailed studies of hydrological morphological topographical and developmental aspects to stabilize the benefits of these measures

(i) Natural swamps and lakes to be developed into detention basins and capacity of existing depressions be improved for absorbing flood waters Special drives for development of Tal and Diara areas

G) Erosion of land either by sea or rivers to be minimized through suitable cost effective measures

(k) Flood proofing program such as raised platform and quick drainage facilities to be taken up in a)l the flood prone states

31

(1) Drainage improvement in critical areas in the country to be given priority

(m) Dredging at selective locations ie outfalls etc in the rivers and the tributaries as a way to reduce flood levels in low-lying areas and help in quick drainage

(n) Encourage RampD activities for improved flood management

(0) To encourage peoples participation

(p) To expedite projects peaks

on interlinking of rivers for helping in attenuating flood

(q) Steps to ensure implementation of action plan prepared by NDMA for flood management should be taken

(r) On-going schemes of earlier plans be completed expeditiously All the on going schemes spilling over to the XI Plan in which at least 50 execution has taken place should get first priority on fund allocation during the XI Plan

(s) The cost for flood component in a multi-purpose water resources development projects as a long-term solution to flood problem should be funded by Government of India

(t) Maintenance of existing flood management works to optimize its benefits

32

48 Achievement in irrigation during the two years of the Bharat Nirman Plan

The statewise achievement in two years ending on September 2006 is given below It shows that 2183776 thousand hectare has been added to the irrigation potential A daunting task still left to be achieved in coming two years

thF19ures are III ousand h ec ares t

I

i rOo

rarget bull Major amp Aebievements upSI No

States UrsName MinorMedium Total to September

Irrigation Irrigation 2006 r i

1 Andhra Pradesh 44127 112523 156649 302065

2 Arunachal Pradesh 00 2239 2239 4 777 3 Assam 303 4275 7306 3314

4 Bihar 41399 12858 169979 279451 5 Chhattisgarh 4435 14668 19103 65661

6 Goa 2442 26 2702 1224 7 Gujarat 94573 00 945 73 255224

8 Haryana 3373 241 5783 33301 9 Himachal Pradesh 3091 4691 7788 8842

10 lharkhand 8122 25314 33436 15 701 11 Jammu amp Kashmir 1801 9254 11055 14847

12 Karnataka 26282 124 38682 11131 13 Kerala 1609 2168 3777 15856

14 Madhya Pradesh 61172 162 77372 8138 15 Maharashtra 465 31 35651 82181 9313

16 Manipur 5195 155 6745 0 17 Meghalaya 00 1493 1493 2073

18 Mizoram 00 1096 1096 0628 19 Nagaland 00 1612 1612 259

20 Orissa 19899 13295 33194 3266 21 Punjab 4034 2056 609 68755

22 Rajasthan 37974 401 41984 26459 23 Sikkim 00 703 703 08

24 Tamil Nadu 00 2355 23 55 16461 25 Tripura 2689 5429 8118 6327 26 Uttar Pradesh 82516 15208 977 24 464 372 27 Uttranchal 00 3829 3829 34 967

28 West Bengal 13567 56384 69951 346

29 Andman amp Nicobar Island 00 033 033 0

30 Pondicherry 00 275 275 0 ~-

Total 2183766507867 479958 987826

I

L 33

------------------~------

The achievements are up to March 2006 only The progressachievement of 2006-07 was under compilationscrutiny in ewe at the time of preparation of this document

The figures for states ofKerala and Rajasthan pertain to the achievement of whole year 2006-07 and for the State of Uttar Pradesh the achievement is up to December2006

49 Conclusions

Water sector development encompasses multidisciplinary considerations There is no scope of overlooking any sector while giving priority to any sector or sectors The integrated planning is the only possible way to tackle the water resources development The participatory approach is the key for its sustainability Bharat middot Nirman Plan of Government of India by setting up goals for the period of four years is a boost to the already existing schemes in different ministries Irrigation and public water supply is the basic components of development have been rightly considered in the Bharat Nirman Plan The ambitious project has already traveled through a span of two years and has achieved some part of the goals The balance part has to be done with equal fervor The recent modification in AlBP norms is the evidence of the governmental zeal in achieving the goals For the continuance of the food sufficiency the irrigation development is the feasible quick solution The component of Irrigation in Bharat Nirman is thus a huge help for the required development in the water sector

34

Page 5: ROLE OF WRD&M IN BHARAT NIRMAN DURING WRD 2007

by ewc (1993) excepting the cases of Brahmaputra and Krishna basins Taking into account of the above two basin variations the estimation of NCIWRD yielded that the average annual water resources potential of the country is 1953 BCM

The Standing Sub-Committee for Assessment of Availability and Requirement of Water for Diverse Uses in the Country constituted by the MoWR in its Report (August

2000) observed that the latest assessment made by CWC in the year 1993 that is 1869 BCM are considered as reliable

122 Ground Water Resources

Groundwater in India is the primary source of water supply for domestic and many industrial usesmiddot More importantly it is the single largest and most productive source of irrigation water At present 85 of the water supplies for domestic use in rural areas 50 of water for urban and industrial uses and 55 of the irrigation water requirements are being met from groundwater

The arumal replenishable groundwater resources has been estimated to be at 433 BCM This is the sum total of the potential due to natural recharge from rainfall and the potential due to recharge augmentation from canal irrigation system

123 Utilisable Water Resources

Within the limitations of physiographic conditions and socio-political environment legal and constitutional constraints and the technology of development available at a given point of time utilizable quantity of water from the surface has been assessed from time to time It has been estimated that out of the average annual water resource potential of 1869 BCM the average annual utilisable water resource (surface and ground) is 1123 BCM of which about 690 BCM is from surface water and 433 BCM is from ground water

i

13middot Present scenario of water resources development

During the plan-period India witnessed considerable developmental activities that covered an sectors like irrigation drinking water supply hydropower generation etc The key aspects of the water resources scenario in India are discussed below

131 Irrigation sector

The cultivable area of the country is estimated to be about 186 Mha out of which about 142 Mha is under cultivation The ultimate irrigation potential of the country through major medium and minor irrigation projects has been assessed as 140 million middot hectare middot (Mha) by conventional storage and diversion works The ultimate irrigation potential of the country is 140 Mha of which 5850 Mha is major and medium irrigation projects 1740 mha is minor surface water schemes and 6410 Mha is ground water schemes The imgation potential created of the country which was only 226 Mha during

3

the time of independence has gone upto 10277 Mha by March 2006 The irrigation potential utilised presently stands at 8556 Mha The growth in irrigation sector has contributed significantly to the rise in food production from 51 Million Tonnes at the time of independence to the present level of 21 0 Million Tonnes This has resulted in the country becoming self sufficient in food production

As much as 52 percent rise in food grain production can be attributed to increase in irrigated area Productivity of irrigated lands in India ranges from around 15 tonnes per ha to 40 tonnes per ha for cereal crops compared to achievable target of about 5 to 6 tonnes per ha Though productivity in irrigated areas has increased such increases are still way below the world standards and of developing countries like China and Brazil With rise in population and industrialization putting pressure on land it is expected that cultivated area will stabilize at 140-145 Mha As irrigated agriculture is more productive than rainfed agriculture to meet the countries future needs of food and fibre it is imperative to bring more area under irrigation

At present irrigation sector consumes as much as 83 of available water resources With the demand from other sectors rising at a faster pace the availability of water for irrigation would reduce It is therefore necessary to improve the performance of existing system Higher degree of efficiencies in the management of water use in irrigation sector is required to be achieved to sustain production of crops Irrigation efficiency should be improved from the present average of about 35-40 per cent to the maximum achievable ie around 60 per cent Wherever water is scares if economically advantageous deficit irrigation may be practiced Water intensive crops such as sugarcane and paddy should be discouraged in the areas of water scarcity

132 Creation of storages

Severe spatial and temporal vanatlOns in rainfall promptedthat creation of storages be given due priority within the overall plan for water resources development The successive Five-year Plans initiated after independence therefore laid significant

emphasis on creation of storages that resulted in many remarkable achievements Many major medium and minor water resources projects have been constructed during these last six decades and India today with about 4050 completed large dams and 475 are under various stages of construction ranks third in the world after China and USA in terms of number of large dams All these projects have resulted in increasing the live storage capacity from 156 BCM at the time of independence to 282 BCM including 57 BCM from minor irrigation schemes of surface water now Storages held in these dams are insurance against the vagaries of nature Proj ects under construction are likely to add another 64 BCM while 108 BCM is to be contributed by the projects under contemplation

Even after such relentless persuasion to create more storages till date the present level of development on the country in terms of creation oflive storages is only just more than 11 of the average annual water resources potential of the country The level of creation of storages in India is decisively lower compared to some other nations in the

4

world The per capita storage in the country which is about 275 m3 is way below the storage achieved in many of the countries such as Russia (6103 m Australia (4733 m Brazil (3145 m United States (1964 m Turkey (1739 m Spain (1410 m Mexico middot

3(1245 m China (1111 m ) and South Africa (753 m3) and there is an urgent need to

vigorously pursue the case for creating storages wherever feasible given its projected rise in population urbanization amp industrialization

133 Urban amp Rural Water Supply

The National Water Policy 2002 gives over riding priority to drinking water over other uses The objective of any water supply scheme is to supply safe and clean water in adequate quantity and as economically as possible Lot of effluent or wastewater is generated in domestic sector which flows back untreated to the already shrinking water bodies Groundmiddotwater is also getting contaminated In development of water resources for domestic use the middot most important and challenging issue is that of sustainability of resource and quality With population growth and rise in urbanization the demand for treated water for domestic use is increasing rapidly

About 92 of urban population has been covered by safe drinking water Drinking water requirement of most of mega cities are met from reservoir of irrigation or multi-purpose schemes existing nearby and even by long distance transfer The rural habitations have been provided access to the safe drinking water from hand pumps and stand posts and about as well as mini and regional piped water supply schemes More than 85 percent of rural water supply is ground water based and consumes about 5 percent of the total annual replenishable ground water

134 Development in Power sector

Another important developing sector of economy using substantial quantity of water is power sector and therefore water resources is an integral component for the development of power sector in India Coil oil gas and hydroelectric potential constitute the conventional sources for electricity in the country Of these coal-based thermal power plants and in some regions hydropower have been the mainstay of electricity generation Presently the total installed capacity of the country is 128435 MW of which the thermal power accounts for 84234 MW which is 656 of the total installed capacity

Hydropower is a renewable economic non- polluting and environmentally benign source of energy Hydropower stations have the inherent ability for instantaneous starting stopping load variations etc and help in improving reliability of the power system Furthermore there is no fuel cost during the life of the station as hydropower generation is a non-consumptive use of water The benefits of hydropower as a clean environment friendly and economically attractive source of energy have now been sufficiently recognized The need for its accelerated development also comes from its capability of erihanced system reliability and economics of utilization of resources The

5

National Water Policy 2002 has accorded high priority to hydropower development only next to drinking water and irrigation water use in context to water allocation priorities

The total installed capacity in hydropower is 34110 MW ie 266 of the total installed capacity Only around 23 of the total hydropower potential (the total hydroelectric potential in the country is assessed as 84044 MW at 60 load factor which is equivalent to an installed capacity of 150000 MW) has been harnessed so far The combined installed capacity for nuclear and renewable sources is 10091 MW The share of hydropower in the overall energy mix needs to be boosted to achieve an ideal hydroelectric-thermal mix of 40 60

135 Flood Protection

Flood is one of the natural calamities that India faces almost every year in varying degree or magnitUde The frequent occurrence of flood can be attributed to various factors including wide variation in rainfall over time and space and inadequate carrying capacity of rivers The problems get accumulated due to silting bank erosion landslide poor natural drainage glacial lake outburst etc Indiscriminate development and encroachment of flood plain areas improper planning amp construction of roads railway lines etc have also been responsible for increase in flood damages Total flood prone area in the country as per the Report of Rashtriya Barh Aayog (RBA) of 1980 is 40 mha This has now been reassessed to 4536 mha On an average an area of 755 mha is affected by the floods every year and the average annual flood damage is Rs 1805 crore

A multi pronged strategy ranging from modifying the floods by means of structural measures toleaming to live with the floods by means of other non structural measures is well within pragmatic realism in flood management Measures for protection against extreme floods of low frequency are seldom economically feasible The term flood management may rationally be expected to refer to the provision of a reasonable degree of protection against floods by structural non structural measures to mitigate the recurring havoc caused by floods

After the disastrous floods experienced by the country in 1954 a National Programme of Flood management was launched During the five decades since then different methods of flood protection both long term and short term have been adopted in different States depending upon the nature of problem and local conditions The available information compiled from details furnished by the States relating to length of embankment and drainage channels indicates that 33929 km of embanlanents and 38810 km of drainage channels have been constructed In addition 2458 town protection works have been completed and 4716 villages raised above flood levels This have resulted in providing reasonable protection to an area of 1822 mha

Apart from the direct flood control works reservoirs with specific flood cushion have been constructed on the Damodar river to provide protection to areas in the downstream In addition storages constructed across Mahanadi (at Hirakud) Sutlej (at Bhakra) Chambal (at Gandhi sagar) Brahmani (at Rengali) and Tapi (at Ukai) as also a

6

number of other major and medium reservOIrs have helped greatly III reducing the intensity of flood and flood damages

In addition to the structural flood protection measures non-structural measures like flood forecasting and warning of incoming floods have also played significant role in reducing the loss of life and movable property apart from alerting the civil and engineering authorities in-charge of various works to take appropriate advance action to fight the onslaught of floods The Central Water Commission manages a major network of 173 such flood forecasting stations on inter-state rivers in 18 States The techniques of observation of hydrological and hydro-meterological data and their transmission to the forecasting station have been constantly under review for making necessary improvements to make the forecasts more accurate and also to give higher lead time On an average CWC is issuing 5619 flood forecasts with 9655 accuracy

136 Industrial Water Use

While at present the estimated water requirement for industrial water use is only around 8-12 BCM with urbanization and industrialization the water demand for industrial purposes is also slated to increase significantly Necessary measures to reduce the demand should be taken by adopting processes with minimum use of water recycle and re-use etc Tariff rates should be prescribed so that industries feel compelled to look into technological intervention leading reduced water requirement per unit production

137 Other Uses like Navigation Ecology Recreational activities etc

Navigable waterways in India comprising of river systems canals hackwaters creeks and tidal inlet extend to about 14500 kms Most waterways however suffer from navigational inadequacies such as shallow waters narrow width and bank erosion Moreover vertical and horizontal clearances at overhead structures are not adequate for navigation throughout the year Consequently at present about 5200 kms of major rivers and 485 kms of canals are considered suitable for mechanized crafts

In the earlier period with less of population and consequently less of related activities nature could cope with whatever damage was inflicted on the resources quickly restoring the balance But in recent times with the growth of population and its consequent activities the restorative capacity of nature and the environment is being continuously eroded affecting the quality of life on the planet Earth Ecology is now concerned not only with living elements but also with their interrelationships with society and culture Prevention of environmental degradation and degradation of the natural resources base is essential for sustainable development

The negative environmental consequences are caused due to deforestation soil erosion unplanned ildustrialization indiscriminate use of fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture drought floods water logging water pollution population growth large scale

7 -

poverty etc Glohal climatic change and atmospheric pollution could also have an impact on fresh water resources and their availability Protection enhancement and restoration of water quality and abatement of water pollution are necessary for providing not only safe drinking water and maintaining and improving human health but are also important for sustaining land quality agriculture and industrial production and for supporting the socio-economic growth as such

The need for water demand for ecological purposes including conserving the environment maintaining lean period flows aquatic life etc therefore needs to be worked out on scientific basis Allocation for this purpose should be made while considering the construction of new reservoirsstorages

Recreational facilities also sometimes contribute to a large extentmiddot in the development of economy at the micro level (of a particular localized area) through promotion of tourism The reservoir sites owing to their topographical as well as environmental advantage often become the hub of such recreational activities Besides a host of direct benefits water therefore plays a significant role in contributing indirectly to the growth of the nation through promotion of tourism employment generation etc

14 Future projected scenario 141 Assessment by Standing Sub-Committee

A Standing Sub-Committee for assessment of availability and requirement of water for diverse uses in the country constituted by the Ministry of Water Resources in its report (August 2000) assessed the requirements of water for various sectors as given in the Table-1 below

Table-I Water Requirement for Various Sector~

Sector Water Demand in Billion Cubic meter (BCM) 2000 2010 2025 2050

Irrigation 541 688 910 1072 Drinking Water 42 56 73 102 Industry 8 12 23 63 Energy 2 5 15 130 Others 41 52 72 80 Total 634 813 1093 1447

On the basis of the above assessment the Sub-Committee observed that against the total utilizable water resources of 1122 BCM the projected demand during the year 2025 and 2050 comes to around 1093 and 1447 respectively The scenario indicates water deficiency in the overall national perspective The deficiency may have to be managed by using the return flows from various uses which may be around 80 from domestic uses

8

~------------------------------------------------------ -----

ie 58 and 81 BCM in the year 2025 and 2050 respectively The return flow from irrigation sector may be around 10 ie 91 and 107 BCM in the year 2025 and 2050 respectively The return flow from industry sector is estimated to be 65 Besides water has to be made available through inter-basin transfer of river waters by 2050 The demand of industry and energy sector may be managed by reuse and recycling of return flows and reuse of water from treated wastewater Proper treatment of effluent to desired standards will have to be ensured to use the return flow in irrigation horticulture etc The water requirements of water deficit areas will be met by inter basin transfer of water from surplus basins after developing the untapped water resources

142 National Commission on Integrated Water Resources Development (NCIWRD)

The National Commission on Integrated Water Resources Development (NCIWRD) in its report (1999) has also assessed the water requirement for various purposes for different years and the demand of water is given in the Table-2 below

It would be observed that the assessment made by the National Commission for irrigation is relatively on lower side as compared to that estimated by the Standing SubshyCommittee In respect of other uses the estimate made by the National Commission is generally on a higher side The main reason for such variation in the estimate is the assumption made by the National Commission in respect of the overall improvement of irrigation efficiency The National Commission has assumed that the irrigation efficiency will gradually increase to 60 from the present level of 35 to 40 Considerable effort is required to achieve the objective middot of efficiency in water resource system and particularly in the irrigation system which is the major water consumptive sector

Table-2 Water Demand for Diverse Uses

Sl No

Total Water Use (in BCM) Uses Year

1997-98 Year 2010 Year 2025 Year 2050

Low High Low High Low High 1 Irrigation 524 543 557 561 611 628 807 2 Domestic 30 42 43 55 62 90 111 3 Industries 30 37 middot37 67 67 81 81 4 Power 9 18 19 31 33 63 70 5 Inland Navigation 0 7 7 10 10 15 15 6 Flood Control 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 Environment(1 )

Afforestati on 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

8 Env(2)Ecology 0 5 6 10 10 middot 20 20 9 Evaporation losses 36 42 42 50 50 76 76

Total 629 694 710 784 843 973 1180

9

middotIt is of paramount importance that the aim should be at reducing water requirement to the low demand scenario Taking into account the water availability and the requirement till the year 2050 the National Commission concluded that there is no need to take an alarmist view However three major considerations have to be kept in the forefront while formulating an integrated water policy and plan First the balance between the requirement and availability can be struck only if utmost efficiency is introduced in water use Second average availability at the national level does not imply that all basins are capable of meeting their full requirement from internal resources Third the issue of equity in the access to water between regions and between sections of population assumes greater importance in what is foreseen as a fragile balance between these and related problems of integrated water use planning in the context of supply and requirement of water estimated by the Commission middot

JO

CHAPTER II

ROLE OF WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT IN ASCERTAINING SOCIO-ECONOMIC GROWTH

Right from independence India has been developing atmiddot a very fast pace Consequently it is hardly any surprise that rapid urbanization through infrastructure development has been the key feature of the last few decades At the same time the steep rise in population hasresulted in a phenomenal increase in the demand for food and water supply Till now one of the potent solutions to these multi-faceted challenges has been creation of large storages to wither out the spatial cindtemporal variations The sector wise development which has changed the socio economic status of the country is analysed below

21 Agricultural Production

The direct relationship between food production and assured irrigation is so pronounced that it hardly requires any further explanation During independence the food production of the country was only a meager 50 million tones while the irrigation potential created was 22 m~llion ha By the tum of the century while the irrigation potential created has shot upto 10277 Mha thefood production has crossed 200 million tones If we concentrate over the states which have out performed in the food production like Punjab Haryana Gujarat Uttar Pradesh Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra West Bengal it is apparent that the large and medium water resources storage projects have played the key role Such remarkable achievement have been possible due to the fact that large areas of these States are being covered under assured irrigation

22 Domestic and Industrial Water Supply

The National Water Policy adopted by the Government of India in 2002 accords highest priority to drinking water supply The Vision document for Integrated Water Resources Development formulated by th~ Ministry of Water Resources in 2002 states that 92 of the urban popUlation and 97 of the rural population are having access to safe drinking water This achievement has been largely possible due to the significant contributions made by the large projects a few examples ofwhich are listed below

Delhi the capital of India which is situated on the banks of the Yamuna gets only a fraction of its needs from river Yamuna though situated on its banks The balance needs are met with releases from Bhakra and Ramganga pams The population of the city has grown from 14 million in 1951 to close to 14 million by 2001 Though in 1950s the entire water need of the city was possible to be met with from Jamuna (essentially the flows that were regenerated) this was soon not possible Ramganga and Bhakra waters had to be supplemented for meeting the

11

requirements Infact the releases from the Tehri Dam for the Sonia Vihar Water Treatment plant seems to be the only silver lining for the city plagued by water crisis particularly during the summer months Besides this allocation for drinking water supply t6 Delhi has also been provided in upcoming Renuka and Kishau dam Projects in Yamuna Basin for meeting the future needs

bull The entire water supply of Mumbai is dependant Vaitrana Upper Vaitama Tansa and Bhatsa

on a senes of dams like

bull The acute scarcity of water supply in Chennai is well known The states of Andhra Pradesh Maharashtra and Kamataka agreed to provide a part of their allocated share of Krishna water (to the extent of 15 TMC) for drinking water requirements of Chennai city

bull Water supply of Pune town in Maharashtra is Sagar) Khadakwasla dam and Temghar dam

met with from Panchet(Tangi

bull Hyderabad is mainly dependent on Himayatsagar Manjra and Singur Dams

its water supply from Osmansagar

bull The water supply for Bangalore city heavily depends on Cauvery Stage-I Stage-II and Stage-III projects

bull A sizeable number of cities having population more than one million as per the 2001 census are having their water demand met from several projects The prominent cities among them being Bhopal Indore Jabalpur Nagpur Nashik and Surat

In addition to above a major dam at Bisalpur had been constructed in Chambal Basin to provide water supply to Ajmer City besides towns of Beawar and Tonk in Rajasthan Warrangal town in Andhra Pradesh depends for water supply on Sriramsagar Dam Shillong water supply is to be ensured with a dam under construction in the North-East

The position of drinking water supply in various towns and villages has improved after the coming up of Bhakra and Beas Proj ects Cities of Delhi Chandigarh and town of Patiala and Ropar apart from numerous towns and villages in the states of Haryana and Rajasthan are getting their supply of drinking water from the canals fed by these projects

Drinking water supply for most of the cities and towns in the country are dependant on storages and diversions for the purpose proving the important fact that stored water distributed temporally as well as spatially serves the basic needs in a sustained manner for a sizeable population

12

Industrial water requirement though considerably low in comparison to agriculture and domestic water demand has its own share of importance Most of the industries require assured water supply for their effective performance It is therefore quite natural that the pr~sence of a large project capable of delivering assured water supply invariably boosts up the industrial development of the area Numerous examples may be cited to back the above contention however the more important ones are given below

For catering the needs of Bokaro Steel Plant a dam at Tenughat in the Damodar River Basin had to be constructed

bull Similarly a cluster of thermal and super-thermal stations in uP is entirely dependent on the water stored at Rihand Dam on a tributary of the Sone River in uP

bull For the Vishkhapatnam Steel Plant the water IS to be supplied from Yeleru Reservoir

bull As abundant and assured cooling water is available from Ukai reservoir a large thermal power station having installed capacity of 850 MW is also set up and commissioned at Ukai since 1975 Other huge industries like Essar Gujarat Reliance Petrochemicals KRlBHCO ONGC NTPC etc are direct beneficiaries from Ukai-Kakrapar project as regards industrial water supply

bull For the requirements of Udaipur and Chittor plants of Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL) Gosunda Dam was necessary This meets not only the needs of HZL but also the water-supply needs of Udaipur

Major industries getting water from Bhakra Canals are National Fertilizers Ltd Nangal Ropar Thermal Plant and C-Thermal Delhi besides numerous other small industrial units

23 Hydropower generation

The hydropower generated from the large projects like Bhakra-Nangal Hirakud Iddukki Ukai Srisailam Gandhisagar Rana Pratapsagar Jawaharsagar projects have not only provided middotcheap energy but also has immensely helped in meeting the peaking demands Thus there is not even an iota of doubt about the role played by these projects in improving the economy of their command area Infact hydropower being durable non-polluting and extremely cheap its viability as an effective mode of producing energy increases even further

It is often been contended by the social activists that the improvement in irrigation facilities and the resultant boom in food production is largely due to the minor irrigation and ground water irrigation schemes There is no point in denying the fact that the harnessing of minor irrigation as well as ground water irrigation facilities is equally

13

important in promoting food production but more often that not we ignore the power requirement for operating the pumps for lifting ground water In fact in the recent times one of the most debated issues have been providing free power to the farmers proving the importance of availability of cheap power to the agricultural community

24 Flood Control and Drought Mitigation

It wont be an overstatement to acknowledge the benefit offered by those large projects by providing the required cushion against the raging floods An estimation of the past 100 years will invariably indicate the astronomical damages that were inflicted on our country by the floods Even in the 21 st cenfliry after so much advancement we are often rendered helpless to the fury of floods particularly in the North-East where the protection upto the desired level is yet to be materialized Even then all the projects mentioned above like the Hirakud Bhakra-Nangal Ukai-Kakrapar Nagarjunasagar had given immense relief to the people of their command area by not only restricting the financial losses but at times even saving the loss of lives

The greatest inexplicable paradox of this countrys water resources scenario has been the co-existence of droughts and floods and the beauty of the large projects is that they have the capability to handle both the situations simultaneously and thus ironing out the erratic climatic behavior to a large extent The excess monsoon received in a particular year is being used by these projects to wonderful effect in another year facing paucity of rainfall

14

CHAPTER III

Bharat Nirman Plan (2005-2009)

Government of India in partnership with State Governments and Panchayat Raj Institutions has launched Bharat Nirman programme as a time-bound business plan for action in rural infrastructure for the span of four years (2005-2009) Under Bharat Nirman Plan action is proposed in the areas of irrigation road rural housing rural water supply rural electrification and rural telecommunication connectivity Specific targets are set to be achieved under each of these goals so that there is accountability in the progress of this initiative The goals in different sectors are as under

31 IClectricity

Goal Every village to be provided electricity remaining 125000 villages to be covered by 2009

The Ministry of Power has the responsibility of providing electricity to the remaining 125000 villages through the programme instrument of Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana In addition it will also provide 23 million households with electricity As per the Census of 2001 125000 villages remained uncovered To be able to achieve this objective Rural Electricity Distribution Backbone with at least a 33111 KV sub-station would be set up in each block at least one Distribution TransfOlmer in each habitation of every village or hamlet as Village Electrification Infrastructure Standshyalone grid with generation where grid supply is not feasible These Stand-alone grids would be set up in partnership with the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy also

Rural Electrification Corporation would be the agency for implementation The Mcmagement of Rural Distribution will be fioanchisees that could be Users Associations individual entrepreneurs Cooperatives Non-Governmental Organizations Panchayat Institutions Services of Central Services undertakings like National Them1al Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POClL) National Hydro Electric Power Corporation Limited (NHPC) and Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) will be made available for the execution of rural electrification projects These CPSUs have been allocated districts in each state wherein they will implement the rural electrification network

90 capital subsidy will be provided for overall cost of the projects under the scheme The capital subsidy for eligible projects under the scheme will be through the Rural Electrification Corporation Limited which will be the nodal agency Electrification of unelectrified below-poverty-line households will be financed with 100 capital subsidy at Rs1500 per connection in all rural habitations Others will be paying for the connections at prescribed connection charges and no subsidy will be made availableFor creation of village eIectrification infrastructure first priority will be given to unshy

15

electrified villages Preference for electrification will be given to Dalit Bastis Tribal settlements and habitations of weaker sections

32 Roads

Goal Every habitation over 1000 population andabove (500 in hilly and tribal areas) to be provided an all-weather road remaining 66802 habitations to be covered by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development has the responsibility of ensuring that every habitation over 1000 population and every habitation with more than 500 in hilly and tribal areas is connected with an all-weather road by 2009 This is expected to generate multiplier effects in the rural economy of linking production to markets and services This work which is being undertaken under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana since 2000 has been modified to address the above goals within the stipulated timeshyframeTo achieve the targets of Bharat Nirman 146185 Kms road length is proposed to be constructed by 2009 This will benefit 66802 unconnected eligible habitations in the country To ensure full farm-to-market connectivity it is also proposed to upgrade 194132 kms of the existing Associated Through Routes

A district and rural roads plan has been prepared listing out complete network of all roads in the district that has village roads major district roads state roads and national highways The concept of core network has been operationalised to focus on those set of roads which are considered essential to provid~ connectivity to all habitations of the desired size The Core Network is the basic in$trumentality for prioritization of construction and allocation of funds for maintenance Action has been initiated to develop GIS-based applications to further enhance the utility of the Core Network

The programme is implemented through a framework of consultation with public representatives ranging from the panchayat level up to Parlian1ent A Rural Roads Manual guides the implementation of the programme A separate Book of Specification and a Standard Data Book have been prepared As per this standard bidding documents are to be adopted by the states For MIS there is a computerized Online Management and Monitoring Accounting System

Approximately Rs48000 crores is proposed to be invested to achieve this objective 100 of the funds of this programme is being provided by the Central Government

33 Drinking Water

Goal Every habitation to have a safe source of drinking water 55067 uncovered habitations to be covered by 2009 In addition all habitations which have slipped back from full coverage to partial coverage due to failure of source and habitations which have water quality problems to be addressed

16

The Ministry of Rural Development Department of Drinking Water Supply is responsible for meeting this goal in partnership with State Governments The programme instrument of the Govemment of India is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme under implementation since 1972-73 which is funded on a 50 matching share basis between the Government of India and the State Government Since 1972 over 37 lakh hand pumps and l5 lakh pipe water supply systems have been set up to provide safe water to over 15 lakh habitations in the country at a cost of over Rs 50000 crore The norms which are fixed to achieve the goal are - 40 litres per capita per day (lpcd) of safe drinking water for human beings - 30 Ipcd additional for cattle in the Desert Development Programme Areas - One hand pump or stand post for every 250 persons - The water source should exist within 16 km in the plains and within 100 metres

elevation in the hilly areas

The backlog for coverage is under estimation based on a habitation survey for the categories of uncovered villages slipped- back villages and villages affected with a problem of water quality 55067 villages remain uncovered and are targeted for coverage as first priority The category of slipped-back villages estimated by the Planning Commission at the beginning of the Tenth Plan as 28 lakh habitations These are so on account of a number of factors like - Sources going dry or lowering of the ground water table - Sources becoming quality affected - Systems outliving their lives - Systems working below rated capacity due to poor operation and maintenance - Increase in population resulting in lower per capita availability - Emergence of new habitations According to the data received from State Governments based on a survey undertaken in 2000216968 habitations are affected due to a variety of water quality problems consists of excess fluoride 31306 excess arsenic 5029 excess salinity23495 excess iron118088 excess nitrate 13958 and multiple quality problems 25092

The Govemment of India has decided that under Bharat Nirman names of habitations would have to be provided by State Governments for availing funds from Government of India This would give maximum transparency to the programme State Governments would be required to place the habitations proposed for coverage and covered on this site in course of time

The scheme is funded on a 50 basis by the Gol and expenditure ofRsA050 crores is expected for the current year The actual requirement will be worked out based on the names of habitations supplied by the states and funded

34 Telephone

Goal Every village to be connected by telephone remaining 66822 villagesto be covered by November 2007

17

The Department of Telecom in the Ministry of Communications and Infonnation Technology has the responsibility of providing telephone cOlmectivity to the 66822 villages that remain to be covered

The resources for implementation of universal services obligation are raised through a Universal Service Levy which has presently been fixed at 5 of the adjusted gross revenue of all telecom service providers except the pure value added service providers like internet voice mail e-mail service providers The rules also make a provision for the Central Government to give grants and loans to the Fund The balance to the credit of the Fund does not lapse at the end of the financial year usa Fund assigns the task of providing Village Public Telephones (VPTs) on the basis of bids through open tender and in this case the work has been assigned to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd Out of the 66822 villages identified connectivity in 14183 remote and far-flung villages will be provided through digital satellite phone tenninals From the USOF assistance is provided for both capital expenditure as well as operational expenditure It is estimated that a total sum of Rs451 crore would be required to provide VPTs in these 66822 villages and the entire sum will be met out of USOF and no separate allocation from Government would be required

As an additional incentives telecom service providers are being assisted through the USOF to penetrate into the rural areas for the following activities - Maintenance of existing village public telephones (VPTs) - Provision of an additional mral community phone in villages with a population of more

than two thousand and where no public call office exists - Replacement of village public telephones installed on Multi Access Radio Relay

(MARR) technology - Telephone lines installed in household in specified rural areas

Rural teledensity will be significantly enhanced during the period of Bharat Nirman

The Government is committed to expanding mral connectivity through a slew of measures so that rural users can access information of value and transact business This will include cOlmecting block headquarters with fibre optic network using wireless technology to achieve last mile connectivity and operating information kiosks through a partnership of citizens panchayats civil society organizations the private sector and Government

35 Irrigation

Goal J 0 million hectares (J 00 lakhs) of additional irrigation capacity to be created by 2009

The Ministry of Water Resources in collaboration with State Governments is responsible for creation of additional 10 million hectares of irrigation capacity by the year 2009 through major medium and minor irrigation projects complemented by ground water development

18

The ultimate irrigation potential for the country has been estimated as 140 million hectare (Mba) which include potential through Major and Medium irrigation projects (5846 Mha) surface water based minor irrigation schemes (1754 Mha) and ground water development (6400 Mha) So far the irrigation potential of 10277 Mha has already been created However the created potential has not been fully utilized and the gap between created and utilized potential has been estimated to be of the order of 17 Mha

351 Major and Medium Irrigation (MMI) Proj ects

For the country as a whole 66 of the ultimate irrigationpotential of major and medium projects has been created 477 Major and Medium irrigation projects have spilled over to Xl In addition the States have proposed 223 Major and Medium projects and 86 ERM projects during XI Plan An outlay of Rs 30670 crore has been provided for the new proj ects in the XI Plan

So far 173 major and medium 4169 minor and 21 Extension Renovation and Modernization (ERM) projects have been provided Central Loan Assistance under Accelerated Irrigation benefit Programme (AIBP) The potential creation through projects supported under AIBP has been found to be 035 Mha per year with about 047 Mha per year in the last two years As per existing Plan the projected creation of irrigation potential through AIBP is 050 Mba per year in the remaining period of X Five Year Plan

The average rate of creation of irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects from 1951 to 1997 has been found to be of the order of 051 Mha per year During the year 1997 to 2005 the rate for creati n has been found to be 092 Mah per year The pace of creation of new irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects has increased in the recent past This is due to fruition of projects started much earlier which have been expedited due to increased support through AIBP

The projects for extension renovation and modernization (ERM) of major and medium irrigation schemes are also being implemented with arrangement similar to that for completion of ongoing major and medium schemes The implementation of ERM projects along with Command Area Development and Water Management (CAD and WM) help in sustaining the created facilities and in improving the utilization

35 2 Minor Irrigatioll Schemes

There is considerable variation in creation of ilTIgation potential through minor irrigation (both surface and ground water) schemes from State to State While full potential through minor irrigation has been tapped in some of the States it is relatively very low in others

19

Minor irrigation through surface water covers water sources (tanks and small reservoirs) with a culturable command area (CCA) of less than 2000 ha About 70 of the ultimate potential through surface water based minor irrigation schemes has since been created The Report of the National Commission for Integrated Water Resources Development points out that the carrying capacity of tanks has decreased over time for a variety of reasons and that the restoration and renovation of tanks and other local sources is a priority task

Since 2004-05 a pilot scheme for repair renovation and restoration of water bodies directly linked to agriculture has been taken up by the Government as a state-sector scheme in the 16 districts of the country which is proposed to be expanded

353 Ground Water Development

From the surveys conducted for estimation of availability and status of ground water the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has identified areas that are over-exploited (where exploitation is more than natural recharge of ground water) and areas that are critical or dark (where draft is between 70 to 100 of the natural recharge ofground water) The recent survey indicates that out of 7414 identified units (blockstalukaswatershed) 471 are Overexploited and 318 are Critical or Dark units Thus less than 11 of the total units fall under the category of over-exploited and critical The ultimate irrigation potential to be created is based on the assessed replenishable groundwater after duly accounting for the domestic and industrial uses (about 10) It has been assessed that ground water is still available for utilization in many parts of the country particularly in the eastern parts of the country Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and in specific pockets of Andhra Pradesh Kamataka Maharashtra and Jammu amp Kashmir In Punjab Haryana Rajasthan Gujarat and Tamil Nadu the rechargeable quantum of ground water has been exceeded and mining of static reserves has commenced This reinforces the need to take urgent steps to increase recharge and conservation

354 Targets under Bharat Nirman

Sl No Component Target I Completion of ongoing Major amp medium Irrigation

Projects 42Mha

II Minor irrigation schemes bull Surface water 10 Mha bull Ground Water 18 Mha

10Mha l8Mha

28Mha

III Enhancing utilization of completed projects bull ERM of major amp medium projects bull Repair renovation and restoration of water bodiesERM of minor irrigation schemes

lOMha 10Mha

20Mha

IV Ground water development in area with unutilized ground water potential (for benefit of small and marginal farmers and Tribals amp Dalits) -

lOMba

20

Creation of potential of 1 Mha through ground water development in areas with unutilized ground water potential would primarily benefit small and marginal farmers who are mostly tribals dalits and weaker sections of society The scheme envisages full involvement of Panchayati Raj Institutions in implementation of the schemes

36 Housing

Goal 60 lakh houses to be constructed for the rural poor by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development through the IndiraAwaas Yojana undertakes this activity as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme where the cost is shared between the Centre and States on 7525 basis

The 2001 Census places the rural housing shortage figure ~n India at around 1491akhs Construction of 60 lakh houses over the next four years across the country is envisaged starting from 2005-06 to address a significant portion of this backlog

The criteria adopted for allocation of financial resources between the StatesUTs give greater emphasis to the states with higher incidence or shelterlessness 75 weightage is given to housing shortage and 25 to the poverty ratios prescribed by the Planning Commission for State-level allocations For district-level allocations 75 weightage is given again to housing shortage and 25 to SCST population of the districts concerned Grant assistance is provided to the extent of Rs 25000 per house for normal middot areas and Rs 27500 for hilly areas Funds are released to the DRDAs in two installments

Implementation guidelines of the scheme specifically target the rural below poverty line (BPL) households The respective Gram Sabha does the selection of beneficiaries from the BPL list and no higher approval is required The guidelines also clearlY Specify that the house allotment should be in the name of the female member of the family as a first priority While seeking to empower the rural women the scheme also provides priority to physically and mentally challenged persons exservicemen widows and freed bonded labourers It is stipulated that at least 60 of the beneficiaries should belong to the SCST communities TheIAY scheme also lays emphasis on sanitation and health by incorporating the cost of a sanitary latrine and smokeless chulah into the per unit grant provided to the beneficiary for constructionlupgradation of the dwelling unit

21

CHAPTER IV

WATER SECTOR ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN BHARAT NIRMAN PLAN

Water resource is a vital input in the development endeavours of the country Its finite availability and ever increasing demand in every sector have aggravated the problem manifold in case of India The requirement of faster development in irrigation water supply industrial use flood protection is evident assuming the future scenario Bharat Nirman Plan has rightly stressed on the irrigation and water supply where as the other sectors requirement is to be redressed with equal priority for the sustainable development of India

The water sector is grappled with the following Issues

Irrigation development Command area development amp Catchment area treatment Creation of storages Conunctive use of surface and ground water Efficiency improvement in distribution system Bridging the gap between irrigation potential created and potential utilised Flood Management

41 Irrigation Development

In India with the constitution of the Planning commission in 1950 and the advent of planning process in the first five year plan (1951-56) the country launched a major irrigation programme A number of multipurpose and major projects such as Bhakra Nangal Nagarjunasagar Kosi Chambal Hirakund Kakrapar and Tungbhadra were taken up Simultaneously minor irrigation schemes including ground water were given emphasis under the Agricultural Sector along with financial assistance from the Centre

During the period of Second Five Year Plan (1956-61) Third Five Year Plan (1961-66) and the Three Annual Plans (1966-69) irrigation programmes continued with addition of new projects During the Fourth Five Year Plan (1969-74) the emphasis was shifted to the completion of ongoing projects integrated use of surface and ground water adoption of efficient management techniques and modernization of existing schemes However new projects continued to be added

During the fifth Plan (1974-79) command Area Development Programme Was launched as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with the objective of reducing the lag between potential created and optimum utilization of available land and water Initially 60 major and medium proj ects were covered with a CCA of 15 Mha

22

During the Annual Plans of 1978-80 and the Sixth Five Year Plan ( 1980-85) new starts continued and at the end of Seventh Plan there were as many as 182 major and 312 medium ongoing proj ects requiring an estimated amount of Rs 39044 crore at the 1990shy91 price level for their completion New starts were therefore restricted considerably and greater emphasis was laid on completion of projects which were in the advanced stages of completion (those with an expenditure of 75 per cent or more) This was continued during 1990-91 and 1991-92 Annual Plans VIII Plan (1992-97) and IX Plan (1997 -2000)

For speedy completion of ongoing projects in advance stage of construction Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) was launched in 1996-97 During VIII Plan period irrigation potential of 22 Mha was created under major and medium sector at an annual rate of 044 Mha per annum During IX plan period this increased to 412 Mha out of which 165 Mha (nearly 40) was through AIBP Renovation Modernisation and Rehabilitation of old irrigation schemes gained momentum Users participation in major and medium irrigation schemes received greater attention Repairs and improvemen to the minor irrigation projects as a part of integrated micro-development also received encouragement Similarly sprinkler and drip irrigation programmes and the conjunctive use of surface and ground water gained momentum The project completed along with minor irrigation and ground water development have created an estimated potential of about 10277 Mha by the end of the X Plan

Although plan expenditure on irrigation has increased from Rs44l 8 crore in the 1st Plan to Rs 9574342 crore (outlay) in the X plan the share in total plan expenditure has decreased from 23 in the 1st Plan to 63 in the X Plan

The created irrigation potential increased from 226 Mha (97 Mha through major amp medium and 129 Mha through minor irrigation) in preplan period to 102Mha (4235 Mha through major and medium and 6042 1Tha through minor including ground water schemes) upto the end of X Plan with an annual average growth of 14 Mha In the corresponding period the potential utilistion has been from 226 Mha period to 8100 Mha

411 Central Assistance under AIBP

During IX Plan period irrigation potential of 165 Mha was created through AIBP at an average rate of 033 Mha per annum During the first three years of X plan the potential creation in major and medium irrigation sector through AIBP is around 14 Mha 047 Mha per annum In spite of rationalizing completion schedule of projects under AIBP several projects are lying behind schedule It is desirable to work out realistic time frame and cost to completion for projects to be considered under AIBP It is pertinent to mention that the spirit of the programme ie completion of last mile projects should not get diluted in the enthusiasm of inclusion of large number of projects under this programme As reported by the state governments but of total 200 projects presently under AIBP 95 projects would be completed by the end of X plan

23

The Central Assistance under AIBP as loan and grant provided up to March 2006 is Rs 1943790 crore out of which Rs 1883010 crore has been provided in Major and Medium irrigation sector

Impact ofAIBP

Plan Potential Created (Mha) Contribution of AIBP(Mha) IX 410 165 ( 402) X 530 300 ( 566)

Keeping an eye over the future requirement the Working Group on Water Resources for the XI Five Year Plan has brought out several suggestions in order to expedite completion of the projects which is very very essential Some other issues relating irrigation sector were also addressed in addition to this The strategies adopted for XI Plan proposal are swnmarized as below

1 Ongoing projects which have already achieved 90 or more of the ultimate potential should be considered as completed~ Critically review all such projects which are having only marginal benefit left or are near impossible to complete because of various problems and declare them completed or curtailed or deleted The balance cost of the remaining projects should be updated realistically for consideration under XI plan

2 Inter-Se priority should be decided considering various aspects such as externally aided proj ects interstate proj ects proj ects benefiting drought prone or tribal areas etc as per the guidelines prepared by National Commission for integrated Water Resources Development Plan

3 High priority should be accorded to the Pre-seventh and Seventh Plan Projects for funding under AIBP with emphasis to complete these projects during XI Plan List of such projects is appended as Annex31 Fund allocation under AIBP should be enhanced for this purpose ifnecessary

4 Foremost priority should be given for completion of ongoing projects and new projects should be taken up very selectively keeping in view the necessity for removal of regional imbalances and development of drought prone and tribal areas

5 Since the fund requirement for mediumminor irrigation projects are less adequate fund may be made available for completion of these projects without jeopardizing programme for important major projects ERM Projects should be given due priority where the eroded potential can be restored with ~oderate expenditure

24

6 A separate budget head upto 15 of Plan fund may be provided as Irrigation Maintenance Fund (IMF) and full amount of irrigation revenue as collectged should be credited to IMF

7 In addition to liabilities of completed projects and provision for ongoing and new projects the State plan proposals should incorporate provisions for special repairs of existing irrigation systems dam safety measures improved water management and water development aspect encompassing survey and investigation research and development training and National Hydrology Project

8 Substantial higher outlay should be provided in Central Plan to bring out effective role in plan activities of the Central Institutions by way of suitably strengthening them and provide adequate funds for taking new initiatives under Central Plan

9 The existing regionalstate level institutions such as W ALMIs should be strengthened and brought into mainstream activities for irrigation management improvement

10 Dam safety measures should be taken up all over country which is very essential in the context of disaster Prevention and Management

11 The performance evaluation of completed projects needs to be continued for benchmarking and improvement in irrigation efficiency

In addition to above recommendations on Minor Irrigation Sector are gIven as follows

1 Renovation Restoration of old tanks as well as old diversion channels in hilly regions along with improving efficiency of the projects Besides surface lift schemes may also be given due consideration particularly in hilly regions for irrigating high terraces

2 Expansion of irrigation facilities through a time bound programme for exploiting the huge ground water potential in the Eastern Region

3 Promotion of Micro Irrigation system in Water deficit areas 4 Promotion of Ground Water Development in areas haaving untapped unutilized

potential 5 National rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) may be linked with minor

irrigation Ground Water Development 6 A comprehensive act for regulation and development of ground water on

sustainable basis both in public and private sector

42 Command Area Development

In respect of command area development works for performance improvement-of the projects the working group has recommended the following recommendations for consideration

25

(a) Central funding for CAD works may be enhanced from present level of 5050 to 7525 for all the States while for states of North eastern Region and Hilly Special Category States the funding may be 90 from Government of India For software activities like trainings adaptive trials demonstrations monitoring and evaluation etc 100 Central funding may be considered in place of the existing pattern of 75 25 between the Centre and the States Funds can be directly given to W ALMIs and other State Central agencies for carrying out such activities

(b) It is proposed to increase the functional grant from Rs 600 per ha to Rs 1000 per ha which is to be shared in the ratio ofRs 675225100 between the centre State and the farmers while keeping all cost norms unchanged The State Governments may also be allowed to raise fund for its share through institutional funding or public borrowings through bonds on the pattern of Krishna Bhagya Nigam of Karnataka Government

(c) As per the existing system of release of Central Assistance the funds are transferred to the pool of State Finance Department which in tum releases funds to the implementing departments This procedure is not amenable for timely availability of the funds to the CADAs Therefore direct funding to CADAs from the Ministry in a mission mode can be considered to alleviate this problem For instance the Ministry of rural Development has a system of direct release of Central share of funds to the District Rural Development Authorities (DRDA) Jilla Parishads for implementing the schemes of the Central Ministry

(d) To ensure optimum utilization of created irrigation potential the CADWM should be made a part of the new major and medium projects

(e) Formation of WUAs under PTh1 Act is mandatory for implementation of CADWM programme Transition time of 2 years (upto the end of financial year 2008-09) may be allowed to those States which have not enact~d their PIM Acts so far Further relaxation may be only be allowed with the approval of CCEA

(f) WUAs should be involved in planning budgeting implementation and management of irrigation systems to be transferred to them There is a need to enforce a regime whereby farmers pay the water rates to meet the OampM expenditure rates Conditions of reforms should be imposed before handing over the projects to WUAs

(g) Volumetric supply of irrigation water to WUAs should be introduced

(h) Reputed NGOs with requisite skills may be involved for promotion of WUAs Rehabilitation of Canal Systems and Water Management for at least 2-3 years The estimated expenditure of Rs 600-800 per ha on account of this may be provided by the central government in the form of grant

(i) Autonomy of WUAs should be maintained in regard to Water Management However there may be linkages with Panchayati Raj Institutions through cross representation It may be considered to provide support to W ALMIs Agriculture Universities and reputed NGOs for improved water management at micro level It may also be considered to provide incentives for activities ofWUAs

26

(j) The WUAs should include women members from the land owning holding house holds in the Command Area irrespective of their ownership of the land

(k) Periodic evaluation of CAD Projects should be undertaken and suitable corrective measures may be taken if necessary

(1) Components for reclamation of waterlogged areas as well as correction of conveyance deficiencies with enhanced scope may be implemented to cover all the projects in the country details of which could be approved in consultation with expert organizations such as CWC CSSRI CGWB etc

(m) Water Resources Irrigation Departments need to undertake assessment periodically (at least once in 5 years) to determine the training needs at different levels of personnel deployed in water resources development and management Facilities available for capacity building are to be considered instead of establishing new training centres There has to be networking of existing training facilities so that training will be effective and economical It is desirable to have a separate scheme for training and capacity building for State Governments as well as central Government

43 Creation of Storage

Creation of storages is of prime importance in order to avoid severe domestic crisis on water issues As per the estimates given in the working group report there is a need of approximately live storage of around 450 km3

Major amp Medium Projects (Existing) -213 KJ13

Major amp Medium Projects (Under construction) -76 KM3 Minor Storages (Existing amp Under construction) -70 KM3 Total Live Storages in projects existing and under construction - 359 Km3

Likely loss in Live storage due to sedimentation upto 2050 which has to be compensated for -53 Km3 (say) Balance available live storage from the above in 2050 - 306 Km3 say 300 Km3

Therefore further new live storage to be created to have a live storage of 450 Km3 by 2050 is 150Km3

For creation the needed storage in addition to the present way of envisaging attention has to be paid to changing popUlation dynamics changing pattern of human settlements climatic change causing change in pattern of spatial and temporal variation in rainfall deterioration in water quality etc

44 Conjunctive Use of surface and ground water

Conjunctive use of surface and ground water can address the situation in two ways by decreasing the dependence on a single source and the quality of the available waterThis will reduce the chance of desalination as well Working group has suggested for the conjunctive use of middotgood quality water and saline seawater which will be helpful in reducing the cost of water requirement for irrigation

27

45 Efficiency improvement in the distribution system as well as in field

Deficiencies of the irrigated agriculture in India have been a cause of concern and a huge amount of thinking and analysis ha been done to devise ways and means to improve it The Working Group has recommended some important recommendations in this matter

1 Standardized definitions of irrigation efficiencies need to be evolved for use in India after reviewing available material All water resources of a basin form a unified resource and hence the basin efficiency concept which integrates all surface water and ground water uses as well as reuse and recirculation is important The basin efficiency also needs to be estimated along with project related efficiencies

2 Conjunctive use of water to be given higher priority particularly in alluvial areas as a very effective means of improving water use amp basin efficiency and of saving possible water logging and salination For givin an encouragement to conjunctive use irrigation Act may be amended if req ired The policy of favoring selective lining of canals should be continued LD ater allowances and somewhat inadequate conveyance capacities lead to be r efficiencies and less water loggingrelated problems These need to be encouraged

3 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Water Csers Associations (WUAs) should include a standard clause which binds the users to effective conjunctive use of surface and ground water On rising of gro nd water table the MOW should allow the department to cut the surface water supply

4 Where there are minor irrigation tanks minor urface lifts etc middotin the command these should be integrated with major project works and not be treated as separate entity Such tanks should be filled with cfulals water as per requirement Also such works will allow reuse of the seeped wateT

5 Each major irrigation system authorities should annually prepare the water budget accruing for all water stored or diverted all losses all reuse of lost waters estimated evaporation etc

6 Sufficient funds for operation and maintenance work to be provided Creation of Irrigation Maintenance Corporation as provided in the irrigation management policy is considered so that a linkage between revenues from water and OampM funds is established Water rates may accordingly be increased in a phased manner

7 Priority may be assigned toERM schemes for projects where water distribution systems are to be handed over to WUAs Where total ERM scheme is not contemplated one time maintenance deferred maintenance of a project may be allowed as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance of a project may be allowed

28

as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance budget to be decided in consultation with the farmers and walk through survey to assess what is appropriate and achievable within the available fund

8 All the schemes more than 25 years old should be studied in details to bring out the status of schemes in respect of structural safety and performance and ERM schemes may be formulated and taken up based on such studies

9 Drip sprinklers are mostly for horticulture vegetable crops (and surgarcane) in the present major and medium surface irrigation system These may be encouraged for other crops also Any compulsion for a particular cropping pattern needs to be removed whenever WUAs are formed amp volumetric water rates come into practice Use of sprinkler or drips or rotational surface supplies requires additional on farm storage (either as dug out ponds or elevatged storage with pump) This becomes essential since supply rotates are 10 daily or fortnightly whereas drips amp sprinkler require daily or 1 in 2 days operation Such storage creation needs to be within the ambit of subsidies for drips and sprinklers

10 As automation is a costly affair it is to be adopted for pilot schemes and not for larger area However preferably this should be introduced for conjunctive use of ground water and not always for surface water

The group has also recommended the concept of Target Efficiency of the water delivery system timely and equitable distribution ohvater increasing production per unit area and per unit volume of water used and financial sustainability of the water delivery infrastructure

46 Bridging the gap between the Potential created and potential utilised

There may be various reasons for increase in the gap between potential creation and potential utilized Some ofthese are

a likely over estimation and double counting of potential creation and inaccuracies discrepancies in reporting of potential utilized

b Loss of potential due to siltation in reservoirs ponds etc and deterioration of water distribution system

c Time gap between potential creation and command area development

d Assumption of optimistic cropping pattern in economic analysis and deviation in cropping pattern as compared to that envisaged during planning

e Over-drawl of water in head reaches depriving potential utilization by tail enders

f Unused canal flow during night hours

29

l

It is desirable to introduce more reliable and accurate system of assessment for potential created and utilized There should be a coordinating statistical organization in each State for reporting the figures of potential created and utilized The Remote Sensing Technique can also be effectively utilized for counter verification of figures reported The loss in potential due to siltation ageing of various distribution systems etc needs to be periodically assessed and accounted

The productivity of irrigated crop as assumed in economic analysis often seem to be optimistic and are not based on experience of nearby irrigation projects Use of water for irrigation and selection of crops have been left to the discretion of users farmers The adverse consequences of such freedom have been manifested as water logging in some commands Somewhere overexploitation of ground -vater has been leading to progressive fall in ground water level It is therefore necessary that a regulatory mechanism is brought into practice by which undesirable or unsuitable crops are discouraged and tendency to over use of irrigation water is c~ecked Similarly in areas where ground water is being used for irrigation a regulatory mechanism should be in place to deter over exploitation of ground water beyond allOvable limit

Sometimes apprehension of scarcity of water and non availability of water when needed also lead to over withdrawal by head end users Since extra tion of ground water is costly farmers tend to take water more than their requirements when that is available through canals Higher cost of ground water is primarily because of cost of power required for lifting of water In case source of solar power is created for lifting of water the cost of ground water will get substantially reduced This may facilitate and give farmers option to use surface water and ground water thom any extra cost Once this option is available and known to farmers that they are aware that use of more water than the optimal requirement is likely to reduce the yield certainly there would be reductionin

overdraw of water by head enders Thus there is a need to extend u~er friendly system and increase awareness and cooperation among farmers through Participatory Irrigation Management Water Users Associatiortsneed to be empowered to look into these aspects Further the piped distribution system and micro irrigation should be adopted as far as possible

In India night imgation is not practiced in general As a result waters flowing in canals during night hours either pass unutilized or wasted on account of uncontrolled flooding It is desirable that the night irrigation is introduced in policy and practice

47 Flood Management

In regard to flood management the strategies recommended are given here under

(a) Undertake construction of dams and reservoir schemes with adequate flood cushion for long term solution of flood problems Efforts should also be made for utilizing the existing reservoirs in the country for flood moderation to the extent

30

possible Even in Reservoirs constructed for power other purposes the rule curves may be framed in such way that effective flood moderation is achieved

(b) Flood Forecasting and flood warning network of ewe be extended and integrated with similar networks of the state governments so as to get real time information at a central point say in central flood control room under FMO ewe This activity should be extended to cover rivers originating from or flowing to the neighbouring countries

( c) To take up development of digital elevation model of flood prone areas for taking up schemes for inundation forecast preparation of flood risk maps planning of flood management schemes etc

(d) Identification of appropriate location for breaching spiling sections in the flood embankment for the controlled flooding of the protected areas for restoring fertility recharge of soil moisture and ground water

( e) Integrating flood management schemes with other infrastructural development programmes in the sectors of roads railways inland waterways and canal command area development works as well as recently declared Rural Employment Guarantee Programme

(f) Watershed management in the hilly catchmentgs of the rivers ongmating in Nepal Bhutan and hilly areas of India should be selectively chosen and funded fully Implementation should be done through a joint mechanism Ministry of Agriculture who is the nodal Ministry for the watershed management works should work out a detailed program in consultation with the Ministry of Water Resources

(g) To give adequate emphasis on the operation and maintenance (OampM) of the flood protection measures already created a percentage of outlay of the flood sector should be earmarked for this purpose

(h) Raising and strengthening of the existing embankments if required after detailed studies of hydrological morphological topographical and developmental aspects to stabilize the benefits of these measures

(i) Natural swamps and lakes to be developed into detention basins and capacity of existing depressions be improved for absorbing flood waters Special drives for development of Tal and Diara areas

G) Erosion of land either by sea or rivers to be minimized through suitable cost effective measures

(k) Flood proofing program such as raised platform and quick drainage facilities to be taken up in a)l the flood prone states

31

(1) Drainage improvement in critical areas in the country to be given priority

(m) Dredging at selective locations ie outfalls etc in the rivers and the tributaries as a way to reduce flood levels in low-lying areas and help in quick drainage

(n) Encourage RampD activities for improved flood management

(0) To encourage peoples participation

(p) To expedite projects peaks

on interlinking of rivers for helping in attenuating flood

(q) Steps to ensure implementation of action plan prepared by NDMA for flood management should be taken

(r) On-going schemes of earlier plans be completed expeditiously All the on going schemes spilling over to the XI Plan in which at least 50 execution has taken place should get first priority on fund allocation during the XI Plan

(s) The cost for flood component in a multi-purpose water resources development projects as a long-term solution to flood problem should be funded by Government of India

(t) Maintenance of existing flood management works to optimize its benefits

32

48 Achievement in irrigation during the two years of the Bharat Nirman Plan

The statewise achievement in two years ending on September 2006 is given below It shows that 2183776 thousand hectare has been added to the irrigation potential A daunting task still left to be achieved in coming two years

thF19ures are III ousand h ec ares t

I

i rOo

rarget bull Major amp Aebievements upSI No

States UrsName MinorMedium Total to September

Irrigation Irrigation 2006 r i

1 Andhra Pradesh 44127 112523 156649 302065

2 Arunachal Pradesh 00 2239 2239 4 777 3 Assam 303 4275 7306 3314

4 Bihar 41399 12858 169979 279451 5 Chhattisgarh 4435 14668 19103 65661

6 Goa 2442 26 2702 1224 7 Gujarat 94573 00 945 73 255224

8 Haryana 3373 241 5783 33301 9 Himachal Pradesh 3091 4691 7788 8842

10 lharkhand 8122 25314 33436 15 701 11 Jammu amp Kashmir 1801 9254 11055 14847

12 Karnataka 26282 124 38682 11131 13 Kerala 1609 2168 3777 15856

14 Madhya Pradesh 61172 162 77372 8138 15 Maharashtra 465 31 35651 82181 9313

16 Manipur 5195 155 6745 0 17 Meghalaya 00 1493 1493 2073

18 Mizoram 00 1096 1096 0628 19 Nagaland 00 1612 1612 259

20 Orissa 19899 13295 33194 3266 21 Punjab 4034 2056 609 68755

22 Rajasthan 37974 401 41984 26459 23 Sikkim 00 703 703 08

24 Tamil Nadu 00 2355 23 55 16461 25 Tripura 2689 5429 8118 6327 26 Uttar Pradesh 82516 15208 977 24 464 372 27 Uttranchal 00 3829 3829 34 967

28 West Bengal 13567 56384 69951 346

29 Andman amp Nicobar Island 00 033 033 0

30 Pondicherry 00 275 275 0 ~-

Total 2183766507867 479958 987826

I

L 33

------------------~------

The achievements are up to March 2006 only The progressachievement of 2006-07 was under compilationscrutiny in ewe at the time of preparation of this document

The figures for states ofKerala and Rajasthan pertain to the achievement of whole year 2006-07 and for the State of Uttar Pradesh the achievement is up to December2006

49 Conclusions

Water sector development encompasses multidisciplinary considerations There is no scope of overlooking any sector while giving priority to any sector or sectors The integrated planning is the only possible way to tackle the water resources development The participatory approach is the key for its sustainability Bharat middot Nirman Plan of Government of India by setting up goals for the period of four years is a boost to the already existing schemes in different ministries Irrigation and public water supply is the basic components of development have been rightly considered in the Bharat Nirman Plan The ambitious project has already traveled through a span of two years and has achieved some part of the goals The balance part has to be done with equal fervor The recent modification in AlBP norms is the evidence of the governmental zeal in achieving the goals For the continuance of the food sufficiency the irrigation development is the feasible quick solution The component of Irrigation in Bharat Nirman is thus a huge help for the required development in the water sector

34

Page 6: ROLE OF WRD&M IN BHARAT NIRMAN DURING WRD 2007

the time of independence has gone upto 10277 Mha by March 2006 The irrigation potential utilised presently stands at 8556 Mha The growth in irrigation sector has contributed significantly to the rise in food production from 51 Million Tonnes at the time of independence to the present level of 21 0 Million Tonnes This has resulted in the country becoming self sufficient in food production

As much as 52 percent rise in food grain production can be attributed to increase in irrigated area Productivity of irrigated lands in India ranges from around 15 tonnes per ha to 40 tonnes per ha for cereal crops compared to achievable target of about 5 to 6 tonnes per ha Though productivity in irrigated areas has increased such increases are still way below the world standards and of developing countries like China and Brazil With rise in population and industrialization putting pressure on land it is expected that cultivated area will stabilize at 140-145 Mha As irrigated agriculture is more productive than rainfed agriculture to meet the countries future needs of food and fibre it is imperative to bring more area under irrigation

At present irrigation sector consumes as much as 83 of available water resources With the demand from other sectors rising at a faster pace the availability of water for irrigation would reduce It is therefore necessary to improve the performance of existing system Higher degree of efficiencies in the management of water use in irrigation sector is required to be achieved to sustain production of crops Irrigation efficiency should be improved from the present average of about 35-40 per cent to the maximum achievable ie around 60 per cent Wherever water is scares if economically advantageous deficit irrigation may be practiced Water intensive crops such as sugarcane and paddy should be discouraged in the areas of water scarcity

132 Creation of storages

Severe spatial and temporal vanatlOns in rainfall promptedthat creation of storages be given due priority within the overall plan for water resources development The successive Five-year Plans initiated after independence therefore laid significant

emphasis on creation of storages that resulted in many remarkable achievements Many major medium and minor water resources projects have been constructed during these last six decades and India today with about 4050 completed large dams and 475 are under various stages of construction ranks third in the world after China and USA in terms of number of large dams All these projects have resulted in increasing the live storage capacity from 156 BCM at the time of independence to 282 BCM including 57 BCM from minor irrigation schemes of surface water now Storages held in these dams are insurance against the vagaries of nature Proj ects under construction are likely to add another 64 BCM while 108 BCM is to be contributed by the projects under contemplation

Even after such relentless persuasion to create more storages till date the present level of development on the country in terms of creation oflive storages is only just more than 11 of the average annual water resources potential of the country The level of creation of storages in India is decisively lower compared to some other nations in the

4

world The per capita storage in the country which is about 275 m3 is way below the storage achieved in many of the countries such as Russia (6103 m Australia (4733 m Brazil (3145 m United States (1964 m Turkey (1739 m Spain (1410 m Mexico middot

3(1245 m China (1111 m ) and South Africa (753 m3) and there is an urgent need to

vigorously pursue the case for creating storages wherever feasible given its projected rise in population urbanization amp industrialization

133 Urban amp Rural Water Supply

The National Water Policy 2002 gives over riding priority to drinking water over other uses The objective of any water supply scheme is to supply safe and clean water in adequate quantity and as economically as possible Lot of effluent or wastewater is generated in domestic sector which flows back untreated to the already shrinking water bodies Groundmiddotwater is also getting contaminated In development of water resources for domestic use the middot most important and challenging issue is that of sustainability of resource and quality With population growth and rise in urbanization the demand for treated water for domestic use is increasing rapidly

About 92 of urban population has been covered by safe drinking water Drinking water requirement of most of mega cities are met from reservoir of irrigation or multi-purpose schemes existing nearby and even by long distance transfer The rural habitations have been provided access to the safe drinking water from hand pumps and stand posts and about as well as mini and regional piped water supply schemes More than 85 percent of rural water supply is ground water based and consumes about 5 percent of the total annual replenishable ground water

134 Development in Power sector

Another important developing sector of economy using substantial quantity of water is power sector and therefore water resources is an integral component for the development of power sector in India Coil oil gas and hydroelectric potential constitute the conventional sources for electricity in the country Of these coal-based thermal power plants and in some regions hydropower have been the mainstay of electricity generation Presently the total installed capacity of the country is 128435 MW of which the thermal power accounts for 84234 MW which is 656 of the total installed capacity

Hydropower is a renewable economic non- polluting and environmentally benign source of energy Hydropower stations have the inherent ability for instantaneous starting stopping load variations etc and help in improving reliability of the power system Furthermore there is no fuel cost during the life of the station as hydropower generation is a non-consumptive use of water The benefits of hydropower as a clean environment friendly and economically attractive source of energy have now been sufficiently recognized The need for its accelerated development also comes from its capability of erihanced system reliability and economics of utilization of resources The

5

National Water Policy 2002 has accorded high priority to hydropower development only next to drinking water and irrigation water use in context to water allocation priorities

The total installed capacity in hydropower is 34110 MW ie 266 of the total installed capacity Only around 23 of the total hydropower potential (the total hydroelectric potential in the country is assessed as 84044 MW at 60 load factor which is equivalent to an installed capacity of 150000 MW) has been harnessed so far The combined installed capacity for nuclear and renewable sources is 10091 MW The share of hydropower in the overall energy mix needs to be boosted to achieve an ideal hydroelectric-thermal mix of 40 60

135 Flood Protection

Flood is one of the natural calamities that India faces almost every year in varying degree or magnitUde The frequent occurrence of flood can be attributed to various factors including wide variation in rainfall over time and space and inadequate carrying capacity of rivers The problems get accumulated due to silting bank erosion landslide poor natural drainage glacial lake outburst etc Indiscriminate development and encroachment of flood plain areas improper planning amp construction of roads railway lines etc have also been responsible for increase in flood damages Total flood prone area in the country as per the Report of Rashtriya Barh Aayog (RBA) of 1980 is 40 mha This has now been reassessed to 4536 mha On an average an area of 755 mha is affected by the floods every year and the average annual flood damage is Rs 1805 crore

A multi pronged strategy ranging from modifying the floods by means of structural measures toleaming to live with the floods by means of other non structural measures is well within pragmatic realism in flood management Measures for protection against extreme floods of low frequency are seldom economically feasible The term flood management may rationally be expected to refer to the provision of a reasonable degree of protection against floods by structural non structural measures to mitigate the recurring havoc caused by floods

After the disastrous floods experienced by the country in 1954 a National Programme of Flood management was launched During the five decades since then different methods of flood protection both long term and short term have been adopted in different States depending upon the nature of problem and local conditions The available information compiled from details furnished by the States relating to length of embankment and drainage channels indicates that 33929 km of embanlanents and 38810 km of drainage channels have been constructed In addition 2458 town protection works have been completed and 4716 villages raised above flood levels This have resulted in providing reasonable protection to an area of 1822 mha

Apart from the direct flood control works reservoirs with specific flood cushion have been constructed on the Damodar river to provide protection to areas in the downstream In addition storages constructed across Mahanadi (at Hirakud) Sutlej (at Bhakra) Chambal (at Gandhi sagar) Brahmani (at Rengali) and Tapi (at Ukai) as also a

6

number of other major and medium reservOIrs have helped greatly III reducing the intensity of flood and flood damages

In addition to the structural flood protection measures non-structural measures like flood forecasting and warning of incoming floods have also played significant role in reducing the loss of life and movable property apart from alerting the civil and engineering authorities in-charge of various works to take appropriate advance action to fight the onslaught of floods The Central Water Commission manages a major network of 173 such flood forecasting stations on inter-state rivers in 18 States The techniques of observation of hydrological and hydro-meterological data and their transmission to the forecasting station have been constantly under review for making necessary improvements to make the forecasts more accurate and also to give higher lead time On an average CWC is issuing 5619 flood forecasts with 9655 accuracy

136 Industrial Water Use

While at present the estimated water requirement for industrial water use is only around 8-12 BCM with urbanization and industrialization the water demand for industrial purposes is also slated to increase significantly Necessary measures to reduce the demand should be taken by adopting processes with minimum use of water recycle and re-use etc Tariff rates should be prescribed so that industries feel compelled to look into technological intervention leading reduced water requirement per unit production

137 Other Uses like Navigation Ecology Recreational activities etc

Navigable waterways in India comprising of river systems canals hackwaters creeks and tidal inlet extend to about 14500 kms Most waterways however suffer from navigational inadequacies such as shallow waters narrow width and bank erosion Moreover vertical and horizontal clearances at overhead structures are not adequate for navigation throughout the year Consequently at present about 5200 kms of major rivers and 485 kms of canals are considered suitable for mechanized crafts

In the earlier period with less of population and consequently less of related activities nature could cope with whatever damage was inflicted on the resources quickly restoring the balance But in recent times with the growth of population and its consequent activities the restorative capacity of nature and the environment is being continuously eroded affecting the quality of life on the planet Earth Ecology is now concerned not only with living elements but also with their interrelationships with society and culture Prevention of environmental degradation and degradation of the natural resources base is essential for sustainable development

The negative environmental consequences are caused due to deforestation soil erosion unplanned ildustrialization indiscriminate use of fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture drought floods water logging water pollution population growth large scale

7 -

poverty etc Glohal climatic change and atmospheric pollution could also have an impact on fresh water resources and their availability Protection enhancement and restoration of water quality and abatement of water pollution are necessary for providing not only safe drinking water and maintaining and improving human health but are also important for sustaining land quality agriculture and industrial production and for supporting the socio-economic growth as such

The need for water demand for ecological purposes including conserving the environment maintaining lean period flows aquatic life etc therefore needs to be worked out on scientific basis Allocation for this purpose should be made while considering the construction of new reservoirsstorages

Recreational facilities also sometimes contribute to a large extentmiddot in the development of economy at the micro level (of a particular localized area) through promotion of tourism The reservoir sites owing to their topographical as well as environmental advantage often become the hub of such recreational activities Besides a host of direct benefits water therefore plays a significant role in contributing indirectly to the growth of the nation through promotion of tourism employment generation etc

14 Future projected scenario 141 Assessment by Standing Sub-Committee

A Standing Sub-Committee for assessment of availability and requirement of water for diverse uses in the country constituted by the Ministry of Water Resources in its report (August 2000) assessed the requirements of water for various sectors as given in the Table-1 below

Table-I Water Requirement for Various Sector~

Sector Water Demand in Billion Cubic meter (BCM) 2000 2010 2025 2050

Irrigation 541 688 910 1072 Drinking Water 42 56 73 102 Industry 8 12 23 63 Energy 2 5 15 130 Others 41 52 72 80 Total 634 813 1093 1447

On the basis of the above assessment the Sub-Committee observed that against the total utilizable water resources of 1122 BCM the projected demand during the year 2025 and 2050 comes to around 1093 and 1447 respectively The scenario indicates water deficiency in the overall national perspective The deficiency may have to be managed by using the return flows from various uses which may be around 80 from domestic uses

8

~------------------------------------------------------ -----

ie 58 and 81 BCM in the year 2025 and 2050 respectively The return flow from irrigation sector may be around 10 ie 91 and 107 BCM in the year 2025 and 2050 respectively The return flow from industry sector is estimated to be 65 Besides water has to be made available through inter-basin transfer of river waters by 2050 The demand of industry and energy sector may be managed by reuse and recycling of return flows and reuse of water from treated wastewater Proper treatment of effluent to desired standards will have to be ensured to use the return flow in irrigation horticulture etc The water requirements of water deficit areas will be met by inter basin transfer of water from surplus basins after developing the untapped water resources

142 National Commission on Integrated Water Resources Development (NCIWRD)

The National Commission on Integrated Water Resources Development (NCIWRD) in its report (1999) has also assessed the water requirement for various purposes for different years and the demand of water is given in the Table-2 below

It would be observed that the assessment made by the National Commission for irrigation is relatively on lower side as compared to that estimated by the Standing SubshyCommittee In respect of other uses the estimate made by the National Commission is generally on a higher side The main reason for such variation in the estimate is the assumption made by the National Commission in respect of the overall improvement of irrigation efficiency The National Commission has assumed that the irrigation efficiency will gradually increase to 60 from the present level of 35 to 40 Considerable effort is required to achieve the objective middot of efficiency in water resource system and particularly in the irrigation system which is the major water consumptive sector

Table-2 Water Demand for Diverse Uses

Sl No

Total Water Use (in BCM) Uses Year

1997-98 Year 2010 Year 2025 Year 2050

Low High Low High Low High 1 Irrigation 524 543 557 561 611 628 807 2 Domestic 30 42 43 55 62 90 111 3 Industries 30 37 middot37 67 67 81 81 4 Power 9 18 19 31 33 63 70 5 Inland Navigation 0 7 7 10 10 15 15 6 Flood Control 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 Environment(1 )

Afforestati on 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

8 Env(2)Ecology 0 5 6 10 10 middot 20 20 9 Evaporation losses 36 42 42 50 50 76 76

Total 629 694 710 784 843 973 1180

9

middotIt is of paramount importance that the aim should be at reducing water requirement to the low demand scenario Taking into account the water availability and the requirement till the year 2050 the National Commission concluded that there is no need to take an alarmist view However three major considerations have to be kept in the forefront while formulating an integrated water policy and plan First the balance between the requirement and availability can be struck only if utmost efficiency is introduced in water use Second average availability at the national level does not imply that all basins are capable of meeting their full requirement from internal resources Third the issue of equity in the access to water between regions and between sections of population assumes greater importance in what is foreseen as a fragile balance between these and related problems of integrated water use planning in the context of supply and requirement of water estimated by the Commission middot

JO

CHAPTER II

ROLE OF WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT IN ASCERTAINING SOCIO-ECONOMIC GROWTH

Right from independence India has been developing atmiddot a very fast pace Consequently it is hardly any surprise that rapid urbanization through infrastructure development has been the key feature of the last few decades At the same time the steep rise in population hasresulted in a phenomenal increase in the demand for food and water supply Till now one of the potent solutions to these multi-faceted challenges has been creation of large storages to wither out the spatial cindtemporal variations The sector wise development which has changed the socio economic status of the country is analysed below

21 Agricultural Production

The direct relationship between food production and assured irrigation is so pronounced that it hardly requires any further explanation During independence the food production of the country was only a meager 50 million tones while the irrigation potential created was 22 m~llion ha By the tum of the century while the irrigation potential created has shot upto 10277 Mha thefood production has crossed 200 million tones If we concentrate over the states which have out performed in the food production like Punjab Haryana Gujarat Uttar Pradesh Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra West Bengal it is apparent that the large and medium water resources storage projects have played the key role Such remarkable achievement have been possible due to the fact that large areas of these States are being covered under assured irrigation

22 Domestic and Industrial Water Supply

The National Water Policy adopted by the Government of India in 2002 accords highest priority to drinking water supply The Vision document for Integrated Water Resources Development formulated by th~ Ministry of Water Resources in 2002 states that 92 of the urban popUlation and 97 of the rural population are having access to safe drinking water This achievement has been largely possible due to the significant contributions made by the large projects a few examples ofwhich are listed below

Delhi the capital of India which is situated on the banks of the Yamuna gets only a fraction of its needs from river Yamuna though situated on its banks The balance needs are met with releases from Bhakra and Ramganga pams The population of the city has grown from 14 million in 1951 to close to 14 million by 2001 Though in 1950s the entire water need of the city was possible to be met with from Jamuna (essentially the flows that were regenerated) this was soon not possible Ramganga and Bhakra waters had to be supplemented for meeting the

11

requirements Infact the releases from the Tehri Dam for the Sonia Vihar Water Treatment plant seems to be the only silver lining for the city plagued by water crisis particularly during the summer months Besides this allocation for drinking water supply t6 Delhi has also been provided in upcoming Renuka and Kishau dam Projects in Yamuna Basin for meeting the future needs

bull The entire water supply of Mumbai is dependant Vaitrana Upper Vaitama Tansa and Bhatsa

on a senes of dams like

bull The acute scarcity of water supply in Chennai is well known The states of Andhra Pradesh Maharashtra and Kamataka agreed to provide a part of their allocated share of Krishna water (to the extent of 15 TMC) for drinking water requirements of Chennai city

bull Water supply of Pune town in Maharashtra is Sagar) Khadakwasla dam and Temghar dam

met with from Panchet(Tangi

bull Hyderabad is mainly dependent on Himayatsagar Manjra and Singur Dams

its water supply from Osmansagar

bull The water supply for Bangalore city heavily depends on Cauvery Stage-I Stage-II and Stage-III projects

bull A sizeable number of cities having population more than one million as per the 2001 census are having their water demand met from several projects The prominent cities among them being Bhopal Indore Jabalpur Nagpur Nashik and Surat

In addition to above a major dam at Bisalpur had been constructed in Chambal Basin to provide water supply to Ajmer City besides towns of Beawar and Tonk in Rajasthan Warrangal town in Andhra Pradesh depends for water supply on Sriramsagar Dam Shillong water supply is to be ensured with a dam under construction in the North-East

The position of drinking water supply in various towns and villages has improved after the coming up of Bhakra and Beas Proj ects Cities of Delhi Chandigarh and town of Patiala and Ropar apart from numerous towns and villages in the states of Haryana and Rajasthan are getting their supply of drinking water from the canals fed by these projects

Drinking water supply for most of the cities and towns in the country are dependant on storages and diversions for the purpose proving the important fact that stored water distributed temporally as well as spatially serves the basic needs in a sustained manner for a sizeable population

12

Industrial water requirement though considerably low in comparison to agriculture and domestic water demand has its own share of importance Most of the industries require assured water supply for their effective performance It is therefore quite natural that the pr~sence of a large project capable of delivering assured water supply invariably boosts up the industrial development of the area Numerous examples may be cited to back the above contention however the more important ones are given below

For catering the needs of Bokaro Steel Plant a dam at Tenughat in the Damodar River Basin had to be constructed

bull Similarly a cluster of thermal and super-thermal stations in uP is entirely dependent on the water stored at Rihand Dam on a tributary of the Sone River in uP

bull For the Vishkhapatnam Steel Plant the water IS to be supplied from Yeleru Reservoir

bull As abundant and assured cooling water is available from Ukai reservoir a large thermal power station having installed capacity of 850 MW is also set up and commissioned at Ukai since 1975 Other huge industries like Essar Gujarat Reliance Petrochemicals KRlBHCO ONGC NTPC etc are direct beneficiaries from Ukai-Kakrapar project as regards industrial water supply

bull For the requirements of Udaipur and Chittor plants of Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL) Gosunda Dam was necessary This meets not only the needs of HZL but also the water-supply needs of Udaipur

Major industries getting water from Bhakra Canals are National Fertilizers Ltd Nangal Ropar Thermal Plant and C-Thermal Delhi besides numerous other small industrial units

23 Hydropower generation

The hydropower generated from the large projects like Bhakra-Nangal Hirakud Iddukki Ukai Srisailam Gandhisagar Rana Pratapsagar Jawaharsagar projects have not only provided middotcheap energy but also has immensely helped in meeting the peaking demands Thus there is not even an iota of doubt about the role played by these projects in improving the economy of their command area Infact hydropower being durable non-polluting and extremely cheap its viability as an effective mode of producing energy increases even further

It is often been contended by the social activists that the improvement in irrigation facilities and the resultant boom in food production is largely due to the minor irrigation and ground water irrigation schemes There is no point in denying the fact that the harnessing of minor irrigation as well as ground water irrigation facilities is equally

13

important in promoting food production but more often that not we ignore the power requirement for operating the pumps for lifting ground water In fact in the recent times one of the most debated issues have been providing free power to the farmers proving the importance of availability of cheap power to the agricultural community

24 Flood Control and Drought Mitigation

It wont be an overstatement to acknowledge the benefit offered by those large projects by providing the required cushion against the raging floods An estimation of the past 100 years will invariably indicate the astronomical damages that were inflicted on our country by the floods Even in the 21 st cenfliry after so much advancement we are often rendered helpless to the fury of floods particularly in the North-East where the protection upto the desired level is yet to be materialized Even then all the projects mentioned above like the Hirakud Bhakra-Nangal Ukai-Kakrapar Nagarjunasagar had given immense relief to the people of their command area by not only restricting the financial losses but at times even saving the loss of lives

The greatest inexplicable paradox of this countrys water resources scenario has been the co-existence of droughts and floods and the beauty of the large projects is that they have the capability to handle both the situations simultaneously and thus ironing out the erratic climatic behavior to a large extent The excess monsoon received in a particular year is being used by these projects to wonderful effect in another year facing paucity of rainfall

14

CHAPTER III

Bharat Nirman Plan (2005-2009)

Government of India in partnership with State Governments and Panchayat Raj Institutions has launched Bharat Nirman programme as a time-bound business plan for action in rural infrastructure for the span of four years (2005-2009) Under Bharat Nirman Plan action is proposed in the areas of irrigation road rural housing rural water supply rural electrification and rural telecommunication connectivity Specific targets are set to be achieved under each of these goals so that there is accountability in the progress of this initiative The goals in different sectors are as under

31 IClectricity

Goal Every village to be provided electricity remaining 125000 villages to be covered by 2009

The Ministry of Power has the responsibility of providing electricity to the remaining 125000 villages through the programme instrument of Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana In addition it will also provide 23 million households with electricity As per the Census of 2001 125000 villages remained uncovered To be able to achieve this objective Rural Electricity Distribution Backbone with at least a 33111 KV sub-station would be set up in each block at least one Distribution TransfOlmer in each habitation of every village or hamlet as Village Electrification Infrastructure Standshyalone grid with generation where grid supply is not feasible These Stand-alone grids would be set up in partnership with the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy also

Rural Electrification Corporation would be the agency for implementation The Mcmagement of Rural Distribution will be fioanchisees that could be Users Associations individual entrepreneurs Cooperatives Non-Governmental Organizations Panchayat Institutions Services of Central Services undertakings like National Them1al Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POClL) National Hydro Electric Power Corporation Limited (NHPC) and Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) will be made available for the execution of rural electrification projects These CPSUs have been allocated districts in each state wherein they will implement the rural electrification network

90 capital subsidy will be provided for overall cost of the projects under the scheme The capital subsidy for eligible projects under the scheme will be through the Rural Electrification Corporation Limited which will be the nodal agency Electrification of unelectrified below-poverty-line households will be financed with 100 capital subsidy at Rs1500 per connection in all rural habitations Others will be paying for the connections at prescribed connection charges and no subsidy will be made availableFor creation of village eIectrification infrastructure first priority will be given to unshy

15

electrified villages Preference for electrification will be given to Dalit Bastis Tribal settlements and habitations of weaker sections

32 Roads

Goal Every habitation over 1000 population andabove (500 in hilly and tribal areas) to be provided an all-weather road remaining 66802 habitations to be covered by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development has the responsibility of ensuring that every habitation over 1000 population and every habitation with more than 500 in hilly and tribal areas is connected with an all-weather road by 2009 This is expected to generate multiplier effects in the rural economy of linking production to markets and services This work which is being undertaken under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana since 2000 has been modified to address the above goals within the stipulated timeshyframeTo achieve the targets of Bharat Nirman 146185 Kms road length is proposed to be constructed by 2009 This will benefit 66802 unconnected eligible habitations in the country To ensure full farm-to-market connectivity it is also proposed to upgrade 194132 kms of the existing Associated Through Routes

A district and rural roads plan has been prepared listing out complete network of all roads in the district that has village roads major district roads state roads and national highways The concept of core network has been operationalised to focus on those set of roads which are considered essential to provid~ connectivity to all habitations of the desired size The Core Network is the basic in$trumentality for prioritization of construction and allocation of funds for maintenance Action has been initiated to develop GIS-based applications to further enhance the utility of the Core Network

The programme is implemented through a framework of consultation with public representatives ranging from the panchayat level up to Parlian1ent A Rural Roads Manual guides the implementation of the programme A separate Book of Specification and a Standard Data Book have been prepared As per this standard bidding documents are to be adopted by the states For MIS there is a computerized Online Management and Monitoring Accounting System

Approximately Rs48000 crores is proposed to be invested to achieve this objective 100 of the funds of this programme is being provided by the Central Government

33 Drinking Water

Goal Every habitation to have a safe source of drinking water 55067 uncovered habitations to be covered by 2009 In addition all habitations which have slipped back from full coverage to partial coverage due to failure of source and habitations which have water quality problems to be addressed

16

The Ministry of Rural Development Department of Drinking Water Supply is responsible for meeting this goal in partnership with State Governments The programme instrument of the Govemment of India is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme under implementation since 1972-73 which is funded on a 50 matching share basis between the Government of India and the State Government Since 1972 over 37 lakh hand pumps and l5 lakh pipe water supply systems have been set up to provide safe water to over 15 lakh habitations in the country at a cost of over Rs 50000 crore The norms which are fixed to achieve the goal are - 40 litres per capita per day (lpcd) of safe drinking water for human beings - 30 Ipcd additional for cattle in the Desert Development Programme Areas - One hand pump or stand post for every 250 persons - The water source should exist within 16 km in the plains and within 100 metres

elevation in the hilly areas

The backlog for coverage is under estimation based on a habitation survey for the categories of uncovered villages slipped- back villages and villages affected with a problem of water quality 55067 villages remain uncovered and are targeted for coverage as first priority The category of slipped-back villages estimated by the Planning Commission at the beginning of the Tenth Plan as 28 lakh habitations These are so on account of a number of factors like - Sources going dry or lowering of the ground water table - Sources becoming quality affected - Systems outliving their lives - Systems working below rated capacity due to poor operation and maintenance - Increase in population resulting in lower per capita availability - Emergence of new habitations According to the data received from State Governments based on a survey undertaken in 2000216968 habitations are affected due to a variety of water quality problems consists of excess fluoride 31306 excess arsenic 5029 excess salinity23495 excess iron118088 excess nitrate 13958 and multiple quality problems 25092

The Govemment of India has decided that under Bharat Nirman names of habitations would have to be provided by State Governments for availing funds from Government of India This would give maximum transparency to the programme State Governments would be required to place the habitations proposed for coverage and covered on this site in course of time

The scheme is funded on a 50 basis by the Gol and expenditure ofRsA050 crores is expected for the current year The actual requirement will be worked out based on the names of habitations supplied by the states and funded

34 Telephone

Goal Every village to be connected by telephone remaining 66822 villagesto be covered by November 2007

17

The Department of Telecom in the Ministry of Communications and Infonnation Technology has the responsibility of providing telephone cOlmectivity to the 66822 villages that remain to be covered

The resources for implementation of universal services obligation are raised through a Universal Service Levy which has presently been fixed at 5 of the adjusted gross revenue of all telecom service providers except the pure value added service providers like internet voice mail e-mail service providers The rules also make a provision for the Central Government to give grants and loans to the Fund The balance to the credit of the Fund does not lapse at the end of the financial year usa Fund assigns the task of providing Village Public Telephones (VPTs) on the basis of bids through open tender and in this case the work has been assigned to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd Out of the 66822 villages identified connectivity in 14183 remote and far-flung villages will be provided through digital satellite phone tenninals From the USOF assistance is provided for both capital expenditure as well as operational expenditure It is estimated that a total sum of Rs451 crore would be required to provide VPTs in these 66822 villages and the entire sum will be met out of USOF and no separate allocation from Government would be required

As an additional incentives telecom service providers are being assisted through the USOF to penetrate into the rural areas for the following activities - Maintenance of existing village public telephones (VPTs) - Provision of an additional mral community phone in villages with a population of more

than two thousand and where no public call office exists - Replacement of village public telephones installed on Multi Access Radio Relay

(MARR) technology - Telephone lines installed in household in specified rural areas

Rural teledensity will be significantly enhanced during the period of Bharat Nirman

The Government is committed to expanding mral connectivity through a slew of measures so that rural users can access information of value and transact business This will include cOlmecting block headquarters with fibre optic network using wireless technology to achieve last mile connectivity and operating information kiosks through a partnership of citizens panchayats civil society organizations the private sector and Government

35 Irrigation

Goal J 0 million hectares (J 00 lakhs) of additional irrigation capacity to be created by 2009

The Ministry of Water Resources in collaboration with State Governments is responsible for creation of additional 10 million hectares of irrigation capacity by the year 2009 through major medium and minor irrigation projects complemented by ground water development

18

The ultimate irrigation potential for the country has been estimated as 140 million hectare (Mba) which include potential through Major and Medium irrigation projects (5846 Mha) surface water based minor irrigation schemes (1754 Mha) and ground water development (6400 Mha) So far the irrigation potential of 10277 Mha has already been created However the created potential has not been fully utilized and the gap between created and utilized potential has been estimated to be of the order of 17 Mha

351 Major and Medium Irrigation (MMI) Proj ects

For the country as a whole 66 of the ultimate irrigationpotential of major and medium projects has been created 477 Major and Medium irrigation projects have spilled over to Xl In addition the States have proposed 223 Major and Medium projects and 86 ERM projects during XI Plan An outlay of Rs 30670 crore has been provided for the new proj ects in the XI Plan

So far 173 major and medium 4169 minor and 21 Extension Renovation and Modernization (ERM) projects have been provided Central Loan Assistance under Accelerated Irrigation benefit Programme (AIBP) The potential creation through projects supported under AIBP has been found to be 035 Mha per year with about 047 Mha per year in the last two years As per existing Plan the projected creation of irrigation potential through AIBP is 050 Mba per year in the remaining period of X Five Year Plan

The average rate of creation of irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects from 1951 to 1997 has been found to be of the order of 051 Mha per year During the year 1997 to 2005 the rate for creati n has been found to be 092 Mah per year The pace of creation of new irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects has increased in the recent past This is due to fruition of projects started much earlier which have been expedited due to increased support through AIBP

The projects for extension renovation and modernization (ERM) of major and medium irrigation schemes are also being implemented with arrangement similar to that for completion of ongoing major and medium schemes The implementation of ERM projects along with Command Area Development and Water Management (CAD and WM) help in sustaining the created facilities and in improving the utilization

35 2 Minor Irrigatioll Schemes

There is considerable variation in creation of ilTIgation potential through minor irrigation (both surface and ground water) schemes from State to State While full potential through minor irrigation has been tapped in some of the States it is relatively very low in others

19

Minor irrigation through surface water covers water sources (tanks and small reservoirs) with a culturable command area (CCA) of less than 2000 ha About 70 of the ultimate potential through surface water based minor irrigation schemes has since been created The Report of the National Commission for Integrated Water Resources Development points out that the carrying capacity of tanks has decreased over time for a variety of reasons and that the restoration and renovation of tanks and other local sources is a priority task

Since 2004-05 a pilot scheme for repair renovation and restoration of water bodies directly linked to agriculture has been taken up by the Government as a state-sector scheme in the 16 districts of the country which is proposed to be expanded

353 Ground Water Development

From the surveys conducted for estimation of availability and status of ground water the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has identified areas that are over-exploited (where exploitation is more than natural recharge of ground water) and areas that are critical or dark (where draft is between 70 to 100 of the natural recharge ofground water) The recent survey indicates that out of 7414 identified units (blockstalukaswatershed) 471 are Overexploited and 318 are Critical or Dark units Thus less than 11 of the total units fall under the category of over-exploited and critical The ultimate irrigation potential to be created is based on the assessed replenishable groundwater after duly accounting for the domestic and industrial uses (about 10) It has been assessed that ground water is still available for utilization in many parts of the country particularly in the eastern parts of the country Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and in specific pockets of Andhra Pradesh Kamataka Maharashtra and Jammu amp Kashmir In Punjab Haryana Rajasthan Gujarat and Tamil Nadu the rechargeable quantum of ground water has been exceeded and mining of static reserves has commenced This reinforces the need to take urgent steps to increase recharge and conservation

354 Targets under Bharat Nirman

Sl No Component Target I Completion of ongoing Major amp medium Irrigation

Projects 42Mha

II Minor irrigation schemes bull Surface water 10 Mha bull Ground Water 18 Mha

10Mha l8Mha

28Mha

III Enhancing utilization of completed projects bull ERM of major amp medium projects bull Repair renovation and restoration of water bodiesERM of minor irrigation schemes

lOMha 10Mha

20Mha

IV Ground water development in area with unutilized ground water potential (for benefit of small and marginal farmers and Tribals amp Dalits) -

lOMba

20

Creation of potential of 1 Mha through ground water development in areas with unutilized ground water potential would primarily benefit small and marginal farmers who are mostly tribals dalits and weaker sections of society The scheme envisages full involvement of Panchayati Raj Institutions in implementation of the schemes

36 Housing

Goal 60 lakh houses to be constructed for the rural poor by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development through the IndiraAwaas Yojana undertakes this activity as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme where the cost is shared between the Centre and States on 7525 basis

The 2001 Census places the rural housing shortage figure ~n India at around 1491akhs Construction of 60 lakh houses over the next four years across the country is envisaged starting from 2005-06 to address a significant portion of this backlog

The criteria adopted for allocation of financial resources between the StatesUTs give greater emphasis to the states with higher incidence or shelterlessness 75 weightage is given to housing shortage and 25 to the poverty ratios prescribed by the Planning Commission for State-level allocations For district-level allocations 75 weightage is given again to housing shortage and 25 to SCST population of the districts concerned Grant assistance is provided to the extent of Rs 25000 per house for normal middot areas and Rs 27500 for hilly areas Funds are released to the DRDAs in two installments

Implementation guidelines of the scheme specifically target the rural below poverty line (BPL) households The respective Gram Sabha does the selection of beneficiaries from the BPL list and no higher approval is required The guidelines also clearlY Specify that the house allotment should be in the name of the female member of the family as a first priority While seeking to empower the rural women the scheme also provides priority to physically and mentally challenged persons exservicemen widows and freed bonded labourers It is stipulated that at least 60 of the beneficiaries should belong to the SCST communities TheIAY scheme also lays emphasis on sanitation and health by incorporating the cost of a sanitary latrine and smokeless chulah into the per unit grant provided to the beneficiary for constructionlupgradation of the dwelling unit

21

CHAPTER IV

WATER SECTOR ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN BHARAT NIRMAN PLAN

Water resource is a vital input in the development endeavours of the country Its finite availability and ever increasing demand in every sector have aggravated the problem manifold in case of India The requirement of faster development in irrigation water supply industrial use flood protection is evident assuming the future scenario Bharat Nirman Plan has rightly stressed on the irrigation and water supply where as the other sectors requirement is to be redressed with equal priority for the sustainable development of India

The water sector is grappled with the following Issues

Irrigation development Command area development amp Catchment area treatment Creation of storages Conunctive use of surface and ground water Efficiency improvement in distribution system Bridging the gap between irrigation potential created and potential utilised Flood Management

41 Irrigation Development

In India with the constitution of the Planning commission in 1950 and the advent of planning process in the first five year plan (1951-56) the country launched a major irrigation programme A number of multipurpose and major projects such as Bhakra Nangal Nagarjunasagar Kosi Chambal Hirakund Kakrapar and Tungbhadra were taken up Simultaneously minor irrigation schemes including ground water were given emphasis under the Agricultural Sector along with financial assistance from the Centre

During the period of Second Five Year Plan (1956-61) Third Five Year Plan (1961-66) and the Three Annual Plans (1966-69) irrigation programmes continued with addition of new projects During the Fourth Five Year Plan (1969-74) the emphasis was shifted to the completion of ongoing projects integrated use of surface and ground water adoption of efficient management techniques and modernization of existing schemes However new projects continued to be added

During the fifth Plan (1974-79) command Area Development Programme Was launched as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with the objective of reducing the lag between potential created and optimum utilization of available land and water Initially 60 major and medium proj ects were covered with a CCA of 15 Mha

22

During the Annual Plans of 1978-80 and the Sixth Five Year Plan ( 1980-85) new starts continued and at the end of Seventh Plan there were as many as 182 major and 312 medium ongoing proj ects requiring an estimated amount of Rs 39044 crore at the 1990shy91 price level for their completion New starts were therefore restricted considerably and greater emphasis was laid on completion of projects which were in the advanced stages of completion (those with an expenditure of 75 per cent or more) This was continued during 1990-91 and 1991-92 Annual Plans VIII Plan (1992-97) and IX Plan (1997 -2000)

For speedy completion of ongoing projects in advance stage of construction Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) was launched in 1996-97 During VIII Plan period irrigation potential of 22 Mha was created under major and medium sector at an annual rate of 044 Mha per annum During IX plan period this increased to 412 Mha out of which 165 Mha (nearly 40) was through AIBP Renovation Modernisation and Rehabilitation of old irrigation schemes gained momentum Users participation in major and medium irrigation schemes received greater attention Repairs and improvemen to the minor irrigation projects as a part of integrated micro-development also received encouragement Similarly sprinkler and drip irrigation programmes and the conjunctive use of surface and ground water gained momentum The project completed along with minor irrigation and ground water development have created an estimated potential of about 10277 Mha by the end of the X Plan

Although plan expenditure on irrigation has increased from Rs44l 8 crore in the 1st Plan to Rs 9574342 crore (outlay) in the X plan the share in total plan expenditure has decreased from 23 in the 1st Plan to 63 in the X Plan

The created irrigation potential increased from 226 Mha (97 Mha through major amp medium and 129 Mha through minor irrigation) in preplan period to 102Mha (4235 Mha through major and medium and 6042 1Tha through minor including ground water schemes) upto the end of X Plan with an annual average growth of 14 Mha In the corresponding period the potential utilistion has been from 226 Mha period to 8100 Mha

411 Central Assistance under AIBP

During IX Plan period irrigation potential of 165 Mha was created through AIBP at an average rate of 033 Mha per annum During the first three years of X plan the potential creation in major and medium irrigation sector through AIBP is around 14 Mha 047 Mha per annum In spite of rationalizing completion schedule of projects under AIBP several projects are lying behind schedule It is desirable to work out realistic time frame and cost to completion for projects to be considered under AIBP It is pertinent to mention that the spirit of the programme ie completion of last mile projects should not get diluted in the enthusiasm of inclusion of large number of projects under this programme As reported by the state governments but of total 200 projects presently under AIBP 95 projects would be completed by the end of X plan

23

The Central Assistance under AIBP as loan and grant provided up to March 2006 is Rs 1943790 crore out of which Rs 1883010 crore has been provided in Major and Medium irrigation sector

Impact ofAIBP

Plan Potential Created (Mha) Contribution of AIBP(Mha) IX 410 165 ( 402) X 530 300 ( 566)

Keeping an eye over the future requirement the Working Group on Water Resources for the XI Five Year Plan has brought out several suggestions in order to expedite completion of the projects which is very very essential Some other issues relating irrigation sector were also addressed in addition to this The strategies adopted for XI Plan proposal are swnmarized as below

1 Ongoing projects which have already achieved 90 or more of the ultimate potential should be considered as completed~ Critically review all such projects which are having only marginal benefit left or are near impossible to complete because of various problems and declare them completed or curtailed or deleted The balance cost of the remaining projects should be updated realistically for consideration under XI plan

2 Inter-Se priority should be decided considering various aspects such as externally aided proj ects interstate proj ects proj ects benefiting drought prone or tribal areas etc as per the guidelines prepared by National Commission for integrated Water Resources Development Plan

3 High priority should be accorded to the Pre-seventh and Seventh Plan Projects for funding under AIBP with emphasis to complete these projects during XI Plan List of such projects is appended as Annex31 Fund allocation under AIBP should be enhanced for this purpose ifnecessary

4 Foremost priority should be given for completion of ongoing projects and new projects should be taken up very selectively keeping in view the necessity for removal of regional imbalances and development of drought prone and tribal areas

5 Since the fund requirement for mediumminor irrigation projects are less adequate fund may be made available for completion of these projects without jeopardizing programme for important major projects ERM Projects should be given due priority where the eroded potential can be restored with ~oderate expenditure

24

6 A separate budget head upto 15 of Plan fund may be provided as Irrigation Maintenance Fund (IMF) and full amount of irrigation revenue as collectged should be credited to IMF

7 In addition to liabilities of completed projects and provision for ongoing and new projects the State plan proposals should incorporate provisions for special repairs of existing irrigation systems dam safety measures improved water management and water development aspect encompassing survey and investigation research and development training and National Hydrology Project

8 Substantial higher outlay should be provided in Central Plan to bring out effective role in plan activities of the Central Institutions by way of suitably strengthening them and provide adequate funds for taking new initiatives under Central Plan

9 The existing regionalstate level institutions such as W ALMIs should be strengthened and brought into mainstream activities for irrigation management improvement

10 Dam safety measures should be taken up all over country which is very essential in the context of disaster Prevention and Management

11 The performance evaluation of completed projects needs to be continued for benchmarking and improvement in irrigation efficiency

In addition to above recommendations on Minor Irrigation Sector are gIven as follows

1 Renovation Restoration of old tanks as well as old diversion channels in hilly regions along with improving efficiency of the projects Besides surface lift schemes may also be given due consideration particularly in hilly regions for irrigating high terraces

2 Expansion of irrigation facilities through a time bound programme for exploiting the huge ground water potential in the Eastern Region

3 Promotion of Micro Irrigation system in Water deficit areas 4 Promotion of Ground Water Development in areas haaving untapped unutilized

potential 5 National rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) may be linked with minor

irrigation Ground Water Development 6 A comprehensive act for regulation and development of ground water on

sustainable basis both in public and private sector

42 Command Area Development

In respect of command area development works for performance improvement-of the projects the working group has recommended the following recommendations for consideration

25

(a) Central funding for CAD works may be enhanced from present level of 5050 to 7525 for all the States while for states of North eastern Region and Hilly Special Category States the funding may be 90 from Government of India For software activities like trainings adaptive trials demonstrations monitoring and evaluation etc 100 Central funding may be considered in place of the existing pattern of 75 25 between the Centre and the States Funds can be directly given to W ALMIs and other State Central agencies for carrying out such activities

(b) It is proposed to increase the functional grant from Rs 600 per ha to Rs 1000 per ha which is to be shared in the ratio ofRs 675225100 between the centre State and the farmers while keeping all cost norms unchanged The State Governments may also be allowed to raise fund for its share through institutional funding or public borrowings through bonds on the pattern of Krishna Bhagya Nigam of Karnataka Government

(c) As per the existing system of release of Central Assistance the funds are transferred to the pool of State Finance Department which in tum releases funds to the implementing departments This procedure is not amenable for timely availability of the funds to the CADAs Therefore direct funding to CADAs from the Ministry in a mission mode can be considered to alleviate this problem For instance the Ministry of rural Development has a system of direct release of Central share of funds to the District Rural Development Authorities (DRDA) Jilla Parishads for implementing the schemes of the Central Ministry

(d) To ensure optimum utilization of created irrigation potential the CADWM should be made a part of the new major and medium projects

(e) Formation of WUAs under PTh1 Act is mandatory for implementation of CADWM programme Transition time of 2 years (upto the end of financial year 2008-09) may be allowed to those States which have not enact~d their PIM Acts so far Further relaxation may be only be allowed with the approval of CCEA

(f) WUAs should be involved in planning budgeting implementation and management of irrigation systems to be transferred to them There is a need to enforce a regime whereby farmers pay the water rates to meet the OampM expenditure rates Conditions of reforms should be imposed before handing over the projects to WUAs

(g) Volumetric supply of irrigation water to WUAs should be introduced

(h) Reputed NGOs with requisite skills may be involved for promotion of WUAs Rehabilitation of Canal Systems and Water Management for at least 2-3 years The estimated expenditure of Rs 600-800 per ha on account of this may be provided by the central government in the form of grant

(i) Autonomy of WUAs should be maintained in regard to Water Management However there may be linkages with Panchayati Raj Institutions through cross representation It may be considered to provide support to W ALMIs Agriculture Universities and reputed NGOs for improved water management at micro level It may also be considered to provide incentives for activities ofWUAs

26

(j) The WUAs should include women members from the land owning holding house holds in the Command Area irrespective of their ownership of the land

(k) Periodic evaluation of CAD Projects should be undertaken and suitable corrective measures may be taken if necessary

(1) Components for reclamation of waterlogged areas as well as correction of conveyance deficiencies with enhanced scope may be implemented to cover all the projects in the country details of which could be approved in consultation with expert organizations such as CWC CSSRI CGWB etc

(m) Water Resources Irrigation Departments need to undertake assessment periodically (at least once in 5 years) to determine the training needs at different levels of personnel deployed in water resources development and management Facilities available for capacity building are to be considered instead of establishing new training centres There has to be networking of existing training facilities so that training will be effective and economical It is desirable to have a separate scheme for training and capacity building for State Governments as well as central Government

43 Creation of Storage

Creation of storages is of prime importance in order to avoid severe domestic crisis on water issues As per the estimates given in the working group report there is a need of approximately live storage of around 450 km3

Major amp Medium Projects (Existing) -213 KJ13

Major amp Medium Projects (Under construction) -76 KM3 Minor Storages (Existing amp Under construction) -70 KM3 Total Live Storages in projects existing and under construction - 359 Km3

Likely loss in Live storage due to sedimentation upto 2050 which has to be compensated for -53 Km3 (say) Balance available live storage from the above in 2050 - 306 Km3 say 300 Km3

Therefore further new live storage to be created to have a live storage of 450 Km3 by 2050 is 150Km3

For creation the needed storage in addition to the present way of envisaging attention has to be paid to changing popUlation dynamics changing pattern of human settlements climatic change causing change in pattern of spatial and temporal variation in rainfall deterioration in water quality etc

44 Conjunctive Use of surface and ground water

Conjunctive use of surface and ground water can address the situation in two ways by decreasing the dependence on a single source and the quality of the available waterThis will reduce the chance of desalination as well Working group has suggested for the conjunctive use of middotgood quality water and saline seawater which will be helpful in reducing the cost of water requirement for irrigation

27

45 Efficiency improvement in the distribution system as well as in field

Deficiencies of the irrigated agriculture in India have been a cause of concern and a huge amount of thinking and analysis ha been done to devise ways and means to improve it The Working Group has recommended some important recommendations in this matter

1 Standardized definitions of irrigation efficiencies need to be evolved for use in India after reviewing available material All water resources of a basin form a unified resource and hence the basin efficiency concept which integrates all surface water and ground water uses as well as reuse and recirculation is important The basin efficiency also needs to be estimated along with project related efficiencies

2 Conjunctive use of water to be given higher priority particularly in alluvial areas as a very effective means of improving water use amp basin efficiency and of saving possible water logging and salination For givin an encouragement to conjunctive use irrigation Act may be amended if req ired The policy of favoring selective lining of canals should be continued LD ater allowances and somewhat inadequate conveyance capacities lead to be r efficiencies and less water loggingrelated problems These need to be encouraged

3 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Water Csers Associations (WUAs) should include a standard clause which binds the users to effective conjunctive use of surface and ground water On rising of gro nd water table the MOW should allow the department to cut the surface water supply

4 Where there are minor irrigation tanks minor urface lifts etc middotin the command these should be integrated with major project works and not be treated as separate entity Such tanks should be filled with cfulals water as per requirement Also such works will allow reuse of the seeped wateT

5 Each major irrigation system authorities should annually prepare the water budget accruing for all water stored or diverted all losses all reuse of lost waters estimated evaporation etc

6 Sufficient funds for operation and maintenance work to be provided Creation of Irrigation Maintenance Corporation as provided in the irrigation management policy is considered so that a linkage between revenues from water and OampM funds is established Water rates may accordingly be increased in a phased manner

7 Priority may be assigned toERM schemes for projects where water distribution systems are to be handed over to WUAs Where total ERM scheme is not contemplated one time maintenance deferred maintenance of a project may be allowed as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance of a project may be allowed

28

as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance budget to be decided in consultation with the farmers and walk through survey to assess what is appropriate and achievable within the available fund

8 All the schemes more than 25 years old should be studied in details to bring out the status of schemes in respect of structural safety and performance and ERM schemes may be formulated and taken up based on such studies

9 Drip sprinklers are mostly for horticulture vegetable crops (and surgarcane) in the present major and medium surface irrigation system These may be encouraged for other crops also Any compulsion for a particular cropping pattern needs to be removed whenever WUAs are formed amp volumetric water rates come into practice Use of sprinkler or drips or rotational surface supplies requires additional on farm storage (either as dug out ponds or elevatged storage with pump) This becomes essential since supply rotates are 10 daily or fortnightly whereas drips amp sprinkler require daily or 1 in 2 days operation Such storage creation needs to be within the ambit of subsidies for drips and sprinklers

10 As automation is a costly affair it is to be adopted for pilot schemes and not for larger area However preferably this should be introduced for conjunctive use of ground water and not always for surface water

The group has also recommended the concept of Target Efficiency of the water delivery system timely and equitable distribution ohvater increasing production per unit area and per unit volume of water used and financial sustainability of the water delivery infrastructure

46 Bridging the gap between the Potential created and potential utilised

There may be various reasons for increase in the gap between potential creation and potential utilized Some ofthese are

a likely over estimation and double counting of potential creation and inaccuracies discrepancies in reporting of potential utilized

b Loss of potential due to siltation in reservoirs ponds etc and deterioration of water distribution system

c Time gap between potential creation and command area development

d Assumption of optimistic cropping pattern in economic analysis and deviation in cropping pattern as compared to that envisaged during planning

e Over-drawl of water in head reaches depriving potential utilization by tail enders

f Unused canal flow during night hours

29

l

It is desirable to introduce more reliable and accurate system of assessment for potential created and utilized There should be a coordinating statistical organization in each State for reporting the figures of potential created and utilized The Remote Sensing Technique can also be effectively utilized for counter verification of figures reported The loss in potential due to siltation ageing of various distribution systems etc needs to be periodically assessed and accounted

The productivity of irrigated crop as assumed in economic analysis often seem to be optimistic and are not based on experience of nearby irrigation projects Use of water for irrigation and selection of crops have been left to the discretion of users farmers The adverse consequences of such freedom have been manifested as water logging in some commands Somewhere overexploitation of ground -vater has been leading to progressive fall in ground water level It is therefore necessary that a regulatory mechanism is brought into practice by which undesirable or unsuitable crops are discouraged and tendency to over use of irrigation water is c~ecked Similarly in areas where ground water is being used for irrigation a regulatory mechanism should be in place to deter over exploitation of ground water beyond allOvable limit

Sometimes apprehension of scarcity of water and non availability of water when needed also lead to over withdrawal by head end users Since extra tion of ground water is costly farmers tend to take water more than their requirements when that is available through canals Higher cost of ground water is primarily because of cost of power required for lifting of water In case source of solar power is created for lifting of water the cost of ground water will get substantially reduced This may facilitate and give farmers option to use surface water and ground water thom any extra cost Once this option is available and known to farmers that they are aware that use of more water than the optimal requirement is likely to reduce the yield certainly there would be reductionin

overdraw of water by head enders Thus there is a need to extend u~er friendly system and increase awareness and cooperation among farmers through Participatory Irrigation Management Water Users Associatiortsneed to be empowered to look into these aspects Further the piped distribution system and micro irrigation should be adopted as far as possible

In India night imgation is not practiced in general As a result waters flowing in canals during night hours either pass unutilized or wasted on account of uncontrolled flooding It is desirable that the night irrigation is introduced in policy and practice

47 Flood Management

In regard to flood management the strategies recommended are given here under

(a) Undertake construction of dams and reservoir schemes with adequate flood cushion for long term solution of flood problems Efforts should also be made for utilizing the existing reservoirs in the country for flood moderation to the extent

30

possible Even in Reservoirs constructed for power other purposes the rule curves may be framed in such way that effective flood moderation is achieved

(b) Flood Forecasting and flood warning network of ewe be extended and integrated with similar networks of the state governments so as to get real time information at a central point say in central flood control room under FMO ewe This activity should be extended to cover rivers originating from or flowing to the neighbouring countries

( c) To take up development of digital elevation model of flood prone areas for taking up schemes for inundation forecast preparation of flood risk maps planning of flood management schemes etc

(d) Identification of appropriate location for breaching spiling sections in the flood embankment for the controlled flooding of the protected areas for restoring fertility recharge of soil moisture and ground water

( e) Integrating flood management schemes with other infrastructural development programmes in the sectors of roads railways inland waterways and canal command area development works as well as recently declared Rural Employment Guarantee Programme

(f) Watershed management in the hilly catchmentgs of the rivers ongmating in Nepal Bhutan and hilly areas of India should be selectively chosen and funded fully Implementation should be done through a joint mechanism Ministry of Agriculture who is the nodal Ministry for the watershed management works should work out a detailed program in consultation with the Ministry of Water Resources

(g) To give adequate emphasis on the operation and maintenance (OampM) of the flood protection measures already created a percentage of outlay of the flood sector should be earmarked for this purpose

(h) Raising and strengthening of the existing embankments if required after detailed studies of hydrological morphological topographical and developmental aspects to stabilize the benefits of these measures

(i) Natural swamps and lakes to be developed into detention basins and capacity of existing depressions be improved for absorbing flood waters Special drives for development of Tal and Diara areas

G) Erosion of land either by sea or rivers to be minimized through suitable cost effective measures

(k) Flood proofing program such as raised platform and quick drainage facilities to be taken up in a)l the flood prone states

31

(1) Drainage improvement in critical areas in the country to be given priority

(m) Dredging at selective locations ie outfalls etc in the rivers and the tributaries as a way to reduce flood levels in low-lying areas and help in quick drainage

(n) Encourage RampD activities for improved flood management

(0) To encourage peoples participation

(p) To expedite projects peaks

on interlinking of rivers for helping in attenuating flood

(q) Steps to ensure implementation of action plan prepared by NDMA for flood management should be taken

(r) On-going schemes of earlier plans be completed expeditiously All the on going schemes spilling over to the XI Plan in which at least 50 execution has taken place should get first priority on fund allocation during the XI Plan

(s) The cost for flood component in a multi-purpose water resources development projects as a long-term solution to flood problem should be funded by Government of India

(t) Maintenance of existing flood management works to optimize its benefits

32

48 Achievement in irrigation during the two years of the Bharat Nirman Plan

The statewise achievement in two years ending on September 2006 is given below It shows that 2183776 thousand hectare has been added to the irrigation potential A daunting task still left to be achieved in coming two years

thF19ures are III ousand h ec ares t

I

i rOo

rarget bull Major amp Aebievements upSI No

States UrsName MinorMedium Total to September

Irrigation Irrigation 2006 r i

1 Andhra Pradesh 44127 112523 156649 302065

2 Arunachal Pradesh 00 2239 2239 4 777 3 Assam 303 4275 7306 3314

4 Bihar 41399 12858 169979 279451 5 Chhattisgarh 4435 14668 19103 65661

6 Goa 2442 26 2702 1224 7 Gujarat 94573 00 945 73 255224

8 Haryana 3373 241 5783 33301 9 Himachal Pradesh 3091 4691 7788 8842

10 lharkhand 8122 25314 33436 15 701 11 Jammu amp Kashmir 1801 9254 11055 14847

12 Karnataka 26282 124 38682 11131 13 Kerala 1609 2168 3777 15856

14 Madhya Pradesh 61172 162 77372 8138 15 Maharashtra 465 31 35651 82181 9313

16 Manipur 5195 155 6745 0 17 Meghalaya 00 1493 1493 2073

18 Mizoram 00 1096 1096 0628 19 Nagaland 00 1612 1612 259

20 Orissa 19899 13295 33194 3266 21 Punjab 4034 2056 609 68755

22 Rajasthan 37974 401 41984 26459 23 Sikkim 00 703 703 08

24 Tamil Nadu 00 2355 23 55 16461 25 Tripura 2689 5429 8118 6327 26 Uttar Pradesh 82516 15208 977 24 464 372 27 Uttranchal 00 3829 3829 34 967

28 West Bengal 13567 56384 69951 346

29 Andman amp Nicobar Island 00 033 033 0

30 Pondicherry 00 275 275 0 ~-

Total 2183766507867 479958 987826

I

L 33

------------------~------

The achievements are up to March 2006 only The progressachievement of 2006-07 was under compilationscrutiny in ewe at the time of preparation of this document

The figures for states ofKerala and Rajasthan pertain to the achievement of whole year 2006-07 and for the State of Uttar Pradesh the achievement is up to December2006

49 Conclusions

Water sector development encompasses multidisciplinary considerations There is no scope of overlooking any sector while giving priority to any sector or sectors The integrated planning is the only possible way to tackle the water resources development The participatory approach is the key for its sustainability Bharat middot Nirman Plan of Government of India by setting up goals for the period of four years is a boost to the already existing schemes in different ministries Irrigation and public water supply is the basic components of development have been rightly considered in the Bharat Nirman Plan The ambitious project has already traveled through a span of two years and has achieved some part of the goals The balance part has to be done with equal fervor The recent modification in AlBP norms is the evidence of the governmental zeal in achieving the goals For the continuance of the food sufficiency the irrigation development is the feasible quick solution The component of Irrigation in Bharat Nirman is thus a huge help for the required development in the water sector

34

Page 7: ROLE OF WRD&M IN BHARAT NIRMAN DURING WRD 2007

world The per capita storage in the country which is about 275 m3 is way below the storage achieved in many of the countries such as Russia (6103 m Australia (4733 m Brazil (3145 m United States (1964 m Turkey (1739 m Spain (1410 m Mexico middot

3(1245 m China (1111 m ) and South Africa (753 m3) and there is an urgent need to

vigorously pursue the case for creating storages wherever feasible given its projected rise in population urbanization amp industrialization

133 Urban amp Rural Water Supply

The National Water Policy 2002 gives over riding priority to drinking water over other uses The objective of any water supply scheme is to supply safe and clean water in adequate quantity and as economically as possible Lot of effluent or wastewater is generated in domestic sector which flows back untreated to the already shrinking water bodies Groundmiddotwater is also getting contaminated In development of water resources for domestic use the middot most important and challenging issue is that of sustainability of resource and quality With population growth and rise in urbanization the demand for treated water for domestic use is increasing rapidly

About 92 of urban population has been covered by safe drinking water Drinking water requirement of most of mega cities are met from reservoir of irrigation or multi-purpose schemes existing nearby and even by long distance transfer The rural habitations have been provided access to the safe drinking water from hand pumps and stand posts and about as well as mini and regional piped water supply schemes More than 85 percent of rural water supply is ground water based and consumes about 5 percent of the total annual replenishable ground water

134 Development in Power sector

Another important developing sector of economy using substantial quantity of water is power sector and therefore water resources is an integral component for the development of power sector in India Coil oil gas and hydroelectric potential constitute the conventional sources for electricity in the country Of these coal-based thermal power plants and in some regions hydropower have been the mainstay of electricity generation Presently the total installed capacity of the country is 128435 MW of which the thermal power accounts for 84234 MW which is 656 of the total installed capacity

Hydropower is a renewable economic non- polluting and environmentally benign source of energy Hydropower stations have the inherent ability for instantaneous starting stopping load variations etc and help in improving reliability of the power system Furthermore there is no fuel cost during the life of the station as hydropower generation is a non-consumptive use of water The benefits of hydropower as a clean environment friendly and economically attractive source of energy have now been sufficiently recognized The need for its accelerated development also comes from its capability of erihanced system reliability and economics of utilization of resources The

5

National Water Policy 2002 has accorded high priority to hydropower development only next to drinking water and irrigation water use in context to water allocation priorities

The total installed capacity in hydropower is 34110 MW ie 266 of the total installed capacity Only around 23 of the total hydropower potential (the total hydroelectric potential in the country is assessed as 84044 MW at 60 load factor which is equivalent to an installed capacity of 150000 MW) has been harnessed so far The combined installed capacity for nuclear and renewable sources is 10091 MW The share of hydropower in the overall energy mix needs to be boosted to achieve an ideal hydroelectric-thermal mix of 40 60

135 Flood Protection

Flood is one of the natural calamities that India faces almost every year in varying degree or magnitUde The frequent occurrence of flood can be attributed to various factors including wide variation in rainfall over time and space and inadequate carrying capacity of rivers The problems get accumulated due to silting bank erosion landslide poor natural drainage glacial lake outburst etc Indiscriminate development and encroachment of flood plain areas improper planning amp construction of roads railway lines etc have also been responsible for increase in flood damages Total flood prone area in the country as per the Report of Rashtriya Barh Aayog (RBA) of 1980 is 40 mha This has now been reassessed to 4536 mha On an average an area of 755 mha is affected by the floods every year and the average annual flood damage is Rs 1805 crore

A multi pronged strategy ranging from modifying the floods by means of structural measures toleaming to live with the floods by means of other non structural measures is well within pragmatic realism in flood management Measures for protection against extreme floods of low frequency are seldom economically feasible The term flood management may rationally be expected to refer to the provision of a reasonable degree of protection against floods by structural non structural measures to mitigate the recurring havoc caused by floods

After the disastrous floods experienced by the country in 1954 a National Programme of Flood management was launched During the five decades since then different methods of flood protection both long term and short term have been adopted in different States depending upon the nature of problem and local conditions The available information compiled from details furnished by the States relating to length of embankment and drainage channels indicates that 33929 km of embanlanents and 38810 km of drainage channels have been constructed In addition 2458 town protection works have been completed and 4716 villages raised above flood levels This have resulted in providing reasonable protection to an area of 1822 mha

Apart from the direct flood control works reservoirs with specific flood cushion have been constructed on the Damodar river to provide protection to areas in the downstream In addition storages constructed across Mahanadi (at Hirakud) Sutlej (at Bhakra) Chambal (at Gandhi sagar) Brahmani (at Rengali) and Tapi (at Ukai) as also a

6

number of other major and medium reservOIrs have helped greatly III reducing the intensity of flood and flood damages

In addition to the structural flood protection measures non-structural measures like flood forecasting and warning of incoming floods have also played significant role in reducing the loss of life and movable property apart from alerting the civil and engineering authorities in-charge of various works to take appropriate advance action to fight the onslaught of floods The Central Water Commission manages a major network of 173 such flood forecasting stations on inter-state rivers in 18 States The techniques of observation of hydrological and hydro-meterological data and their transmission to the forecasting station have been constantly under review for making necessary improvements to make the forecasts more accurate and also to give higher lead time On an average CWC is issuing 5619 flood forecasts with 9655 accuracy

136 Industrial Water Use

While at present the estimated water requirement for industrial water use is only around 8-12 BCM with urbanization and industrialization the water demand for industrial purposes is also slated to increase significantly Necessary measures to reduce the demand should be taken by adopting processes with minimum use of water recycle and re-use etc Tariff rates should be prescribed so that industries feel compelled to look into technological intervention leading reduced water requirement per unit production

137 Other Uses like Navigation Ecology Recreational activities etc

Navigable waterways in India comprising of river systems canals hackwaters creeks and tidal inlet extend to about 14500 kms Most waterways however suffer from navigational inadequacies such as shallow waters narrow width and bank erosion Moreover vertical and horizontal clearances at overhead structures are not adequate for navigation throughout the year Consequently at present about 5200 kms of major rivers and 485 kms of canals are considered suitable for mechanized crafts

In the earlier period with less of population and consequently less of related activities nature could cope with whatever damage was inflicted on the resources quickly restoring the balance But in recent times with the growth of population and its consequent activities the restorative capacity of nature and the environment is being continuously eroded affecting the quality of life on the planet Earth Ecology is now concerned not only with living elements but also with their interrelationships with society and culture Prevention of environmental degradation and degradation of the natural resources base is essential for sustainable development

The negative environmental consequences are caused due to deforestation soil erosion unplanned ildustrialization indiscriminate use of fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture drought floods water logging water pollution population growth large scale

7 -

poverty etc Glohal climatic change and atmospheric pollution could also have an impact on fresh water resources and their availability Protection enhancement and restoration of water quality and abatement of water pollution are necessary for providing not only safe drinking water and maintaining and improving human health but are also important for sustaining land quality agriculture and industrial production and for supporting the socio-economic growth as such

The need for water demand for ecological purposes including conserving the environment maintaining lean period flows aquatic life etc therefore needs to be worked out on scientific basis Allocation for this purpose should be made while considering the construction of new reservoirsstorages

Recreational facilities also sometimes contribute to a large extentmiddot in the development of economy at the micro level (of a particular localized area) through promotion of tourism The reservoir sites owing to their topographical as well as environmental advantage often become the hub of such recreational activities Besides a host of direct benefits water therefore plays a significant role in contributing indirectly to the growth of the nation through promotion of tourism employment generation etc

14 Future projected scenario 141 Assessment by Standing Sub-Committee

A Standing Sub-Committee for assessment of availability and requirement of water for diverse uses in the country constituted by the Ministry of Water Resources in its report (August 2000) assessed the requirements of water for various sectors as given in the Table-1 below

Table-I Water Requirement for Various Sector~

Sector Water Demand in Billion Cubic meter (BCM) 2000 2010 2025 2050

Irrigation 541 688 910 1072 Drinking Water 42 56 73 102 Industry 8 12 23 63 Energy 2 5 15 130 Others 41 52 72 80 Total 634 813 1093 1447

On the basis of the above assessment the Sub-Committee observed that against the total utilizable water resources of 1122 BCM the projected demand during the year 2025 and 2050 comes to around 1093 and 1447 respectively The scenario indicates water deficiency in the overall national perspective The deficiency may have to be managed by using the return flows from various uses which may be around 80 from domestic uses

8

~------------------------------------------------------ -----

ie 58 and 81 BCM in the year 2025 and 2050 respectively The return flow from irrigation sector may be around 10 ie 91 and 107 BCM in the year 2025 and 2050 respectively The return flow from industry sector is estimated to be 65 Besides water has to be made available through inter-basin transfer of river waters by 2050 The demand of industry and energy sector may be managed by reuse and recycling of return flows and reuse of water from treated wastewater Proper treatment of effluent to desired standards will have to be ensured to use the return flow in irrigation horticulture etc The water requirements of water deficit areas will be met by inter basin transfer of water from surplus basins after developing the untapped water resources

142 National Commission on Integrated Water Resources Development (NCIWRD)

The National Commission on Integrated Water Resources Development (NCIWRD) in its report (1999) has also assessed the water requirement for various purposes for different years and the demand of water is given in the Table-2 below

It would be observed that the assessment made by the National Commission for irrigation is relatively on lower side as compared to that estimated by the Standing SubshyCommittee In respect of other uses the estimate made by the National Commission is generally on a higher side The main reason for such variation in the estimate is the assumption made by the National Commission in respect of the overall improvement of irrigation efficiency The National Commission has assumed that the irrigation efficiency will gradually increase to 60 from the present level of 35 to 40 Considerable effort is required to achieve the objective middot of efficiency in water resource system and particularly in the irrigation system which is the major water consumptive sector

Table-2 Water Demand for Diverse Uses

Sl No

Total Water Use (in BCM) Uses Year

1997-98 Year 2010 Year 2025 Year 2050

Low High Low High Low High 1 Irrigation 524 543 557 561 611 628 807 2 Domestic 30 42 43 55 62 90 111 3 Industries 30 37 middot37 67 67 81 81 4 Power 9 18 19 31 33 63 70 5 Inland Navigation 0 7 7 10 10 15 15 6 Flood Control 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 Environment(1 )

Afforestati on 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

8 Env(2)Ecology 0 5 6 10 10 middot 20 20 9 Evaporation losses 36 42 42 50 50 76 76

Total 629 694 710 784 843 973 1180

9

middotIt is of paramount importance that the aim should be at reducing water requirement to the low demand scenario Taking into account the water availability and the requirement till the year 2050 the National Commission concluded that there is no need to take an alarmist view However three major considerations have to be kept in the forefront while formulating an integrated water policy and plan First the balance between the requirement and availability can be struck only if utmost efficiency is introduced in water use Second average availability at the national level does not imply that all basins are capable of meeting their full requirement from internal resources Third the issue of equity in the access to water between regions and between sections of population assumes greater importance in what is foreseen as a fragile balance between these and related problems of integrated water use planning in the context of supply and requirement of water estimated by the Commission middot

JO

CHAPTER II

ROLE OF WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT IN ASCERTAINING SOCIO-ECONOMIC GROWTH

Right from independence India has been developing atmiddot a very fast pace Consequently it is hardly any surprise that rapid urbanization through infrastructure development has been the key feature of the last few decades At the same time the steep rise in population hasresulted in a phenomenal increase in the demand for food and water supply Till now one of the potent solutions to these multi-faceted challenges has been creation of large storages to wither out the spatial cindtemporal variations The sector wise development which has changed the socio economic status of the country is analysed below

21 Agricultural Production

The direct relationship between food production and assured irrigation is so pronounced that it hardly requires any further explanation During independence the food production of the country was only a meager 50 million tones while the irrigation potential created was 22 m~llion ha By the tum of the century while the irrigation potential created has shot upto 10277 Mha thefood production has crossed 200 million tones If we concentrate over the states which have out performed in the food production like Punjab Haryana Gujarat Uttar Pradesh Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra West Bengal it is apparent that the large and medium water resources storage projects have played the key role Such remarkable achievement have been possible due to the fact that large areas of these States are being covered under assured irrigation

22 Domestic and Industrial Water Supply

The National Water Policy adopted by the Government of India in 2002 accords highest priority to drinking water supply The Vision document for Integrated Water Resources Development formulated by th~ Ministry of Water Resources in 2002 states that 92 of the urban popUlation and 97 of the rural population are having access to safe drinking water This achievement has been largely possible due to the significant contributions made by the large projects a few examples ofwhich are listed below

Delhi the capital of India which is situated on the banks of the Yamuna gets only a fraction of its needs from river Yamuna though situated on its banks The balance needs are met with releases from Bhakra and Ramganga pams The population of the city has grown from 14 million in 1951 to close to 14 million by 2001 Though in 1950s the entire water need of the city was possible to be met with from Jamuna (essentially the flows that were regenerated) this was soon not possible Ramganga and Bhakra waters had to be supplemented for meeting the

11

requirements Infact the releases from the Tehri Dam for the Sonia Vihar Water Treatment plant seems to be the only silver lining for the city plagued by water crisis particularly during the summer months Besides this allocation for drinking water supply t6 Delhi has also been provided in upcoming Renuka and Kishau dam Projects in Yamuna Basin for meeting the future needs

bull The entire water supply of Mumbai is dependant Vaitrana Upper Vaitama Tansa and Bhatsa

on a senes of dams like

bull The acute scarcity of water supply in Chennai is well known The states of Andhra Pradesh Maharashtra and Kamataka agreed to provide a part of their allocated share of Krishna water (to the extent of 15 TMC) for drinking water requirements of Chennai city

bull Water supply of Pune town in Maharashtra is Sagar) Khadakwasla dam and Temghar dam

met with from Panchet(Tangi

bull Hyderabad is mainly dependent on Himayatsagar Manjra and Singur Dams

its water supply from Osmansagar

bull The water supply for Bangalore city heavily depends on Cauvery Stage-I Stage-II and Stage-III projects

bull A sizeable number of cities having population more than one million as per the 2001 census are having their water demand met from several projects The prominent cities among them being Bhopal Indore Jabalpur Nagpur Nashik and Surat

In addition to above a major dam at Bisalpur had been constructed in Chambal Basin to provide water supply to Ajmer City besides towns of Beawar and Tonk in Rajasthan Warrangal town in Andhra Pradesh depends for water supply on Sriramsagar Dam Shillong water supply is to be ensured with a dam under construction in the North-East

The position of drinking water supply in various towns and villages has improved after the coming up of Bhakra and Beas Proj ects Cities of Delhi Chandigarh and town of Patiala and Ropar apart from numerous towns and villages in the states of Haryana and Rajasthan are getting their supply of drinking water from the canals fed by these projects

Drinking water supply for most of the cities and towns in the country are dependant on storages and diversions for the purpose proving the important fact that stored water distributed temporally as well as spatially serves the basic needs in a sustained manner for a sizeable population

12

Industrial water requirement though considerably low in comparison to agriculture and domestic water demand has its own share of importance Most of the industries require assured water supply for their effective performance It is therefore quite natural that the pr~sence of a large project capable of delivering assured water supply invariably boosts up the industrial development of the area Numerous examples may be cited to back the above contention however the more important ones are given below

For catering the needs of Bokaro Steel Plant a dam at Tenughat in the Damodar River Basin had to be constructed

bull Similarly a cluster of thermal and super-thermal stations in uP is entirely dependent on the water stored at Rihand Dam on a tributary of the Sone River in uP

bull For the Vishkhapatnam Steel Plant the water IS to be supplied from Yeleru Reservoir

bull As abundant and assured cooling water is available from Ukai reservoir a large thermal power station having installed capacity of 850 MW is also set up and commissioned at Ukai since 1975 Other huge industries like Essar Gujarat Reliance Petrochemicals KRlBHCO ONGC NTPC etc are direct beneficiaries from Ukai-Kakrapar project as regards industrial water supply

bull For the requirements of Udaipur and Chittor plants of Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL) Gosunda Dam was necessary This meets not only the needs of HZL but also the water-supply needs of Udaipur

Major industries getting water from Bhakra Canals are National Fertilizers Ltd Nangal Ropar Thermal Plant and C-Thermal Delhi besides numerous other small industrial units

23 Hydropower generation

The hydropower generated from the large projects like Bhakra-Nangal Hirakud Iddukki Ukai Srisailam Gandhisagar Rana Pratapsagar Jawaharsagar projects have not only provided middotcheap energy but also has immensely helped in meeting the peaking demands Thus there is not even an iota of doubt about the role played by these projects in improving the economy of their command area Infact hydropower being durable non-polluting and extremely cheap its viability as an effective mode of producing energy increases even further

It is often been contended by the social activists that the improvement in irrigation facilities and the resultant boom in food production is largely due to the minor irrigation and ground water irrigation schemes There is no point in denying the fact that the harnessing of minor irrigation as well as ground water irrigation facilities is equally

13

important in promoting food production but more often that not we ignore the power requirement for operating the pumps for lifting ground water In fact in the recent times one of the most debated issues have been providing free power to the farmers proving the importance of availability of cheap power to the agricultural community

24 Flood Control and Drought Mitigation

It wont be an overstatement to acknowledge the benefit offered by those large projects by providing the required cushion against the raging floods An estimation of the past 100 years will invariably indicate the astronomical damages that were inflicted on our country by the floods Even in the 21 st cenfliry after so much advancement we are often rendered helpless to the fury of floods particularly in the North-East where the protection upto the desired level is yet to be materialized Even then all the projects mentioned above like the Hirakud Bhakra-Nangal Ukai-Kakrapar Nagarjunasagar had given immense relief to the people of their command area by not only restricting the financial losses but at times even saving the loss of lives

The greatest inexplicable paradox of this countrys water resources scenario has been the co-existence of droughts and floods and the beauty of the large projects is that they have the capability to handle both the situations simultaneously and thus ironing out the erratic climatic behavior to a large extent The excess monsoon received in a particular year is being used by these projects to wonderful effect in another year facing paucity of rainfall

14

CHAPTER III

Bharat Nirman Plan (2005-2009)

Government of India in partnership with State Governments and Panchayat Raj Institutions has launched Bharat Nirman programme as a time-bound business plan for action in rural infrastructure for the span of four years (2005-2009) Under Bharat Nirman Plan action is proposed in the areas of irrigation road rural housing rural water supply rural electrification and rural telecommunication connectivity Specific targets are set to be achieved under each of these goals so that there is accountability in the progress of this initiative The goals in different sectors are as under

31 IClectricity

Goal Every village to be provided electricity remaining 125000 villages to be covered by 2009

The Ministry of Power has the responsibility of providing electricity to the remaining 125000 villages through the programme instrument of Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana In addition it will also provide 23 million households with electricity As per the Census of 2001 125000 villages remained uncovered To be able to achieve this objective Rural Electricity Distribution Backbone with at least a 33111 KV sub-station would be set up in each block at least one Distribution TransfOlmer in each habitation of every village or hamlet as Village Electrification Infrastructure Standshyalone grid with generation where grid supply is not feasible These Stand-alone grids would be set up in partnership with the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy also

Rural Electrification Corporation would be the agency for implementation The Mcmagement of Rural Distribution will be fioanchisees that could be Users Associations individual entrepreneurs Cooperatives Non-Governmental Organizations Panchayat Institutions Services of Central Services undertakings like National Them1al Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POClL) National Hydro Electric Power Corporation Limited (NHPC) and Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) will be made available for the execution of rural electrification projects These CPSUs have been allocated districts in each state wherein they will implement the rural electrification network

90 capital subsidy will be provided for overall cost of the projects under the scheme The capital subsidy for eligible projects under the scheme will be through the Rural Electrification Corporation Limited which will be the nodal agency Electrification of unelectrified below-poverty-line households will be financed with 100 capital subsidy at Rs1500 per connection in all rural habitations Others will be paying for the connections at prescribed connection charges and no subsidy will be made availableFor creation of village eIectrification infrastructure first priority will be given to unshy

15

electrified villages Preference for electrification will be given to Dalit Bastis Tribal settlements and habitations of weaker sections

32 Roads

Goal Every habitation over 1000 population andabove (500 in hilly and tribal areas) to be provided an all-weather road remaining 66802 habitations to be covered by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development has the responsibility of ensuring that every habitation over 1000 population and every habitation with more than 500 in hilly and tribal areas is connected with an all-weather road by 2009 This is expected to generate multiplier effects in the rural economy of linking production to markets and services This work which is being undertaken under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana since 2000 has been modified to address the above goals within the stipulated timeshyframeTo achieve the targets of Bharat Nirman 146185 Kms road length is proposed to be constructed by 2009 This will benefit 66802 unconnected eligible habitations in the country To ensure full farm-to-market connectivity it is also proposed to upgrade 194132 kms of the existing Associated Through Routes

A district and rural roads plan has been prepared listing out complete network of all roads in the district that has village roads major district roads state roads and national highways The concept of core network has been operationalised to focus on those set of roads which are considered essential to provid~ connectivity to all habitations of the desired size The Core Network is the basic in$trumentality for prioritization of construction and allocation of funds for maintenance Action has been initiated to develop GIS-based applications to further enhance the utility of the Core Network

The programme is implemented through a framework of consultation with public representatives ranging from the panchayat level up to Parlian1ent A Rural Roads Manual guides the implementation of the programme A separate Book of Specification and a Standard Data Book have been prepared As per this standard bidding documents are to be adopted by the states For MIS there is a computerized Online Management and Monitoring Accounting System

Approximately Rs48000 crores is proposed to be invested to achieve this objective 100 of the funds of this programme is being provided by the Central Government

33 Drinking Water

Goal Every habitation to have a safe source of drinking water 55067 uncovered habitations to be covered by 2009 In addition all habitations which have slipped back from full coverage to partial coverage due to failure of source and habitations which have water quality problems to be addressed

16

The Ministry of Rural Development Department of Drinking Water Supply is responsible for meeting this goal in partnership with State Governments The programme instrument of the Govemment of India is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme under implementation since 1972-73 which is funded on a 50 matching share basis between the Government of India and the State Government Since 1972 over 37 lakh hand pumps and l5 lakh pipe water supply systems have been set up to provide safe water to over 15 lakh habitations in the country at a cost of over Rs 50000 crore The norms which are fixed to achieve the goal are - 40 litres per capita per day (lpcd) of safe drinking water for human beings - 30 Ipcd additional for cattle in the Desert Development Programme Areas - One hand pump or stand post for every 250 persons - The water source should exist within 16 km in the plains and within 100 metres

elevation in the hilly areas

The backlog for coverage is under estimation based on a habitation survey for the categories of uncovered villages slipped- back villages and villages affected with a problem of water quality 55067 villages remain uncovered and are targeted for coverage as first priority The category of slipped-back villages estimated by the Planning Commission at the beginning of the Tenth Plan as 28 lakh habitations These are so on account of a number of factors like - Sources going dry or lowering of the ground water table - Sources becoming quality affected - Systems outliving their lives - Systems working below rated capacity due to poor operation and maintenance - Increase in population resulting in lower per capita availability - Emergence of new habitations According to the data received from State Governments based on a survey undertaken in 2000216968 habitations are affected due to a variety of water quality problems consists of excess fluoride 31306 excess arsenic 5029 excess salinity23495 excess iron118088 excess nitrate 13958 and multiple quality problems 25092

The Govemment of India has decided that under Bharat Nirman names of habitations would have to be provided by State Governments for availing funds from Government of India This would give maximum transparency to the programme State Governments would be required to place the habitations proposed for coverage and covered on this site in course of time

The scheme is funded on a 50 basis by the Gol and expenditure ofRsA050 crores is expected for the current year The actual requirement will be worked out based on the names of habitations supplied by the states and funded

34 Telephone

Goal Every village to be connected by telephone remaining 66822 villagesto be covered by November 2007

17

The Department of Telecom in the Ministry of Communications and Infonnation Technology has the responsibility of providing telephone cOlmectivity to the 66822 villages that remain to be covered

The resources for implementation of universal services obligation are raised through a Universal Service Levy which has presently been fixed at 5 of the adjusted gross revenue of all telecom service providers except the pure value added service providers like internet voice mail e-mail service providers The rules also make a provision for the Central Government to give grants and loans to the Fund The balance to the credit of the Fund does not lapse at the end of the financial year usa Fund assigns the task of providing Village Public Telephones (VPTs) on the basis of bids through open tender and in this case the work has been assigned to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd Out of the 66822 villages identified connectivity in 14183 remote and far-flung villages will be provided through digital satellite phone tenninals From the USOF assistance is provided for both capital expenditure as well as operational expenditure It is estimated that a total sum of Rs451 crore would be required to provide VPTs in these 66822 villages and the entire sum will be met out of USOF and no separate allocation from Government would be required

As an additional incentives telecom service providers are being assisted through the USOF to penetrate into the rural areas for the following activities - Maintenance of existing village public telephones (VPTs) - Provision of an additional mral community phone in villages with a population of more

than two thousand and where no public call office exists - Replacement of village public telephones installed on Multi Access Radio Relay

(MARR) technology - Telephone lines installed in household in specified rural areas

Rural teledensity will be significantly enhanced during the period of Bharat Nirman

The Government is committed to expanding mral connectivity through a slew of measures so that rural users can access information of value and transact business This will include cOlmecting block headquarters with fibre optic network using wireless technology to achieve last mile connectivity and operating information kiosks through a partnership of citizens panchayats civil society organizations the private sector and Government

35 Irrigation

Goal J 0 million hectares (J 00 lakhs) of additional irrigation capacity to be created by 2009

The Ministry of Water Resources in collaboration with State Governments is responsible for creation of additional 10 million hectares of irrigation capacity by the year 2009 through major medium and minor irrigation projects complemented by ground water development

18

The ultimate irrigation potential for the country has been estimated as 140 million hectare (Mba) which include potential through Major and Medium irrigation projects (5846 Mha) surface water based minor irrigation schemes (1754 Mha) and ground water development (6400 Mha) So far the irrigation potential of 10277 Mha has already been created However the created potential has not been fully utilized and the gap between created and utilized potential has been estimated to be of the order of 17 Mha

351 Major and Medium Irrigation (MMI) Proj ects

For the country as a whole 66 of the ultimate irrigationpotential of major and medium projects has been created 477 Major and Medium irrigation projects have spilled over to Xl In addition the States have proposed 223 Major and Medium projects and 86 ERM projects during XI Plan An outlay of Rs 30670 crore has been provided for the new proj ects in the XI Plan

So far 173 major and medium 4169 minor and 21 Extension Renovation and Modernization (ERM) projects have been provided Central Loan Assistance under Accelerated Irrigation benefit Programme (AIBP) The potential creation through projects supported under AIBP has been found to be 035 Mha per year with about 047 Mha per year in the last two years As per existing Plan the projected creation of irrigation potential through AIBP is 050 Mba per year in the remaining period of X Five Year Plan

The average rate of creation of irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects from 1951 to 1997 has been found to be of the order of 051 Mha per year During the year 1997 to 2005 the rate for creati n has been found to be 092 Mah per year The pace of creation of new irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects has increased in the recent past This is due to fruition of projects started much earlier which have been expedited due to increased support through AIBP

The projects for extension renovation and modernization (ERM) of major and medium irrigation schemes are also being implemented with arrangement similar to that for completion of ongoing major and medium schemes The implementation of ERM projects along with Command Area Development and Water Management (CAD and WM) help in sustaining the created facilities and in improving the utilization

35 2 Minor Irrigatioll Schemes

There is considerable variation in creation of ilTIgation potential through minor irrigation (both surface and ground water) schemes from State to State While full potential through minor irrigation has been tapped in some of the States it is relatively very low in others

19

Minor irrigation through surface water covers water sources (tanks and small reservoirs) with a culturable command area (CCA) of less than 2000 ha About 70 of the ultimate potential through surface water based minor irrigation schemes has since been created The Report of the National Commission for Integrated Water Resources Development points out that the carrying capacity of tanks has decreased over time for a variety of reasons and that the restoration and renovation of tanks and other local sources is a priority task

Since 2004-05 a pilot scheme for repair renovation and restoration of water bodies directly linked to agriculture has been taken up by the Government as a state-sector scheme in the 16 districts of the country which is proposed to be expanded

353 Ground Water Development

From the surveys conducted for estimation of availability and status of ground water the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has identified areas that are over-exploited (where exploitation is more than natural recharge of ground water) and areas that are critical or dark (where draft is between 70 to 100 of the natural recharge ofground water) The recent survey indicates that out of 7414 identified units (blockstalukaswatershed) 471 are Overexploited and 318 are Critical or Dark units Thus less than 11 of the total units fall under the category of over-exploited and critical The ultimate irrigation potential to be created is based on the assessed replenishable groundwater after duly accounting for the domestic and industrial uses (about 10) It has been assessed that ground water is still available for utilization in many parts of the country particularly in the eastern parts of the country Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and in specific pockets of Andhra Pradesh Kamataka Maharashtra and Jammu amp Kashmir In Punjab Haryana Rajasthan Gujarat and Tamil Nadu the rechargeable quantum of ground water has been exceeded and mining of static reserves has commenced This reinforces the need to take urgent steps to increase recharge and conservation

354 Targets under Bharat Nirman

Sl No Component Target I Completion of ongoing Major amp medium Irrigation

Projects 42Mha

II Minor irrigation schemes bull Surface water 10 Mha bull Ground Water 18 Mha

10Mha l8Mha

28Mha

III Enhancing utilization of completed projects bull ERM of major amp medium projects bull Repair renovation and restoration of water bodiesERM of minor irrigation schemes

lOMha 10Mha

20Mha

IV Ground water development in area with unutilized ground water potential (for benefit of small and marginal farmers and Tribals amp Dalits) -

lOMba

20

Creation of potential of 1 Mha through ground water development in areas with unutilized ground water potential would primarily benefit small and marginal farmers who are mostly tribals dalits and weaker sections of society The scheme envisages full involvement of Panchayati Raj Institutions in implementation of the schemes

36 Housing

Goal 60 lakh houses to be constructed for the rural poor by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development through the IndiraAwaas Yojana undertakes this activity as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme where the cost is shared between the Centre and States on 7525 basis

The 2001 Census places the rural housing shortage figure ~n India at around 1491akhs Construction of 60 lakh houses over the next four years across the country is envisaged starting from 2005-06 to address a significant portion of this backlog

The criteria adopted for allocation of financial resources between the StatesUTs give greater emphasis to the states with higher incidence or shelterlessness 75 weightage is given to housing shortage and 25 to the poverty ratios prescribed by the Planning Commission for State-level allocations For district-level allocations 75 weightage is given again to housing shortage and 25 to SCST population of the districts concerned Grant assistance is provided to the extent of Rs 25000 per house for normal middot areas and Rs 27500 for hilly areas Funds are released to the DRDAs in two installments

Implementation guidelines of the scheme specifically target the rural below poverty line (BPL) households The respective Gram Sabha does the selection of beneficiaries from the BPL list and no higher approval is required The guidelines also clearlY Specify that the house allotment should be in the name of the female member of the family as a first priority While seeking to empower the rural women the scheme also provides priority to physically and mentally challenged persons exservicemen widows and freed bonded labourers It is stipulated that at least 60 of the beneficiaries should belong to the SCST communities TheIAY scheme also lays emphasis on sanitation and health by incorporating the cost of a sanitary latrine and smokeless chulah into the per unit grant provided to the beneficiary for constructionlupgradation of the dwelling unit

21

CHAPTER IV

WATER SECTOR ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN BHARAT NIRMAN PLAN

Water resource is a vital input in the development endeavours of the country Its finite availability and ever increasing demand in every sector have aggravated the problem manifold in case of India The requirement of faster development in irrigation water supply industrial use flood protection is evident assuming the future scenario Bharat Nirman Plan has rightly stressed on the irrigation and water supply where as the other sectors requirement is to be redressed with equal priority for the sustainable development of India

The water sector is grappled with the following Issues

Irrigation development Command area development amp Catchment area treatment Creation of storages Conunctive use of surface and ground water Efficiency improvement in distribution system Bridging the gap between irrigation potential created and potential utilised Flood Management

41 Irrigation Development

In India with the constitution of the Planning commission in 1950 and the advent of planning process in the first five year plan (1951-56) the country launched a major irrigation programme A number of multipurpose and major projects such as Bhakra Nangal Nagarjunasagar Kosi Chambal Hirakund Kakrapar and Tungbhadra were taken up Simultaneously minor irrigation schemes including ground water were given emphasis under the Agricultural Sector along with financial assistance from the Centre

During the period of Second Five Year Plan (1956-61) Third Five Year Plan (1961-66) and the Three Annual Plans (1966-69) irrigation programmes continued with addition of new projects During the Fourth Five Year Plan (1969-74) the emphasis was shifted to the completion of ongoing projects integrated use of surface and ground water adoption of efficient management techniques and modernization of existing schemes However new projects continued to be added

During the fifth Plan (1974-79) command Area Development Programme Was launched as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with the objective of reducing the lag between potential created and optimum utilization of available land and water Initially 60 major and medium proj ects were covered with a CCA of 15 Mha

22

During the Annual Plans of 1978-80 and the Sixth Five Year Plan ( 1980-85) new starts continued and at the end of Seventh Plan there were as many as 182 major and 312 medium ongoing proj ects requiring an estimated amount of Rs 39044 crore at the 1990shy91 price level for their completion New starts were therefore restricted considerably and greater emphasis was laid on completion of projects which were in the advanced stages of completion (those with an expenditure of 75 per cent or more) This was continued during 1990-91 and 1991-92 Annual Plans VIII Plan (1992-97) and IX Plan (1997 -2000)

For speedy completion of ongoing projects in advance stage of construction Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) was launched in 1996-97 During VIII Plan period irrigation potential of 22 Mha was created under major and medium sector at an annual rate of 044 Mha per annum During IX plan period this increased to 412 Mha out of which 165 Mha (nearly 40) was through AIBP Renovation Modernisation and Rehabilitation of old irrigation schemes gained momentum Users participation in major and medium irrigation schemes received greater attention Repairs and improvemen to the minor irrigation projects as a part of integrated micro-development also received encouragement Similarly sprinkler and drip irrigation programmes and the conjunctive use of surface and ground water gained momentum The project completed along with minor irrigation and ground water development have created an estimated potential of about 10277 Mha by the end of the X Plan

Although plan expenditure on irrigation has increased from Rs44l 8 crore in the 1st Plan to Rs 9574342 crore (outlay) in the X plan the share in total plan expenditure has decreased from 23 in the 1st Plan to 63 in the X Plan

The created irrigation potential increased from 226 Mha (97 Mha through major amp medium and 129 Mha through minor irrigation) in preplan period to 102Mha (4235 Mha through major and medium and 6042 1Tha through minor including ground water schemes) upto the end of X Plan with an annual average growth of 14 Mha In the corresponding period the potential utilistion has been from 226 Mha period to 8100 Mha

411 Central Assistance under AIBP

During IX Plan period irrigation potential of 165 Mha was created through AIBP at an average rate of 033 Mha per annum During the first three years of X plan the potential creation in major and medium irrigation sector through AIBP is around 14 Mha 047 Mha per annum In spite of rationalizing completion schedule of projects under AIBP several projects are lying behind schedule It is desirable to work out realistic time frame and cost to completion for projects to be considered under AIBP It is pertinent to mention that the spirit of the programme ie completion of last mile projects should not get diluted in the enthusiasm of inclusion of large number of projects under this programme As reported by the state governments but of total 200 projects presently under AIBP 95 projects would be completed by the end of X plan

23

The Central Assistance under AIBP as loan and grant provided up to March 2006 is Rs 1943790 crore out of which Rs 1883010 crore has been provided in Major and Medium irrigation sector

Impact ofAIBP

Plan Potential Created (Mha) Contribution of AIBP(Mha) IX 410 165 ( 402) X 530 300 ( 566)

Keeping an eye over the future requirement the Working Group on Water Resources for the XI Five Year Plan has brought out several suggestions in order to expedite completion of the projects which is very very essential Some other issues relating irrigation sector were also addressed in addition to this The strategies adopted for XI Plan proposal are swnmarized as below

1 Ongoing projects which have already achieved 90 or more of the ultimate potential should be considered as completed~ Critically review all such projects which are having only marginal benefit left or are near impossible to complete because of various problems and declare them completed or curtailed or deleted The balance cost of the remaining projects should be updated realistically for consideration under XI plan

2 Inter-Se priority should be decided considering various aspects such as externally aided proj ects interstate proj ects proj ects benefiting drought prone or tribal areas etc as per the guidelines prepared by National Commission for integrated Water Resources Development Plan

3 High priority should be accorded to the Pre-seventh and Seventh Plan Projects for funding under AIBP with emphasis to complete these projects during XI Plan List of such projects is appended as Annex31 Fund allocation under AIBP should be enhanced for this purpose ifnecessary

4 Foremost priority should be given for completion of ongoing projects and new projects should be taken up very selectively keeping in view the necessity for removal of regional imbalances and development of drought prone and tribal areas

5 Since the fund requirement for mediumminor irrigation projects are less adequate fund may be made available for completion of these projects without jeopardizing programme for important major projects ERM Projects should be given due priority where the eroded potential can be restored with ~oderate expenditure

24

6 A separate budget head upto 15 of Plan fund may be provided as Irrigation Maintenance Fund (IMF) and full amount of irrigation revenue as collectged should be credited to IMF

7 In addition to liabilities of completed projects and provision for ongoing and new projects the State plan proposals should incorporate provisions for special repairs of existing irrigation systems dam safety measures improved water management and water development aspect encompassing survey and investigation research and development training and National Hydrology Project

8 Substantial higher outlay should be provided in Central Plan to bring out effective role in plan activities of the Central Institutions by way of suitably strengthening them and provide adequate funds for taking new initiatives under Central Plan

9 The existing regionalstate level institutions such as W ALMIs should be strengthened and brought into mainstream activities for irrigation management improvement

10 Dam safety measures should be taken up all over country which is very essential in the context of disaster Prevention and Management

11 The performance evaluation of completed projects needs to be continued for benchmarking and improvement in irrigation efficiency

In addition to above recommendations on Minor Irrigation Sector are gIven as follows

1 Renovation Restoration of old tanks as well as old diversion channels in hilly regions along with improving efficiency of the projects Besides surface lift schemes may also be given due consideration particularly in hilly regions for irrigating high terraces

2 Expansion of irrigation facilities through a time bound programme for exploiting the huge ground water potential in the Eastern Region

3 Promotion of Micro Irrigation system in Water deficit areas 4 Promotion of Ground Water Development in areas haaving untapped unutilized

potential 5 National rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) may be linked with minor

irrigation Ground Water Development 6 A comprehensive act for regulation and development of ground water on

sustainable basis both in public and private sector

42 Command Area Development

In respect of command area development works for performance improvement-of the projects the working group has recommended the following recommendations for consideration

25

(a) Central funding for CAD works may be enhanced from present level of 5050 to 7525 for all the States while for states of North eastern Region and Hilly Special Category States the funding may be 90 from Government of India For software activities like trainings adaptive trials demonstrations monitoring and evaluation etc 100 Central funding may be considered in place of the existing pattern of 75 25 between the Centre and the States Funds can be directly given to W ALMIs and other State Central agencies for carrying out such activities

(b) It is proposed to increase the functional grant from Rs 600 per ha to Rs 1000 per ha which is to be shared in the ratio ofRs 675225100 between the centre State and the farmers while keeping all cost norms unchanged The State Governments may also be allowed to raise fund for its share through institutional funding or public borrowings through bonds on the pattern of Krishna Bhagya Nigam of Karnataka Government

(c) As per the existing system of release of Central Assistance the funds are transferred to the pool of State Finance Department which in tum releases funds to the implementing departments This procedure is not amenable for timely availability of the funds to the CADAs Therefore direct funding to CADAs from the Ministry in a mission mode can be considered to alleviate this problem For instance the Ministry of rural Development has a system of direct release of Central share of funds to the District Rural Development Authorities (DRDA) Jilla Parishads for implementing the schemes of the Central Ministry

(d) To ensure optimum utilization of created irrigation potential the CADWM should be made a part of the new major and medium projects

(e) Formation of WUAs under PTh1 Act is mandatory for implementation of CADWM programme Transition time of 2 years (upto the end of financial year 2008-09) may be allowed to those States which have not enact~d their PIM Acts so far Further relaxation may be only be allowed with the approval of CCEA

(f) WUAs should be involved in planning budgeting implementation and management of irrigation systems to be transferred to them There is a need to enforce a regime whereby farmers pay the water rates to meet the OampM expenditure rates Conditions of reforms should be imposed before handing over the projects to WUAs

(g) Volumetric supply of irrigation water to WUAs should be introduced

(h) Reputed NGOs with requisite skills may be involved for promotion of WUAs Rehabilitation of Canal Systems and Water Management for at least 2-3 years The estimated expenditure of Rs 600-800 per ha on account of this may be provided by the central government in the form of grant

(i) Autonomy of WUAs should be maintained in regard to Water Management However there may be linkages with Panchayati Raj Institutions through cross representation It may be considered to provide support to W ALMIs Agriculture Universities and reputed NGOs for improved water management at micro level It may also be considered to provide incentives for activities ofWUAs

26

(j) The WUAs should include women members from the land owning holding house holds in the Command Area irrespective of their ownership of the land

(k) Periodic evaluation of CAD Projects should be undertaken and suitable corrective measures may be taken if necessary

(1) Components for reclamation of waterlogged areas as well as correction of conveyance deficiencies with enhanced scope may be implemented to cover all the projects in the country details of which could be approved in consultation with expert organizations such as CWC CSSRI CGWB etc

(m) Water Resources Irrigation Departments need to undertake assessment periodically (at least once in 5 years) to determine the training needs at different levels of personnel deployed in water resources development and management Facilities available for capacity building are to be considered instead of establishing new training centres There has to be networking of existing training facilities so that training will be effective and economical It is desirable to have a separate scheme for training and capacity building for State Governments as well as central Government

43 Creation of Storage

Creation of storages is of prime importance in order to avoid severe domestic crisis on water issues As per the estimates given in the working group report there is a need of approximately live storage of around 450 km3

Major amp Medium Projects (Existing) -213 KJ13

Major amp Medium Projects (Under construction) -76 KM3 Minor Storages (Existing amp Under construction) -70 KM3 Total Live Storages in projects existing and under construction - 359 Km3

Likely loss in Live storage due to sedimentation upto 2050 which has to be compensated for -53 Km3 (say) Balance available live storage from the above in 2050 - 306 Km3 say 300 Km3

Therefore further new live storage to be created to have a live storage of 450 Km3 by 2050 is 150Km3

For creation the needed storage in addition to the present way of envisaging attention has to be paid to changing popUlation dynamics changing pattern of human settlements climatic change causing change in pattern of spatial and temporal variation in rainfall deterioration in water quality etc

44 Conjunctive Use of surface and ground water

Conjunctive use of surface and ground water can address the situation in two ways by decreasing the dependence on a single source and the quality of the available waterThis will reduce the chance of desalination as well Working group has suggested for the conjunctive use of middotgood quality water and saline seawater which will be helpful in reducing the cost of water requirement for irrigation

27

45 Efficiency improvement in the distribution system as well as in field

Deficiencies of the irrigated agriculture in India have been a cause of concern and a huge amount of thinking and analysis ha been done to devise ways and means to improve it The Working Group has recommended some important recommendations in this matter

1 Standardized definitions of irrigation efficiencies need to be evolved for use in India after reviewing available material All water resources of a basin form a unified resource and hence the basin efficiency concept which integrates all surface water and ground water uses as well as reuse and recirculation is important The basin efficiency also needs to be estimated along with project related efficiencies

2 Conjunctive use of water to be given higher priority particularly in alluvial areas as a very effective means of improving water use amp basin efficiency and of saving possible water logging and salination For givin an encouragement to conjunctive use irrigation Act may be amended if req ired The policy of favoring selective lining of canals should be continued LD ater allowances and somewhat inadequate conveyance capacities lead to be r efficiencies and less water loggingrelated problems These need to be encouraged

3 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Water Csers Associations (WUAs) should include a standard clause which binds the users to effective conjunctive use of surface and ground water On rising of gro nd water table the MOW should allow the department to cut the surface water supply

4 Where there are minor irrigation tanks minor urface lifts etc middotin the command these should be integrated with major project works and not be treated as separate entity Such tanks should be filled with cfulals water as per requirement Also such works will allow reuse of the seeped wateT

5 Each major irrigation system authorities should annually prepare the water budget accruing for all water stored or diverted all losses all reuse of lost waters estimated evaporation etc

6 Sufficient funds for operation and maintenance work to be provided Creation of Irrigation Maintenance Corporation as provided in the irrigation management policy is considered so that a linkage between revenues from water and OampM funds is established Water rates may accordingly be increased in a phased manner

7 Priority may be assigned toERM schemes for projects where water distribution systems are to be handed over to WUAs Where total ERM scheme is not contemplated one time maintenance deferred maintenance of a project may be allowed as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance of a project may be allowed

28

as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance budget to be decided in consultation with the farmers and walk through survey to assess what is appropriate and achievable within the available fund

8 All the schemes more than 25 years old should be studied in details to bring out the status of schemes in respect of structural safety and performance and ERM schemes may be formulated and taken up based on such studies

9 Drip sprinklers are mostly for horticulture vegetable crops (and surgarcane) in the present major and medium surface irrigation system These may be encouraged for other crops also Any compulsion for a particular cropping pattern needs to be removed whenever WUAs are formed amp volumetric water rates come into practice Use of sprinkler or drips or rotational surface supplies requires additional on farm storage (either as dug out ponds or elevatged storage with pump) This becomes essential since supply rotates are 10 daily or fortnightly whereas drips amp sprinkler require daily or 1 in 2 days operation Such storage creation needs to be within the ambit of subsidies for drips and sprinklers

10 As automation is a costly affair it is to be adopted for pilot schemes and not for larger area However preferably this should be introduced for conjunctive use of ground water and not always for surface water

The group has also recommended the concept of Target Efficiency of the water delivery system timely and equitable distribution ohvater increasing production per unit area and per unit volume of water used and financial sustainability of the water delivery infrastructure

46 Bridging the gap between the Potential created and potential utilised

There may be various reasons for increase in the gap between potential creation and potential utilized Some ofthese are

a likely over estimation and double counting of potential creation and inaccuracies discrepancies in reporting of potential utilized

b Loss of potential due to siltation in reservoirs ponds etc and deterioration of water distribution system

c Time gap between potential creation and command area development

d Assumption of optimistic cropping pattern in economic analysis and deviation in cropping pattern as compared to that envisaged during planning

e Over-drawl of water in head reaches depriving potential utilization by tail enders

f Unused canal flow during night hours

29

l

It is desirable to introduce more reliable and accurate system of assessment for potential created and utilized There should be a coordinating statistical organization in each State for reporting the figures of potential created and utilized The Remote Sensing Technique can also be effectively utilized for counter verification of figures reported The loss in potential due to siltation ageing of various distribution systems etc needs to be periodically assessed and accounted

The productivity of irrigated crop as assumed in economic analysis often seem to be optimistic and are not based on experience of nearby irrigation projects Use of water for irrigation and selection of crops have been left to the discretion of users farmers The adverse consequences of such freedom have been manifested as water logging in some commands Somewhere overexploitation of ground -vater has been leading to progressive fall in ground water level It is therefore necessary that a regulatory mechanism is brought into practice by which undesirable or unsuitable crops are discouraged and tendency to over use of irrigation water is c~ecked Similarly in areas where ground water is being used for irrigation a regulatory mechanism should be in place to deter over exploitation of ground water beyond allOvable limit

Sometimes apprehension of scarcity of water and non availability of water when needed also lead to over withdrawal by head end users Since extra tion of ground water is costly farmers tend to take water more than their requirements when that is available through canals Higher cost of ground water is primarily because of cost of power required for lifting of water In case source of solar power is created for lifting of water the cost of ground water will get substantially reduced This may facilitate and give farmers option to use surface water and ground water thom any extra cost Once this option is available and known to farmers that they are aware that use of more water than the optimal requirement is likely to reduce the yield certainly there would be reductionin

overdraw of water by head enders Thus there is a need to extend u~er friendly system and increase awareness and cooperation among farmers through Participatory Irrigation Management Water Users Associatiortsneed to be empowered to look into these aspects Further the piped distribution system and micro irrigation should be adopted as far as possible

In India night imgation is not practiced in general As a result waters flowing in canals during night hours either pass unutilized or wasted on account of uncontrolled flooding It is desirable that the night irrigation is introduced in policy and practice

47 Flood Management

In regard to flood management the strategies recommended are given here under

(a) Undertake construction of dams and reservoir schemes with adequate flood cushion for long term solution of flood problems Efforts should also be made for utilizing the existing reservoirs in the country for flood moderation to the extent

30

possible Even in Reservoirs constructed for power other purposes the rule curves may be framed in such way that effective flood moderation is achieved

(b) Flood Forecasting and flood warning network of ewe be extended and integrated with similar networks of the state governments so as to get real time information at a central point say in central flood control room under FMO ewe This activity should be extended to cover rivers originating from or flowing to the neighbouring countries

( c) To take up development of digital elevation model of flood prone areas for taking up schemes for inundation forecast preparation of flood risk maps planning of flood management schemes etc

(d) Identification of appropriate location for breaching spiling sections in the flood embankment for the controlled flooding of the protected areas for restoring fertility recharge of soil moisture and ground water

( e) Integrating flood management schemes with other infrastructural development programmes in the sectors of roads railways inland waterways and canal command area development works as well as recently declared Rural Employment Guarantee Programme

(f) Watershed management in the hilly catchmentgs of the rivers ongmating in Nepal Bhutan and hilly areas of India should be selectively chosen and funded fully Implementation should be done through a joint mechanism Ministry of Agriculture who is the nodal Ministry for the watershed management works should work out a detailed program in consultation with the Ministry of Water Resources

(g) To give adequate emphasis on the operation and maintenance (OampM) of the flood protection measures already created a percentage of outlay of the flood sector should be earmarked for this purpose

(h) Raising and strengthening of the existing embankments if required after detailed studies of hydrological morphological topographical and developmental aspects to stabilize the benefits of these measures

(i) Natural swamps and lakes to be developed into detention basins and capacity of existing depressions be improved for absorbing flood waters Special drives for development of Tal and Diara areas

G) Erosion of land either by sea or rivers to be minimized through suitable cost effective measures

(k) Flood proofing program such as raised platform and quick drainage facilities to be taken up in a)l the flood prone states

31

(1) Drainage improvement in critical areas in the country to be given priority

(m) Dredging at selective locations ie outfalls etc in the rivers and the tributaries as a way to reduce flood levels in low-lying areas and help in quick drainage

(n) Encourage RampD activities for improved flood management

(0) To encourage peoples participation

(p) To expedite projects peaks

on interlinking of rivers for helping in attenuating flood

(q) Steps to ensure implementation of action plan prepared by NDMA for flood management should be taken

(r) On-going schemes of earlier plans be completed expeditiously All the on going schemes spilling over to the XI Plan in which at least 50 execution has taken place should get first priority on fund allocation during the XI Plan

(s) The cost for flood component in a multi-purpose water resources development projects as a long-term solution to flood problem should be funded by Government of India

(t) Maintenance of existing flood management works to optimize its benefits

32

48 Achievement in irrigation during the two years of the Bharat Nirman Plan

The statewise achievement in two years ending on September 2006 is given below It shows that 2183776 thousand hectare has been added to the irrigation potential A daunting task still left to be achieved in coming two years

thF19ures are III ousand h ec ares t

I

i rOo

rarget bull Major amp Aebievements upSI No

States UrsName MinorMedium Total to September

Irrigation Irrigation 2006 r i

1 Andhra Pradesh 44127 112523 156649 302065

2 Arunachal Pradesh 00 2239 2239 4 777 3 Assam 303 4275 7306 3314

4 Bihar 41399 12858 169979 279451 5 Chhattisgarh 4435 14668 19103 65661

6 Goa 2442 26 2702 1224 7 Gujarat 94573 00 945 73 255224

8 Haryana 3373 241 5783 33301 9 Himachal Pradesh 3091 4691 7788 8842

10 lharkhand 8122 25314 33436 15 701 11 Jammu amp Kashmir 1801 9254 11055 14847

12 Karnataka 26282 124 38682 11131 13 Kerala 1609 2168 3777 15856

14 Madhya Pradesh 61172 162 77372 8138 15 Maharashtra 465 31 35651 82181 9313

16 Manipur 5195 155 6745 0 17 Meghalaya 00 1493 1493 2073

18 Mizoram 00 1096 1096 0628 19 Nagaland 00 1612 1612 259

20 Orissa 19899 13295 33194 3266 21 Punjab 4034 2056 609 68755

22 Rajasthan 37974 401 41984 26459 23 Sikkim 00 703 703 08

24 Tamil Nadu 00 2355 23 55 16461 25 Tripura 2689 5429 8118 6327 26 Uttar Pradesh 82516 15208 977 24 464 372 27 Uttranchal 00 3829 3829 34 967

28 West Bengal 13567 56384 69951 346

29 Andman amp Nicobar Island 00 033 033 0

30 Pondicherry 00 275 275 0 ~-

Total 2183766507867 479958 987826

I

L 33

------------------~------

The achievements are up to March 2006 only The progressachievement of 2006-07 was under compilationscrutiny in ewe at the time of preparation of this document

The figures for states ofKerala and Rajasthan pertain to the achievement of whole year 2006-07 and for the State of Uttar Pradesh the achievement is up to December2006

49 Conclusions

Water sector development encompasses multidisciplinary considerations There is no scope of overlooking any sector while giving priority to any sector or sectors The integrated planning is the only possible way to tackle the water resources development The participatory approach is the key for its sustainability Bharat middot Nirman Plan of Government of India by setting up goals for the period of four years is a boost to the already existing schemes in different ministries Irrigation and public water supply is the basic components of development have been rightly considered in the Bharat Nirman Plan The ambitious project has already traveled through a span of two years and has achieved some part of the goals The balance part has to be done with equal fervor The recent modification in AlBP norms is the evidence of the governmental zeal in achieving the goals For the continuance of the food sufficiency the irrigation development is the feasible quick solution The component of Irrigation in Bharat Nirman is thus a huge help for the required development in the water sector

34

Page 8: ROLE OF WRD&M IN BHARAT NIRMAN DURING WRD 2007

National Water Policy 2002 has accorded high priority to hydropower development only next to drinking water and irrigation water use in context to water allocation priorities

The total installed capacity in hydropower is 34110 MW ie 266 of the total installed capacity Only around 23 of the total hydropower potential (the total hydroelectric potential in the country is assessed as 84044 MW at 60 load factor which is equivalent to an installed capacity of 150000 MW) has been harnessed so far The combined installed capacity for nuclear and renewable sources is 10091 MW The share of hydropower in the overall energy mix needs to be boosted to achieve an ideal hydroelectric-thermal mix of 40 60

135 Flood Protection

Flood is one of the natural calamities that India faces almost every year in varying degree or magnitUde The frequent occurrence of flood can be attributed to various factors including wide variation in rainfall over time and space and inadequate carrying capacity of rivers The problems get accumulated due to silting bank erosion landslide poor natural drainage glacial lake outburst etc Indiscriminate development and encroachment of flood plain areas improper planning amp construction of roads railway lines etc have also been responsible for increase in flood damages Total flood prone area in the country as per the Report of Rashtriya Barh Aayog (RBA) of 1980 is 40 mha This has now been reassessed to 4536 mha On an average an area of 755 mha is affected by the floods every year and the average annual flood damage is Rs 1805 crore

A multi pronged strategy ranging from modifying the floods by means of structural measures toleaming to live with the floods by means of other non structural measures is well within pragmatic realism in flood management Measures for protection against extreme floods of low frequency are seldom economically feasible The term flood management may rationally be expected to refer to the provision of a reasonable degree of protection against floods by structural non structural measures to mitigate the recurring havoc caused by floods

After the disastrous floods experienced by the country in 1954 a National Programme of Flood management was launched During the five decades since then different methods of flood protection both long term and short term have been adopted in different States depending upon the nature of problem and local conditions The available information compiled from details furnished by the States relating to length of embankment and drainage channels indicates that 33929 km of embanlanents and 38810 km of drainage channels have been constructed In addition 2458 town protection works have been completed and 4716 villages raised above flood levels This have resulted in providing reasonable protection to an area of 1822 mha

Apart from the direct flood control works reservoirs with specific flood cushion have been constructed on the Damodar river to provide protection to areas in the downstream In addition storages constructed across Mahanadi (at Hirakud) Sutlej (at Bhakra) Chambal (at Gandhi sagar) Brahmani (at Rengali) and Tapi (at Ukai) as also a

6

number of other major and medium reservOIrs have helped greatly III reducing the intensity of flood and flood damages

In addition to the structural flood protection measures non-structural measures like flood forecasting and warning of incoming floods have also played significant role in reducing the loss of life and movable property apart from alerting the civil and engineering authorities in-charge of various works to take appropriate advance action to fight the onslaught of floods The Central Water Commission manages a major network of 173 such flood forecasting stations on inter-state rivers in 18 States The techniques of observation of hydrological and hydro-meterological data and their transmission to the forecasting station have been constantly under review for making necessary improvements to make the forecasts more accurate and also to give higher lead time On an average CWC is issuing 5619 flood forecasts with 9655 accuracy

136 Industrial Water Use

While at present the estimated water requirement for industrial water use is only around 8-12 BCM with urbanization and industrialization the water demand for industrial purposes is also slated to increase significantly Necessary measures to reduce the demand should be taken by adopting processes with minimum use of water recycle and re-use etc Tariff rates should be prescribed so that industries feel compelled to look into technological intervention leading reduced water requirement per unit production

137 Other Uses like Navigation Ecology Recreational activities etc

Navigable waterways in India comprising of river systems canals hackwaters creeks and tidal inlet extend to about 14500 kms Most waterways however suffer from navigational inadequacies such as shallow waters narrow width and bank erosion Moreover vertical and horizontal clearances at overhead structures are not adequate for navigation throughout the year Consequently at present about 5200 kms of major rivers and 485 kms of canals are considered suitable for mechanized crafts

In the earlier period with less of population and consequently less of related activities nature could cope with whatever damage was inflicted on the resources quickly restoring the balance But in recent times with the growth of population and its consequent activities the restorative capacity of nature and the environment is being continuously eroded affecting the quality of life on the planet Earth Ecology is now concerned not only with living elements but also with their interrelationships with society and culture Prevention of environmental degradation and degradation of the natural resources base is essential for sustainable development

The negative environmental consequences are caused due to deforestation soil erosion unplanned ildustrialization indiscriminate use of fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture drought floods water logging water pollution population growth large scale

7 -

poverty etc Glohal climatic change and atmospheric pollution could also have an impact on fresh water resources and their availability Protection enhancement and restoration of water quality and abatement of water pollution are necessary for providing not only safe drinking water and maintaining and improving human health but are also important for sustaining land quality agriculture and industrial production and for supporting the socio-economic growth as such

The need for water demand for ecological purposes including conserving the environment maintaining lean period flows aquatic life etc therefore needs to be worked out on scientific basis Allocation for this purpose should be made while considering the construction of new reservoirsstorages

Recreational facilities also sometimes contribute to a large extentmiddot in the development of economy at the micro level (of a particular localized area) through promotion of tourism The reservoir sites owing to their topographical as well as environmental advantage often become the hub of such recreational activities Besides a host of direct benefits water therefore plays a significant role in contributing indirectly to the growth of the nation through promotion of tourism employment generation etc

14 Future projected scenario 141 Assessment by Standing Sub-Committee

A Standing Sub-Committee for assessment of availability and requirement of water for diverse uses in the country constituted by the Ministry of Water Resources in its report (August 2000) assessed the requirements of water for various sectors as given in the Table-1 below

Table-I Water Requirement for Various Sector~

Sector Water Demand in Billion Cubic meter (BCM) 2000 2010 2025 2050

Irrigation 541 688 910 1072 Drinking Water 42 56 73 102 Industry 8 12 23 63 Energy 2 5 15 130 Others 41 52 72 80 Total 634 813 1093 1447

On the basis of the above assessment the Sub-Committee observed that against the total utilizable water resources of 1122 BCM the projected demand during the year 2025 and 2050 comes to around 1093 and 1447 respectively The scenario indicates water deficiency in the overall national perspective The deficiency may have to be managed by using the return flows from various uses which may be around 80 from domestic uses

8

~------------------------------------------------------ -----

ie 58 and 81 BCM in the year 2025 and 2050 respectively The return flow from irrigation sector may be around 10 ie 91 and 107 BCM in the year 2025 and 2050 respectively The return flow from industry sector is estimated to be 65 Besides water has to be made available through inter-basin transfer of river waters by 2050 The demand of industry and energy sector may be managed by reuse and recycling of return flows and reuse of water from treated wastewater Proper treatment of effluent to desired standards will have to be ensured to use the return flow in irrigation horticulture etc The water requirements of water deficit areas will be met by inter basin transfer of water from surplus basins after developing the untapped water resources

142 National Commission on Integrated Water Resources Development (NCIWRD)

The National Commission on Integrated Water Resources Development (NCIWRD) in its report (1999) has also assessed the water requirement for various purposes for different years and the demand of water is given in the Table-2 below

It would be observed that the assessment made by the National Commission for irrigation is relatively on lower side as compared to that estimated by the Standing SubshyCommittee In respect of other uses the estimate made by the National Commission is generally on a higher side The main reason for such variation in the estimate is the assumption made by the National Commission in respect of the overall improvement of irrigation efficiency The National Commission has assumed that the irrigation efficiency will gradually increase to 60 from the present level of 35 to 40 Considerable effort is required to achieve the objective middot of efficiency in water resource system and particularly in the irrigation system which is the major water consumptive sector

Table-2 Water Demand for Diverse Uses

Sl No

Total Water Use (in BCM) Uses Year

1997-98 Year 2010 Year 2025 Year 2050

Low High Low High Low High 1 Irrigation 524 543 557 561 611 628 807 2 Domestic 30 42 43 55 62 90 111 3 Industries 30 37 middot37 67 67 81 81 4 Power 9 18 19 31 33 63 70 5 Inland Navigation 0 7 7 10 10 15 15 6 Flood Control 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 Environment(1 )

Afforestati on 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

8 Env(2)Ecology 0 5 6 10 10 middot 20 20 9 Evaporation losses 36 42 42 50 50 76 76

Total 629 694 710 784 843 973 1180

9

middotIt is of paramount importance that the aim should be at reducing water requirement to the low demand scenario Taking into account the water availability and the requirement till the year 2050 the National Commission concluded that there is no need to take an alarmist view However three major considerations have to be kept in the forefront while formulating an integrated water policy and plan First the balance between the requirement and availability can be struck only if utmost efficiency is introduced in water use Second average availability at the national level does not imply that all basins are capable of meeting their full requirement from internal resources Third the issue of equity in the access to water between regions and between sections of population assumes greater importance in what is foreseen as a fragile balance between these and related problems of integrated water use planning in the context of supply and requirement of water estimated by the Commission middot

JO

CHAPTER II

ROLE OF WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT IN ASCERTAINING SOCIO-ECONOMIC GROWTH

Right from independence India has been developing atmiddot a very fast pace Consequently it is hardly any surprise that rapid urbanization through infrastructure development has been the key feature of the last few decades At the same time the steep rise in population hasresulted in a phenomenal increase in the demand for food and water supply Till now one of the potent solutions to these multi-faceted challenges has been creation of large storages to wither out the spatial cindtemporal variations The sector wise development which has changed the socio economic status of the country is analysed below

21 Agricultural Production

The direct relationship between food production and assured irrigation is so pronounced that it hardly requires any further explanation During independence the food production of the country was only a meager 50 million tones while the irrigation potential created was 22 m~llion ha By the tum of the century while the irrigation potential created has shot upto 10277 Mha thefood production has crossed 200 million tones If we concentrate over the states which have out performed in the food production like Punjab Haryana Gujarat Uttar Pradesh Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra West Bengal it is apparent that the large and medium water resources storage projects have played the key role Such remarkable achievement have been possible due to the fact that large areas of these States are being covered under assured irrigation

22 Domestic and Industrial Water Supply

The National Water Policy adopted by the Government of India in 2002 accords highest priority to drinking water supply The Vision document for Integrated Water Resources Development formulated by th~ Ministry of Water Resources in 2002 states that 92 of the urban popUlation and 97 of the rural population are having access to safe drinking water This achievement has been largely possible due to the significant contributions made by the large projects a few examples ofwhich are listed below

Delhi the capital of India which is situated on the banks of the Yamuna gets only a fraction of its needs from river Yamuna though situated on its banks The balance needs are met with releases from Bhakra and Ramganga pams The population of the city has grown from 14 million in 1951 to close to 14 million by 2001 Though in 1950s the entire water need of the city was possible to be met with from Jamuna (essentially the flows that were regenerated) this was soon not possible Ramganga and Bhakra waters had to be supplemented for meeting the

11

requirements Infact the releases from the Tehri Dam for the Sonia Vihar Water Treatment plant seems to be the only silver lining for the city plagued by water crisis particularly during the summer months Besides this allocation for drinking water supply t6 Delhi has also been provided in upcoming Renuka and Kishau dam Projects in Yamuna Basin for meeting the future needs

bull The entire water supply of Mumbai is dependant Vaitrana Upper Vaitama Tansa and Bhatsa

on a senes of dams like

bull The acute scarcity of water supply in Chennai is well known The states of Andhra Pradesh Maharashtra and Kamataka agreed to provide a part of their allocated share of Krishna water (to the extent of 15 TMC) for drinking water requirements of Chennai city

bull Water supply of Pune town in Maharashtra is Sagar) Khadakwasla dam and Temghar dam

met with from Panchet(Tangi

bull Hyderabad is mainly dependent on Himayatsagar Manjra and Singur Dams

its water supply from Osmansagar

bull The water supply for Bangalore city heavily depends on Cauvery Stage-I Stage-II and Stage-III projects

bull A sizeable number of cities having population more than one million as per the 2001 census are having their water demand met from several projects The prominent cities among them being Bhopal Indore Jabalpur Nagpur Nashik and Surat

In addition to above a major dam at Bisalpur had been constructed in Chambal Basin to provide water supply to Ajmer City besides towns of Beawar and Tonk in Rajasthan Warrangal town in Andhra Pradesh depends for water supply on Sriramsagar Dam Shillong water supply is to be ensured with a dam under construction in the North-East

The position of drinking water supply in various towns and villages has improved after the coming up of Bhakra and Beas Proj ects Cities of Delhi Chandigarh and town of Patiala and Ropar apart from numerous towns and villages in the states of Haryana and Rajasthan are getting their supply of drinking water from the canals fed by these projects

Drinking water supply for most of the cities and towns in the country are dependant on storages and diversions for the purpose proving the important fact that stored water distributed temporally as well as spatially serves the basic needs in a sustained manner for a sizeable population

12

Industrial water requirement though considerably low in comparison to agriculture and domestic water demand has its own share of importance Most of the industries require assured water supply for their effective performance It is therefore quite natural that the pr~sence of a large project capable of delivering assured water supply invariably boosts up the industrial development of the area Numerous examples may be cited to back the above contention however the more important ones are given below

For catering the needs of Bokaro Steel Plant a dam at Tenughat in the Damodar River Basin had to be constructed

bull Similarly a cluster of thermal and super-thermal stations in uP is entirely dependent on the water stored at Rihand Dam on a tributary of the Sone River in uP

bull For the Vishkhapatnam Steel Plant the water IS to be supplied from Yeleru Reservoir

bull As abundant and assured cooling water is available from Ukai reservoir a large thermal power station having installed capacity of 850 MW is also set up and commissioned at Ukai since 1975 Other huge industries like Essar Gujarat Reliance Petrochemicals KRlBHCO ONGC NTPC etc are direct beneficiaries from Ukai-Kakrapar project as regards industrial water supply

bull For the requirements of Udaipur and Chittor plants of Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL) Gosunda Dam was necessary This meets not only the needs of HZL but also the water-supply needs of Udaipur

Major industries getting water from Bhakra Canals are National Fertilizers Ltd Nangal Ropar Thermal Plant and C-Thermal Delhi besides numerous other small industrial units

23 Hydropower generation

The hydropower generated from the large projects like Bhakra-Nangal Hirakud Iddukki Ukai Srisailam Gandhisagar Rana Pratapsagar Jawaharsagar projects have not only provided middotcheap energy but also has immensely helped in meeting the peaking demands Thus there is not even an iota of doubt about the role played by these projects in improving the economy of their command area Infact hydropower being durable non-polluting and extremely cheap its viability as an effective mode of producing energy increases even further

It is often been contended by the social activists that the improvement in irrigation facilities and the resultant boom in food production is largely due to the minor irrigation and ground water irrigation schemes There is no point in denying the fact that the harnessing of minor irrigation as well as ground water irrigation facilities is equally

13

important in promoting food production but more often that not we ignore the power requirement for operating the pumps for lifting ground water In fact in the recent times one of the most debated issues have been providing free power to the farmers proving the importance of availability of cheap power to the agricultural community

24 Flood Control and Drought Mitigation

It wont be an overstatement to acknowledge the benefit offered by those large projects by providing the required cushion against the raging floods An estimation of the past 100 years will invariably indicate the astronomical damages that were inflicted on our country by the floods Even in the 21 st cenfliry after so much advancement we are often rendered helpless to the fury of floods particularly in the North-East where the protection upto the desired level is yet to be materialized Even then all the projects mentioned above like the Hirakud Bhakra-Nangal Ukai-Kakrapar Nagarjunasagar had given immense relief to the people of their command area by not only restricting the financial losses but at times even saving the loss of lives

The greatest inexplicable paradox of this countrys water resources scenario has been the co-existence of droughts and floods and the beauty of the large projects is that they have the capability to handle both the situations simultaneously and thus ironing out the erratic climatic behavior to a large extent The excess monsoon received in a particular year is being used by these projects to wonderful effect in another year facing paucity of rainfall

14

CHAPTER III

Bharat Nirman Plan (2005-2009)

Government of India in partnership with State Governments and Panchayat Raj Institutions has launched Bharat Nirman programme as a time-bound business plan for action in rural infrastructure for the span of four years (2005-2009) Under Bharat Nirman Plan action is proposed in the areas of irrigation road rural housing rural water supply rural electrification and rural telecommunication connectivity Specific targets are set to be achieved under each of these goals so that there is accountability in the progress of this initiative The goals in different sectors are as under

31 IClectricity

Goal Every village to be provided electricity remaining 125000 villages to be covered by 2009

The Ministry of Power has the responsibility of providing electricity to the remaining 125000 villages through the programme instrument of Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana In addition it will also provide 23 million households with electricity As per the Census of 2001 125000 villages remained uncovered To be able to achieve this objective Rural Electricity Distribution Backbone with at least a 33111 KV sub-station would be set up in each block at least one Distribution TransfOlmer in each habitation of every village or hamlet as Village Electrification Infrastructure Standshyalone grid with generation where grid supply is not feasible These Stand-alone grids would be set up in partnership with the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy also

Rural Electrification Corporation would be the agency for implementation The Mcmagement of Rural Distribution will be fioanchisees that could be Users Associations individual entrepreneurs Cooperatives Non-Governmental Organizations Panchayat Institutions Services of Central Services undertakings like National Them1al Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POClL) National Hydro Electric Power Corporation Limited (NHPC) and Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) will be made available for the execution of rural electrification projects These CPSUs have been allocated districts in each state wherein they will implement the rural electrification network

90 capital subsidy will be provided for overall cost of the projects under the scheme The capital subsidy for eligible projects under the scheme will be through the Rural Electrification Corporation Limited which will be the nodal agency Electrification of unelectrified below-poverty-line households will be financed with 100 capital subsidy at Rs1500 per connection in all rural habitations Others will be paying for the connections at prescribed connection charges and no subsidy will be made availableFor creation of village eIectrification infrastructure first priority will be given to unshy

15

electrified villages Preference for electrification will be given to Dalit Bastis Tribal settlements and habitations of weaker sections

32 Roads

Goal Every habitation over 1000 population andabove (500 in hilly and tribal areas) to be provided an all-weather road remaining 66802 habitations to be covered by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development has the responsibility of ensuring that every habitation over 1000 population and every habitation with more than 500 in hilly and tribal areas is connected with an all-weather road by 2009 This is expected to generate multiplier effects in the rural economy of linking production to markets and services This work which is being undertaken under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana since 2000 has been modified to address the above goals within the stipulated timeshyframeTo achieve the targets of Bharat Nirman 146185 Kms road length is proposed to be constructed by 2009 This will benefit 66802 unconnected eligible habitations in the country To ensure full farm-to-market connectivity it is also proposed to upgrade 194132 kms of the existing Associated Through Routes

A district and rural roads plan has been prepared listing out complete network of all roads in the district that has village roads major district roads state roads and national highways The concept of core network has been operationalised to focus on those set of roads which are considered essential to provid~ connectivity to all habitations of the desired size The Core Network is the basic in$trumentality for prioritization of construction and allocation of funds for maintenance Action has been initiated to develop GIS-based applications to further enhance the utility of the Core Network

The programme is implemented through a framework of consultation with public representatives ranging from the panchayat level up to Parlian1ent A Rural Roads Manual guides the implementation of the programme A separate Book of Specification and a Standard Data Book have been prepared As per this standard bidding documents are to be adopted by the states For MIS there is a computerized Online Management and Monitoring Accounting System

Approximately Rs48000 crores is proposed to be invested to achieve this objective 100 of the funds of this programme is being provided by the Central Government

33 Drinking Water

Goal Every habitation to have a safe source of drinking water 55067 uncovered habitations to be covered by 2009 In addition all habitations which have slipped back from full coverage to partial coverage due to failure of source and habitations which have water quality problems to be addressed

16

The Ministry of Rural Development Department of Drinking Water Supply is responsible for meeting this goal in partnership with State Governments The programme instrument of the Govemment of India is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme under implementation since 1972-73 which is funded on a 50 matching share basis between the Government of India and the State Government Since 1972 over 37 lakh hand pumps and l5 lakh pipe water supply systems have been set up to provide safe water to over 15 lakh habitations in the country at a cost of over Rs 50000 crore The norms which are fixed to achieve the goal are - 40 litres per capita per day (lpcd) of safe drinking water for human beings - 30 Ipcd additional for cattle in the Desert Development Programme Areas - One hand pump or stand post for every 250 persons - The water source should exist within 16 km in the plains and within 100 metres

elevation in the hilly areas

The backlog for coverage is under estimation based on a habitation survey for the categories of uncovered villages slipped- back villages and villages affected with a problem of water quality 55067 villages remain uncovered and are targeted for coverage as first priority The category of slipped-back villages estimated by the Planning Commission at the beginning of the Tenth Plan as 28 lakh habitations These are so on account of a number of factors like - Sources going dry or lowering of the ground water table - Sources becoming quality affected - Systems outliving their lives - Systems working below rated capacity due to poor operation and maintenance - Increase in population resulting in lower per capita availability - Emergence of new habitations According to the data received from State Governments based on a survey undertaken in 2000216968 habitations are affected due to a variety of water quality problems consists of excess fluoride 31306 excess arsenic 5029 excess salinity23495 excess iron118088 excess nitrate 13958 and multiple quality problems 25092

The Govemment of India has decided that under Bharat Nirman names of habitations would have to be provided by State Governments for availing funds from Government of India This would give maximum transparency to the programme State Governments would be required to place the habitations proposed for coverage and covered on this site in course of time

The scheme is funded on a 50 basis by the Gol and expenditure ofRsA050 crores is expected for the current year The actual requirement will be worked out based on the names of habitations supplied by the states and funded

34 Telephone

Goal Every village to be connected by telephone remaining 66822 villagesto be covered by November 2007

17

The Department of Telecom in the Ministry of Communications and Infonnation Technology has the responsibility of providing telephone cOlmectivity to the 66822 villages that remain to be covered

The resources for implementation of universal services obligation are raised through a Universal Service Levy which has presently been fixed at 5 of the adjusted gross revenue of all telecom service providers except the pure value added service providers like internet voice mail e-mail service providers The rules also make a provision for the Central Government to give grants and loans to the Fund The balance to the credit of the Fund does not lapse at the end of the financial year usa Fund assigns the task of providing Village Public Telephones (VPTs) on the basis of bids through open tender and in this case the work has been assigned to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd Out of the 66822 villages identified connectivity in 14183 remote and far-flung villages will be provided through digital satellite phone tenninals From the USOF assistance is provided for both capital expenditure as well as operational expenditure It is estimated that a total sum of Rs451 crore would be required to provide VPTs in these 66822 villages and the entire sum will be met out of USOF and no separate allocation from Government would be required

As an additional incentives telecom service providers are being assisted through the USOF to penetrate into the rural areas for the following activities - Maintenance of existing village public telephones (VPTs) - Provision of an additional mral community phone in villages with a population of more

than two thousand and where no public call office exists - Replacement of village public telephones installed on Multi Access Radio Relay

(MARR) technology - Telephone lines installed in household in specified rural areas

Rural teledensity will be significantly enhanced during the period of Bharat Nirman

The Government is committed to expanding mral connectivity through a slew of measures so that rural users can access information of value and transact business This will include cOlmecting block headquarters with fibre optic network using wireless technology to achieve last mile connectivity and operating information kiosks through a partnership of citizens panchayats civil society organizations the private sector and Government

35 Irrigation

Goal J 0 million hectares (J 00 lakhs) of additional irrigation capacity to be created by 2009

The Ministry of Water Resources in collaboration with State Governments is responsible for creation of additional 10 million hectares of irrigation capacity by the year 2009 through major medium and minor irrigation projects complemented by ground water development

18

The ultimate irrigation potential for the country has been estimated as 140 million hectare (Mba) which include potential through Major and Medium irrigation projects (5846 Mha) surface water based minor irrigation schemes (1754 Mha) and ground water development (6400 Mha) So far the irrigation potential of 10277 Mha has already been created However the created potential has not been fully utilized and the gap between created and utilized potential has been estimated to be of the order of 17 Mha

351 Major and Medium Irrigation (MMI) Proj ects

For the country as a whole 66 of the ultimate irrigationpotential of major and medium projects has been created 477 Major and Medium irrigation projects have spilled over to Xl In addition the States have proposed 223 Major and Medium projects and 86 ERM projects during XI Plan An outlay of Rs 30670 crore has been provided for the new proj ects in the XI Plan

So far 173 major and medium 4169 minor and 21 Extension Renovation and Modernization (ERM) projects have been provided Central Loan Assistance under Accelerated Irrigation benefit Programme (AIBP) The potential creation through projects supported under AIBP has been found to be 035 Mha per year with about 047 Mha per year in the last two years As per existing Plan the projected creation of irrigation potential through AIBP is 050 Mba per year in the remaining period of X Five Year Plan

The average rate of creation of irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects from 1951 to 1997 has been found to be of the order of 051 Mha per year During the year 1997 to 2005 the rate for creati n has been found to be 092 Mah per year The pace of creation of new irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects has increased in the recent past This is due to fruition of projects started much earlier which have been expedited due to increased support through AIBP

The projects for extension renovation and modernization (ERM) of major and medium irrigation schemes are also being implemented with arrangement similar to that for completion of ongoing major and medium schemes The implementation of ERM projects along with Command Area Development and Water Management (CAD and WM) help in sustaining the created facilities and in improving the utilization

35 2 Minor Irrigatioll Schemes

There is considerable variation in creation of ilTIgation potential through minor irrigation (both surface and ground water) schemes from State to State While full potential through minor irrigation has been tapped in some of the States it is relatively very low in others

19

Minor irrigation through surface water covers water sources (tanks and small reservoirs) with a culturable command area (CCA) of less than 2000 ha About 70 of the ultimate potential through surface water based minor irrigation schemes has since been created The Report of the National Commission for Integrated Water Resources Development points out that the carrying capacity of tanks has decreased over time for a variety of reasons and that the restoration and renovation of tanks and other local sources is a priority task

Since 2004-05 a pilot scheme for repair renovation and restoration of water bodies directly linked to agriculture has been taken up by the Government as a state-sector scheme in the 16 districts of the country which is proposed to be expanded

353 Ground Water Development

From the surveys conducted for estimation of availability and status of ground water the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has identified areas that are over-exploited (where exploitation is more than natural recharge of ground water) and areas that are critical or dark (where draft is between 70 to 100 of the natural recharge ofground water) The recent survey indicates that out of 7414 identified units (blockstalukaswatershed) 471 are Overexploited and 318 are Critical or Dark units Thus less than 11 of the total units fall under the category of over-exploited and critical The ultimate irrigation potential to be created is based on the assessed replenishable groundwater after duly accounting for the domestic and industrial uses (about 10) It has been assessed that ground water is still available for utilization in many parts of the country particularly in the eastern parts of the country Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and in specific pockets of Andhra Pradesh Kamataka Maharashtra and Jammu amp Kashmir In Punjab Haryana Rajasthan Gujarat and Tamil Nadu the rechargeable quantum of ground water has been exceeded and mining of static reserves has commenced This reinforces the need to take urgent steps to increase recharge and conservation

354 Targets under Bharat Nirman

Sl No Component Target I Completion of ongoing Major amp medium Irrigation

Projects 42Mha

II Minor irrigation schemes bull Surface water 10 Mha bull Ground Water 18 Mha

10Mha l8Mha

28Mha

III Enhancing utilization of completed projects bull ERM of major amp medium projects bull Repair renovation and restoration of water bodiesERM of minor irrigation schemes

lOMha 10Mha

20Mha

IV Ground water development in area with unutilized ground water potential (for benefit of small and marginal farmers and Tribals amp Dalits) -

lOMba

20

Creation of potential of 1 Mha through ground water development in areas with unutilized ground water potential would primarily benefit small and marginal farmers who are mostly tribals dalits and weaker sections of society The scheme envisages full involvement of Panchayati Raj Institutions in implementation of the schemes

36 Housing

Goal 60 lakh houses to be constructed for the rural poor by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development through the IndiraAwaas Yojana undertakes this activity as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme where the cost is shared between the Centre and States on 7525 basis

The 2001 Census places the rural housing shortage figure ~n India at around 1491akhs Construction of 60 lakh houses over the next four years across the country is envisaged starting from 2005-06 to address a significant portion of this backlog

The criteria adopted for allocation of financial resources between the StatesUTs give greater emphasis to the states with higher incidence or shelterlessness 75 weightage is given to housing shortage and 25 to the poverty ratios prescribed by the Planning Commission for State-level allocations For district-level allocations 75 weightage is given again to housing shortage and 25 to SCST population of the districts concerned Grant assistance is provided to the extent of Rs 25000 per house for normal middot areas and Rs 27500 for hilly areas Funds are released to the DRDAs in two installments

Implementation guidelines of the scheme specifically target the rural below poverty line (BPL) households The respective Gram Sabha does the selection of beneficiaries from the BPL list and no higher approval is required The guidelines also clearlY Specify that the house allotment should be in the name of the female member of the family as a first priority While seeking to empower the rural women the scheme also provides priority to physically and mentally challenged persons exservicemen widows and freed bonded labourers It is stipulated that at least 60 of the beneficiaries should belong to the SCST communities TheIAY scheme also lays emphasis on sanitation and health by incorporating the cost of a sanitary latrine and smokeless chulah into the per unit grant provided to the beneficiary for constructionlupgradation of the dwelling unit

21

CHAPTER IV

WATER SECTOR ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN BHARAT NIRMAN PLAN

Water resource is a vital input in the development endeavours of the country Its finite availability and ever increasing demand in every sector have aggravated the problem manifold in case of India The requirement of faster development in irrigation water supply industrial use flood protection is evident assuming the future scenario Bharat Nirman Plan has rightly stressed on the irrigation and water supply where as the other sectors requirement is to be redressed with equal priority for the sustainable development of India

The water sector is grappled with the following Issues

Irrigation development Command area development amp Catchment area treatment Creation of storages Conunctive use of surface and ground water Efficiency improvement in distribution system Bridging the gap between irrigation potential created and potential utilised Flood Management

41 Irrigation Development

In India with the constitution of the Planning commission in 1950 and the advent of planning process in the first five year plan (1951-56) the country launched a major irrigation programme A number of multipurpose and major projects such as Bhakra Nangal Nagarjunasagar Kosi Chambal Hirakund Kakrapar and Tungbhadra were taken up Simultaneously minor irrigation schemes including ground water were given emphasis under the Agricultural Sector along with financial assistance from the Centre

During the period of Second Five Year Plan (1956-61) Third Five Year Plan (1961-66) and the Three Annual Plans (1966-69) irrigation programmes continued with addition of new projects During the Fourth Five Year Plan (1969-74) the emphasis was shifted to the completion of ongoing projects integrated use of surface and ground water adoption of efficient management techniques and modernization of existing schemes However new projects continued to be added

During the fifth Plan (1974-79) command Area Development Programme Was launched as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with the objective of reducing the lag between potential created and optimum utilization of available land and water Initially 60 major and medium proj ects were covered with a CCA of 15 Mha

22

During the Annual Plans of 1978-80 and the Sixth Five Year Plan ( 1980-85) new starts continued and at the end of Seventh Plan there were as many as 182 major and 312 medium ongoing proj ects requiring an estimated amount of Rs 39044 crore at the 1990shy91 price level for their completion New starts were therefore restricted considerably and greater emphasis was laid on completion of projects which were in the advanced stages of completion (those with an expenditure of 75 per cent or more) This was continued during 1990-91 and 1991-92 Annual Plans VIII Plan (1992-97) and IX Plan (1997 -2000)

For speedy completion of ongoing projects in advance stage of construction Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) was launched in 1996-97 During VIII Plan period irrigation potential of 22 Mha was created under major and medium sector at an annual rate of 044 Mha per annum During IX plan period this increased to 412 Mha out of which 165 Mha (nearly 40) was through AIBP Renovation Modernisation and Rehabilitation of old irrigation schemes gained momentum Users participation in major and medium irrigation schemes received greater attention Repairs and improvemen to the minor irrigation projects as a part of integrated micro-development also received encouragement Similarly sprinkler and drip irrigation programmes and the conjunctive use of surface and ground water gained momentum The project completed along with minor irrigation and ground water development have created an estimated potential of about 10277 Mha by the end of the X Plan

Although plan expenditure on irrigation has increased from Rs44l 8 crore in the 1st Plan to Rs 9574342 crore (outlay) in the X plan the share in total plan expenditure has decreased from 23 in the 1st Plan to 63 in the X Plan

The created irrigation potential increased from 226 Mha (97 Mha through major amp medium and 129 Mha through minor irrigation) in preplan period to 102Mha (4235 Mha through major and medium and 6042 1Tha through minor including ground water schemes) upto the end of X Plan with an annual average growth of 14 Mha In the corresponding period the potential utilistion has been from 226 Mha period to 8100 Mha

411 Central Assistance under AIBP

During IX Plan period irrigation potential of 165 Mha was created through AIBP at an average rate of 033 Mha per annum During the first three years of X plan the potential creation in major and medium irrigation sector through AIBP is around 14 Mha 047 Mha per annum In spite of rationalizing completion schedule of projects under AIBP several projects are lying behind schedule It is desirable to work out realistic time frame and cost to completion for projects to be considered under AIBP It is pertinent to mention that the spirit of the programme ie completion of last mile projects should not get diluted in the enthusiasm of inclusion of large number of projects under this programme As reported by the state governments but of total 200 projects presently under AIBP 95 projects would be completed by the end of X plan

23

The Central Assistance under AIBP as loan and grant provided up to March 2006 is Rs 1943790 crore out of which Rs 1883010 crore has been provided in Major and Medium irrigation sector

Impact ofAIBP

Plan Potential Created (Mha) Contribution of AIBP(Mha) IX 410 165 ( 402) X 530 300 ( 566)

Keeping an eye over the future requirement the Working Group on Water Resources for the XI Five Year Plan has brought out several suggestions in order to expedite completion of the projects which is very very essential Some other issues relating irrigation sector were also addressed in addition to this The strategies adopted for XI Plan proposal are swnmarized as below

1 Ongoing projects which have already achieved 90 or more of the ultimate potential should be considered as completed~ Critically review all such projects which are having only marginal benefit left or are near impossible to complete because of various problems and declare them completed or curtailed or deleted The balance cost of the remaining projects should be updated realistically for consideration under XI plan

2 Inter-Se priority should be decided considering various aspects such as externally aided proj ects interstate proj ects proj ects benefiting drought prone or tribal areas etc as per the guidelines prepared by National Commission for integrated Water Resources Development Plan

3 High priority should be accorded to the Pre-seventh and Seventh Plan Projects for funding under AIBP with emphasis to complete these projects during XI Plan List of such projects is appended as Annex31 Fund allocation under AIBP should be enhanced for this purpose ifnecessary

4 Foremost priority should be given for completion of ongoing projects and new projects should be taken up very selectively keeping in view the necessity for removal of regional imbalances and development of drought prone and tribal areas

5 Since the fund requirement for mediumminor irrigation projects are less adequate fund may be made available for completion of these projects without jeopardizing programme for important major projects ERM Projects should be given due priority where the eroded potential can be restored with ~oderate expenditure

24

6 A separate budget head upto 15 of Plan fund may be provided as Irrigation Maintenance Fund (IMF) and full amount of irrigation revenue as collectged should be credited to IMF

7 In addition to liabilities of completed projects and provision for ongoing and new projects the State plan proposals should incorporate provisions for special repairs of existing irrigation systems dam safety measures improved water management and water development aspect encompassing survey and investigation research and development training and National Hydrology Project

8 Substantial higher outlay should be provided in Central Plan to bring out effective role in plan activities of the Central Institutions by way of suitably strengthening them and provide adequate funds for taking new initiatives under Central Plan

9 The existing regionalstate level institutions such as W ALMIs should be strengthened and brought into mainstream activities for irrigation management improvement

10 Dam safety measures should be taken up all over country which is very essential in the context of disaster Prevention and Management

11 The performance evaluation of completed projects needs to be continued for benchmarking and improvement in irrigation efficiency

In addition to above recommendations on Minor Irrigation Sector are gIven as follows

1 Renovation Restoration of old tanks as well as old diversion channels in hilly regions along with improving efficiency of the projects Besides surface lift schemes may also be given due consideration particularly in hilly regions for irrigating high terraces

2 Expansion of irrigation facilities through a time bound programme for exploiting the huge ground water potential in the Eastern Region

3 Promotion of Micro Irrigation system in Water deficit areas 4 Promotion of Ground Water Development in areas haaving untapped unutilized

potential 5 National rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) may be linked with minor

irrigation Ground Water Development 6 A comprehensive act for regulation and development of ground water on

sustainable basis both in public and private sector

42 Command Area Development

In respect of command area development works for performance improvement-of the projects the working group has recommended the following recommendations for consideration

25

(a) Central funding for CAD works may be enhanced from present level of 5050 to 7525 for all the States while for states of North eastern Region and Hilly Special Category States the funding may be 90 from Government of India For software activities like trainings adaptive trials demonstrations monitoring and evaluation etc 100 Central funding may be considered in place of the existing pattern of 75 25 between the Centre and the States Funds can be directly given to W ALMIs and other State Central agencies for carrying out such activities

(b) It is proposed to increase the functional grant from Rs 600 per ha to Rs 1000 per ha which is to be shared in the ratio ofRs 675225100 between the centre State and the farmers while keeping all cost norms unchanged The State Governments may also be allowed to raise fund for its share through institutional funding or public borrowings through bonds on the pattern of Krishna Bhagya Nigam of Karnataka Government

(c) As per the existing system of release of Central Assistance the funds are transferred to the pool of State Finance Department which in tum releases funds to the implementing departments This procedure is not amenable for timely availability of the funds to the CADAs Therefore direct funding to CADAs from the Ministry in a mission mode can be considered to alleviate this problem For instance the Ministry of rural Development has a system of direct release of Central share of funds to the District Rural Development Authorities (DRDA) Jilla Parishads for implementing the schemes of the Central Ministry

(d) To ensure optimum utilization of created irrigation potential the CADWM should be made a part of the new major and medium projects

(e) Formation of WUAs under PTh1 Act is mandatory for implementation of CADWM programme Transition time of 2 years (upto the end of financial year 2008-09) may be allowed to those States which have not enact~d their PIM Acts so far Further relaxation may be only be allowed with the approval of CCEA

(f) WUAs should be involved in planning budgeting implementation and management of irrigation systems to be transferred to them There is a need to enforce a regime whereby farmers pay the water rates to meet the OampM expenditure rates Conditions of reforms should be imposed before handing over the projects to WUAs

(g) Volumetric supply of irrigation water to WUAs should be introduced

(h) Reputed NGOs with requisite skills may be involved for promotion of WUAs Rehabilitation of Canal Systems and Water Management for at least 2-3 years The estimated expenditure of Rs 600-800 per ha on account of this may be provided by the central government in the form of grant

(i) Autonomy of WUAs should be maintained in regard to Water Management However there may be linkages with Panchayati Raj Institutions through cross representation It may be considered to provide support to W ALMIs Agriculture Universities and reputed NGOs for improved water management at micro level It may also be considered to provide incentives for activities ofWUAs

26

(j) The WUAs should include women members from the land owning holding house holds in the Command Area irrespective of their ownership of the land

(k) Periodic evaluation of CAD Projects should be undertaken and suitable corrective measures may be taken if necessary

(1) Components for reclamation of waterlogged areas as well as correction of conveyance deficiencies with enhanced scope may be implemented to cover all the projects in the country details of which could be approved in consultation with expert organizations such as CWC CSSRI CGWB etc

(m) Water Resources Irrigation Departments need to undertake assessment periodically (at least once in 5 years) to determine the training needs at different levels of personnel deployed in water resources development and management Facilities available for capacity building are to be considered instead of establishing new training centres There has to be networking of existing training facilities so that training will be effective and economical It is desirable to have a separate scheme for training and capacity building for State Governments as well as central Government

43 Creation of Storage

Creation of storages is of prime importance in order to avoid severe domestic crisis on water issues As per the estimates given in the working group report there is a need of approximately live storage of around 450 km3

Major amp Medium Projects (Existing) -213 KJ13

Major amp Medium Projects (Under construction) -76 KM3 Minor Storages (Existing amp Under construction) -70 KM3 Total Live Storages in projects existing and under construction - 359 Km3

Likely loss in Live storage due to sedimentation upto 2050 which has to be compensated for -53 Km3 (say) Balance available live storage from the above in 2050 - 306 Km3 say 300 Km3

Therefore further new live storage to be created to have a live storage of 450 Km3 by 2050 is 150Km3

For creation the needed storage in addition to the present way of envisaging attention has to be paid to changing popUlation dynamics changing pattern of human settlements climatic change causing change in pattern of spatial and temporal variation in rainfall deterioration in water quality etc

44 Conjunctive Use of surface and ground water

Conjunctive use of surface and ground water can address the situation in two ways by decreasing the dependence on a single source and the quality of the available waterThis will reduce the chance of desalination as well Working group has suggested for the conjunctive use of middotgood quality water and saline seawater which will be helpful in reducing the cost of water requirement for irrigation

27

45 Efficiency improvement in the distribution system as well as in field

Deficiencies of the irrigated agriculture in India have been a cause of concern and a huge amount of thinking and analysis ha been done to devise ways and means to improve it The Working Group has recommended some important recommendations in this matter

1 Standardized definitions of irrigation efficiencies need to be evolved for use in India after reviewing available material All water resources of a basin form a unified resource and hence the basin efficiency concept which integrates all surface water and ground water uses as well as reuse and recirculation is important The basin efficiency also needs to be estimated along with project related efficiencies

2 Conjunctive use of water to be given higher priority particularly in alluvial areas as a very effective means of improving water use amp basin efficiency and of saving possible water logging and salination For givin an encouragement to conjunctive use irrigation Act may be amended if req ired The policy of favoring selective lining of canals should be continued LD ater allowances and somewhat inadequate conveyance capacities lead to be r efficiencies and less water loggingrelated problems These need to be encouraged

3 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Water Csers Associations (WUAs) should include a standard clause which binds the users to effective conjunctive use of surface and ground water On rising of gro nd water table the MOW should allow the department to cut the surface water supply

4 Where there are minor irrigation tanks minor urface lifts etc middotin the command these should be integrated with major project works and not be treated as separate entity Such tanks should be filled with cfulals water as per requirement Also such works will allow reuse of the seeped wateT

5 Each major irrigation system authorities should annually prepare the water budget accruing for all water stored or diverted all losses all reuse of lost waters estimated evaporation etc

6 Sufficient funds for operation and maintenance work to be provided Creation of Irrigation Maintenance Corporation as provided in the irrigation management policy is considered so that a linkage between revenues from water and OampM funds is established Water rates may accordingly be increased in a phased manner

7 Priority may be assigned toERM schemes for projects where water distribution systems are to be handed over to WUAs Where total ERM scheme is not contemplated one time maintenance deferred maintenance of a project may be allowed as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance of a project may be allowed

28

as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance budget to be decided in consultation with the farmers and walk through survey to assess what is appropriate and achievable within the available fund

8 All the schemes more than 25 years old should be studied in details to bring out the status of schemes in respect of structural safety and performance and ERM schemes may be formulated and taken up based on such studies

9 Drip sprinklers are mostly for horticulture vegetable crops (and surgarcane) in the present major and medium surface irrigation system These may be encouraged for other crops also Any compulsion for a particular cropping pattern needs to be removed whenever WUAs are formed amp volumetric water rates come into practice Use of sprinkler or drips or rotational surface supplies requires additional on farm storage (either as dug out ponds or elevatged storage with pump) This becomes essential since supply rotates are 10 daily or fortnightly whereas drips amp sprinkler require daily or 1 in 2 days operation Such storage creation needs to be within the ambit of subsidies for drips and sprinklers

10 As automation is a costly affair it is to be adopted for pilot schemes and not for larger area However preferably this should be introduced for conjunctive use of ground water and not always for surface water

The group has also recommended the concept of Target Efficiency of the water delivery system timely and equitable distribution ohvater increasing production per unit area and per unit volume of water used and financial sustainability of the water delivery infrastructure

46 Bridging the gap between the Potential created and potential utilised

There may be various reasons for increase in the gap between potential creation and potential utilized Some ofthese are

a likely over estimation and double counting of potential creation and inaccuracies discrepancies in reporting of potential utilized

b Loss of potential due to siltation in reservoirs ponds etc and deterioration of water distribution system

c Time gap between potential creation and command area development

d Assumption of optimistic cropping pattern in economic analysis and deviation in cropping pattern as compared to that envisaged during planning

e Over-drawl of water in head reaches depriving potential utilization by tail enders

f Unused canal flow during night hours

29

l

It is desirable to introduce more reliable and accurate system of assessment for potential created and utilized There should be a coordinating statistical organization in each State for reporting the figures of potential created and utilized The Remote Sensing Technique can also be effectively utilized for counter verification of figures reported The loss in potential due to siltation ageing of various distribution systems etc needs to be periodically assessed and accounted

The productivity of irrigated crop as assumed in economic analysis often seem to be optimistic and are not based on experience of nearby irrigation projects Use of water for irrigation and selection of crops have been left to the discretion of users farmers The adverse consequences of such freedom have been manifested as water logging in some commands Somewhere overexploitation of ground -vater has been leading to progressive fall in ground water level It is therefore necessary that a regulatory mechanism is brought into practice by which undesirable or unsuitable crops are discouraged and tendency to over use of irrigation water is c~ecked Similarly in areas where ground water is being used for irrigation a regulatory mechanism should be in place to deter over exploitation of ground water beyond allOvable limit

Sometimes apprehension of scarcity of water and non availability of water when needed also lead to over withdrawal by head end users Since extra tion of ground water is costly farmers tend to take water more than their requirements when that is available through canals Higher cost of ground water is primarily because of cost of power required for lifting of water In case source of solar power is created for lifting of water the cost of ground water will get substantially reduced This may facilitate and give farmers option to use surface water and ground water thom any extra cost Once this option is available and known to farmers that they are aware that use of more water than the optimal requirement is likely to reduce the yield certainly there would be reductionin

overdraw of water by head enders Thus there is a need to extend u~er friendly system and increase awareness and cooperation among farmers through Participatory Irrigation Management Water Users Associatiortsneed to be empowered to look into these aspects Further the piped distribution system and micro irrigation should be adopted as far as possible

In India night imgation is not practiced in general As a result waters flowing in canals during night hours either pass unutilized or wasted on account of uncontrolled flooding It is desirable that the night irrigation is introduced in policy and practice

47 Flood Management

In regard to flood management the strategies recommended are given here under

(a) Undertake construction of dams and reservoir schemes with adequate flood cushion for long term solution of flood problems Efforts should also be made for utilizing the existing reservoirs in the country for flood moderation to the extent

30

possible Even in Reservoirs constructed for power other purposes the rule curves may be framed in such way that effective flood moderation is achieved

(b) Flood Forecasting and flood warning network of ewe be extended and integrated with similar networks of the state governments so as to get real time information at a central point say in central flood control room under FMO ewe This activity should be extended to cover rivers originating from or flowing to the neighbouring countries

( c) To take up development of digital elevation model of flood prone areas for taking up schemes for inundation forecast preparation of flood risk maps planning of flood management schemes etc

(d) Identification of appropriate location for breaching spiling sections in the flood embankment for the controlled flooding of the protected areas for restoring fertility recharge of soil moisture and ground water

( e) Integrating flood management schemes with other infrastructural development programmes in the sectors of roads railways inland waterways and canal command area development works as well as recently declared Rural Employment Guarantee Programme

(f) Watershed management in the hilly catchmentgs of the rivers ongmating in Nepal Bhutan and hilly areas of India should be selectively chosen and funded fully Implementation should be done through a joint mechanism Ministry of Agriculture who is the nodal Ministry for the watershed management works should work out a detailed program in consultation with the Ministry of Water Resources

(g) To give adequate emphasis on the operation and maintenance (OampM) of the flood protection measures already created a percentage of outlay of the flood sector should be earmarked for this purpose

(h) Raising and strengthening of the existing embankments if required after detailed studies of hydrological morphological topographical and developmental aspects to stabilize the benefits of these measures

(i) Natural swamps and lakes to be developed into detention basins and capacity of existing depressions be improved for absorbing flood waters Special drives for development of Tal and Diara areas

G) Erosion of land either by sea or rivers to be minimized through suitable cost effective measures

(k) Flood proofing program such as raised platform and quick drainage facilities to be taken up in a)l the flood prone states

31

(1) Drainage improvement in critical areas in the country to be given priority

(m) Dredging at selective locations ie outfalls etc in the rivers and the tributaries as a way to reduce flood levels in low-lying areas and help in quick drainage

(n) Encourage RampD activities for improved flood management

(0) To encourage peoples participation

(p) To expedite projects peaks

on interlinking of rivers for helping in attenuating flood

(q) Steps to ensure implementation of action plan prepared by NDMA for flood management should be taken

(r) On-going schemes of earlier plans be completed expeditiously All the on going schemes spilling over to the XI Plan in which at least 50 execution has taken place should get first priority on fund allocation during the XI Plan

(s) The cost for flood component in a multi-purpose water resources development projects as a long-term solution to flood problem should be funded by Government of India

(t) Maintenance of existing flood management works to optimize its benefits

32

48 Achievement in irrigation during the two years of the Bharat Nirman Plan

The statewise achievement in two years ending on September 2006 is given below It shows that 2183776 thousand hectare has been added to the irrigation potential A daunting task still left to be achieved in coming two years

thF19ures are III ousand h ec ares t

I

i rOo

rarget bull Major amp Aebievements upSI No

States UrsName MinorMedium Total to September

Irrigation Irrigation 2006 r i

1 Andhra Pradesh 44127 112523 156649 302065

2 Arunachal Pradesh 00 2239 2239 4 777 3 Assam 303 4275 7306 3314

4 Bihar 41399 12858 169979 279451 5 Chhattisgarh 4435 14668 19103 65661

6 Goa 2442 26 2702 1224 7 Gujarat 94573 00 945 73 255224

8 Haryana 3373 241 5783 33301 9 Himachal Pradesh 3091 4691 7788 8842

10 lharkhand 8122 25314 33436 15 701 11 Jammu amp Kashmir 1801 9254 11055 14847

12 Karnataka 26282 124 38682 11131 13 Kerala 1609 2168 3777 15856

14 Madhya Pradesh 61172 162 77372 8138 15 Maharashtra 465 31 35651 82181 9313

16 Manipur 5195 155 6745 0 17 Meghalaya 00 1493 1493 2073

18 Mizoram 00 1096 1096 0628 19 Nagaland 00 1612 1612 259

20 Orissa 19899 13295 33194 3266 21 Punjab 4034 2056 609 68755

22 Rajasthan 37974 401 41984 26459 23 Sikkim 00 703 703 08

24 Tamil Nadu 00 2355 23 55 16461 25 Tripura 2689 5429 8118 6327 26 Uttar Pradesh 82516 15208 977 24 464 372 27 Uttranchal 00 3829 3829 34 967

28 West Bengal 13567 56384 69951 346

29 Andman amp Nicobar Island 00 033 033 0

30 Pondicherry 00 275 275 0 ~-

Total 2183766507867 479958 987826

I

L 33

------------------~------

The achievements are up to March 2006 only The progressachievement of 2006-07 was under compilationscrutiny in ewe at the time of preparation of this document

The figures for states ofKerala and Rajasthan pertain to the achievement of whole year 2006-07 and for the State of Uttar Pradesh the achievement is up to December2006

49 Conclusions

Water sector development encompasses multidisciplinary considerations There is no scope of overlooking any sector while giving priority to any sector or sectors The integrated planning is the only possible way to tackle the water resources development The participatory approach is the key for its sustainability Bharat middot Nirman Plan of Government of India by setting up goals for the period of four years is a boost to the already existing schemes in different ministries Irrigation and public water supply is the basic components of development have been rightly considered in the Bharat Nirman Plan The ambitious project has already traveled through a span of two years and has achieved some part of the goals The balance part has to be done with equal fervor The recent modification in AlBP norms is the evidence of the governmental zeal in achieving the goals For the continuance of the food sufficiency the irrigation development is the feasible quick solution The component of Irrigation in Bharat Nirman is thus a huge help for the required development in the water sector

34

Page 9: ROLE OF WRD&M IN BHARAT NIRMAN DURING WRD 2007

number of other major and medium reservOIrs have helped greatly III reducing the intensity of flood and flood damages

In addition to the structural flood protection measures non-structural measures like flood forecasting and warning of incoming floods have also played significant role in reducing the loss of life and movable property apart from alerting the civil and engineering authorities in-charge of various works to take appropriate advance action to fight the onslaught of floods The Central Water Commission manages a major network of 173 such flood forecasting stations on inter-state rivers in 18 States The techniques of observation of hydrological and hydro-meterological data and their transmission to the forecasting station have been constantly under review for making necessary improvements to make the forecasts more accurate and also to give higher lead time On an average CWC is issuing 5619 flood forecasts with 9655 accuracy

136 Industrial Water Use

While at present the estimated water requirement for industrial water use is only around 8-12 BCM with urbanization and industrialization the water demand for industrial purposes is also slated to increase significantly Necessary measures to reduce the demand should be taken by adopting processes with minimum use of water recycle and re-use etc Tariff rates should be prescribed so that industries feel compelled to look into technological intervention leading reduced water requirement per unit production

137 Other Uses like Navigation Ecology Recreational activities etc

Navigable waterways in India comprising of river systems canals hackwaters creeks and tidal inlet extend to about 14500 kms Most waterways however suffer from navigational inadequacies such as shallow waters narrow width and bank erosion Moreover vertical and horizontal clearances at overhead structures are not adequate for navigation throughout the year Consequently at present about 5200 kms of major rivers and 485 kms of canals are considered suitable for mechanized crafts

In the earlier period with less of population and consequently less of related activities nature could cope with whatever damage was inflicted on the resources quickly restoring the balance But in recent times with the growth of population and its consequent activities the restorative capacity of nature and the environment is being continuously eroded affecting the quality of life on the planet Earth Ecology is now concerned not only with living elements but also with their interrelationships with society and culture Prevention of environmental degradation and degradation of the natural resources base is essential for sustainable development

The negative environmental consequences are caused due to deforestation soil erosion unplanned ildustrialization indiscriminate use of fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture drought floods water logging water pollution population growth large scale

7 -

poverty etc Glohal climatic change and atmospheric pollution could also have an impact on fresh water resources and their availability Protection enhancement and restoration of water quality and abatement of water pollution are necessary for providing not only safe drinking water and maintaining and improving human health but are also important for sustaining land quality agriculture and industrial production and for supporting the socio-economic growth as such

The need for water demand for ecological purposes including conserving the environment maintaining lean period flows aquatic life etc therefore needs to be worked out on scientific basis Allocation for this purpose should be made while considering the construction of new reservoirsstorages

Recreational facilities also sometimes contribute to a large extentmiddot in the development of economy at the micro level (of a particular localized area) through promotion of tourism The reservoir sites owing to their topographical as well as environmental advantage often become the hub of such recreational activities Besides a host of direct benefits water therefore plays a significant role in contributing indirectly to the growth of the nation through promotion of tourism employment generation etc

14 Future projected scenario 141 Assessment by Standing Sub-Committee

A Standing Sub-Committee for assessment of availability and requirement of water for diverse uses in the country constituted by the Ministry of Water Resources in its report (August 2000) assessed the requirements of water for various sectors as given in the Table-1 below

Table-I Water Requirement for Various Sector~

Sector Water Demand in Billion Cubic meter (BCM) 2000 2010 2025 2050

Irrigation 541 688 910 1072 Drinking Water 42 56 73 102 Industry 8 12 23 63 Energy 2 5 15 130 Others 41 52 72 80 Total 634 813 1093 1447

On the basis of the above assessment the Sub-Committee observed that against the total utilizable water resources of 1122 BCM the projected demand during the year 2025 and 2050 comes to around 1093 and 1447 respectively The scenario indicates water deficiency in the overall national perspective The deficiency may have to be managed by using the return flows from various uses which may be around 80 from domestic uses

8

~------------------------------------------------------ -----

ie 58 and 81 BCM in the year 2025 and 2050 respectively The return flow from irrigation sector may be around 10 ie 91 and 107 BCM in the year 2025 and 2050 respectively The return flow from industry sector is estimated to be 65 Besides water has to be made available through inter-basin transfer of river waters by 2050 The demand of industry and energy sector may be managed by reuse and recycling of return flows and reuse of water from treated wastewater Proper treatment of effluent to desired standards will have to be ensured to use the return flow in irrigation horticulture etc The water requirements of water deficit areas will be met by inter basin transfer of water from surplus basins after developing the untapped water resources

142 National Commission on Integrated Water Resources Development (NCIWRD)

The National Commission on Integrated Water Resources Development (NCIWRD) in its report (1999) has also assessed the water requirement for various purposes for different years and the demand of water is given in the Table-2 below

It would be observed that the assessment made by the National Commission for irrigation is relatively on lower side as compared to that estimated by the Standing SubshyCommittee In respect of other uses the estimate made by the National Commission is generally on a higher side The main reason for such variation in the estimate is the assumption made by the National Commission in respect of the overall improvement of irrigation efficiency The National Commission has assumed that the irrigation efficiency will gradually increase to 60 from the present level of 35 to 40 Considerable effort is required to achieve the objective middot of efficiency in water resource system and particularly in the irrigation system which is the major water consumptive sector

Table-2 Water Demand for Diverse Uses

Sl No

Total Water Use (in BCM) Uses Year

1997-98 Year 2010 Year 2025 Year 2050

Low High Low High Low High 1 Irrigation 524 543 557 561 611 628 807 2 Domestic 30 42 43 55 62 90 111 3 Industries 30 37 middot37 67 67 81 81 4 Power 9 18 19 31 33 63 70 5 Inland Navigation 0 7 7 10 10 15 15 6 Flood Control 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 Environment(1 )

Afforestati on 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

8 Env(2)Ecology 0 5 6 10 10 middot 20 20 9 Evaporation losses 36 42 42 50 50 76 76

Total 629 694 710 784 843 973 1180

9

middotIt is of paramount importance that the aim should be at reducing water requirement to the low demand scenario Taking into account the water availability and the requirement till the year 2050 the National Commission concluded that there is no need to take an alarmist view However three major considerations have to be kept in the forefront while formulating an integrated water policy and plan First the balance between the requirement and availability can be struck only if utmost efficiency is introduced in water use Second average availability at the national level does not imply that all basins are capable of meeting their full requirement from internal resources Third the issue of equity in the access to water between regions and between sections of population assumes greater importance in what is foreseen as a fragile balance between these and related problems of integrated water use planning in the context of supply and requirement of water estimated by the Commission middot

JO

CHAPTER II

ROLE OF WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT IN ASCERTAINING SOCIO-ECONOMIC GROWTH

Right from independence India has been developing atmiddot a very fast pace Consequently it is hardly any surprise that rapid urbanization through infrastructure development has been the key feature of the last few decades At the same time the steep rise in population hasresulted in a phenomenal increase in the demand for food and water supply Till now one of the potent solutions to these multi-faceted challenges has been creation of large storages to wither out the spatial cindtemporal variations The sector wise development which has changed the socio economic status of the country is analysed below

21 Agricultural Production

The direct relationship between food production and assured irrigation is so pronounced that it hardly requires any further explanation During independence the food production of the country was only a meager 50 million tones while the irrigation potential created was 22 m~llion ha By the tum of the century while the irrigation potential created has shot upto 10277 Mha thefood production has crossed 200 million tones If we concentrate over the states which have out performed in the food production like Punjab Haryana Gujarat Uttar Pradesh Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra West Bengal it is apparent that the large and medium water resources storage projects have played the key role Such remarkable achievement have been possible due to the fact that large areas of these States are being covered under assured irrigation

22 Domestic and Industrial Water Supply

The National Water Policy adopted by the Government of India in 2002 accords highest priority to drinking water supply The Vision document for Integrated Water Resources Development formulated by th~ Ministry of Water Resources in 2002 states that 92 of the urban popUlation and 97 of the rural population are having access to safe drinking water This achievement has been largely possible due to the significant contributions made by the large projects a few examples ofwhich are listed below

Delhi the capital of India which is situated on the banks of the Yamuna gets only a fraction of its needs from river Yamuna though situated on its banks The balance needs are met with releases from Bhakra and Ramganga pams The population of the city has grown from 14 million in 1951 to close to 14 million by 2001 Though in 1950s the entire water need of the city was possible to be met with from Jamuna (essentially the flows that were regenerated) this was soon not possible Ramganga and Bhakra waters had to be supplemented for meeting the

11

requirements Infact the releases from the Tehri Dam for the Sonia Vihar Water Treatment plant seems to be the only silver lining for the city plagued by water crisis particularly during the summer months Besides this allocation for drinking water supply t6 Delhi has also been provided in upcoming Renuka and Kishau dam Projects in Yamuna Basin for meeting the future needs

bull The entire water supply of Mumbai is dependant Vaitrana Upper Vaitama Tansa and Bhatsa

on a senes of dams like

bull The acute scarcity of water supply in Chennai is well known The states of Andhra Pradesh Maharashtra and Kamataka agreed to provide a part of their allocated share of Krishna water (to the extent of 15 TMC) for drinking water requirements of Chennai city

bull Water supply of Pune town in Maharashtra is Sagar) Khadakwasla dam and Temghar dam

met with from Panchet(Tangi

bull Hyderabad is mainly dependent on Himayatsagar Manjra and Singur Dams

its water supply from Osmansagar

bull The water supply for Bangalore city heavily depends on Cauvery Stage-I Stage-II and Stage-III projects

bull A sizeable number of cities having population more than one million as per the 2001 census are having their water demand met from several projects The prominent cities among them being Bhopal Indore Jabalpur Nagpur Nashik and Surat

In addition to above a major dam at Bisalpur had been constructed in Chambal Basin to provide water supply to Ajmer City besides towns of Beawar and Tonk in Rajasthan Warrangal town in Andhra Pradesh depends for water supply on Sriramsagar Dam Shillong water supply is to be ensured with a dam under construction in the North-East

The position of drinking water supply in various towns and villages has improved after the coming up of Bhakra and Beas Proj ects Cities of Delhi Chandigarh and town of Patiala and Ropar apart from numerous towns and villages in the states of Haryana and Rajasthan are getting their supply of drinking water from the canals fed by these projects

Drinking water supply for most of the cities and towns in the country are dependant on storages and diversions for the purpose proving the important fact that stored water distributed temporally as well as spatially serves the basic needs in a sustained manner for a sizeable population

12

Industrial water requirement though considerably low in comparison to agriculture and domestic water demand has its own share of importance Most of the industries require assured water supply for their effective performance It is therefore quite natural that the pr~sence of a large project capable of delivering assured water supply invariably boosts up the industrial development of the area Numerous examples may be cited to back the above contention however the more important ones are given below

For catering the needs of Bokaro Steel Plant a dam at Tenughat in the Damodar River Basin had to be constructed

bull Similarly a cluster of thermal and super-thermal stations in uP is entirely dependent on the water stored at Rihand Dam on a tributary of the Sone River in uP

bull For the Vishkhapatnam Steel Plant the water IS to be supplied from Yeleru Reservoir

bull As abundant and assured cooling water is available from Ukai reservoir a large thermal power station having installed capacity of 850 MW is also set up and commissioned at Ukai since 1975 Other huge industries like Essar Gujarat Reliance Petrochemicals KRlBHCO ONGC NTPC etc are direct beneficiaries from Ukai-Kakrapar project as regards industrial water supply

bull For the requirements of Udaipur and Chittor plants of Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL) Gosunda Dam was necessary This meets not only the needs of HZL but also the water-supply needs of Udaipur

Major industries getting water from Bhakra Canals are National Fertilizers Ltd Nangal Ropar Thermal Plant and C-Thermal Delhi besides numerous other small industrial units

23 Hydropower generation

The hydropower generated from the large projects like Bhakra-Nangal Hirakud Iddukki Ukai Srisailam Gandhisagar Rana Pratapsagar Jawaharsagar projects have not only provided middotcheap energy but also has immensely helped in meeting the peaking demands Thus there is not even an iota of doubt about the role played by these projects in improving the economy of their command area Infact hydropower being durable non-polluting and extremely cheap its viability as an effective mode of producing energy increases even further

It is often been contended by the social activists that the improvement in irrigation facilities and the resultant boom in food production is largely due to the minor irrigation and ground water irrigation schemes There is no point in denying the fact that the harnessing of minor irrigation as well as ground water irrigation facilities is equally

13

important in promoting food production but more often that not we ignore the power requirement for operating the pumps for lifting ground water In fact in the recent times one of the most debated issues have been providing free power to the farmers proving the importance of availability of cheap power to the agricultural community

24 Flood Control and Drought Mitigation

It wont be an overstatement to acknowledge the benefit offered by those large projects by providing the required cushion against the raging floods An estimation of the past 100 years will invariably indicate the astronomical damages that were inflicted on our country by the floods Even in the 21 st cenfliry after so much advancement we are often rendered helpless to the fury of floods particularly in the North-East where the protection upto the desired level is yet to be materialized Even then all the projects mentioned above like the Hirakud Bhakra-Nangal Ukai-Kakrapar Nagarjunasagar had given immense relief to the people of their command area by not only restricting the financial losses but at times even saving the loss of lives

The greatest inexplicable paradox of this countrys water resources scenario has been the co-existence of droughts and floods and the beauty of the large projects is that they have the capability to handle both the situations simultaneously and thus ironing out the erratic climatic behavior to a large extent The excess monsoon received in a particular year is being used by these projects to wonderful effect in another year facing paucity of rainfall

14

CHAPTER III

Bharat Nirman Plan (2005-2009)

Government of India in partnership with State Governments and Panchayat Raj Institutions has launched Bharat Nirman programme as a time-bound business plan for action in rural infrastructure for the span of four years (2005-2009) Under Bharat Nirman Plan action is proposed in the areas of irrigation road rural housing rural water supply rural electrification and rural telecommunication connectivity Specific targets are set to be achieved under each of these goals so that there is accountability in the progress of this initiative The goals in different sectors are as under

31 IClectricity

Goal Every village to be provided electricity remaining 125000 villages to be covered by 2009

The Ministry of Power has the responsibility of providing electricity to the remaining 125000 villages through the programme instrument of Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana In addition it will also provide 23 million households with electricity As per the Census of 2001 125000 villages remained uncovered To be able to achieve this objective Rural Electricity Distribution Backbone with at least a 33111 KV sub-station would be set up in each block at least one Distribution TransfOlmer in each habitation of every village or hamlet as Village Electrification Infrastructure Standshyalone grid with generation where grid supply is not feasible These Stand-alone grids would be set up in partnership with the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy also

Rural Electrification Corporation would be the agency for implementation The Mcmagement of Rural Distribution will be fioanchisees that could be Users Associations individual entrepreneurs Cooperatives Non-Governmental Organizations Panchayat Institutions Services of Central Services undertakings like National Them1al Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POClL) National Hydro Electric Power Corporation Limited (NHPC) and Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) will be made available for the execution of rural electrification projects These CPSUs have been allocated districts in each state wherein they will implement the rural electrification network

90 capital subsidy will be provided for overall cost of the projects under the scheme The capital subsidy for eligible projects under the scheme will be through the Rural Electrification Corporation Limited which will be the nodal agency Electrification of unelectrified below-poverty-line households will be financed with 100 capital subsidy at Rs1500 per connection in all rural habitations Others will be paying for the connections at prescribed connection charges and no subsidy will be made availableFor creation of village eIectrification infrastructure first priority will be given to unshy

15

electrified villages Preference for electrification will be given to Dalit Bastis Tribal settlements and habitations of weaker sections

32 Roads

Goal Every habitation over 1000 population andabove (500 in hilly and tribal areas) to be provided an all-weather road remaining 66802 habitations to be covered by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development has the responsibility of ensuring that every habitation over 1000 population and every habitation with more than 500 in hilly and tribal areas is connected with an all-weather road by 2009 This is expected to generate multiplier effects in the rural economy of linking production to markets and services This work which is being undertaken under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana since 2000 has been modified to address the above goals within the stipulated timeshyframeTo achieve the targets of Bharat Nirman 146185 Kms road length is proposed to be constructed by 2009 This will benefit 66802 unconnected eligible habitations in the country To ensure full farm-to-market connectivity it is also proposed to upgrade 194132 kms of the existing Associated Through Routes

A district and rural roads plan has been prepared listing out complete network of all roads in the district that has village roads major district roads state roads and national highways The concept of core network has been operationalised to focus on those set of roads which are considered essential to provid~ connectivity to all habitations of the desired size The Core Network is the basic in$trumentality for prioritization of construction and allocation of funds for maintenance Action has been initiated to develop GIS-based applications to further enhance the utility of the Core Network

The programme is implemented through a framework of consultation with public representatives ranging from the panchayat level up to Parlian1ent A Rural Roads Manual guides the implementation of the programme A separate Book of Specification and a Standard Data Book have been prepared As per this standard bidding documents are to be adopted by the states For MIS there is a computerized Online Management and Monitoring Accounting System

Approximately Rs48000 crores is proposed to be invested to achieve this objective 100 of the funds of this programme is being provided by the Central Government

33 Drinking Water

Goal Every habitation to have a safe source of drinking water 55067 uncovered habitations to be covered by 2009 In addition all habitations which have slipped back from full coverage to partial coverage due to failure of source and habitations which have water quality problems to be addressed

16

The Ministry of Rural Development Department of Drinking Water Supply is responsible for meeting this goal in partnership with State Governments The programme instrument of the Govemment of India is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme under implementation since 1972-73 which is funded on a 50 matching share basis between the Government of India and the State Government Since 1972 over 37 lakh hand pumps and l5 lakh pipe water supply systems have been set up to provide safe water to over 15 lakh habitations in the country at a cost of over Rs 50000 crore The norms which are fixed to achieve the goal are - 40 litres per capita per day (lpcd) of safe drinking water for human beings - 30 Ipcd additional for cattle in the Desert Development Programme Areas - One hand pump or stand post for every 250 persons - The water source should exist within 16 km in the plains and within 100 metres

elevation in the hilly areas

The backlog for coverage is under estimation based on a habitation survey for the categories of uncovered villages slipped- back villages and villages affected with a problem of water quality 55067 villages remain uncovered and are targeted for coverage as first priority The category of slipped-back villages estimated by the Planning Commission at the beginning of the Tenth Plan as 28 lakh habitations These are so on account of a number of factors like - Sources going dry or lowering of the ground water table - Sources becoming quality affected - Systems outliving their lives - Systems working below rated capacity due to poor operation and maintenance - Increase in population resulting in lower per capita availability - Emergence of new habitations According to the data received from State Governments based on a survey undertaken in 2000216968 habitations are affected due to a variety of water quality problems consists of excess fluoride 31306 excess arsenic 5029 excess salinity23495 excess iron118088 excess nitrate 13958 and multiple quality problems 25092

The Govemment of India has decided that under Bharat Nirman names of habitations would have to be provided by State Governments for availing funds from Government of India This would give maximum transparency to the programme State Governments would be required to place the habitations proposed for coverage and covered on this site in course of time

The scheme is funded on a 50 basis by the Gol and expenditure ofRsA050 crores is expected for the current year The actual requirement will be worked out based on the names of habitations supplied by the states and funded

34 Telephone

Goal Every village to be connected by telephone remaining 66822 villagesto be covered by November 2007

17

The Department of Telecom in the Ministry of Communications and Infonnation Technology has the responsibility of providing telephone cOlmectivity to the 66822 villages that remain to be covered

The resources for implementation of universal services obligation are raised through a Universal Service Levy which has presently been fixed at 5 of the adjusted gross revenue of all telecom service providers except the pure value added service providers like internet voice mail e-mail service providers The rules also make a provision for the Central Government to give grants and loans to the Fund The balance to the credit of the Fund does not lapse at the end of the financial year usa Fund assigns the task of providing Village Public Telephones (VPTs) on the basis of bids through open tender and in this case the work has been assigned to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd Out of the 66822 villages identified connectivity in 14183 remote and far-flung villages will be provided through digital satellite phone tenninals From the USOF assistance is provided for both capital expenditure as well as operational expenditure It is estimated that a total sum of Rs451 crore would be required to provide VPTs in these 66822 villages and the entire sum will be met out of USOF and no separate allocation from Government would be required

As an additional incentives telecom service providers are being assisted through the USOF to penetrate into the rural areas for the following activities - Maintenance of existing village public telephones (VPTs) - Provision of an additional mral community phone in villages with a population of more

than two thousand and where no public call office exists - Replacement of village public telephones installed on Multi Access Radio Relay

(MARR) technology - Telephone lines installed in household in specified rural areas

Rural teledensity will be significantly enhanced during the period of Bharat Nirman

The Government is committed to expanding mral connectivity through a slew of measures so that rural users can access information of value and transact business This will include cOlmecting block headquarters with fibre optic network using wireless technology to achieve last mile connectivity and operating information kiosks through a partnership of citizens panchayats civil society organizations the private sector and Government

35 Irrigation

Goal J 0 million hectares (J 00 lakhs) of additional irrigation capacity to be created by 2009

The Ministry of Water Resources in collaboration with State Governments is responsible for creation of additional 10 million hectares of irrigation capacity by the year 2009 through major medium and minor irrigation projects complemented by ground water development

18

The ultimate irrigation potential for the country has been estimated as 140 million hectare (Mba) which include potential through Major and Medium irrigation projects (5846 Mha) surface water based minor irrigation schemes (1754 Mha) and ground water development (6400 Mha) So far the irrigation potential of 10277 Mha has already been created However the created potential has not been fully utilized and the gap between created and utilized potential has been estimated to be of the order of 17 Mha

351 Major and Medium Irrigation (MMI) Proj ects

For the country as a whole 66 of the ultimate irrigationpotential of major and medium projects has been created 477 Major and Medium irrigation projects have spilled over to Xl In addition the States have proposed 223 Major and Medium projects and 86 ERM projects during XI Plan An outlay of Rs 30670 crore has been provided for the new proj ects in the XI Plan

So far 173 major and medium 4169 minor and 21 Extension Renovation and Modernization (ERM) projects have been provided Central Loan Assistance under Accelerated Irrigation benefit Programme (AIBP) The potential creation through projects supported under AIBP has been found to be 035 Mha per year with about 047 Mha per year in the last two years As per existing Plan the projected creation of irrigation potential through AIBP is 050 Mba per year in the remaining period of X Five Year Plan

The average rate of creation of irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects from 1951 to 1997 has been found to be of the order of 051 Mha per year During the year 1997 to 2005 the rate for creati n has been found to be 092 Mah per year The pace of creation of new irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects has increased in the recent past This is due to fruition of projects started much earlier which have been expedited due to increased support through AIBP

The projects for extension renovation and modernization (ERM) of major and medium irrigation schemes are also being implemented with arrangement similar to that for completion of ongoing major and medium schemes The implementation of ERM projects along with Command Area Development and Water Management (CAD and WM) help in sustaining the created facilities and in improving the utilization

35 2 Minor Irrigatioll Schemes

There is considerable variation in creation of ilTIgation potential through minor irrigation (both surface and ground water) schemes from State to State While full potential through minor irrigation has been tapped in some of the States it is relatively very low in others

19

Minor irrigation through surface water covers water sources (tanks and small reservoirs) with a culturable command area (CCA) of less than 2000 ha About 70 of the ultimate potential through surface water based minor irrigation schemes has since been created The Report of the National Commission for Integrated Water Resources Development points out that the carrying capacity of tanks has decreased over time for a variety of reasons and that the restoration and renovation of tanks and other local sources is a priority task

Since 2004-05 a pilot scheme for repair renovation and restoration of water bodies directly linked to agriculture has been taken up by the Government as a state-sector scheme in the 16 districts of the country which is proposed to be expanded

353 Ground Water Development

From the surveys conducted for estimation of availability and status of ground water the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has identified areas that are over-exploited (where exploitation is more than natural recharge of ground water) and areas that are critical or dark (where draft is between 70 to 100 of the natural recharge ofground water) The recent survey indicates that out of 7414 identified units (blockstalukaswatershed) 471 are Overexploited and 318 are Critical or Dark units Thus less than 11 of the total units fall under the category of over-exploited and critical The ultimate irrigation potential to be created is based on the assessed replenishable groundwater after duly accounting for the domestic and industrial uses (about 10) It has been assessed that ground water is still available for utilization in many parts of the country particularly in the eastern parts of the country Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and in specific pockets of Andhra Pradesh Kamataka Maharashtra and Jammu amp Kashmir In Punjab Haryana Rajasthan Gujarat and Tamil Nadu the rechargeable quantum of ground water has been exceeded and mining of static reserves has commenced This reinforces the need to take urgent steps to increase recharge and conservation

354 Targets under Bharat Nirman

Sl No Component Target I Completion of ongoing Major amp medium Irrigation

Projects 42Mha

II Minor irrigation schemes bull Surface water 10 Mha bull Ground Water 18 Mha

10Mha l8Mha

28Mha

III Enhancing utilization of completed projects bull ERM of major amp medium projects bull Repair renovation and restoration of water bodiesERM of minor irrigation schemes

lOMha 10Mha

20Mha

IV Ground water development in area with unutilized ground water potential (for benefit of small and marginal farmers and Tribals amp Dalits) -

lOMba

20

Creation of potential of 1 Mha through ground water development in areas with unutilized ground water potential would primarily benefit small and marginal farmers who are mostly tribals dalits and weaker sections of society The scheme envisages full involvement of Panchayati Raj Institutions in implementation of the schemes

36 Housing

Goal 60 lakh houses to be constructed for the rural poor by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development through the IndiraAwaas Yojana undertakes this activity as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme where the cost is shared between the Centre and States on 7525 basis

The 2001 Census places the rural housing shortage figure ~n India at around 1491akhs Construction of 60 lakh houses over the next four years across the country is envisaged starting from 2005-06 to address a significant portion of this backlog

The criteria adopted for allocation of financial resources between the StatesUTs give greater emphasis to the states with higher incidence or shelterlessness 75 weightage is given to housing shortage and 25 to the poverty ratios prescribed by the Planning Commission for State-level allocations For district-level allocations 75 weightage is given again to housing shortage and 25 to SCST population of the districts concerned Grant assistance is provided to the extent of Rs 25000 per house for normal middot areas and Rs 27500 for hilly areas Funds are released to the DRDAs in two installments

Implementation guidelines of the scheme specifically target the rural below poverty line (BPL) households The respective Gram Sabha does the selection of beneficiaries from the BPL list and no higher approval is required The guidelines also clearlY Specify that the house allotment should be in the name of the female member of the family as a first priority While seeking to empower the rural women the scheme also provides priority to physically and mentally challenged persons exservicemen widows and freed bonded labourers It is stipulated that at least 60 of the beneficiaries should belong to the SCST communities TheIAY scheme also lays emphasis on sanitation and health by incorporating the cost of a sanitary latrine and smokeless chulah into the per unit grant provided to the beneficiary for constructionlupgradation of the dwelling unit

21

CHAPTER IV

WATER SECTOR ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN BHARAT NIRMAN PLAN

Water resource is a vital input in the development endeavours of the country Its finite availability and ever increasing demand in every sector have aggravated the problem manifold in case of India The requirement of faster development in irrigation water supply industrial use flood protection is evident assuming the future scenario Bharat Nirman Plan has rightly stressed on the irrigation and water supply where as the other sectors requirement is to be redressed with equal priority for the sustainable development of India

The water sector is grappled with the following Issues

Irrigation development Command area development amp Catchment area treatment Creation of storages Conunctive use of surface and ground water Efficiency improvement in distribution system Bridging the gap between irrigation potential created and potential utilised Flood Management

41 Irrigation Development

In India with the constitution of the Planning commission in 1950 and the advent of planning process in the first five year plan (1951-56) the country launched a major irrigation programme A number of multipurpose and major projects such as Bhakra Nangal Nagarjunasagar Kosi Chambal Hirakund Kakrapar and Tungbhadra were taken up Simultaneously minor irrigation schemes including ground water were given emphasis under the Agricultural Sector along with financial assistance from the Centre

During the period of Second Five Year Plan (1956-61) Third Five Year Plan (1961-66) and the Three Annual Plans (1966-69) irrigation programmes continued with addition of new projects During the Fourth Five Year Plan (1969-74) the emphasis was shifted to the completion of ongoing projects integrated use of surface and ground water adoption of efficient management techniques and modernization of existing schemes However new projects continued to be added

During the fifth Plan (1974-79) command Area Development Programme Was launched as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with the objective of reducing the lag between potential created and optimum utilization of available land and water Initially 60 major and medium proj ects were covered with a CCA of 15 Mha

22

During the Annual Plans of 1978-80 and the Sixth Five Year Plan ( 1980-85) new starts continued and at the end of Seventh Plan there were as many as 182 major and 312 medium ongoing proj ects requiring an estimated amount of Rs 39044 crore at the 1990shy91 price level for their completion New starts were therefore restricted considerably and greater emphasis was laid on completion of projects which were in the advanced stages of completion (those with an expenditure of 75 per cent or more) This was continued during 1990-91 and 1991-92 Annual Plans VIII Plan (1992-97) and IX Plan (1997 -2000)

For speedy completion of ongoing projects in advance stage of construction Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) was launched in 1996-97 During VIII Plan period irrigation potential of 22 Mha was created under major and medium sector at an annual rate of 044 Mha per annum During IX plan period this increased to 412 Mha out of which 165 Mha (nearly 40) was through AIBP Renovation Modernisation and Rehabilitation of old irrigation schemes gained momentum Users participation in major and medium irrigation schemes received greater attention Repairs and improvemen to the minor irrigation projects as a part of integrated micro-development also received encouragement Similarly sprinkler and drip irrigation programmes and the conjunctive use of surface and ground water gained momentum The project completed along with minor irrigation and ground water development have created an estimated potential of about 10277 Mha by the end of the X Plan

Although plan expenditure on irrigation has increased from Rs44l 8 crore in the 1st Plan to Rs 9574342 crore (outlay) in the X plan the share in total plan expenditure has decreased from 23 in the 1st Plan to 63 in the X Plan

The created irrigation potential increased from 226 Mha (97 Mha through major amp medium and 129 Mha through minor irrigation) in preplan period to 102Mha (4235 Mha through major and medium and 6042 1Tha through minor including ground water schemes) upto the end of X Plan with an annual average growth of 14 Mha In the corresponding period the potential utilistion has been from 226 Mha period to 8100 Mha

411 Central Assistance under AIBP

During IX Plan period irrigation potential of 165 Mha was created through AIBP at an average rate of 033 Mha per annum During the first three years of X plan the potential creation in major and medium irrigation sector through AIBP is around 14 Mha 047 Mha per annum In spite of rationalizing completion schedule of projects under AIBP several projects are lying behind schedule It is desirable to work out realistic time frame and cost to completion for projects to be considered under AIBP It is pertinent to mention that the spirit of the programme ie completion of last mile projects should not get diluted in the enthusiasm of inclusion of large number of projects under this programme As reported by the state governments but of total 200 projects presently under AIBP 95 projects would be completed by the end of X plan

23

The Central Assistance under AIBP as loan and grant provided up to March 2006 is Rs 1943790 crore out of which Rs 1883010 crore has been provided in Major and Medium irrigation sector

Impact ofAIBP

Plan Potential Created (Mha) Contribution of AIBP(Mha) IX 410 165 ( 402) X 530 300 ( 566)

Keeping an eye over the future requirement the Working Group on Water Resources for the XI Five Year Plan has brought out several suggestions in order to expedite completion of the projects which is very very essential Some other issues relating irrigation sector were also addressed in addition to this The strategies adopted for XI Plan proposal are swnmarized as below

1 Ongoing projects which have already achieved 90 or more of the ultimate potential should be considered as completed~ Critically review all such projects which are having only marginal benefit left or are near impossible to complete because of various problems and declare them completed or curtailed or deleted The balance cost of the remaining projects should be updated realistically for consideration under XI plan

2 Inter-Se priority should be decided considering various aspects such as externally aided proj ects interstate proj ects proj ects benefiting drought prone or tribal areas etc as per the guidelines prepared by National Commission for integrated Water Resources Development Plan

3 High priority should be accorded to the Pre-seventh and Seventh Plan Projects for funding under AIBP with emphasis to complete these projects during XI Plan List of such projects is appended as Annex31 Fund allocation under AIBP should be enhanced for this purpose ifnecessary

4 Foremost priority should be given for completion of ongoing projects and new projects should be taken up very selectively keeping in view the necessity for removal of regional imbalances and development of drought prone and tribal areas

5 Since the fund requirement for mediumminor irrigation projects are less adequate fund may be made available for completion of these projects without jeopardizing programme for important major projects ERM Projects should be given due priority where the eroded potential can be restored with ~oderate expenditure

24

6 A separate budget head upto 15 of Plan fund may be provided as Irrigation Maintenance Fund (IMF) and full amount of irrigation revenue as collectged should be credited to IMF

7 In addition to liabilities of completed projects and provision for ongoing and new projects the State plan proposals should incorporate provisions for special repairs of existing irrigation systems dam safety measures improved water management and water development aspect encompassing survey and investigation research and development training and National Hydrology Project

8 Substantial higher outlay should be provided in Central Plan to bring out effective role in plan activities of the Central Institutions by way of suitably strengthening them and provide adequate funds for taking new initiatives under Central Plan

9 The existing regionalstate level institutions such as W ALMIs should be strengthened and brought into mainstream activities for irrigation management improvement

10 Dam safety measures should be taken up all over country which is very essential in the context of disaster Prevention and Management

11 The performance evaluation of completed projects needs to be continued for benchmarking and improvement in irrigation efficiency

In addition to above recommendations on Minor Irrigation Sector are gIven as follows

1 Renovation Restoration of old tanks as well as old diversion channels in hilly regions along with improving efficiency of the projects Besides surface lift schemes may also be given due consideration particularly in hilly regions for irrigating high terraces

2 Expansion of irrigation facilities through a time bound programme for exploiting the huge ground water potential in the Eastern Region

3 Promotion of Micro Irrigation system in Water deficit areas 4 Promotion of Ground Water Development in areas haaving untapped unutilized

potential 5 National rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) may be linked with minor

irrigation Ground Water Development 6 A comprehensive act for regulation and development of ground water on

sustainable basis both in public and private sector

42 Command Area Development

In respect of command area development works for performance improvement-of the projects the working group has recommended the following recommendations for consideration

25

(a) Central funding for CAD works may be enhanced from present level of 5050 to 7525 for all the States while for states of North eastern Region and Hilly Special Category States the funding may be 90 from Government of India For software activities like trainings adaptive trials demonstrations monitoring and evaluation etc 100 Central funding may be considered in place of the existing pattern of 75 25 between the Centre and the States Funds can be directly given to W ALMIs and other State Central agencies for carrying out such activities

(b) It is proposed to increase the functional grant from Rs 600 per ha to Rs 1000 per ha which is to be shared in the ratio ofRs 675225100 between the centre State and the farmers while keeping all cost norms unchanged The State Governments may also be allowed to raise fund for its share through institutional funding or public borrowings through bonds on the pattern of Krishna Bhagya Nigam of Karnataka Government

(c) As per the existing system of release of Central Assistance the funds are transferred to the pool of State Finance Department which in tum releases funds to the implementing departments This procedure is not amenable for timely availability of the funds to the CADAs Therefore direct funding to CADAs from the Ministry in a mission mode can be considered to alleviate this problem For instance the Ministry of rural Development has a system of direct release of Central share of funds to the District Rural Development Authorities (DRDA) Jilla Parishads for implementing the schemes of the Central Ministry

(d) To ensure optimum utilization of created irrigation potential the CADWM should be made a part of the new major and medium projects

(e) Formation of WUAs under PTh1 Act is mandatory for implementation of CADWM programme Transition time of 2 years (upto the end of financial year 2008-09) may be allowed to those States which have not enact~d their PIM Acts so far Further relaxation may be only be allowed with the approval of CCEA

(f) WUAs should be involved in planning budgeting implementation and management of irrigation systems to be transferred to them There is a need to enforce a regime whereby farmers pay the water rates to meet the OampM expenditure rates Conditions of reforms should be imposed before handing over the projects to WUAs

(g) Volumetric supply of irrigation water to WUAs should be introduced

(h) Reputed NGOs with requisite skills may be involved for promotion of WUAs Rehabilitation of Canal Systems and Water Management for at least 2-3 years The estimated expenditure of Rs 600-800 per ha on account of this may be provided by the central government in the form of grant

(i) Autonomy of WUAs should be maintained in regard to Water Management However there may be linkages with Panchayati Raj Institutions through cross representation It may be considered to provide support to W ALMIs Agriculture Universities and reputed NGOs for improved water management at micro level It may also be considered to provide incentives for activities ofWUAs

26

(j) The WUAs should include women members from the land owning holding house holds in the Command Area irrespective of their ownership of the land

(k) Periodic evaluation of CAD Projects should be undertaken and suitable corrective measures may be taken if necessary

(1) Components for reclamation of waterlogged areas as well as correction of conveyance deficiencies with enhanced scope may be implemented to cover all the projects in the country details of which could be approved in consultation with expert organizations such as CWC CSSRI CGWB etc

(m) Water Resources Irrigation Departments need to undertake assessment periodically (at least once in 5 years) to determine the training needs at different levels of personnel deployed in water resources development and management Facilities available for capacity building are to be considered instead of establishing new training centres There has to be networking of existing training facilities so that training will be effective and economical It is desirable to have a separate scheme for training and capacity building for State Governments as well as central Government

43 Creation of Storage

Creation of storages is of prime importance in order to avoid severe domestic crisis on water issues As per the estimates given in the working group report there is a need of approximately live storage of around 450 km3

Major amp Medium Projects (Existing) -213 KJ13

Major amp Medium Projects (Under construction) -76 KM3 Minor Storages (Existing amp Under construction) -70 KM3 Total Live Storages in projects existing and under construction - 359 Km3

Likely loss in Live storage due to sedimentation upto 2050 which has to be compensated for -53 Km3 (say) Balance available live storage from the above in 2050 - 306 Km3 say 300 Km3

Therefore further new live storage to be created to have a live storage of 450 Km3 by 2050 is 150Km3

For creation the needed storage in addition to the present way of envisaging attention has to be paid to changing popUlation dynamics changing pattern of human settlements climatic change causing change in pattern of spatial and temporal variation in rainfall deterioration in water quality etc

44 Conjunctive Use of surface and ground water

Conjunctive use of surface and ground water can address the situation in two ways by decreasing the dependence on a single source and the quality of the available waterThis will reduce the chance of desalination as well Working group has suggested for the conjunctive use of middotgood quality water and saline seawater which will be helpful in reducing the cost of water requirement for irrigation

27

45 Efficiency improvement in the distribution system as well as in field

Deficiencies of the irrigated agriculture in India have been a cause of concern and a huge amount of thinking and analysis ha been done to devise ways and means to improve it The Working Group has recommended some important recommendations in this matter

1 Standardized definitions of irrigation efficiencies need to be evolved for use in India after reviewing available material All water resources of a basin form a unified resource and hence the basin efficiency concept which integrates all surface water and ground water uses as well as reuse and recirculation is important The basin efficiency also needs to be estimated along with project related efficiencies

2 Conjunctive use of water to be given higher priority particularly in alluvial areas as a very effective means of improving water use amp basin efficiency and of saving possible water logging and salination For givin an encouragement to conjunctive use irrigation Act may be amended if req ired The policy of favoring selective lining of canals should be continued LD ater allowances and somewhat inadequate conveyance capacities lead to be r efficiencies and less water loggingrelated problems These need to be encouraged

3 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Water Csers Associations (WUAs) should include a standard clause which binds the users to effective conjunctive use of surface and ground water On rising of gro nd water table the MOW should allow the department to cut the surface water supply

4 Where there are minor irrigation tanks minor urface lifts etc middotin the command these should be integrated with major project works and not be treated as separate entity Such tanks should be filled with cfulals water as per requirement Also such works will allow reuse of the seeped wateT

5 Each major irrigation system authorities should annually prepare the water budget accruing for all water stored or diverted all losses all reuse of lost waters estimated evaporation etc

6 Sufficient funds for operation and maintenance work to be provided Creation of Irrigation Maintenance Corporation as provided in the irrigation management policy is considered so that a linkage between revenues from water and OampM funds is established Water rates may accordingly be increased in a phased manner

7 Priority may be assigned toERM schemes for projects where water distribution systems are to be handed over to WUAs Where total ERM scheme is not contemplated one time maintenance deferred maintenance of a project may be allowed as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance of a project may be allowed

28

as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance budget to be decided in consultation with the farmers and walk through survey to assess what is appropriate and achievable within the available fund

8 All the schemes more than 25 years old should be studied in details to bring out the status of schemes in respect of structural safety and performance and ERM schemes may be formulated and taken up based on such studies

9 Drip sprinklers are mostly for horticulture vegetable crops (and surgarcane) in the present major and medium surface irrigation system These may be encouraged for other crops also Any compulsion for a particular cropping pattern needs to be removed whenever WUAs are formed amp volumetric water rates come into practice Use of sprinkler or drips or rotational surface supplies requires additional on farm storage (either as dug out ponds or elevatged storage with pump) This becomes essential since supply rotates are 10 daily or fortnightly whereas drips amp sprinkler require daily or 1 in 2 days operation Such storage creation needs to be within the ambit of subsidies for drips and sprinklers

10 As automation is a costly affair it is to be adopted for pilot schemes and not for larger area However preferably this should be introduced for conjunctive use of ground water and not always for surface water

The group has also recommended the concept of Target Efficiency of the water delivery system timely and equitable distribution ohvater increasing production per unit area and per unit volume of water used and financial sustainability of the water delivery infrastructure

46 Bridging the gap between the Potential created and potential utilised

There may be various reasons for increase in the gap between potential creation and potential utilized Some ofthese are

a likely over estimation and double counting of potential creation and inaccuracies discrepancies in reporting of potential utilized

b Loss of potential due to siltation in reservoirs ponds etc and deterioration of water distribution system

c Time gap between potential creation and command area development

d Assumption of optimistic cropping pattern in economic analysis and deviation in cropping pattern as compared to that envisaged during planning

e Over-drawl of water in head reaches depriving potential utilization by tail enders

f Unused canal flow during night hours

29

l

It is desirable to introduce more reliable and accurate system of assessment for potential created and utilized There should be a coordinating statistical organization in each State for reporting the figures of potential created and utilized The Remote Sensing Technique can also be effectively utilized for counter verification of figures reported The loss in potential due to siltation ageing of various distribution systems etc needs to be periodically assessed and accounted

The productivity of irrigated crop as assumed in economic analysis often seem to be optimistic and are not based on experience of nearby irrigation projects Use of water for irrigation and selection of crops have been left to the discretion of users farmers The adverse consequences of such freedom have been manifested as water logging in some commands Somewhere overexploitation of ground -vater has been leading to progressive fall in ground water level It is therefore necessary that a regulatory mechanism is brought into practice by which undesirable or unsuitable crops are discouraged and tendency to over use of irrigation water is c~ecked Similarly in areas where ground water is being used for irrigation a regulatory mechanism should be in place to deter over exploitation of ground water beyond allOvable limit

Sometimes apprehension of scarcity of water and non availability of water when needed also lead to over withdrawal by head end users Since extra tion of ground water is costly farmers tend to take water more than their requirements when that is available through canals Higher cost of ground water is primarily because of cost of power required for lifting of water In case source of solar power is created for lifting of water the cost of ground water will get substantially reduced This may facilitate and give farmers option to use surface water and ground water thom any extra cost Once this option is available and known to farmers that they are aware that use of more water than the optimal requirement is likely to reduce the yield certainly there would be reductionin

overdraw of water by head enders Thus there is a need to extend u~er friendly system and increase awareness and cooperation among farmers through Participatory Irrigation Management Water Users Associatiortsneed to be empowered to look into these aspects Further the piped distribution system and micro irrigation should be adopted as far as possible

In India night imgation is not practiced in general As a result waters flowing in canals during night hours either pass unutilized or wasted on account of uncontrolled flooding It is desirable that the night irrigation is introduced in policy and practice

47 Flood Management

In regard to flood management the strategies recommended are given here under

(a) Undertake construction of dams and reservoir schemes with adequate flood cushion for long term solution of flood problems Efforts should also be made for utilizing the existing reservoirs in the country for flood moderation to the extent

30

possible Even in Reservoirs constructed for power other purposes the rule curves may be framed in such way that effective flood moderation is achieved

(b) Flood Forecasting and flood warning network of ewe be extended and integrated with similar networks of the state governments so as to get real time information at a central point say in central flood control room under FMO ewe This activity should be extended to cover rivers originating from or flowing to the neighbouring countries

( c) To take up development of digital elevation model of flood prone areas for taking up schemes for inundation forecast preparation of flood risk maps planning of flood management schemes etc

(d) Identification of appropriate location for breaching spiling sections in the flood embankment for the controlled flooding of the protected areas for restoring fertility recharge of soil moisture and ground water

( e) Integrating flood management schemes with other infrastructural development programmes in the sectors of roads railways inland waterways and canal command area development works as well as recently declared Rural Employment Guarantee Programme

(f) Watershed management in the hilly catchmentgs of the rivers ongmating in Nepal Bhutan and hilly areas of India should be selectively chosen and funded fully Implementation should be done through a joint mechanism Ministry of Agriculture who is the nodal Ministry for the watershed management works should work out a detailed program in consultation with the Ministry of Water Resources

(g) To give adequate emphasis on the operation and maintenance (OampM) of the flood protection measures already created a percentage of outlay of the flood sector should be earmarked for this purpose

(h) Raising and strengthening of the existing embankments if required after detailed studies of hydrological morphological topographical and developmental aspects to stabilize the benefits of these measures

(i) Natural swamps and lakes to be developed into detention basins and capacity of existing depressions be improved for absorbing flood waters Special drives for development of Tal and Diara areas

G) Erosion of land either by sea or rivers to be minimized through suitable cost effective measures

(k) Flood proofing program such as raised platform and quick drainage facilities to be taken up in a)l the flood prone states

31

(1) Drainage improvement in critical areas in the country to be given priority

(m) Dredging at selective locations ie outfalls etc in the rivers and the tributaries as a way to reduce flood levels in low-lying areas and help in quick drainage

(n) Encourage RampD activities for improved flood management

(0) To encourage peoples participation

(p) To expedite projects peaks

on interlinking of rivers for helping in attenuating flood

(q) Steps to ensure implementation of action plan prepared by NDMA for flood management should be taken

(r) On-going schemes of earlier plans be completed expeditiously All the on going schemes spilling over to the XI Plan in which at least 50 execution has taken place should get first priority on fund allocation during the XI Plan

(s) The cost for flood component in a multi-purpose water resources development projects as a long-term solution to flood problem should be funded by Government of India

(t) Maintenance of existing flood management works to optimize its benefits

32

48 Achievement in irrigation during the two years of the Bharat Nirman Plan

The statewise achievement in two years ending on September 2006 is given below It shows that 2183776 thousand hectare has been added to the irrigation potential A daunting task still left to be achieved in coming two years

thF19ures are III ousand h ec ares t

I

i rOo

rarget bull Major amp Aebievements upSI No

States UrsName MinorMedium Total to September

Irrigation Irrigation 2006 r i

1 Andhra Pradesh 44127 112523 156649 302065

2 Arunachal Pradesh 00 2239 2239 4 777 3 Assam 303 4275 7306 3314

4 Bihar 41399 12858 169979 279451 5 Chhattisgarh 4435 14668 19103 65661

6 Goa 2442 26 2702 1224 7 Gujarat 94573 00 945 73 255224

8 Haryana 3373 241 5783 33301 9 Himachal Pradesh 3091 4691 7788 8842

10 lharkhand 8122 25314 33436 15 701 11 Jammu amp Kashmir 1801 9254 11055 14847

12 Karnataka 26282 124 38682 11131 13 Kerala 1609 2168 3777 15856

14 Madhya Pradesh 61172 162 77372 8138 15 Maharashtra 465 31 35651 82181 9313

16 Manipur 5195 155 6745 0 17 Meghalaya 00 1493 1493 2073

18 Mizoram 00 1096 1096 0628 19 Nagaland 00 1612 1612 259

20 Orissa 19899 13295 33194 3266 21 Punjab 4034 2056 609 68755

22 Rajasthan 37974 401 41984 26459 23 Sikkim 00 703 703 08

24 Tamil Nadu 00 2355 23 55 16461 25 Tripura 2689 5429 8118 6327 26 Uttar Pradesh 82516 15208 977 24 464 372 27 Uttranchal 00 3829 3829 34 967

28 West Bengal 13567 56384 69951 346

29 Andman amp Nicobar Island 00 033 033 0

30 Pondicherry 00 275 275 0 ~-

Total 2183766507867 479958 987826

I

L 33

------------------~------

The achievements are up to March 2006 only The progressachievement of 2006-07 was under compilationscrutiny in ewe at the time of preparation of this document

The figures for states ofKerala and Rajasthan pertain to the achievement of whole year 2006-07 and for the State of Uttar Pradesh the achievement is up to December2006

49 Conclusions

Water sector development encompasses multidisciplinary considerations There is no scope of overlooking any sector while giving priority to any sector or sectors The integrated planning is the only possible way to tackle the water resources development The participatory approach is the key for its sustainability Bharat middot Nirman Plan of Government of India by setting up goals for the period of four years is a boost to the already existing schemes in different ministries Irrigation and public water supply is the basic components of development have been rightly considered in the Bharat Nirman Plan The ambitious project has already traveled through a span of two years and has achieved some part of the goals The balance part has to be done with equal fervor The recent modification in AlBP norms is the evidence of the governmental zeal in achieving the goals For the continuance of the food sufficiency the irrigation development is the feasible quick solution The component of Irrigation in Bharat Nirman is thus a huge help for the required development in the water sector

34

Page 10: ROLE OF WRD&M IN BHARAT NIRMAN DURING WRD 2007

poverty etc Glohal climatic change and atmospheric pollution could also have an impact on fresh water resources and their availability Protection enhancement and restoration of water quality and abatement of water pollution are necessary for providing not only safe drinking water and maintaining and improving human health but are also important for sustaining land quality agriculture and industrial production and for supporting the socio-economic growth as such

The need for water demand for ecological purposes including conserving the environment maintaining lean period flows aquatic life etc therefore needs to be worked out on scientific basis Allocation for this purpose should be made while considering the construction of new reservoirsstorages

Recreational facilities also sometimes contribute to a large extentmiddot in the development of economy at the micro level (of a particular localized area) through promotion of tourism The reservoir sites owing to their topographical as well as environmental advantage often become the hub of such recreational activities Besides a host of direct benefits water therefore plays a significant role in contributing indirectly to the growth of the nation through promotion of tourism employment generation etc

14 Future projected scenario 141 Assessment by Standing Sub-Committee

A Standing Sub-Committee for assessment of availability and requirement of water for diverse uses in the country constituted by the Ministry of Water Resources in its report (August 2000) assessed the requirements of water for various sectors as given in the Table-1 below

Table-I Water Requirement for Various Sector~

Sector Water Demand in Billion Cubic meter (BCM) 2000 2010 2025 2050

Irrigation 541 688 910 1072 Drinking Water 42 56 73 102 Industry 8 12 23 63 Energy 2 5 15 130 Others 41 52 72 80 Total 634 813 1093 1447

On the basis of the above assessment the Sub-Committee observed that against the total utilizable water resources of 1122 BCM the projected demand during the year 2025 and 2050 comes to around 1093 and 1447 respectively The scenario indicates water deficiency in the overall national perspective The deficiency may have to be managed by using the return flows from various uses which may be around 80 from domestic uses

8

~------------------------------------------------------ -----

ie 58 and 81 BCM in the year 2025 and 2050 respectively The return flow from irrigation sector may be around 10 ie 91 and 107 BCM in the year 2025 and 2050 respectively The return flow from industry sector is estimated to be 65 Besides water has to be made available through inter-basin transfer of river waters by 2050 The demand of industry and energy sector may be managed by reuse and recycling of return flows and reuse of water from treated wastewater Proper treatment of effluent to desired standards will have to be ensured to use the return flow in irrigation horticulture etc The water requirements of water deficit areas will be met by inter basin transfer of water from surplus basins after developing the untapped water resources

142 National Commission on Integrated Water Resources Development (NCIWRD)

The National Commission on Integrated Water Resources Development (NCIWRD) in its report (1999) has also assessed the water requirement for various purposes for different years and the demand of water is given in the Table-2 below

It would be observed that the assessment made by the National Commission for irrigation is relatively on lower side as compared to that estimated by the Standing SubshyCommittee In respect of other uses the estimate made by the National Commission is generally on a higher side The main reason for such variation in the estimate is the assumption made by the National Commission in respect of the overall improvement of irrigation efficiency The National Commission has assumed that the irrigation efficiency will gradually increase to 60 from the present level of 35 to 40 Considerable effort is required to achieve the objective middot of efficiency in water resource system and particularly in the irrigation system which is the major water consumptive sector

Table-2 Water Demand for Diverse Uses

Sl No

Total Water Use (in BCM) Uses Year

1997-98 Year 2010 Year 2025 Year 2050

Low High Low High Low High 1 Irrigation 524 543 557 561 611 628 807 2 Domestic 30 42 43 55 62 90 111 3 Industries 30 37 middot37 67 67 81 81 4 Power 9 18 19 31 33 63 70 5 Inland Navigation 0 7 7 10 10 15 15 6 Flood Control 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 Environment(1 )

Afforestati on 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

8 Env(2)Ecology 0 5 6 10 10 middot 20 20 9 Evaporation losses 36 42 42 50 50 76 76

Total 629 694 710 784 843 973 1180

9

middotIt is of paramount importance that the aim should be at reducing water requirement to the low demand scenario Taking into account the water availability and the requirement till the year 2050 the National Commission concluded that there is no need to take an alarmist view However three major considerations have to be kept in the forefront while formulating an integrated water policy and plan First the balance between the requirement and availability can be struck only if utmost efficiency is introduced in water use Second average availability at the national level does not imply that all basins are capable of meeting their full requirement from internal resources Third the issue of equity in the access to water between regions and between sections of population assumes greater importance in what is foreseen as a fragile balance between these and related problems of integrated water use planning in the context of supply and requirement of water estimated by the Commission middot

JO

CHAPTER II

ROLE OF WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT IN ASCERTAINING SOCIO-ECONOMIC GROWTH

Right from independence India has been developing atmiddot a very fast pace Consequently it is hardly any surprise that rapid urbanization through infrastructure development has been the key feature of the last few decades At the same time the steep rise in population hasresulted in a phenomenal increase in the demand for food and water supply Till now one of the potent solutions to these multi-faceted challenges has been creation of large storages to wither out the spatial cindtemporal variations The sector wise development which has changed the socio economic status of the country is analysed below

21 Agricultural Production

The direct relationship between food production and assured irrigation is so pronounced that it hardly requires any further explanation During independence the food production of the country was only a meager 50 million tones while the irrigation potential created was 22 m~llion ha By the tum of the century while the irrigation potential created has shot upto 10277 Mha thefood production has crossed 200 million tones If we concentrate over the states which have out performed in the food production like Punjab Haryana Gujarat Uttar Pradesh Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra West Bengal it is apparent that the large and medium water resources storage projects have played the key role Such remarkable achievement have been possible due to the fact that large areas of these States are being covered under assured irrigation

22 Domestic and Industrial Water Supply

The National Water Policy adopted by the Government of India in 2002 accords highest priority to drinking water supply The Vision document for Integrated Water Resources Development formulated by th~ Ministry of Water Resources in 2002 states that 92 of the urban popUlation and 97 of the rural population are having access to safe drinking water This achievement has been largely possible due to the significant contributions made by the large projects a few examples ofwhich are listed below

Delhi the capital of India which is situated on the banks of the Yamuna gets only a fraction of its needs from river Yamuna though situated on its banks The balance needs are met with releases from Bhakra and Ramganga pams The population of the city has grown from 14 million in 1951 to close to 14 million by 2001 Though in 1950s the entire water need of the city was possible to be met with from Jamuna (essentially the flows that were regenerated) this was soon not possible Ramganga and Bhakra waters had to be supplemented for meeting the

11

requirements Infact the releases from the Tehri Dam for the Sonia Vihar Water Treatment plant seems to be the only silver lining for the city plagued by water crisis particularly during the summer months Besides this allocation for drinking water supply t6 Delhi has also been provided in upcoming Renuka and Kishau dam Projects in Yamuna Basin for meeting the future needs

bull The entire water supply of Mumbai is dependant Vaitrana Upper Vaitama Tansa and Bhatsa

on a senes of dams like

bull The acute scarcity of water supply in Chennai is well known The states of Andhra Pradesh Maharashtra and Kamataka agreed to provide a part of their allocated share of Krishna water (to the extent of 15 TMC) for drinking water requirements of Chennai city

bull Water supply of Pune town in Maharashtra is Sagar) Khadakwasla dam and Temghar dam

met with from Panchet(Tangi

bull Hyderabad is mainly dependent on Himayatsagar Manjra and Singur Dams

its water supply from Osmansagar

bull The water supply for Bangalore city heavily depends on Cauvery Stage-I Stage-II and Stage-III projects

bull A sizeable number of cities having population more than one million as per the 2001 census are having their water demand met from several projects The prominent cities among them being Bhopal Indore Jabalpur Nagpur Nashik and Surat

In addition to above a major dam at Bisalpur had been constructed in Chambal Basin to provide water supply to Ajmer City besides towns of Beawar and Tonk in Rajasthan Warrangal town in Andhra Pradesh depends for water supply on Sriramsagar Dam Shillong water supply is to be ensured with a dam under construction in the North-East

The position of drinking water supply in various towns and villages has improved after the coming up of Bhakra and Beas Proj ects Cities of Delhi Chandigarh and town of Patiala and Ropar apart from numerous towns and villages in the states of Haryana and Rajasthan are getting their supply of drinking water from the canals fed by these projects

Drinking water supply for most of the cities and towns in the country are dependant on storages and diversions for the purpose proving the important fact that stored water distributed temporally as well as spatially serves the basic needs in a sustained manner for a sizeable population

12

Industrial water requirement though considerably low in comparison to agriculture and domestic water demand has its own share of importance Most of the industries require assured water supply for their effective performance It is therefore quite natural that the pr~sence of a large project capable of delivering assured water supply invariably boosts up the industrial development of the area Numerous examples may be cited to back the above contention however the more important ones are given below

For catering the needs of Bokaro Steel Plant a dam at Tenughat in the Damodar River Basin had to be constructed

bull Similarly a cluster of thermal and super-thermal stations in uP is entirely dependent on the water stored at Rihand Dam on a tributary of the Sone River in uP

bull For the Vishkhapatnam Steel Plant the water IS to be supplied from Yeleru Reservoir

bull As abundant and assured cooling water is available from Ukai reservoir a large thermal power station having installed capacity of 850 MW is also set up and commissioned at Ukai since 1975 Other huge industries like Essar Gujarat Reliance Petrochemicals KRlBHCO ONGC NTPC etc are direct beneficiaries from Ukai-Kakrapar project as regards industrial water supply

bull For the requirements of Udaipur and Chittor plants of Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL) Gosunda Dam was necessary This meets not only the needs of HZL but also the water-supply needs of Udaipur

Major industries getting water from Bhakra Canals are National Fertilizers Ltd Nangal Ropar Thermal Plant and C-Thermal Delhi besides numerous other small industrial units

23 Hydropower generation

The hydropower generated from the large projects like Bhakra-Nangal Hirakud Iddukki Ukai Srisailam Gandhisagar Rana Pratapsagar Jawaharsagar projects have not only provided middotcheap energy but also has immensely helped in meeting the peaking demands Thus there is not even an iota of doubt about the role played by these projects in improving the economy of their command area Infact hydropower being durable non-polluting and extremely cheap its viability as an effective mode of producing energy increases even further

It is often been contended by the social activists that the improvement in irrigation facilities and the resultant boom in food production is largely due to the minor irrigation and ground water irrigation schemes There is no point in denying the fact that the harnessing of minor irrigation as well as ground water irrigation facilities is equally

13

important in promoting food production but more often that not we ignore the power requirement for operating the pumps for lifting ground water In fact in the recent times one of the most debated issues have been providing free power to the farmers proving the importance of availability of cheap power to the agricultural community

24 Flood Control and Drought Mitigation

It wont be an overstatement to acknowledge the benefit offered by those large projects by providing the required cushion against the raging floods An estimation of the past 100 years will invariably indicate the astronomical damages that were inflicted on our country by the floods Even in the 21 st cenfliry after so much advancement we are often rendered helpless to the fury of floods particularly in the North-East where the protection upto the desired level is yet to be materialized Even then all the projects mentioned above like the Hirakud Bhakra-Nangal Ukai-Kakrapar Nagarjunasagar had given immense relief to the people of their command area by not only restricting the financial losses but at times even saving the loss of lives

The greatest inexplicable paradox of this countrys water resources scenario has been the co-existence of droughts and floods and the beauty of the large projects is that they have the capability to handle both the situations simultaneously and thus ironing out the erratic climatic behavior to a large extent The excess monsoon received in a particular year is being used by these projects to wonderful effect in another year facing paucity of rainfall

14

CHAPTER III

Bharat Nirman Plan (2005-2009)

Government of India in partnership with State Governments and Panchayat Raj Institutions has launched Bharat Nirman programme as a time-bound business plan for action in rural infrastructure for the span of four years (2005-2009) Under Bharat Nirman Plan action is proposed in the areas of irrigation road rural housing rural water supply rural electrification and rural telecommunication connectivity Specific targets are set to be achieved under each of these goals so that there is accountability in the progress of this initiative The goals in different sectors are as under

31 IClectricity

Goal Every village to be provided electricity remaining 125000 villages to be covered by 2009

The Ministry of Power has the responsibility of providing electricity to the remaining 125000 villages through the programme instrument of Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana In addition it will also provide 23 million households with electricity As per the Census of 2001 125000 villages remained uncovered To be able to achieve this objective Rural Electricity Distribution Backbone with at least a 33111 KV sub-station would be set up in each block at least one Distribution TransfOlmer in each habitation of every village or hamlet as Village Electrification Infrastructure Standshyalone grid with generation where grid supply is not feasible These Stand-alone grids would be set up in partnership with the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy also

Rural Electrification Corporation would be the agency for implementation The Mcmagement of Rural Distribution will be fioanchisees that could be Users Associations individual entrepreneurs Cooperatives Non-Governmental Organizations Panchayat Institutions Services of Central Services undertakings like National Them1al Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POClL) National Hydro Electric Power Corporation Limited (NHPC) and Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) will be made available for the execution of rural electrification projects These CPSUs have been allocated districts in each state wherein they will implement the rural electrification network

90 capital subsidy will be provided for overall cost of the projects under the scheme The capital subsidy for eligible projects under the scheme will be through the Rural Electrification Corporation Limited which will be the nodal agency Electrification of unelectrified below-poverty-line households will be financed with 100 capital subsidy at Rs1500 per connection in all rural habitations Others will be paying for the connections at prescribed connection charges and no subsidy will be made availableFor creation of village eIectrification infrastructure first priority will be given to unshy

15

electrified villages Preference for electrification will be given to Dalit Bastis Tribal settlements and habitations of weaker sections

32 Roads

Goal Every habitation over 1000 population andabove (500 in hilly and tribal areas) to be provided an all-weather road remaining 66802 habitations to be covered by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development has the responsibility of ensuring that every habitation over 1000 population and every habitation with more than 500 in hilly and tribal areas is connected with an all-weather road by 2009 This is expected to generate multiplier effects in the rural economy of linking production to markets and services This work which is being undertaken under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana since 2000 has been modified to address the above goals within the stipulated timeshyframeTo achieve the targets of Bharat Nirman 146185 Kms road length is proposed to be constructed by 2009 This will benefit 66802 unconnected eligible habitations in the country To ensure full farm-to-market connectivity it is also proposed to upgrade 194132 kms of the existing Associated Through Routes

A district and rural roads plan has been prepared listing out complete network of all roads in the district that has village roads major district roads state roads and national highways The concept of core network has been operationalised to focus on those set of roads which are considered essential to provid~ connectivity to all habitations of the desired size The Core Network is the basic in$trumentality for prioritization of construction and allocation of funds for maintenance Action has been initiated to develop GIS-based applications to further enhance the utility of the Core Network

The programme is implemented through a framework of consultation with public representatives ranging from the panchayat level up to Parlian1ent A Rural Roads Manual guides the implementation of the programme A separate Book of Specification and a Standard Data Book have been prepared As per this standard bidding documents are to be adopted by the states For MIS there is a computerized Online Management and Monitoring Accounting System

Approximately Rs48000 crores is proposed to be invested to achieve this objective 100 of the funds of this programme is being provided by the Central Government

33 Drinking Water

Goal Every habitation to have a safe source of drinking water 55067 uncovered habitations to be covered by 2009 In addition all habitations which have slipped back from full coverage to partial coverage due to failure of source and habitations which have water quality problems to be addressed

16

The Ministry of Rural Development Department of Drinking Water Supply is responsible for meeting this goal in partnership with State Governments The programme instrument of the Govemment of India is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme under implementation since 1972-73 which is funded on a 50 matching share basis between the Government of India and the State Government Since 1972 over 37 lakh hand pumps and l5 lakh pipe water supply systems have been set up to provide safe water to over 15 lakh habitations in the country at a cost of over Rs 50000 crore The norms which are fixed to achieve the goal are - 40 litres per capita per day (lpcd) of safe drinking water for human beings - 30 Ipcd additional for cattle in the Desert Development Programme Areas - One hand pump or stand post for every 250 persons - The water source should exist within 16 km in the plains and within 100 metres

elevation in the hilly areas

The backlog for coverage is under estimation based on a habitation survey for the categories of uncovered villages slipped- back villages and villages affected with a problem of water quality 55067 villages remain uncovered and are targeted for coverage as first priority The category of slipped-back villages estimated by the Planning Commission at the beginning of the Tenth Plan as 28 lakh habitations These are so on account of a number of factors like - Sources going dry or lowering of the ground water table - Sources becoming quality affected - Systems outliving their lives - Systems working below rated capacity due to poor operation and maintenance - Increase in population resulting in lower per capita availability - Emergence of new habitations According to the data received from State Governments based on a survey undertaken in 2000216968 habitations are affected due to a variety of water quality problems consists of excess fluoride 31306 excess arsenic 5029 excess salinity23495 excess iron118088 excess nitrate 13958 and multiple quality problems 25092

The Govemment of India has decided that under Bharat Nirman names of habitations would have to be provided by State Governments for availing funds from Government of India This would give maximum transparency to the programme State Governments would be required to place the habitations proposed for coverage and covered on this site in course of time

The scheme is funded on a 50 basis by the Gol and expenditure ofRsA050 crores is expected for the current year The actual requirement will be worked out based on the names of habitations supplied by the states and funded

34 Telephone

Goal Every village to be connected by telephone remaining 66822 villagesto be covered by November 2007

17

The Department of Telecom in the Ministry of Communications and Infonnation Technology has the responsibility of providing telephone cOlmectivity to the 66822 villages that remain to be covered

The resources for implementation of universal services obligation are raised through a Universal Service Levy which has presently been fixed at 5 of the adjusted gross revenue of all telecom service providers except the pure value added service providers like internet voice mail e-mail service providers The rules also make a provision for the Central Government to give grants and loans to the Fund The balance to the credit of the Fund does not lapse at the end of the financial year usa Fund assigns the task of providing Village Public Telephones (VPTs) on the basis of bids through open tender and in this case the work has been assigned to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd Out of the 66822 villages identified connectivity in 14183 remote and far-flung villages will be provided through digital satellite phone tenninals From the USOF assistance is provided for both capital expenditure as well as operational expenditure It is estimated that a total sum of Rs451 crore would be required to provide VPTs in these 66822 villages and the entire sum will be met out of USOF and no separate allocation from Government would be required

As an additional incentives telecom service providers are being assisted through the USOF to penetrate into the rural areas for the following activities - Maintenance of existing village public telephones (VPTs) - Provision of an additional mral community phone in villages with a population of more

than two thousand and where no public call office exists - Replacement of village public telephones installed on Multi Access Radio Relay

(MARR) technology - Telephone lines installed in household in specified rural areas

Rural teledensity will be significantly enhanced during the period of Bharat Nirman

The Government is committed to expanding mral connectivity through a slew of measures so that rural users can access information of value and transact business This will include cOlmecting block headquarters with fibre optic network using wireless technology to achieve last mile connectivity and operating information kiosks through a partnership of citizens panchayats civil society organizations the private sector and Government

35 Irrigation

Goal J 0 million hectares (J 00 lakhs) of additional irrigation capacity to be created by 2009

The Ministry of Water Resources in collaboration with State Governments is responsible for creation of additional 10 million hectares of irrigation capacity by the year 2009 through major medium and minor irrigation projects complemented by ground water development

18

The ultimate irrigation potential for the country has been estimated as 140 million hectare (Mba) which include potential through Major and Medium irrigation projects (5846 Mha) surface water based minor irrigation schemes (1754 Mha) and ground water development (6400 Mha) So far the irrigation potential of 10277 Mha has already been created However the created potential has not been fully utilized and the gap between created and utilized potential has been estimated to be of the order of 17 Mha

351 Major and Medium Irrigation (MMI) Proj ects

For the country as a whole 66 of the ultimate irrigationpotential of major and medium projects has been created 477 Major and Medium irrigation projects have spilled over to Xl In addition the States have proposed 223 Major and Medium projects and 86 ERM projects during XI Plan An outlay of Rs 30670 crore has been provided for the new proj ects in the XI Plan

So far 173 major and medium 4169 minor and 21 Extension Renovation and Modernization (ERM) projects have been provided Central Loan Assistance under Accelerated Irrigation benefit Programme (AIBP) The potential creation through projects supported under AIBP has been found to be 035 Mha per year with about 047 Mha per year in the last two years As per existing Plan the projected creation of irrigation potential through AIBP is 050 Mba per year in the remaining period of X Five Year Plan

The average rate of creation of irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects from 1951 to 1997 has been found to be of the order of 051 Mha per year During the year 1997 to 2005 the rate for creati n has been found to be 092 Mah per year The pace of creation of new irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects has increased in the recent past This is due to fruition of projects started much earlier which have been expedited due to increased support through AIBP

The projects for extension renovation and modernization (ERM) of major and medium irrigation schemes are also being implemented with arrangement similar to that for completion of ongoing major and medium schemes The implementation of ERM projects along with Command Area Development and Water Management (CAD and WM) help in sustaining the created facilities and in improving the utilization

35 2 Minor Irrigatioll Schemes

There is considerable variation in creation of ilTIgation potential through minor irrigation (both surface and ground water) schemes from State to State While full potential through minor irrigation has been tapped in some of the States it is relatively very low in others

19

Minor irrigation through surface water covers water sources (tanks and small reservoirs) with a culturable command area (CCA) of less than 2000 ha About 70 of the ultimate potential through surface water based minor irrigation schemes has since been created The Report of the National Commission for Integrated Water Resources Development points out that the carrying capacity of tanks has decreased over time for a variety of reasons and that the restoration and renovation of tanks and other local sources is a priority task

Since 2004-05 a pilot scheme for repair renovation and restoration of water bodies directly linked to agriculture has been taken up by the Government as a state-sector scheme in the 16 districts of the country which is proposed to be expanded

353 Ground Water Development

From the surveys conducted for estimation of availability and status of ground water the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has identified areas that are over-exploited (where exploitation is more than natural recharge of ground water) and areas that are critical or dark (where draft is between 70 to 100 of the natural recharge ofground water) The recent survey indicates that out of 7414 identified units (blockstalukaswatershed) 471 are Overexploited and 318 are Critical or Dark units Thus less than 11 of the total units fall under the category of over-exploited and critical The ultimate irrigation potential to be created is based on the assessed replenishable groundwater after duly accounting for the domestic and industrial uses (about 10) It has been assessed that ground water is still available for utilization in many parts of the country particularly in the eastern parts of the country Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and in specific pockets of Andhra Pradesh Kamataka Maharashtra and Jammu amp Kashmir In Punjab Haryana Rajasthan Gujarat and Tamil Nadu the rechargeable quantum of ground water has been exceeded and mining of static reserves has commenced This reinforces the need to take urgent steps to increase recharge and conservation

354 Targets under Bharat Nirman

Sl No Component Target I Completion of ongoing Major amp medium Irrigation

Projects 42Mha

II Minor irrigation schemes bull Surface water 10 Mha bull Ground Water 18 Mha

10Mha l8Mha

28Mha

III Enhancing utilization of completed projects bull ERM of major amp medium projects bull Repair renovation and restoration of water bodiesERM of minor irrigation schemes

lOMha 10Mha

20Mha

IV Ground water development in area with unutilized ground water potential (for benefit of small and marginal farmers and Tribals amp Dalits) -

lOMba

20

Creation of potential of 1 Mha through ground water development in areas with unutilized ground water potential would primarily benefit small and marginal farmers who are mostly tribals dalits and weaker sections of society The scheme envisages full involvement of Panchayati Raj Institutions in implementation of the schemes

36 Housing

Goal 60 lakh houses to be constructed for the rural poor by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development through the IndiraAwaas Yojana undertakes this activity as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme where the cost is shared between the Centre and States on 7525 basis

The 2001 Census places the rural housing shortage figure ~n India at around 1491akhs Construction of 60 lakh houses over the next four years across the country is envisaged starting from 2005-06 to address a significant portion of this backlog

The criteria adopted for allocation of financial resources between the StatesUTs give greater emphasis to the states with higher incidence or shelterlessness 75 weightage is given to housing shortage and 25 to the poverty ratios prescribed by the Planning Commission for State-level allocations For district-level allocations 75 weightage is given again to housing shortage and 25 to SCST population of the districts concerned Grant assistance is provided to the extent of Rs 25000 per house for normal middot areas and Rs 27500 for hilly areas Funds are released to the DRDAs in two installments

Implementation guidelines of the scheme specifically target the rural below poverty line (BPL) households The respective Gram Sabha does the selection of beneficiaries from the BPL list and no higher approval is required The guidelines also clearlY Specify that the house allotment should be in the name of the female member of the family as a first priority While seeking to empower the rural women the scheme also provides priority to physically and mentally challenged persons exservicemen widows and freed bonded labourers It is stipulated that at least 60 of the beneficiaries should belong to the SCST communities TheIAY scheme also lays emphasis on sanitation and health by incorporating the cost of a sanitary latrine and smokeless chulah into the per unit grant provided to the beneficiary for constructionlupgradation of the dwelling unit

21

CHAPTER IV

WATER SECTOR ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN BHARAT NIRMAN PLAN

Water resource is a vital input in the development endeavours of the country Its finite availability and ever increasing demand in every sector have aggravated the problem manifold in case of India The requirement of faster development in irrigation water supply industrial use flood protection is evident assuming the future scenario Bharat Nirman Plan has rightly stressed on the irrigation and water supply where as the other sectors requirement is to be redressed with equal priority for the sustainable development of India

The water sector is grappled with the following Issues

Irrigation development Command area development amp Catchment area treatment Creation of storages Conunctive use of surface and ground water Efficiency improvement in distribution system Bridging the gap between irrigation potential created and potential utilised Flood Management

41 Irrigation Development

In India with the constitution of the Planning commission in 1950 and the advent of planning process in the first five year plan (1951-56) the country launched a major irrigation programme A number of multipurpose and major projects such as Bhakra Nangal Nagarjunasagar Kosi Chambal Hirakund Kakrapar and Tungbhadra were taken up Simultaneously minor irrigation schemes including ground water were given emphasis under the Agricultural Sector along with financial assistance from the Centre

During the period of Second Five Year Plan (1956-61) Third Five Year Plan (1961-66) and the Three Annual Plans (1966-69) irrigation programmes continued with addition of new projects During the Fourth Five Year Plan (1969-74) the emphasis was shifted to the completion of ongoing projects integrated use of surface and ground water adoption of efficient management techniques and modernization of existing schemes However new projects continued to be added

During the fifth Plan (1974-79) command Area Development Programme Was launched as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with the objective of reducing the lag between potential created and optimum utilization of available land and water Initially 60 major and medium proj ects were covered with a CCA of 15 Mha

22

During the Annual Plans of 1978-80 and the Sixth Five Year Plan ( 1980-85) new starts continued and at the end of Seventh Plan there were as many as 182 major and 312 medium ongoing proj ects requiring an estimated amount of Rs 39044 crore at the 1990shy91 price level for their completion New starts were therefore restricted considerably and greater emphasis was laid on completion of projects which were in the advanced stages of completion (those with an expenditure of 75 per cent or more) This was continued during 1990-91 and 1991-92 Annual Plans VIII Plan (1992-97) and IX Plan (1997 -2000)

For speedy completion of ongoing projects in advance stage of construction Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) was launched in 1996-97 During VIII Plan period irrigation potential of 22 Mha was created under major and medium sector at an annual rate of 044 Mha per annum During IX plan period this increased to 412 Mha out of which 165 Mha (nearly 40) was through AIBP Renovation Modernisation and Rehabilitation of old irrigation schemes gained momentum Users participation in major and medium irrigation schemes received greater attention Repairs and improvemen to the minor irrigation projects as a part of integrated micro-development also received encouragement Similarly sprinkler and drip irrigation programmes and the conjunctive use of surface and ground water gained momentum The project completed along with minor irrigation and ground water development have created an estimated potential of about 10277 Mha by the end of the X Plan

Although plan expenditure on irrigation has increased from Rs44l 8 crore in the 1st Plan to Rs 9574342 crore (outlay) in the X plan the share in total plan expenditure has decreased from 23 in the 1st Plan to 63 in the X Plan

The created irrigation potential increased from 226 Mha (97 Mha through major amp medium and 129 Mha through minor irrigation) in preplan period to 102Mha (4235 Mha through major and medium and 6042 1Tha through minor including ground water schemes) upto the end of X Plan with an annual average growth of 14 Mha In the corresponding period the potential utilistion has been from 226 Mha period to 8100 Mha

411 Central Assistance under AIBP

During IX Plan period irrigation potential of 165 Mha was created through AIBP at an average rate of 033 Mha per annum During the first three years of X plan the potential creation in major and medium irrigation sector through AIBP is around 14 Mha 047 Mha per annum In spite of rationalizing completion schedule of projects under AIBP several projects are lying behind schedule It is desirable to work out realistic time frame and cost to completion for projects to be considered under AIBP It is pertinent to mention that the spirit of the programme ie completion of last mile projects should not get diluted in the enthusiasm of inclusion of large number of projects under this programme As reported by the state governments but of total 200 projects presently under AIBP 95 projects would be completed by the end of X plan

23

The Central Assistance under AIBP as loan and grant provided up to March 2006 is Rs 1943790 crore out of which Rs 1883010 crore has been provided in Major and Medium irrigation sector

Impact ofAIBP

Plan Potential Created (Mha) Contribution of AIBP(Mha) IX 410 165 ( 402) X 530 300 ( 566)

Keeping an eye over the future requirement the Working Group on Water Resources for the XI Five Year Plan has brought out several suggestions in order to expedite completion of the projects which is very very essential Some other issues relating irrigation sector were also addressed in addition to this The strategies adopted for XI Plan proposal are swnmarized as below

1 Ongoing projects which have already achieved 90 or more of the ultimate potential should be considered as completed~ Critically review all such projects which are having only marginal benefit left or are near impossible to complete because of various problems and declare them completed or curtailed or deleted The balance cost of the remaining projects should be updated realistically for consideration under XI plan

2 Inter-Se priority should be decided considering various aspects such as externally aided proj ects interstate proj ects proj ects benefiting drought prone or tribal areas etc as per the guidelines prepared by National Commission for integrated Water Resources Development Plan

3 High priority should be accorded to the Pre-seventh and Seventh Plan Projects for funding under AIBP with emphasis to complete these projects during XI Plan List of such projects is appended as Annex31 Fund allocation under AIBP should be enhanced for this purpose ifnecessary

4 Foremost priority should be given for completion of ongoing projects and new projects should be taken up very selectively keeping in view the necessity for removal of regional imbalances and development of drought prone and tribal areas

5 Since the fund requirement for mediumminor irrigation projects are less adequate fund may be made available for completion of these projects without jeopardizing programme for important major projects ERM Projects should be given due priority where the eroded potential can be restored with ~oderate expenditure

24

6 A separate budget head upto 15 of Plan fund may be provided as Irrigation Maintenance Fund (IMF) and full amount of irrigation revenue as collectged should be credited to IMF

7 In addition to liabilities of completed projects and provision for ongoing and new projects the State plan proposals should incorporate provisions for special repairs of existing irrigation systems dam safety measures improved water management and water development aspect encompassing survey and investigation research and development training and National Hydrology Project

8 Substantial higher outlay should be provided in Central Plan to bring out effective role in plan activities of the Central Institutions by way of suitably strengthening them and provide adequate funds for taking new initiatives under Central Plan

9 The existing regionalstate level institutions such as W ALMIs should be strengthened and brought into mainstream activities for irrigation management improvement

10 Dam safety measures should be taken up all over country which is very essential in the context of disaster Prevention and Management

11 The performance evaluation of completed projects needs to be continued for benchmarking and improvement in irrigation efficiency

In addition to above recommendations on Minor Irrigation Sector are gIven as follows

1 Renovation Restoration of old tanks as well as old diversion channels in hilly regions along with improving efficiency of the projects Besides surface lift schemes may also be given due consideration particularly in hilly regions for irrigating high terraces

2 Expansion of irrigation facilities through a time bound programme for exploiting the huge ground water potential in the Eastern Region

3 Promotion of Micro Irrigation system in Water deficit areas 4 Promotion of Ground Water Development in areas haaving untapped unutilized

potential 5 National rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) may be linked with minor

irrigation Ground Water Development 6 A comprehensive act for regulation and development of ground water on

sustainable basis both in public and private sector

42 Command Area Development

In respect of command area development works for performance improvement-of the projects the working group has recommended the following recommendations for consideration

25

(a) Central funding for CAD works may be enhanced from present level of 5050 to 7525 for all the States while for states of North eastern Region and Hilly Special Category States the funding may be 90 from Government of India For software activities like trainings adaptive trials demonstrations monitoring and evaluation etc 100 Central funding may be considered in place of the existing pattern of 75 25 between the Centre and the States Funds can be directly given to W ALMIs and other State Central agencies for carrying out such activities

(b) It is proposed to increase the functional grant from Rs 600 per ha to Rs 1000 per ha which is to be shared in the ratio ofRs 675225100 between the centre State and the farmers while keeping all cost norms unchanged The State Governments may also be allowed to raise fund for its share through institutional funding or public borrowings through bonds on the pattern of Krishna Bhagya Nigam of Karnataka Government

(c) As per the existing system of release of Central Assistance the funds are transferred to the pool of State Finance Department which in tum releases funds to the implementing departments This procedure is not amenable for timely availability of the funds to the CADAs Therefore direct funding to CADAs from the Ministry in a mission mode can be considered to alleviate this problem For instance the Ministry of rural Development has a system of direct release of Central share of funds to the District Rural Development Authorities (DRDA) Jilla Parishads for implementing the schemes of the Central Ministry

(d) To ensure optimum utilization of created irrigation potential the CADWM should be made a part of the new major and medium projects

(e) Formation of WUAs under PTh1 Act is mandatory for implementation of CADWM programme Transition time of 2 years (upto the end of financial year 2008-09) may be allowed to those States which have not enact~d their PIM Acts so far Further relaxation may be only be allowed with the approval of CCEA

(f) WUAs should be involved in planning budgeting implementation and management of irrigation systems to be transferred to them There is a need to enforce a regime whereby farmers pay the water rates to meet the OampM expenditure rates Conditions of reforms should be imposed before handing over the projects to WUAs

(g) Volumetric supply of irrigation water to WUAs should be introduced

(h) Reputed NGOs with requisite skills may be involved for promotion of WUAs Rehabilitation of Canal Systems and Water Management for at least 2-3 years The estimated expenditure of Rs 600-800 per ha on account of this may be provided by the central government in the form of grant

(i) Autonomy of WUAs should be maintained in regard to Water Management However there may be linkages with Panchayati Raj Institutions through cross representation It may be considered to provide support to W ALMIs Agriculture Universities and reputed NGOs for improved water management at micro level It may also be considered to provide incentives for activities ofWUAs

26

(j) The WUAs should include women members from the land owning holding house holds in the Command Area irrespective of their ownership of the land

(k) Periodic evaluation of CAD Projects should be undertaken and suitable corrective measures may be taken if necessary

(1) Components for reclamation of waterlogged areas as well as correction of conveyance deficiencies with enhanced scope may be implemented to cover all the projects in the country details of which could be approved in consultation with expert organizations such as CWC CSSRI CGWB etc

(m) Water Resources Irrigation Departments need to undertake assessment periodically (at least once in 5 years) to determine the training needs at different levels of personnel deployed in water resources development and management Facilities available for capacity building are to be considered instead of establishing new training centres There has to be networking of existing training facilities so that training will be effective and economical It is desirable to have a separate scheme for training and capacity building for State Governments as well as central Government

43 Creation of Storage

Creation of storages is of prime importance in order to avoid severe domestic crisis on water issues As per the estimates given in the working group report there is a need of approximately live storage of around 450 km3

Major amp Medium Projects (Existing) -213 KJ13

Major amp Medium Projects (Under construction) -76 KM3 Minor Storages (Existing amp Under construction) -70 KM3 Total Live Storages in projects existing and under construction - 359 Km3

Likely loss in Live storage due to sedimentation upto 2050 which has to be compensated for -53 Km3 (say) Balance available live storage from the above in 2050 - 306 Km3 say 300 Km3

Therefore further new live storage to be created to have a live storage of 450 Km3 by 2050 is 150Km3

For creation the needed storage in addition to the present way of envisaging attention has to be paid to changing popUlation dynamics changing pattern of human settlements climatic change causing change in pattern of spatial and temporal variation in rainfall deterioration in water quality etc

44 Conjunctive Use of surface and ground water

Conjunctive use of surface and ground water can address the situation in two ways by decreasing the dependence on a single source and the quality of the available waterThis will reduce the chance of desalination as well Working group has suggested for the conjunctive use of middotgood quality water and saline seawater which will be helpful in reducing the cost of water requirement for irrigation

27

45 Efficiency improvement in the distribution system as well as in field

Deficiencies of the irrigated agriculture in India have been a cause of concern and a huge amount of thinking and analysis ha been done to devise ways and means to improve it The Working Group has recommended some important recommendations in this matter

1 Standardized definitions of irrigation efficiencies need to be evolved for use in India after reviewing available material All water resources of a basin form a unified resource and hence the basin efficiency concept which integrates all surface water and ground water uses as well as reuse and recirculation is important The basin efficiency also needs to be estimated along with project related efficiencies

2 Conjunctive use of water to be given higher priority particularly in alluvial areas as a very effective means of improving water use amp basin efficiency and of saving possible water logging and salination For givin an encouragement to conjunctive use irrigation Act may be amended if req ired The policy of favoring selective lining of canals should be continued LD ater allowances and somewhat inadequate conveyance capacities lead to be r efficiencies and less water loggingrelated problems These need to be encouraged

3 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Water Csers Associations (WUAs) should include a standard clause which binds the users to effective conjunctive use of surface and ground water On rising of gro nd water table the MOW should allow the department to cut the surface water supply

4 Where there are minor irrigation tanks minor urface lifts etc middotin the command these should be integrated with major project works and not be treated as separate entity Such tanks should be filled with cfulals water as per requirement Also such works will allow reuse of the seeped wateT

5 Each major irrigation system authorities should annually prepare the water budget accruing for all water stored or diverted all losses all reuse of lost waters estimated evaporation etc

6 Sufficient funds for operation and maintenance work to be provided Creation of Irrigation Maintenance Corporation as provided in the irrigation management policy is considered so that a linkage between revenues from water and OampM funds is established Water rates may accordingly be increased in a phased manner

7 Priority may be assigned toERM schemes for projects where water distribution systems are to be handed over to WUAs Where total ERM scheme is not contemplated one time maintenance deferred maintenance of a project may be allowed as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance of a project may be allowed

28

as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance budget to be decided in consultation with the farmers and walk through survey to assess what is appropriate and achievable within the available fund

8 All the schemes more than 25 years old should be studied in details to bring out the status of schemes in respect of structural safety and performance and ERM schemes may be formulated and taken up based on such studies

9 Drip sprinklers are mostly for horticulture vegetable crops (and surgarcane) in the present major and medium surface irrigation system These may be encouraged for other crops also Any compulsion for a particular cropping pattern needs to be removed whenever WUAs are formed amp volumetric water rates come into practice Use of sprinkler or drips or rotational surface supplies requires additional on farm storage (either as dug out ponds or elevatged storage with pump) This becomes essential since supply rotates are 10 daily or fortnightly whereas drips amp sprinkler require daily or 1 in 2 days operation Such storage creation needs to be within the ambit of subsidies for drips and sprinklers

10 As automation is a costly affair it is to be adopted for pilot schemes and not for larger area However preferably this should be introduced for conjunctive use of ground water and not always for surface water

The group has also recommended the concept of Target Efficiency of the water delivery system timely and equitable distribution ohvater increasing production per unit area and per unit volume of water used and financial sustainability of the water delivery infrastructure

46 Bridging the gap between the Potential created and potential utilised

There may be various reasons for increase in the gap between potential creation and potential utilized Some ofthese are

a likely over estimation and double counting of potential creation and inaccuracies discrepancies in reporting of potential utilized

b Loss of potential due to siltation in reservoirs ponds etc and deterioration of water distribution system

c Time gap between potential creation and command area development

d Assumption of optimistic cropping pattern in economic analysis and deviation in cropping pattern as compared to that envisaged during planning

e Over-drawl of water in head reaches depriving potential utilization by tail enders

f Unused canal flow during night hours

29

l

It is desirable to introduce more reliable and accurate system of assessment for potential created and utilized There should be a coordinating statistical organization in each State for reporting the figures of potential created and utilized The Remote Sensing Technique can also be effectively utilized for counter verification of figures reported The loss in potential due to siltation ageing of various distribution systems etc needs to be periodically assessed and accounted

The productivity of irrigated crop as assumed in economic analysis often seem to be optimistic and are not based on experience of nearby irrigation projects Use of water for irrigation and selection of crops have been left to the discretion of users farmers The adverse consequences of such freedom have been manifested as water logging in some commands Somewhere overexploitation of ground -vater has been leading to progressive fall in ground water level It is therefore necessary that a regulatory mechanism is brought into practice by which undesirable or unsuitable crops are discouraged and tendency to over use of irrigation water is c~ecked Similarly in areas where ground water is being used for irrigation a regulatory mechanism should be in place to deter over exploitation of ground water beyond allOvable limit

Sometimes apprehension of scarcity of water and non availability of water when needed also lead to over withdrawal by head end users Since extra tion of ground water is costly farmers tend to take water more than their requirements when that is available through canals Higher cost of ground water is primarily because of cost of power required for lifting of water In case source of solar power is created for lifting of water the cost of ground water will get substantially reduced This may facilitate and give farmers option to use surface water and ground water thom any extra cost Once this option is available and known to farmers that they are aware that use of more water than the optimal requirement is likely to reduce the yield certainly there would be reductionin

overdraw of water by head enders Thus there is a need to extend u~er friendly system and increase awareness and cooperation among farmers through Participatory Irrigation Management Water Users Associatiortsneed to be empowered to look into these aspects Further the piped distribution system and micro irrigation should be adopted as far as possible

In India night imgation is not practiced in general As a result waters flowing in canals during night hours either pass unutilized or wasted on account of uncontrolled flooding It is desirable that the night irrigation is introduced in policy and practice

47 Flood Management

In regard to flood management the strategies recommended are given here under

(a) Undertake construction of dams and reservoir schemes with adequate flood cushion for long term solution of flood problems Efforts should also be made for utilizing the existing reservoirs in the country for flood moderation to the extent

30

possible Even in Reservoirs constructed for power other purposes the rule curves may be framed in such way that effective flood moderation is achieved

(b) Flood Forecasting and flood warning network of ewe be extended and integrated with similar networks of the state governments so as to get real time information at a central point say in central flood control room under FMO ewe This activity should be extended to cover rivers originating from or flowing to the neighbouring countries

( c) To take up development of digital elevation model of flood prone areas for taking up schemes for inundation forecast preparation of flood risk maps planning of flood management schemes etc

(d) Identification of appropriate location for breaching spiling sections in the flood embankment for the controlled flooding of the protected areas for restoring fertility recharge of soil moisture and ground water

( e) Integrating flood management schemes with other infrastructural development programmes in the sectors of roads railways inland waterways and canal command area development works as well as recently declared Rural Employment Guarantee Programme

(f) Watershed management in the hilly catchmentgs of the rivers ongmating in Nepal Bhutan and hilly areas of India should be selectively chosen and funded fully Implementation should be done through a joint mechanism Ministry of Agriculture who is the nodal Ministry for the watershed management works should work out a detailed program in consultation with the Ministry of Water Resources

(g) To give adequate emphasis on the operation and maintenance (OampM) of the flood protection measures already created a percentage of outlay of the flood sector should be earmarked for this purpose

(h) Raising and strengthening of the existing embankments if required after detailed studies of hydrological morphological topographical and developmental aspects to stabilize the benefits of these measures

(i) Natural swamps and lakes to be developed into detention basins and capacity of existing depressions be improved for absorbing flood waters Special drives for development of Tal and Diara areas

G) Erosion of land either by sea or rivers to be minimized through suitable cost effective measures

(k) Flood proofing program such as raised platform and quick drainage facilities to be taken up in a)l the flood prone states

31

(1) Drainage improvement in critical areas in the country to be given priority

(m) Dredging at selective locations ie outfalls etc in the rivers and the tributaries as a way to reduce flood levels in low-lying areas and help in quick drainage

(n) Encourage RampD activities for improved flood management

(0) To encourage peoples participation

(p) To expedite projects peaks

on interlinking of rivers for helping in attenuating flood

(q) Steps to ensure implementation of action plan prepared by NDMA for flood management should be taken

(r) On-going schemes of earlier plans be completed expeditiously All the on going schemes spilling over to the XI Plan in which at least 50 execution has taken place should get first priority on fund allocation during the XI Plan

(s) The cost for flood component in a multi-purpose water resources development projects as a long-term solution to flood problem should be funded by Government of India

(t) Maintenance of existing flood management works to optimize its benefits

32

48 Achievement in irrigation during the two years of the Bharat Nirman Plan

The statewise achievement in two years ending on September 2006 is given below It shows that 2183776 thousand hectare has been added to the irrigation potential A daunting task still left to be achieved in coming two years

thF19ures are III ousand h ec ares t

I

i rOo

rarget bull Major amp Aebievements upSI No

States UrsName MinorMedium Total to September

Irrigation Irrigation 2006 r i

1 Andhra Pradesh 44127 112523 156649 302065

2 Arunachal Pradesh 00 2239 2239 4 777 3 Assam 303 4275 7306 3314

4 Bihar 41399 12858 169979 279451 5 Chhattisgarh 4435 14668 19103 65661

6 Goa 2442 26 2702 1224 7 Gujarat 94573 00 945 73 255224

8 Haryana 3373 241 5783 33301 9 Himachal Pradesh 3091 4691 7788 8842

10 lharkhand 8122 25314 33436 15 701 11 Jammu amp Kashmir 1801 9254 11055 14847

12 Karnataka 26282 124 38682 11131 13 Kerala 1609 2168 3777 15856

14 Madhya Pradesh 61172 162 77372 8138 15 Maharashtra 465 31 35651 82181 9313

16 Manipur 5195 155 6745 0 17 Meghalaya 00 1493 1493 2073

18 Mizoram 00 1096 1096 0628 19 Nagaland 00 1612 1612 259

20 Orissa 19899 13295 33194 3266 21 Punjab 4034 2056 609 68755

22 Rajasthan 37974 401 41984 26459 23 Sikkim 00 703 703 08

24 Tamil Nadu 00 2355 23 55 16461 25 Tripura 2689 5429 8118 6327 26 Uttar Pradesh 82516 15208 977 24 464 372 27 Uttranchal 00 3829 3829 34 967

28 West Bengal 13567 56384 69951 346

29 Andman amp Nicobar Island 00 033 033 0

30 Pondicherry 00 275 275 0 ~-

Total 2183766507867 479958 987826

I

L 33

------------------~------

The achievements are up to March 2006 only The progressachievement of 2006-07 was under compilationscrutiny in ewe at the time of preparation of this document

The figures for states ofKerala and Rajasthan pertain to the achievement of whole year 2006-07 and for the State of Uttar Pradesh the achievement is up to December2006

49 Conclusions

Water sector development encompasses multidisciplinary considerations There is no scope of overlooking any sector while giving priority to any sector or sectors The integrated planning is the only possible way to tackle the water resources development The participatory approach is the key for its sustainability Bharat middot Nirman Plan of Government of India by setting up goals for the period of four years is a boost to the already existing schemes in different ministries Irrigation and public water supply is the basic components of development have been rightly considered in the Bharat Nirman Plan The ambitious project has already traveled through a span of two years and has achieved some part of the goals The balance part has to be done with equal fervor The recent modification in AlBP norms is the evidence of the governmental zeal in achieving the goals For the continuance of the food sufficiency the irrigation development is the feasible quick solution The component of Irrigation in Bharat Nirman is thus a huge help for the required development in the water sector

34

Page 11: ROLE OF WRD&M IN BHARAT NIRMAN DURING WRD 2007

ie 58 and 81 BCM in the year 2025 and 2050 respectively The return flow from irrigation sector may be around 10 ie 91 and 107 BCM in the year 2025 and 2050 respectively The return flow from industry sector is estimated to be 65 Besides water has to be made available through inter-basin transfer of river waters by 2050 The demand of industry and energy sector may be managed by reuse and recycling of return flows and reuse of water from treated wastewater Proper treatment of effluent to desired standards will have to be ensured to use the return flow in irrigation horticulture etc The water requirements of water deficit areas will be met by inter basin transfer of water from surplus basins after developing the untapped water resources

142 National Commission on Integrated Water Resources Development (NCIWRD)

The National Commission on Integrated Water Resources Development (NCIWRD) in its report (1999) has also assessed the water requirement for various purposes for different years and the demand of water is given in the Table-2 below

It would be observed that the assessment made by the National Commission for irrigation is relatively on lower side as compared to that estimated by the Standing SubshyCommittee In respect of other uses the estimate made by the National Commission is generally on a higher side The main reason for such variation in the estimate is the assumption made by the National Commission in respect of the overall improvement of irrigation efficiency The National Commission has assumed that the irrigation efficiency will gradually increase to 60 from the present level of 35 to 40 Considerable effort is required to achieve the objective middot of efficiency in water resource system and particularly in the irrigation system which is the major water consumptive sector

Table-2 Water Demand for Diverse Uses

Sl No

Total Water Use (in BCM) Uses Year

1997-98 Year 2010 Year 2025 Year 2050

Low High Low High Low High 1 Irrigation 524 543 557 561 611 628 807 2 Domestic 30 42 43 55 62 90 111 3 Industries 30 37 middot37 67 67 81 81 4 Power 9 18 19 31 33 63 70 5 Inland Navigation 0 7 7 10 10 15 15 6 Flood Control 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 Environment(1 )

Afforestati on 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

8 Env(2)Ecology 0 5 6 10 10 middot 20 20 9 Evaporation losses 36 42 42 50 50 76 76

Total 629 694 710 784 843 973 1180

9

middotIt is of paramount importance that the aim should be at reducing water requirement to the low demand scenario Taking into account the water availability and the requirement till the year 2050 the National Commission concluded that there is no need to take an alarmist view However three major considerations have to be kept in the forefront while formulating an integrated water policy and plan First the balance between the requirement and availability can be struck only if utmost efficiency is introduced in water use Second average availability at the national level does not imply that all basins are capable of meeting their full requirement from internal resources Third the issue of equity in the access to water between regions and between sections of population assumes greater importance in what is foreseen as a fragile balance between these and related problems of integrated water use planning in the context of supply and requirement of water estimated by the Commission middot

JO

CHAPTER II

ROLE OF WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT IN ASCERTAINING SOCIO-ECONOMIC GROWTH

Right from independence India has been developing atmiddot a very fast pace Consequently it is hardly any surprise that rapid urbanization through infrastructure development has been the key feature of the last few decades At the same time the steep rise in population hasresulted in a phenomenal increase in the demand for food and water supply Till now one of the potent solutions to these multi-faceted challenges has been creation of large storages to wither out the spatial cindtemporal variations The sector wise development which has changed the socio economic status of the country is analysed below

21 Agricultural Production

The direct relationship between food production and assured irrigation is so pronounced that it hardly requires any further explanation During independence the food production of the country was only a meager 50 million tones while the irrigation potential created was 22 m~llion ha By the tum of the century while the irrigation potential created has shot upto 10277 Mha thefood production has crossed 200 million tones If we concentrate over the states which have out performed in the food production like Punjab Haryana Gujarat Uttar Pradesh Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra West Bengal it is apparent that the large and medium water resources storage projects have played the key role Such remarkable achievement have been possible due to the fact that large areas of these States are being covered under assured irrigation

22 Domestic and Industrial Water Supply

The National Water Policy adopted by the Government of India in 2002 accords highest priority to drinking water supply The Vision document for Integrated Water Resources Development formulated by th~ Ministry of Water Resources in 2002 states that 92 of the urban popUlation and 97 of the rural population are having access to safe drinking water This achievement has been largely possible due to the significant contributions made by the large projects a few examples ofwhich are listed below

Delhi the capital of India which is situated on the banks of the Yamuna gets only a fraction of its needs from river Yamuna though situated on its banks The balance needs are met with releases from Bhakra and Ramganga pams The population of the city has grown from 14 million in 1951 to close to 14 million by 2001 Though in 1950s the entire water need of the city was possible to be met with from Jamuna (essentially the flows that were regenerated) this was soon not possible Ramganga and Bhakra waters had to be supplemented for meeting the

11

requirements Infact the releases from the Tehri Dam for the Sonia Vihar Water Treatment plant seems to be the only silver lining for the city plagued by water crisis particularly during the summer months Besides this allocation for drinking water supply t6 Delhi has also been provided in upcoming Renuka and Kishau dam Projects in Yamuna Basin for meeting the future needs

bull The entire water supply of Mumbai is dependant Vaitrana Upper Vaitama Tansa and Bhatsa

on a senes of dams like

bull The acute scarcity of water supply in Chennai is well known The states of Andhra Pradesh Maharashtra and Kamataka agreed to provide a part of their allocated share of Krishna water (to the extent of 15 TMC) for drinking water requirements of Chennai city

bull Water supply of Pune town in Maharashtra is Sagar) Khadakwasla dam and Temghar dam

met with from Panchet(Tangi

bull Hyderabad is mainly dependent on Himayatsagar Manjra and Singur Dams

its water supply from Osmansagar

bull The water supply for Bangalore city heavily depends on Cauvery Stage-I Stage-II and Stage-III projects

bull A sizeable number of cities having population more than one million as per the 2001 census are having their water demand met from several projects The prominent cities among them being Bhopal Indore Jabalpur Nagpur Nashik and Surat

In addition to above a major dam at Bisalpur had been constructed in Chambal Basin to provide water supply to Ajmer City besides towns of Beawar and Tonk in Rajasthan Warrangal town in Andhra Pradesh depends for water supply on Sriramsagar Dam Shillong water supply is to be ensured with a dam under construction in the North-East

The position of drinking water supply in various towns and villages has improved after the coming up of Bhakra and Beas Proj ects Cities of Delhi Chandigarh and town of Patiala and Ropar apart from numerous towns and villages in the states of Haryana and Rajasthan are getting their supply of drinking water from the canals fed by these projects

Drinking water supply for most of the cities and towns in the country are dependant on storages and diversions for the purpose proving the important fact that stored water distributed temporally as well as spatially serves the basic needs in a sustained manner for a sizeable population

12

Industrial water requirement though considerably low in comparison to agriculture and domestic water demand has its own share of importance Most of the industries require assured water supply for their effective performance It is therefore quite natural that the pr~sence of a large project capable of delivering assured water supply invariably boosts up the industrial development of the area Numerous examples may be cited to back the above contention however the more important ones are given below

For catering the needs of Bokaro Steel Plant a dam at Tenughat in the Damodar River Basin had to be constructed

bull Similarly a cluster of thermal and super-thermal stations in uP is entirely dependent on the water stored at Rihand Dam on a tributary of the Sone River in uP

bull For the Vishkhapatnam Steel Plant the water IS to be supplied from Yeleru Reservoir

bull As abundant and assured cooling water is available from Ukai reservoir a large thermal power station having installed capacity of 850 MW is also set up and commissioned at Ukai since 1975 Other huge industries like Essar Gujarat Reliance Petrochemicals KRlBHCO ONGC NTPC etc are direct beneficiaries from Ukai-Kakrapar project as regards industrial water supply

bull For the requirements of Udaipur and Chittor plants of Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL) Gosunda Dam was necessary This meets not only the needs of HZL but also the water-supply needs of Udaipur

Major industries getting water from Bhakra Canals are National Fertilizers Ltd Nangal Ropar Thermal Plant and C-Thermal Delhi besides numerous other small industrial units

23 Hydropower generation

The hydropower generated from the large projects like Bhakra-Nangal Hirakud Iddukki Ukai Srisailam Gandhisagar Rana Pratapsagar Jawaharsagar projects have not only provided middotcheap energy but also has immensely helped in meeting the peaking demands Thus there is not even an iota of doubt about the role played by these projects in improving the economy of their command area Infact hydropower being durable non-polluting and extremely cheap its viability as an effective mode of producing energy increases even further

It is often been contended by the social activists that the improvement in irrigation facilities and the resultant boom in food production is largely due to the minor irrigation and ground water irrigation schemes There is no point in denying the fact that the harnessing of minor irrigation as well as ground water irrigation facilities is equally

13

important in promoting food production but more often that not we ignore the power requirement for operating the pumps for lifting ground water In fact in the recent times one of the most debated issues have been providing free power to the farmers proving the importance of availability of cheap power to the agricultural community

24 Flood Control and Drought Mitigation

It wont be an overstatement to acknowledge the benefit offered by those large projects by providing the required cushion against the raging floods An estimation of the past 100 years will invariably indicate the astronomical damages that were inflicted on our country by the floods Even in the 21 st cenfliry after so much advancement we are often rendered helpless to the fury of floods particularly in the North-East where the protection upto the desired level is yet to be materialized Even then all the projects mentioned above like the Hirakud Bhakra-Nangal Ukai-Kakrapar Nagarjunasagar had given immense relief to the people of their command area by not only restricting the financial losses but at times even saving the loss of lives

The greatest inexplicable paradox of this countrys water resources scenario has been the co-existence of droughts and floods and the beauty of the large projects is that they have the capability to handle both the situations simultaneously and thus ironing out the erratic climatic behavior to a large extent The excess monsoon received in a particular year is being used by these projects to wonderful effect in another year facing paucity of rainfall

14

CHAPTER III

Bharat Nirman Plan (2005-2009)

Government of India in partnership with State Governments and Panchayat Raj Institutions has launched Bharat Nirman programme as a time-bound business plan for action in rural infrastructure for the span of four years (2005-2009) Under Bharat Nirman Plan action is proposed in the areas of irrigation road rural housing rural water supply rural electrification and rural telecommunication connectivity Specific targets are set to be achieved under each of these goals so that there is accountability in the progress of this initiative The goals in different sectors are as under

31 IClectricity

Goal Every village to be provided electricity remaining 125000 villages to be covered by 2009

The Ministry of Power has the responsibility of providing electricity to the remaining 125000 villages through the programme instrument of Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana In addition it will also provide 23 million households with electricity As per the Census of 2001 125000 villages remained uncovered To be able to achieve this objective Rural Electricity Distribution Backbone with at least a 33111 KV sub-station would be set up in each block at least one Distribution TransfOlmer in each habitation of every village or hamlet as Village Electrification Infrastructure Standshyalone grid with generation where grid supply is not feasible These Stand-alone grids would be set up in partnership with the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy also

Rural Electrification Corporation would be the agency for implementation The Mcmagement of Rural Distribution will be fioanchisees that could be Users Associations individual entrepreneurs Cooperatives Non-Governmental Organizations Panchayat Institutions Services of Central Services undertakings like National Them1al Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POClL) National Hydro Electric Power Corporation Limited (NHPC) and Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) will be made available for the execution of rural electrification projects These CPSUs have been allocated districts in each state wherein they will implement the rural electrification network

90 capital subsidy will be provided for overall cost of the projects under the scheme The capital subsidy for eligible projects under the scheme will be through the Rural Electrification Corporation Limited which will be the nodal agency Electrification of unelectrified below-poverty-line households will be financed with 100 capital subsidy at Rs1500 per connection in all rural habitations Others will be paying for the connections at prescribed connection charges and no subsidy will be made availableFor creation of village eIectrification infrastructure first priority will be given to unshy

15

electrified villages Preference for electrification will be given to Dalit Bastis Tribal settlements and habitations of weaker sections

32 Roads

Goal Every habitation over 1000 population andabove (500 in hilly and tribal areas) to be provided an all-weather road remaining 66802 habitations to be covered by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development has the responsibility of ensuring that every habitation over 1000 population and every habitation with more than 500 in hilly and tribal areas is connected with an all-weather road by 2009 This is expected to generate multiplier effects in the rural economy of linking production to markets and services This work which is being undertaken under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana since 2000 has been modified to address the above goals within the stipulated timeshyframeTo achieve the targets of Bharat Nirman 146185 Kms road length is proposed to be constructed by 2009 This will benefit 66802 unconnected eligible habitations in the country To ensure full farm-to-market connectivity it is also proposed to upgrade 194132 kms of the existing Associated Through Routes

A district and rural roads plan has been prepared listing out complete network of all roads in the district that has village roads major district roads state roads and national highways The concept of core network has been operationalised to focus on those set of roads which are considered essential to provid~ connectivity to all habitations of the desired size The Core Network is the basic in$trumentality for prioritization of construction and allocation of funds for maintenance Action has been initiated to develop GIS-based applications to further enhance the utility of the Core Network

The programme is implemented through a framework of consultation with public representatives ranging from the panchayat level up to Parlian1ent A Rural Roads Manual guides the implementation of the programme A separate Book of Specification and a Standard Data Book have been prepared As per this standard bidding documents are to be adopted by the states For MIS there is a computerized Online Management and Monitoring Accounting System

Approximately Rs48000 crores is proposed to be invested to achieve this objective 100 of the funds of this programme is being provided by the Central Government

33 Drinking Water

Goal Every habitation to have a safe source of drinking water 55067 uncovered habitations to be covered by 2009 In addition all habitations which have slipped back from full coverage to partial coverage due to failure of source and habitations which have water quality problems to be addressed

16

The Ministry of Rural Development Department of Drinking Water Supply is responsible for meeting this goal in partnership with State Governments The programme instrument of the Govemment of India is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme under implementation since 1972-73 which is funded on a 50 matching share basis between the Government of India and the State Government Since 1972 over 37 lakh hand pumps and l5 lakh pipe water supply systems have been set up to provide safe water to over 15 lakh habitations in the country at a cost of over Rs 50000 crore The norms which are fixed to achieve the goal are - 40 litres per capita per day (lpcd) of safe drinking water for human beings - 30 Ipcd additional for cattle in the Desert Development Programme Areas - One hand pump or stand post for every 250 persons - The water source should exist within 16 km in the plains and within 100 metres

elevation in the hilly areas

The backlog for coverage is under estimation based on a habitation survey for the categories of uncovered villages slipped- back villages and villages affected with a problem of water quality 55067 villages remain uncovered and are targeted for coverage as first priority The category of slipped-back villages estimated by the Planning Commission at the beginning of the Tenth Plan as 28 lakh habitations These are so on account of a number of factors like - Sources going dry or lowering of the ground water table - Sources becoming quality affected - Systems outliving their lives - Systems working below rated capacity due to poor operation and maintenance - Increase in population resulting in lower per capita availability - Emergence of new habitations According to the data received from State Governments based on a survey undertaken in 2000216968 habitations are affected due to a variety of water quality problems consists of excess fluoride 31306 excess arsenic 5029 excess salinity23495 excess iron118088 excess nitrate 13958 and multiple quality problems 25092

The Govemment of India has decided that under Bharat Nirman names of habitations would have to be provided by State Governments for availing funds from Government of India This would give maximum transparency to the programme State Governments would be required to place the habitations proposed for coverage and covered on this site in course of time

The scheme is funded on a 50 basis by the Gol and expenditure ofRsA050 crores is expected for the current year The actual requirement will be worked out based on the names of habitations supplied by the states and funded

34 Telephone

Goal Every village to be connected by telephone remaining 66822 villagesto be covered by November 2007

17

The Department of Telecom in the Ministry of Communications and Infonnation Technology has the responsibility of providing telephone cOlmectivity to the 66822 villages that remain to be covered

The resources for implementation of universal services obligation are raised through a Universal Service Levy which has presently been fixed at 5 of the adjusted gross revenue of all telecom service providers except the pure value added service providers like internet voice mail e-mail service providers The rules also make a provision for the Central Government to give grants and loans to the Fund The balance to the credit of the Fund does not lapse at the end of the financial year usa Fund assigns the task of providing Village Public Telephones (VPTs) on the basis of bids through open tender and in this case the work has been assigned to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd Out of the 66822 villages identified connectivity in 14183 remote and far-flung villages will be provided through digital satellite phone tenninals From the USOF assistance is provided for both capital expenditure as well as operational expenditure It is estimated that a total sum of Rs451 crore would be required to provide VPTs in these 66822 villages and the entire sum will be met out of USOF and no separate allocation from Government would be required

As an additional incentives telecom service providers are being assisted through the USOF to penetrate into the rural areas for the following activities - Maintenance of existing village public telephones (VPTs) - Provision of an additional mral community phone in villages with a population of more

than two thousand and where no public call office exists - Replacement of village public telephones installed on Multi Access Radio Relay

(MARR) technology - Telephone lines installed in household in specified rural areas

Rural teledensity will be significantly enhanced during the period of Bharat Nirman

The Government is committed to expanding mral connectivity through a slew of measures so that rural users can access information of value and transact business This will include cOlmecting block headquarters with fibre optic network using wireless technology to achieve last mile connectivity and operating information kiosks through a partnership of citizens panchayats civil society organizations the private sector and Government

35 Irrigation

Goal J 0 million hectares (J 00 lakhs) of additional irrigation capacity to be created by 2009

The Ministry of Water Resources in collaboration with State Governments is responsible for creation of additional 10 million hectares of irrigation capacity by the year 2009 through major medium and minor irrigation projects complemented by ground water development

18

The ultimate irrigation potential for the country has been estimated as 140 million hectare (Mba) which include potential through Major and Medium irrigation projects (5846 Mha) surface water based minor irrigation schemes (1754 Mha) and ground water development (6400 Mha) So far the irrigation potential of 10277 Mha has already been created However the created potential has not been fully utilized and the gap between created and utilized potential has been estimated to be of the order of 17 Mha

351 Major and Medium Irrigation (MMI) Proj ects

For the country as a whole 66 of the ultimate irrigationpotential of major and medium projects has been created 477 Major and Medium irrigation projects have spilled over to Xl In addition the States have proposed 223 Major and Medium projects and 86 ERM projects during XI Plan An outlay of Rs 30670 crore has been provided for the new proj ects in the XI Plan

So far 173 major and medium 4169 minor and 21 Extension Renovation and Modernization (ERM) projects have been provided Central Loan Assistance under Accelerated Irrigation benefit Programme (AIBP) The potential creation through projects supported under AIBP has been found to be 035 Mha per year with about 047 Mha per year in the last two years As per existing Plan the projected creation of irrigation potential through AIBP is 050 Mba per year in the remaining period of X Five Year Plan

The average rate of creation of irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects from 1951 to 1997 has been found to be of the order of 051 Mha per year During the year 1997 to 2005 the rate for creati n has been found to be 092 Mah per year The pace of creation of new irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects has increased in the recent past This is due to fruition of projects started much earlier which have been expedited due to increased support through AIBP

The projects for extension renovation and modernization (ERM) of major and medium irrigation schemes are also being implemented with arrangement similar to that for completion of ongoing major and medium schemes The implementation of ERM projects along with Command Area Development and Water Management (CAD and WM) help in sustaining the created facilities and in improving the utilization

35 2 Minor Irrigatioll Schemes

There is considerable variation in creation of ilTIgation potential through minor irrigation (both surface and ground water) schemes from State to State While full potential through minor irrigation has been tapped in some of the States it is relatively very low in others

19

Minor irrigation through surface water covers water sources (tanks and small reservoirs) with a culturable command area (CCA) of less than 2000 ha About 70 of the ultimate potential through surface water based minor irrigation schemes has since been created The Report of the National Commission for Integrated Water Resources Development points out that the carrying capacity of tanks has decreased over time for a variety of reasons and that the restoration and renovation of tanks and other local sources is a priority task

Since 2004-05 a pilot scheme for repair renovation and restoration of water bodies directly linked to agriculture has been taken up by the Government as a state-sector scheme in the 16 districts of the country which is proposed to be expanded

353 Ground Water Development

From the surveys conducted for estimation of availability and status of ground water the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has identified areas that are over-exploited (where exploitation is more than natural recharge of ground water) and areas that are critical or dark (where draft is between 70 to 100 of the natural recharge ofground water) The recent survey indicates that out of 7414 identified units (blockstalukaswatershed) 471 are Overexploited and 318 are Critical or Dark units Thus less than 11 of the total units fall under the category of over-exploited and critical The ultimate irrigation potential to be created is based on the assessed replenishable groundwater after duly accounting for the domestic and industrial uses (about 10) It has been assessed that ground water is still available for utilization in many parts of the country particularly in the eastern parts of the country Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and in specific pockets of Andhra Pradesh Kamataka Maharashtra and Jammu amp Kashmir In Punjab Haryana Rajasthan Gujarat and Tamil Nadu the rechargeable quantum of ground water has been exceeded and mining of static reserves has commenced This reinforces the need to take urgent steps to increase recharge and conservation

354 Targets under Bharat Nirman

Sl No Component Target I Completion of ongoing Major amp medium Irrigation

Projects 42Mha

II Minor irrigation schemes bull Surface water 10 Mha bull Ground Water 18 Mha

10Mha l8Mha

28Mha

III Enhancing utilization of completed projects bull ERM of major amp medium projects bull Repair renovation and restoration of water bodiesERM of minor irrigation schemes

lOMha 10Mha

20Mha

IV Ground water development in area with unutilized ground water potential (for benefit of small and marginal farmers and Tribals amp Dalits) -

lOMba

20

Creation of potential of 1 Mha through ground water development in areas with unutilized ground water potential would primarily benefit small and marginal farmers who are mostly tribals dalits and weaker sections of society The scheme envisages full involvement of Panchayati Raj Institutions in implementation of the schemes

36 Housing

Goal 60 lakh houses to be constructed for the rural poor by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development through the IndiraAwaas Yojana undertakes this activity as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme where the cost is shared between the Centre and States on 7525 basis

The 2001 Census places the rural housing shortage figure ~n India at around 1491akhs Construction of 60 lakh houses over the next four years across the country is envisaged starting from 2005-06 to address a significant portion of this backlog

The criteria adopted for allocation of financial resources between the StatesUTs give greater emphasis to the states with higher incidence or shelterlessness 75 weightage is given to housing shortage and 25 to the poverty ratios prescribed by the Planning Commission for State-level allocations For district-level allocations 75 weightage is given again to housing shortage and 25 to SCST population of the districts concerned Grant assistance is provided to the extent of Rs 25000 per house for normal middot areas and Rs 27500 for hilly areas Funds are released to the DRDAs in two installments

Implementation guidelines of the scheme specifically target the rural below poverty line (BPL) households The respective Gram Sabha does the selection of beneficiaries from the BPL list and no higher approval is required The guidelines also clearlY Specify that the house allotment should be in the name of the female member of the family as a first priority While seeking to empower the rural women the scheme also provides priority to physically and mentally challenged persons exservicemen widows and freed bonded labourers It is stipulated that at least 60 of the beneficiaries should belong to the SCST communities TheIAY scheme also lays emphasis on sanitation and health by incorporating the cost of a sanitary latrine and smokeless chulah into the per unit grant provided to the beneficiary for constructionlupgradation of the dwelling unit

21

CHAPTER IV

WATER SECTOR ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN BHARAT NIRMAN PLAN

Water resource is a vital input in the development endeavours of the country Its finite availability and ever increasing demand in every sector have aggravated the problem manifold in case of India The requirement of faster development in irrigation water supply industrial use flood protection is evident assuming the future scenario Bharat Nirman Plan has rightly stressed on the irrigation and water supply where as the other sectors requirement is to be redressed with equal priority for the sustainable development of India

The water sector is grappled with the following Issues

Irrigation development Command area development amp Catchment area treatment Creation of storages Conunctive use of surface and ground water Efficiency improvement in distribution system Bridging the gap between irrigation potential created and potential utilised Flood Management

41 Irrigation Development

In India with the constitution of the Planning commission in 1950 and the advent of planning process in the first five year plan (1951-56) the country launched a major irrigation programme A number of multipurpose and major projects such as Bhakra Nangal Nagarjunasagar Kosi Chambal Hirakund Kakrapar and Tungbhadra were taken up Simultaneously minor irrigation schemes including ground water were given emphasis under the Agricultural Sector along with financial assistance from the Centre

During the period of Second Five Year Plan (1956-61) Third Five Year Plan (1961-66) and the Three Annual Plans (1966-69) irrigation programmes continued with addition of new projects During the Fourth Five Year Plan (1969-74) the emphasis was shifted to the completion of ongoing projects integrated use of surface and ground water adoption of efficient management techniques and modernization of existing schemes However new projects continued to be added

During the fifth Plan (1974-79) command Area Development Programme Was launched as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with the objective of reducing the lag between potential created and optimum utilization of available land and water Initially 60 major and medium proj ects were covered with a CCA of 15 Mha

22

During the Annual Plans of 1978-80 and the Sixth Five Year Plan ( 1980-85) new starts continued and at the end of Seventh Plan there were as many as 182 major and 312 medium ongoing proj ects requiring an estimated amount of Rs 39044 crore at the 1990shy91 price level for their completion New starts were therefore restricted considerably and greater emphasis was laid on completion of projects which were in the advanced stages of completion (those with an expenditure of 75 per cent or more) This was continued during 1990-91 and 1991-92 Annual Plans VIII Plan (1992-97) and IX Plan (1997 -2000)

For speedy completion of ongoing projects in advance stage of construction Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) was launched in 1996-97 During VIII Plan period irrigation potential of 22 Mha was created under major and medium sector at an annual rate of 044 Mha per annum During IX plan period this increased to 412 Mha out of which 165 Mha (nearly 40) was through AIBP Renovation Modernisation and Rehabilitation of old irrigation schemes gained momentum Users participation in major and medium irrigation schemes received greater attention Repairs and improvemen to the minor irrigation projects as a part of integrated micro-development also received encouragement Similarly sprinkler and drip irrigation programmes and the conjunctive use of surface and ground water gained momentum The project completed along with minor irrigation and ground water development have created an estimated potential of about 10277 Mha by the end of the X Plan

Although plan expenditure on irrigation has increased from Rs44l 8 crore in the 1st Plan to Rs 9574342 crore (outlay) in the X plan the share in total plan expenditure has decreased from 23 in the 1st Plan to 63 in the X Plan

The created irrigation potential increased from 226 Mha (97 Mha through major amp medium and 129 Mha through minor irrigation) in preplan period to 102Mha (4235 Mha through major and medium and 6042 1Tha through minor including ground water schemes) upto the end of X Plan with an annual average growth of 14 Mha In the corresponding period the potential utilistion has been from 226 Mha period to 8100 Mha

411 Central Assistance under AIBP

During IX Plan period irrigation potential of 165 Mha was created through AIBP at an average rate of 033 Mha per annum During the first three years of X plan the potential creation in major and medium irrigation sector through AIBP is around 14 Mha 047 Mha per annum In spite of rationalizing completion schedule of projects under AIBP several projects are lying behind schedule It is desirable to work out realistic time frame and cost to completion for projects to be considered under AIBP It is pertinent to mention that the spirit of the programme ie completion of last mile projects should not get diluted in the enthusiasm of inclusion of large number of projects under this programme As reported by the state governments but of total 200 projects presently under AIBP 95 projects would be completed by the end of X plan

23

The Central Assistance under AIBP as loan and grant provided up to March 2006 is Rs 1943790 crore out of which Rs 1883010 crore has been provided in Major and Medium irrigation sector

Impact ofAIBP

Plan Potential Created (Mha) Contribution of AIBP(Mha) IX 410 165 ( 402) X 530 300 ( 566)

Keeping an eye over the future requirement the Working Group on Water Resources for the XI Five Year Plan has brought out several suggestions in order to expedite completion of the projects which is very very essential Some other issues relating irrigation sector were also addressed in addition to this The strategies adopted for XI Plan proposal are swnmarized as below

1 Ongoing projects which have already achieved 90 or more of the ultimate potential should be considered as completed~ Critically review all such projects which are having only marginal benefit left or are near impossible to complete because of various problems and declare them completed or curtailed or deleted The balance cost of the remaining projects should be updated realistically for consideration under XI plan

2 Inter-Se priority should be decided considering various aspects such as externally aided proj ects interstate proj ects proj ects benefiting drought prone or tribal areas etc as per the guidelines prepared by National Commission for integrated Water Resources Development Plan

3 High priority should be accorded to the Pre-seventh and Seventh Plan Projects for funding under AIBP with emphasis to complete these projects during XI Plan List of such projects is appended as Annex31 Fund allocation under AIBP should be enhanced for this purpose ifnecessary

4 Foremost priority should be given for completion of ongoing projects and new projects should be taken up very selectively keeping in view the necessity for removal of regional imbalances and development of drought prone and tribal areas

5 Since the fund requirement for mediumminor irrigation projects are less adequate fund may be made available for completion of these projects without jeopardizing programme for important major projects ERM Projects should be given due priority where the eroded potential can be restored with ~oderate expenditure

24

6 A separate budget head upto 15 of Plan fund may be provided as Irrigation Maintenance Fund (IMF) and full amount of irrigation revenue as collectged should be credited to IMF

7 In addition to liabilities of completed projects and provision for ongoing and new projects the State plan proposals should incorporate provisions for special repairs of existing irrigation systems dam safety measures improved water management and water development aspect encompassing survey and investigation research and development training and National Hydrology Project

8 Substantial higher outlay should be provided in Central Plan to bring out effective role in plan activities of the Central Institutions by way of suitably strengthening them and provide adequate funds for taking new initiatives under Central Plan

9 The existing regionalstate level institutions such as W ALMIs should be strengthened and brought into mainstream activities for irrigation management improvement

10 Dam safety measures should be taken up all over country which is very essential in the context of disaster Prevention and Management

11 The performance evaluation of completed projects needs to be continued for benchmarking and improvement in irrigation efficiency

In addition to above recommendations on Minor Irrigation Sector are gIven as follows

1 Renovation Restoration of old tanks as well as old diversion channels in hilly regions along with improving efficiency of the projects Besides surface lift schemes may also be given due consideration particularly in hilly regions for irrigating high terraces

2 Expansion of irrigation facilities through a time bound programme for exploiting the huge ground water potential in the Eastern Region

3 Promotion of Micro Irrigation system in Water deficit areas 4 Promotion of Ground Water Development in areas haaving untapped unutilized

potential 5 National rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) may be linked with minor

irrigation Ground Water Development 6 A comprehensive act for regulation and development of ground water on

sustainable basis both in public and private sector

42 Command Area Development

In respect of command area development works for performance improvement-of the projects the working group has recommended the following recommendations for consideration

25

(a) Central funding for CAD works may be enhanced from present level of 5050 to 7525 for all the States while for states of North eastern Region and Hilly Special Category States the funding may be 90 from Government of India For software activities like trainings adaptive trials demonstrations monitoring and evaluation etc 100 Central funding may be considered in place of the existing pattern of 75 25 between the Centre and the States Funds can be directly given to W ALMIs and other State Central agencies for carrying out such activities

(b) It is proposed to increase the functional grant from Rs 600 per ha to Rs 1000 per ha which is to be shared in the ratio ofRs 675225100 between the centre State and the farmers while keeping all cost norms unchanged The State Governments may also be allowed to raise fund for its share through institutional funding or public borrowings through bonds on the pattern of Krishna Bhagya Nigam of Karnataka Government

(c) As per the existing system of release of Central Assistance the funds are transferred to the pool of State Finance Department which in tum releases funds to the implementing departments This procedure is not amenable for timely availability of the funds to the CADAs Therefore direct funding to CADAs from the Ministry in a mission mode can be considered to alleviate this problem For instance the Ministry of rural Development has a system of direct release of Central share of funds to the District Rural Development Authorities (DRDA) Jilla Parishads for implementing the schemes of the Central Ministry

(d) To ensure optimum utilization of created irrigation potential the CADWM should be made a part of the new major and medium projects

(e) Formation of WUAs under PTh1 Act is mandatory for implementation of CADWM programme Transition time of 2 years (upto the end of financial year 2008-09) may be allowed to those States which have not enact~d their PIM Acts so far Further relaxation may be only be allowed with the approval of CCEA

(f) WUAs should be involved in planning budgeting implementation and management of irrigation systems to be transferred to them There is a need to enforce a regime whereby farmers pay the water rates to meet the OampM expenditure rates Conditions of reforms should be imposed before handing over the projects to WUAs

(g) Volumetric supply of irrigation water to WUAs should be introduced

(h) Reputed NGOs with requisite skills may be involved for promotion of WUAs Rehabilitation of Canal Systems and Water Management for at least 2-3 years The estimated expenditure of Rs 600-800 per ha on account of this may be provided by the central government in the form of grant

(i) Autonomy of WUAs should be maintained in regard to Water Management However there may be linkages with Panchayati Raj Institutions through cross representation It may be considered to provide support to W ALMIs Agriculture Universities and reputed NGOs for improved water management at micro level It may also be considered to provide incentives for activities ofWUAs

26

(j) The WUAs should include women members from the land owning holding house holds in the Command Area irrespective of their ownership of the land

(k) Periodic evaluation of CAD Projects should be undertaken and suitable corrective measures may be taken if necessary

(1) Components for reclamation of waterlogged areas as well as correction of conveyance deficiencies with enhanced scope may be implemented to cover all the projects in the country details of which could be approved in consultation with expert organizations such as CWC CSSRI CGWB etc

(m) Water Resources Irrigation Departments need to undertake assessment periodically (at least once in 5 years) to determine the training needs at different levels of personnel deployed in water resources development and management Facilities available for capacity building are to be considered instead of establishing new training centres There has to be networking of existing training facilities so that training will be effective and economical It is desirable to have a separate scheme for training and capacity building for State Governments as well as central Government

43 Creation of Storage

Creation of storages is of prime importance in order to avoid severe domestic crisis on water issues As per the estimates given in the working group report there is a need of approximately live storage of around 450 km3

Major amp Medium Projects (Existing) -213 KJ13

Major amp Medium Projects (Under construction) -76 KM3 Minor Storages (Existing amp Under construction) -70 KM3 Total Live Storages in projects existing and under construction - 359 Km3

Likely loss in Live storage due to sedimentation upto 2050 which has to be compensated for -53 Km3 (say) Balance available live storage from the above in 2050 - 306 Km3 say 300 Km3

Therefore further new live storage to be created to have a live storage of 450 Km3 by 2050 is 150Km3

For creation the needed storage in addition to the present way of envisaging attention has to be paid to changing popUlation dynamics changing pattern of human settlements climatic change causing change in pattern of spatial and temporal variation in rainfall deterioration in water quality etc

44 Conjunctive Use of surface and ground water

Conjunctive use of surface and ground water can address the situation in two ways by decreasing the dependence on a single source and the quality of the available waterThis will reduce the chance of desalination as well Working group has suggested for the conjunctive use of middotgood quality water and saline seawater which will be helpful in reducing the cost of water requirement for irrigation

27

45 Efficiency improvement in the distribution system as well as in field

Deficiencies of the irrigated agriculture in India have been a cause of concern and a huge amount of thinking and analysis ha been done to devise ways and means to improve it The Working Group has recommended some important recommendations in this matter

1 Standardized definitions of irrigation efficiencies need to be evolved for use in India after reviewing available material All water resources of a basin form a unified resource and hence the basin efficiency concept which integrates all surface water and ground water uses as well as reuse and recirculation is important The basin efficiency also needs to be estimated along with project related efficiencies

2 Conjunctive use of water to be given higher priority particularly in alluvial areas as a very effective means of improving water use amp basin efficiency and of saving possible water logging and salination For givin an encouragement to conjunctive use irrigation Act may be amended if req ired The policy of favoring selective lining of canals should be continued LD ater allowances and somewhat inadequate conveyance capacities lead to be r efficiencies and less water loggingrelated problems These need to be encouraged

3 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Water Csers Associations (WUAs) should include a standard clause which binds the users to effective conjunctive use of surface and ground water On rising of gro nd water table the MOW should allow the department to cut the surface water supply

4 Where there are minor irrigation tanks minor urface lifts etc middotin the command these should be integrated with major project works and not be treated as separate entity Such tanks should be filled with cfulals water as per requirement Also such works will allow reuse of the seeped wateT

5 Each major irrigation system authorities should annually prepare the water budget accruing for all water stored or diverted all losses all reuse of lost waters estimated evaporation etc

6 Sufficient funds for operation and maintenance work to be provided Creation of Irrigation Maintenance Corporation as provided in the irrigation management policy is considered so that a linkage between revenues from water and OampM funds is established Water rates may accordingly be increased in a phased manner

7 Priority may be assigned toERM schemes for projects where water distribution systems are to be handed over to WUAs Where total ERM scheme is not contemplated one time maintenance deferred maintenance of a project may be allowed as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance of a project may be allowed

28

as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance budget to be decided in consultation with the farmers and walk through survey to assess what is appropriate and achievable within the available fund

8 All the schemes more than 25 years old should be studied in details to bring out the status of schemes in respect of structural safety and performance and ERM schemes may be formulated and taken up based on such studies

9 Drip sprinklers are mostly for horticulture vegetable crops (and surgarcane) in the present major and medium surface irrigation system These may be encouraged for other crops also Any compulsion for a particular cropping pattern needs to be removed whenever WUAs are formed amp volumetric water rates come into practice Use of sprinkler or drips or rotational surface supplies requires additional on farm storage (either as dug out ponds or elevatged storage with pump) This becomes essential since supply rotates are 10 daily or fortnightly whereas drips amp sprinkler require daily or 1 in 2 days operation Such storage creation needs to be within the ambit of subsidies for drips and sprinklers

10 As automation is a costly affair it is to be adopted for pilot schemes and not for larger area However preferably this should be introduced for conjunctive use of ground water and not always for surface water

The group has also recommended the concept of Target Efficiency of the water delivery system timely and equitable distribution ohvater increasing production per unit area and per unit volume of water used and financial sustainability of the water delivery infrastructure

46 Bridging the gap between the Potential created and potential utilised

There may be various reasons for increase in the gap between potential creation and potential utilized Some ofthese are

a likely over estimation and double counting of potential creation and inaccuracies discrepancies in reporting of potential utilized

b Loss of potential due to siltation in reservoirs ponds etc and deterioration of water distribution system

c Time gap between potential creation and command area development

d Assumption of optimistic cropping pattern in economic analysis and deviation in cropping pattern as compared to that envisaged during planning

e Over-drawl of water in head reaches depriving potential utilization by tail enders

f Unused canal flow during night hours

29

l

It is desirable to introduce more reliable and accurate system of assessment for potential created and utilized There should be a coordinating statistical organization in each State for reporting the figures of potential created and utilized The Remote Sensing Technique can also be effectively utilized for counter verification of figures reported The loss in potential due to siltation ageing of various distribution systems etc needs to be periodically assessed and accounted

The productivity of irrigated crop as assumed in economic analysis often seem to be optimistic and are not based on experience of nearby irrigation projects Use of water for irrigation and selection of crops have been left to the discretion of users farmers The adverse consequences of such freedom have been manifested as water logging in some commands Somewhere overexploitation of ground -vater has been leading to progressive fall in ground water level It is therefore necessary that a regulatory mechanism is brought into practice by which undesirable or unsuitable crops are discouraged and tendency to over use of irrigation water is c~ecked Similarly in areas where ground water is being used for irrigation a regulatory mechanism should be in place to deter over exploitation of ground water beyond allOvable limit

Sometimes apprehension of scarcity of water and non availability of water when needed also lead to over withdrawal by head end users Since extra tion of ground water is costly farmers tend to take water more than their requirements when that is available through canals Higher cost of ground water is primarily because of cost of power required for lifting of water In case source of solar power is created for lifting of water the cost of ground water will get substantially reduced This may facilitate and give farmers option to use surface water and ground water thom any extra cost Once this option is available and known to farmers that they are aware that use of more water than the optimal requirement is likely to reduce the yield certainly there would be reductionin

overdraw of water by head enders Thus there is a need to extend u~er friendly system and increase awareness and cooperation among farmers through Participatory Irrigation Management Water Users Associatiortsneed to be empowered to look into these aspects Further the piped distribution system and micro irrigation should be adopted as far as possible

In India night imgation is not practiced in general As a result waters flowing in canals during night hours either pass unutilized or wasted on account of uncontrolled flooding It is desirable that the night irrigation is introduced in policy and practice

47 Flood Management

In regard to flood management the strategies recommended are given here under

(a) Undertake construction of dams and reservoir schemes with adequate flood cushion for long term solution of flood problems Efforts should also be made for utilizing the existing reservoirs in the country for flood moderation to the extent

30

possible Even in Reservoirs constructed for power other purposes the rule curves may be framed in such way that effective flood moderation is achieved

(b) Flood Forecasting and flood warning network of ewe be extended and integrated with similar networks of the state governments so as to get real time information at a central point say in central flood control room under FMO ewe This activity should be extended to cover rivers originating from or flowing to the neighbouring countries

( c) To take up development of digital elevation model of flood prone areas for taking up schemes for inundation forecast preparation of flood risk maps planning of flood management schemes etc

(d) Identification of appropriate location for breaching spiling sections in the flood embankment for the controlled flooding of the protected areas for restoring fertility recharge of soil moisture and ground water

( e) Integrating flood management schemes with other infrastructural development programmes in the sectors of roads railways inland waterways and canal command area development works as well as recently declared Rural Employment Guarantee Programme

(f) Watershed management in the hilly catchmentgs of the rivers ongmating in Nepal Bhutan and hilly areas of India should be selectively chosen and funded fully Implementation should be done through a joint mechanism Ministry of Agriculture who is the nodal Ministry for the watershed management works should work out a detailed program in consultation with the Ministry of Water Resources

(g) To give adequate emphasis on the operation and maintenance (OampM) of the flood protection measures already created a percentage of outlay of the flood sector should be earmarked for this purpose

(h) Raising and strengthening of the existing embankments if required after detailed studies of hydrological morphological topographical and developmental aspects to stabilize the benefits of these measures

(i) Natural swamps and lakes to be developed into detention basins and capacity of existing depressions be improved for absorbing flood waters Special drives for development of Tal and Diara areas

G) Erosion of land either by sea or rivers to be minimized through suitable cost effective measures

(k) Flood proofing program such as raised platform and quick drainage facilities to be taken up in a)l the flood prone states

31

(1) Drainage improvement in critical areas in the country to be given priority

(m) Dredging at selective locations ie outfalls etc in the rivers and the tributaries as a way to reduce flood levels in low-lying areas and help in quick drainage

(n) Encourage RampD activities for improved flood management

(0) To encourage peoples participation

(p) To expedite projects peaks

on interlinking of rivers for helping in attenuating flood

(q) Steps to ensure implementation of action plan prepared by NDMA for flood management should be taken

(r) On-going schemes of earlier plans be completed expeditiously All the on going schemes spilling over to the XI Plan in which at least 50 execution has taken place should get first priority on fund allocation during the XI Plan

(s) The cost for flood component in a multi-purpose water resources development projects as a long-term solution to flood problem should be funded by Government of India

(t) Maintenance of existing flood management works to optimize its benefits

32

48 Achievement in irrigation during the two years of the Bharat Nirman Plan

The statewise achievement in two years ending on September 2006 is given below It shows that 2183776 thousand hectare has been added to the irrigation potential A daunting task still left to be achieved in coming two years

thF19ures are III ousand h ec ares t

I

i rOo

rarget bull Major amp Aebievements upSI No

States UrsName MinorMedium Total to September

Irrigation Irrigation 2006 r i

1 Andhra Pradesh 44127 112523 156649 302065

2 Arunachal Pradesh 00 2239 2239 4 777 3 Assam 303 4275 7306 3314

4 Bihar 41399 12858 169979 279451 5 Chhattisgarh 4435 14668 19103 65661

6 Goa 2442 26 2702 1224 7 Gujarat 94573 00 945 73 255224

8 Haryana 3373 241 5783 33301 9 Himachal Pradesh 3091 4691 7788 8842

10 lharkhand 8122 25314 33436 15 701 11 Jammu amp Kashmir 1801 9254 11055 14847

12 Karnataka 26282 124 38682 11131 13 Kerala 1609 2168 3777 15856

14 Madhya Pradesh 61172 162 77372 8138 15 Maharashtra 465 31 35651 82181 9313

16 Manipur 5195 155 6745 0 17 Meghalaya 00 1493 1493 2073

18 Mizoram 00 1096 1096 0628 19 Nagaland 00 1612 1612 259

20 Orissa 19899 13295 33194 3266 21 Punjab 4034 2056 609 68755

22 Rajasthan 37974 401 41984 26459 23 Sikkim 00 703 703 08

24 Tamil Nadu 00 2355 23 55 16461 25 Tripura 2689 5429 8118 6327 26 Uttar Pradesh 82516 15208 977 24 464 372 27 Uttranchal 00 3829 3829 34 967

28 West Bengal 13567 56384 69951 346

29 Andman amp Nicobar Island 00 033 033 0

30 Pondicherry 00 275 275 0 ~-

Total 2183766507867 479958 987826

I

L 33

------------------~------

The achievements are up to March 2006 only The progressachievement of 2006-07 was under compilationscrutiny in ewe at the time of preparation of this document

The figures for states ofKerala and Rajasthan pertain to the achievement of whole year 2006-07 and for the State of Uttar Pradesh the achievement is up to December2006

49 Conclusions

Water sector development encompasses multidisciplinary considerations There is no scope of overlooking any sector while giving priority to any sector or sectors The integrated planning is the only possible way to tackle the water resources development The participatory approach is the key for its sustainability Bharat middot Nirman Plan of Government of India by setting up goals for the period of four years is a boost to the already existing schemes in different ministries Irrigation and public water supply is the basic components of development have been rightly considered in the Bharat Nirman Plan The ambitious project has already traveled through a span of two years and has achieved some part of the goals The balance part has to be done with equal fervor The recent modification in AlBP norms is the evidence of the governmental zeal in achieving the goals For the continuance of the food sufficiency the irrigation development is the feasible quick solution The component of Irrigation in Bharat Nirman is thus a huge help for the required development in the water sector

34

Page 12: ROLE OF WRD&M IN BHARAT NIRMAN DURING WRD 2007

middotIt is of paramount importance that the aim should be at reducing water requirement to the low demand scenario Taking into account the water availability and the requirement till the year 2050 the National Commission concluded that there is no need to take an alarmist view However three major considerations have to be kept in the forefront while formulating an integrated water policy and plan First the balance between the requirement and availability can be struck only if utmost efficiency is introduced in water use Second average availability at the national level does not imply that all basins are capable of meeting their full requirement from internal resources Third the issue of equity in the access to water between regions and between sections of population assumes greater importance in what is foreseen as a fragile balance between these and related problems of integrated water use planning in the context of supply and requirement of water estimated by the Commission middot

JO

CHAPTER II

ROLE OF WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT IN ASCERTAINING SOCIO-ECONOMIC GROWTH

Right from independence India has been developing atmiddot a very fast pace Consequently it is hardly any surprise that rapid urbanization through infrastructure development has been the key feature of the last few decades At the same time the steep rise in population hasresulted in a phenomenal increase in the demand for food and water supply Till now one of the potent solutions to these multi-faceted challenges has been creation of large storages to wither out the spatial cindtemporal variations The sector wise development which has changed the socio economic status of the country is analysed below

21 Agricultural Production

The direct relationship between food production and assured irrigation is so pronounced that it hardly requires any further explanation During independence the food production of the country was only a meager 50 million tones while the irrigation potential created was 22 m~llion ha By the tum of the century while the irrigation potential created has shot upto 10277 Mha thefood production has crossed 200 million tones If we concentrate over the states which have out performed in the food production like Punjab Haryana Gujarat Uttar Pradesh Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra West Bengal it is apparent that the large and medium water resources storage projects have played the key role Such remarkable achievement have been possible due to the fact that large areas of these States are being covered under assured irrigation

22 Domestic and Industrial Water Supply

The National Water Policy adopted by the Government of India in 2002 accords highest priority to drinking water supply The Vision document for Integrated Water Resources Development formulated by th~ Ministry of Water Resources in 2002 states that 92 of the urban popUlation and 97 of the rural population are having access to safe drinking water This achievement has been largely possible due to the significant contributions made by the large projects a few examples ofwhich are listed below

Delhi the capital of India which is situated on the banks of the Yamuna gets only a fraction of its needs from river Yamuna though situated on its banks The balance needs are met with releases from Bhakra and Ramganga pams The population of the city has grown from 14 million in 1951 to close to 14 million by 2001 Though in 1950s the entire water need of the city was possible to be met with from Jamuna (essentially the flows that were regenerated) this was soon not possible Ramganga and Bhakra waters had to be supplemented for meeting the

11

requirements Infact the releases from the Tehri Dam for the Sonia Vihar Water Treatment plant seems to be the only silver lining for the city plagued by water crisis particularly during the summer months Besides this allocation for drinking water supply t6 Delhi has also been provided in upcoming Renuka and Kishau dam Projects in Yamuna Basin for meeting the future needs

bull The entire water supply of Mumbai is dependant Vaitrana Upper Vaitama Tansa and Bhatsa

on a senes of dams like

bull The acute scarcity of water supply in Chennai is well known The states of Andhra Pradesh Maharashtra and Kamataka agreed to provide a part of their allocated share of Krishna water (to the extent of 15 TMC) for drinking water requirements of Chennai city

bull Water supply of Pune town in Maharashtra is Sagar) Khadakwasla dam and Temghar dam

met with from Panchet(Tangi

bull Hyderabad is mainly dependent on Himayatsagar Manjra and Singur Dams

its water supply from Osmansagar

bull The water supply for Bangalore city heavily depends on Cauvery Stage-I Stage-II and Stage-III projects

bull A sizeable number of cities having population more than one million as per the 2001 census are having their water demand met from several projects The prominent cities among them being Bhopal Indore Jabalpur Nagpur Nashik and Surat

In addition to above a major dam at Bisalpur had been constructed in Chambal Basin to provide water supply to Ajmer City besides towns of Beawar and Tonk in Rajasthan Warrangal town in Andhra Pradesh depends for water supply on Sriramsagar Dam Shillong water supply is to be ensured with a dam under construction in the North-East

The position of drinking water supply in various towns and villages has improved after the coming up of Bhakra and Beas Proj ects Cities of Delhi Chandigarh and town of Patiala and Ropar apart from numerous towns and villages in the states of Haryana and Rajasthan are getting their supply of drinking water from the canals fed by these projects

Drinking water supply for most of the cities and towns in the country are dependant on storages and diversions for the purpose proving the important fact that stored water distributed temporally as well as spatially serves the basic needs in a sustained manner for a sizeable population

12

Industrial water requirement though considerably low in comparison to agriculture and domestic water demand has its own share of importance Most of the industries require assured water supply for their effective performance It is therefore quite natural that the pr~sence of a large project capable of delivering assured water supply invariably boosts up the industrial development of the area Numerous examples may be cited to back the above contention however the more important ones are given below

For catering the needs of Bokaro Steel Plant a dam at Tenughat in the Damodar River Basin had to be constructed

bull Similarly a cluster of thermal and super-thermal stations in uP is entirely dependent on the water stored at Rihand Dam on a tributary of the Sone River in uP

bull For the Vishkhapatnam Steel Plant the water IS to be supplied from Yeleru Reservoir

bull As abundant and assured cooling water is available from Ukai reservoir a large thermal power station having installed capacity of 850 MW is also set up and commissioned at Ukai since 1975 Other huge industries like Essar Gujarat Reliance Petrochemicals KRlBHCO ONGC NTPC etc are direct beneficiaries from Ukai-Kakrapar project as regards industrial water supply

bull For the requirements of Udaipur and Chittor plants of Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL) Gosunda Dam was necessary This meets not only the needs of HZL but also the water-supply needs of Udaipur

Major industries getting water from Bhakra Canals are National Fertilizers Ltd Nangal Ropar Thermal Plant and C-Thermal Delhi besides numerous other small industrial units

23 Hydropower generation

The hydropower generated from the large projects like Bhakra-Nangal Hirakud Iddukki Ukai Srisailam Gandhisagar Rana Pratapsagar Jawaharsagar projects have not only provided middotcheap energy but also has immensely helped in meeting the peaking demands Thus there is not even an iota of doubt about the role played by these projects in improving the economy of their command area Infact hydropower being durable non-polluting and extremely cheap its viability as an effective mode of producing energy increases even further

It is often been contended by the social activists that the improvement in irrigation facilities and the resultant boom in food production is largely due to the minor irrigation and ground water irrigation schemes There is no point in denying the fact that the harnessing of minor irrigation as well as ground water irrigation facilities is equally

13

important in promoting food production but more often that not we ignore the power requirement for operating the pumps for lifting ground water In fact in the recent times one of the most debated issues have been providing free power to the farmers proving the importance of availability of cheap power to the agricultural community

24 Flood Control and Drought Mitigation

It wont be an overstatement to acknowledge the benefit offered by those large projects by providing the required cushion against the raging floods An estimation of the past 100 years will invariably indicate the astronomical damages that were inflicted on our country by the floods Even in the 21 st cenfliry after so much advancement we are often rendered helpless to the fury of floods particularly in the North-East where the protection upto the desired level is yet to be materialized Even then all the projects mentioned above like the Hirakud Bhakra-Nangal Ukai-Kakrapar Nagarjunasagar had given immense relief to the people of their command area by not only restricting the financial losses but at times even saving the loss of lives

The greatest inexplicable paradox of this countrys water resources scenario has been the co-existence of droughts and floods and the beauty of the large projects is that they have the capability to handle both the situations simultaneously and thus ironing out the erratic climatic behavior to a large extent The excess monsoon received in a particular year is being used by these projects to wonderful effect in another year facing paucity of rainfall

14

CHAPTER III

Bharat Nirman Plan (2005-2009)

Government of India in partnership with State Governments and Panchayat Raj Institutions has launched Bharat Nirman programme as a time-bound business plan for action in rural infrastructure for the span of four years (2005-2009) Under Bharat Nirman Plan action is proposed in the areas of irrigation road rural housing rural water supply rural electrification and rural telecommunication connectivity Specific targets are set to be achieved under each of these goals so that there is accountability in the progress of this initiative The goals in different sectors are as under

31 IClectricity

Goal Every village to be provided electricity remaining 125000 villages to be covered by 2009

The Ministry of Power has the responsibility of providing electricity to the remaining 125000 villages through the programme instrument of Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana In addition it will also provide 23 million households with electricity As per the Census of 2001 125000 villages remained uncovered To be able to achieve this objective Rural Electricity Distribution Backbone with at least a 33111 KV sub-station would be set up in each block at least one Distribution TransfOlmer in each habitation of every village or hamlet as Village Electrification Infrastructure Standshyalone grid with generation where grid supply is not feasible These Stand-alone grids would be set up in partnership with the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy also

Rural Electrification Corporation would be the agency for implementation The Mcmagement of Rural Distribution will be fioanchisees that could be Users Associations individual entrepreneurs Cooperatives Non-Governmental Organizations Panchayat Institutions Services of Central Services undertakings like National Them1al Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POClL) National Hydro Electric Power Corporation Limited (NHPC) and Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) will be made available for the execution of rural electrification projects These CPSUs have been allocated districts in each state wherein they will implement the rural electrification network

90 capital subsidy will be provided for overall cost of the projects under the scheme The capital subsidy for eligible projects under the scheme will be through the Rural Electrification Corporation Limited which will be the nodal agency Electrification of unelectrified below-poverty-line households will be financed with 100 capital subsidy at Rs1500 per connection in all rural habitations Others will be paying for the connections at prescribed connection charges and no subsidy will be made availableFor creation of village eIectrification infrastructure first priority will be given to unshy

15

electrified villages Preference for electrification will be given to Dalit Bastis Tribal settlements and habitations of weaker sections

32 Roads

Goal Every habitation over 1000 population andabove (500 in hilly and tribal areas) to be provided an all-weather road remaining 66802 habitations to be covered by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development has the responsibility of ensuring that every habitation over 1000 population and every habitation with more than 500 in hilly and tribal areas is connected with an all-weather road by 2009 This is expected to generate multiplier effects in the rural economy of linking production to markets and services This work which is being undertaken under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana since 2000 has been modified to address the above goals within the stipulated timeshyframeTo achieve the targets of Bharat Nirman 146185 Kms road length is proposed to be constructed by 2009 This will benefit 66802 unconnected eligible habitations in the country To ensure full farm-to-market connectivity it is also proposed to upgrade 194132 kms of the existing Associated Through Routes

A district and rural roads plan has been prepared listing out complete network of all roads in the district that has village roads major district roads state roads and national highways The concept of core network has been operationalised to focus on those set of roads which are considered essential to provid~ connectivity to all habitations of the desired size The Core Network is the basic in$trumentality for prioritization of construction and allocation of funds for maintenance Action has been initiated to develop GIS-based applications to further enhance the utility of the Core Network

The programme is implemented through a framework of consultation with public representatives ranging from the panchayat level up to Parlian1ent A Rural Roads Manual guides the implementation of the programme A separate Book of Specification and a Standard Data Book have been prepared As per this standard bidding documents are to be adopted by the states For MIS there is a computerized Online Management and Monitoring Accounting System

Approximately Rs48000 crores is proposed to be invested to achieve this objective 100 of the funds of this programme is being provided by the Central Government

33 Drinking Water

Goal Every habitation to have a safe source of drinking water 55067 uncovered habitations to be covered by 2009 In addition all habitations which have slipped back from full coverage to partial coverage due to failure of source and habitations which have water quality problems to be addressed

16

The Ministry of Rural Development Department of Drinking Water Supply is responsible for meeting this goal in partnership with State Governments The programme instrument of the Govemment of India is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme under implementation since 1972-73 which is funded on a 50 matching share basis between the Government of India and the State Government Since 1972 over 37 lakh hand pumps and l5 lakh pipe water supply systems have been set up to provide safe water to over 15 lakh habitations in the country at a cost of over Rs 50000 crore The norms which are fixed to achieve the goal are - 40 litres per capita per day (lpcd) of safe drinking water for human beings - 30 Ipcd additional for cattle in the Desert Development Programme Areas - One hand pump or stand post for every 250 persons - The water source should exist within 16 km in the plains and within 100 metres

elevation in the hilly areas

The backlog for coverage is under estimation based on a habitation survey for the categories of uncovered villages slipped- back villages and villages affected with a problem of water quality 55067 villages remain uncovered and are targeted for coverage as first priority The category of slipped-back villages estimated by the Planning Commission at the beginning of the Tenth Plan as 28 lakh habitations These are so on account of a number of factors like - Sources going dry or lowering of the ground water table - Sources becoming quality affected - Systems outliving their lives - Systems working below rated capacity due to poor operation and maintenance - Increase in population resulting in lower per capita availability - Emergence of new habitations According to the data received from State Governments based on a survey undertaken in 2000216968 habitations are affected due to a variety of water quality problems consists of excess fluoride 31306 excess arsenic 5029 excess salinity23495 excess iron118088 excess nitrate 13958 and multiple quality problems 25092

The Govemment of India has decided that under Bharat Nirman names of habitations would have to be provided by State Governments for availing funds from Government of India This would give maximum transparency to the programme State Governments would be required to place the habitations proposed for coverage and covered on this site in course of time

The scheme is funded on a 50 basis by the Gol and expenditure ofRsA050 crores is expected for the current year The actual requirement will be worked out based on the names of habitations supplied by the states and funded

34 Telephone

Goal Every village to be connected by telephone remaining 66822 villagesto be covered by November 2007

17

The Department of Telecom in the Ministry of Communications and Infonnation Technology has the responsibility of providing telephone cOlmectivity to the 66822 villages that remain to be covered

The resources for implementation of universal services obligation are raised through a Universal Service Levy which has presently been fixed at 5 of the adjusted gross revenue of all telecom service providers except the pure value added service providers like internet voice mail e-mail service providers The rules also make a provision for the Central Government to give grants and loans to the Fund The balance to the credit of the Fund does not lapse at the end of the financial year usa Fund assigns the task of providing Village Public Telephones (VPTs) on the basis of bids through open tender and in this case the work has been assigned to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd Out of the 66822 villages identified connectivity in 14183 remote and far-flung villages will be provided through digital satellite phone tenninals From the USOF assistance is provided for both capital expenditure as well as operational expenditure It is estimated that a total sum of Rs451 crore would be required to provide VPTs in these 66822 villages and the entire sum will be met out of USOF and no separate allocation from Government would be required

As an additional incentives telecom service providers are being assisted through the USOF to penetrate into the rural areas for the following activities - Maintenance of existing village public telephones (VPTs) - Provision of an additional mral community phone in villages with a population of more

than two thousand and where no public call office exists - Replacement of village public telephones installed on Multi Access Radio Relay

(MARR) technology - Telephone lines installed in household in specified rural areas

Rural teledensity will be significantly enhanced during the period of Bharat Nirman

The Government is committed to expanding mral connectivity through a slew of measures so that rural users can access information of value and transact business This will include cOlmecting block headquarters with fibre optic network using wireless technology to achieve last mile connectivity and operating information kiosks through a partnership of citizens panchayats civil society organizations the private sector and Government

35 Irrigation

Goal J 0 million hectares (J 00 lakhs) of additional irrigation capacity to be created by 2009

The Ministry of Water Resources in collaboration with State Governments is responsible for creation of additional 10 million hectares of irrigation capacity by the year 2009 through major medium and minor irrigation projects complemented by ground water development

18

The ultimate irrigation potential for the country has been estimated as 140 million hectare (Mba) which include potential through Major and Medium irrigation projects (5846 Mha) surface water based minor irrigation schemes (1754 Mha) and ground water development (6400 Mha) So far the irrigation potential of 10277 Mha has already been created However the created potential has not been fully utilized and the gap between created and utilized potential has been estimated to be of the order of 17 Mha

351 Major and Medium Irrigation (MMI) Proj ects

For the country as a whole 66 of the ultimate irrigationpotential of major and medium projects has been created 477 Major and Medium irrigation projects have spilled over to Xl In addition the States have proposed 223 Major and Medium projects and 86 ERM projects during XI Plan An outlay of Rs 30670 crore has been provided for the new proj ects in the XI Plan

So far 173 major and medium 4169 minor and 21 Extension Renovation and Modernization (ERM) projects have been provided Central Loan Assistance under Accelerated Irrigation benefit Programme (AIBP) The potential creation through projects supported under AIBP has been found to be 035 Mha per year with about 047 Mha per year in the last two years As per existing Plan the projected creation of irrigation potential through AIBP is 050 Mba per year in the remaining period of X Five Year Plan

The average rate of creation of irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects from 1951 to 1997 has been found to be of the order of 051 Mha per year During the year 1997 to 2005 the rate for creati n has been found to be 092 Mah per year The pace of creation of new irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects has increased in the recent past This is due to fruition of projects started much earlier which have been expedited due to increased support through AIBP

The projects for extension renovation and modernization (ERM) of major and medium irrigation schemes are also being implemented with arrangement similar to that for completion of ongoing major and medium schemes The implementation of ERM projects along with Command Area Development and Water Management (CAD and WM) help in sustaining the created facilities and in improving the utilization

35 2 Minor Irrigatioll Schemes

There is considerable variation in creation of ilTIgation potential through minor irrigation (both surface and ground water) schemes from State to State While full potential through minor irrigation has been tapped in some of the States it is relatively very low in others

19

Minor irrigation through surface water covers water sources (tanks and small reservoirs) with a culturable command area (CCA) of less than 2000 ha About 70 of the ultimate potential through surface water based minor irrigation schemes has since been created The Report of the National Commission for Integrated Water Resources Development points out that the carrying capacity of tanks has decreased over time for a variety of reasons and that the restoration and renovation of tanks and other local sources is a priority task

Since 2004-05 a pilot scheme for repair renovation and restoration of water bodies directly linked to agriculture has been taken up by the Government as a state-sector scheme in the 16 districts of the country which is proposed to be expanded

353 Ground Water Development

From the surveys conducted for estimation of availability and status of ground water the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has identified areas that are over-exploited (where exploitation is more than natural recharge of ground water) and areas that are critical or dark (where draft is between 70 to 100 of the natural recharge ofground water) The recent survey indicates that out of 7414 identified units (blockstalukaswatershed) 471 are Overexploited and 318 are Critical or Dark units Thus less than 11 of the total units fall under the category of over-exploited and critical The ultimate irrigation potential to be created is based on the assessed replenishable groundwater after duly accounting for the domestic and industrial uses (about 10) It has been assessed that ground water is still available for utilization in many parts of the country particularly in the eastern parts of the country Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and in specific pockets of Andhra Pradesh Kamataka Maharashtra and Jammu amp Kashmir In Punjab Haryana Rajasthan Gujarat and Tamil Nadu the rechargeable quantum of ground water has been exceeded and mining of static reserves has commenced This reinforces the need to take urgent steps to increase recharge and conservation

354 Targets under Bharat Nirman

Sl No Component Target I Completion of ongoing Major amp medium Irrigation

Projects 42Mha

II Minor irrigation schemes bull Surface water 10 Mha bull Ground Water 18 Mha

10Mha l8Mha

28Mha

III Enhancing utilization of completed projects bull ERM of major amp medium projects bull Repair renovation and restoration of water bodiesERM of minor irrigation schemes

lOMha 10Mha

20Mha

IV Ground water development in area with unutilized ground water potential (for benefit of small and marginal farmers and Tribals amp Dalits) -

lOMba

20

Creation of potential of 1 Mha through ground water development in areas with unutilized ground water potential would primarily benefit small and marginal farmers who are mostly tribals dalits and weaker sections of society The scheme envisages full involvement of Panchayati Raj Institutions in implementation of the schemes

36 Housing

Goal 60 lakh houses to be constructed for the rural poor by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development through the IndiraAwaas Yojana undertakes this activity as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme where the cost is shared between the Centre and States on 7525 basis

The 2001 Census places the rural housing shortage figure ~n India at around 1491akhs Construction of 60 lakh houses over the next four years across the country is envisaged starting from 2005-06 to address a significant portion of this backlog

The criteria adopted for allocation of financial resources between the StatesUTs give greater emphasis to the states with higher incidence or shelterlessness 75 weightage is given to housing shortage and 25 to the poverty ratios prescribed by the Planning Commission for State-level allocations For district-level allocations 75 weightage is given again to housing shortage and 25 to SCST population of the districts concerned Grant assistance is provided to the extent of Rs 25000 per house for normal middot areas and Rs 27500 for hilly areas Funds are released to the DRDAs in two installments

Implementation guidelines of the scheme specifically target the rural below poverty line (BPL) households The respective Gram Sabha does the selection of beneficiaries from the BPL list and no higher approval is required The guidelines also clearlY Specify that the house allotment should be in the name of the female member of the family as a first priority While seeking to empower the rural women the scheme also provides priority to physically and mentally challenged persons exservicemen widows and freed bonded labourers It is stipulated that at least 60 of the beneficiaries should belong to the SCST communities TheIAY scheme also lays emphasis on sanitation and health by incorporating the cost of a sanitary latrine and smokeless chulah into the per unit grant provided to the beneficiary for constructionlupgradation of the dwelling unit

21

CHAPTER IV

WATER SECTOR ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN BHARAT NIRMAN PLAN

Water resource is a vital input in the development endeavours of the country Its finite availability and ever increasing demand in every sector have aggravated the problem manifold in case of India The requirement of faster development in irrigation water supply industrial use flood protection is evident assuming the future scenario Bharat Nirman Plan has rightly stressed on the irrigation and water supply where as the other sectors requirement is to be redressed with equal priority for the sustainable development of India

The water sector is grappled with the following Issues

Irrigation development Command area development amp Catchment area treatment Creation of storages Conunctive use of surface and ground water Efficiency improvement in distribution system Bridging the gap between irrigation potential created and potential utilised Flood Management

41 Irrigation Development

In India with the constitution of the Planning commission in 1950 and the advent of planning process in the first five year plan (1951-56) the country launched a major irrigation programme A number of multipurpose and major projects such as Bhakra Nangal Nagarjunasagar Kosi Chambal Hirakund Kakrapar and Tungbhadra were taken up Simultaneously minor irrigation schemes including ground water were given emphasis under the Agricultural Sector along with financial assistance from the Centre

During the period of Second Five Year Plan (1956-61) Third Five Year Plan (1961-66) and the Three Annual Plans (1966-69) irrigation programmes continued with addition of new projects During the Fourth Five Year Plan (1969-74) the emphasis was shifted to the completion of ongoing projects integrated use of surface and ground water adoption of efficient management techniques and modernization of existing schemes However new projects continued to be added

During the fifth Plan (1974-79) command Area Development Programme Was launched as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with the objective of reducing the lag between potential created and optimum utilization of available land and water Initially 60 major and medium proj ects were covered with a CCA of 15 Mha

22

During the Annual Plans of 1978-80 and the Sixth Five Year Plan ( 1980-85) new starts continued and at the end of Seventh Plan there were as many as 182 major and 312 medium ongoing proj ects requiring an estimated amount of Rs 39044 crore at the 1990shy91 price level for their completion New starts were therefore restricted considerably and greater emphasis was laid on completion of projects which were in the advanced stages of completion (those with an expenditure of 75 per cent or more) This was continued during 1990-91 and 1991-92 Annual Plans VIII Plan (1992-97) and IX Plan (1997 -2000)

For speedy completion of ongoing projects in advance stage of construction Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) was launched in 1996-97 During VIII Plan period irrigation potential of 22 Mha was created under major and medium sector at an annual rate of 044 Mha per annum During IX plan period this increased to 412 Mha out of which 165 Mha (nearly 40) was through AIBP Renovation Modernisation and Rehabilitation of old irrigation schemes gained momentum Users participation in major and medium irrigation schemes received greater attention Repairs and improvemen to the minor irrigation projects as a part of integrated micro-development also received encouragement Similarly sprinkler and drip irrigation programmes and the conjunctive use of surface and ground water gained momentum The project completed along with minor irrigation and ground water development have created an estimated potential of about 10277 Mha by the end of the X Plan

Although plan expenditure on irrigation has increased from Rs44l 8 crore in the 1st Plan to Rs 9574342 crore (outlay) in the X plan the share in total plan expenditure has decreased from 23 in the 1st Plan to 63 in the X Plan

The created irrigation potential increased from 226 Mha (97 Mha through major amp medium and 129 Mha through minor irrigation) in preplan period to 102Mha (4235 Mha through major and medium and 6042 1Tha through minor including ground water schemes) upto the end of X Plan with an annual average growth of 14 Mha In the corresponding period the potential utilistion has been from 226 Mha period to 8100 Mha

411 Central Assistance under AIBP

During IX Plan period irrigation potential of 165 Mha was created through AIBP at an average rate of 033 Mha per annum During the first three years of X plan the potential creation in major and medium irrigation sector through AIBP is around 14 Mha 047 Mha per annum In spite of rationalizing completion schedule of projects under AIBP several projects are lying behind schedule It is desirable to work out realistic time frame and cost to completion for projects to be considered under AIBP It is pertinent to mention that the spirit of the programme ie completion of last mile projects should not get diluted in the enthusiasm of inclusion of large number of projects under this programme As reported by the state governments but of total 200 projects presently under AIBP 95 projects would be completed by the end of X plan

23

The Central Assistance under AIBP as loan and grant provided up to March 2006 is Rs 1943790 crore out of which Rs 1883010 crore has been provided in Major and Medium irrigation sector

Impact ofAIBP

Plan Potential Created (Mha) Contribution of AIBP(Mha) IX 410 165 ( 402) X 530 300 ( 566)

Keeping an eye over the future requirement the Working Group on Water Resources for the XI Five Year Plan has brought out several suggestions in order to expedite completion of the projects which is very very essential Some other issues relating irrigation sector were also addressed in addition to this The strategies adopted for XI Plan proposal are swnmarized as below

1 Ongoing projects which have already achieved 90 or more of the ultimate potential should be considered as completed~ Critically review all such projects which are having only marginal benefit left or are near impossible to complete because of various problems and declare them completed or curtailed or deleted The balance cost of the remaining projects should be updated realistically for consideration under XI plan

2 Inter-Se priority should be decided considering various aspects such as externally aided proj ects interstate proj ects proj ects benefiting drought prone or tribal areas etc as per the guidelines prepared by National Commission for integrated Water Resources Development Plan

3 High priority should be accorded to the Pre-seventh and Seventh Plan Projects for funding under AIBP with emphasis to complete these projects during XI Plan List of such projects is appended as Annex31 Fund allocation under AIBP should be enhanced for this purpose ifnecessary

4 Foremost priority should be given for completion of ongoing projects and new projects should be taken up very selectively keeping in view the necessity for removal of regional imbalances and development of drought prone and tribal areas

5 Since the fund requirement for mediumminor irrigation projects are less adequate fund may be made available for completion of these projects without jeopardizing programme for important major projects ERM Projects should be given due priority where the eroded potential can be restored with ~oderate expenditure

24

6 A separate budget head upto 15 of Plan fund may be provided as Irrigation Maintenance Fund (IMF) and full amount of irrigation revenue as collectged should be credited to IMF

7 In addition to liabilities of completed projects and provision for ongoing and new projects the State plan proposals should incorporate provisions for special repairs of existing irrigation systems dam safety measures improved water management and water development aspect encompassing survey and investigation research and development training and National Hydrology Project

8 Substantial higher outlay should be provided in Central Plan to bring out effective role in plan activities of the Central Institutions by way of suitably strengthening them and provide adequate funds for taking new initiatives under Central Plan

9 The existing regionalstate level institutions such as W ALMIs should be strengthened and brought into mainstream activities for irrigation management improvement

10 Dam safety measures should be taken up all over country which is very essential in the context of disaster Prevention and Management

11 The performance evaluation of completed projects needs to be continued for benchmarking and improvement in irrigation efficiency

In addition to above recommendations on Minor Irrigation Sector are gIven as follows

1 Renovation Restoration of old tanks as well as old diversion channels in hilly regions along with improving efficiency of the projects Besides surface lift schemes may also be given due consideration particularly in hilly regions for irrigating high terraces

2 Expansion of irrigation facilities through a time bound programme for exploiting the huge ground water potential in the Eastern Region

3 Promotion of Micro Irrigation system in Water deficit areas 4 Promotion of Ground Water Development in areas haaving untapped unutilized

potential 5 National rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) may be linked with minor

irrigation Ground Water Development 6 A comprehensive act for regulation and development of ground water on

sustainable basis both in public and private sector

42 Command Area Development

In respect of command area development works for performance improvement-of the projects the working group has recommended the following recommendations for consideration

25

(a) Central funding for CAD works may be enhanced from present level of 5050 to 7525 for all the States while for states of North eastern Region and Hilly Special Category States the funding may be 90 from Government of India For software activities like trainings adaptive trials demonstrations monitoring and evaluation etc 100 Central funding may be considered in place of the existing pattern of 75 25 between the Centre and the States Funds can be directly given to W ALMIs and other State Central agencies for carrying out such activities

(b) It is proposed to increase the functional grant from Rs 600 per ha to Rs 1000 per ha which is to be shared in the ratio ofRs 675225100 between the centre State and the farmers while keeping all cost norms unchanged The State Governments may also be allowed to raise fund for its share through institutional funding or public borrowings through bonds on the pattern of Krishna Bhagya Nigam of Karnataka Government

(c) As per the existing system of release of Central Assistance the funds are transferred to the pool of State Finance Department which in tum releases funds to the implementing departments This procedure is not amenable for timely availability of the funds to the CADAs Therefore direct funding to CADAs from the Ministry in a mission mode can be considered to alleviate this problem For instance the Ministry of rural Development has a system of direct release of Central share of funds to the District Rural Development Authorities (DRDA) Jilla Parishads for implementing the schemes of the Central Ministry

(d) To ensure optimum utilization of created irrigation potential the CADWM should be made a part of the new major and medium projects

(e) Formation of WUAs under PTh1 Act is mandatory for implementation of CADWM programme Transition time of 2 years (upto the end of financial year 2008-09) may be allowed to those States which have not enact~d their PIM Acts so far Further relaxation may be only be allowed with the approval of CCEA

(f) WUAs should be involved in planning budgeting implementation and management of irrigation systems to be transferred to them There is a need to enforce a regime whereby farmers pay the water rates to meet the OampM expenditure rates Conditions of reforms should be imposed before handing over the projects to WUAs

(g) Volumetric supply of irrigation water to WUAs should be introduced

(h) Reputed NGOs with requisite skills may be involved for promotion of WUAs Rehabilitation of Canal Systems and Water Management for at least 2-3 years The estimated expenditure of Rs 600-800 per ha on account of this may be provided by the central government in the form of grant

(i) Autonomy of WUAs should be maintained in regard to Water Management However there may be linkages with Panchayati Raj Institutions through cross representation It may be considered to provide support to W ALMIs Agriculture Universities and reputed NGOs for improved water management at micro level It may also be considered to provide incentives for activities ofWUAs

26

(j) The WUAs should include women members from the land owning holding house holds in the Command Area irrespective of their ownership of the land

(k) Periodic evaluation of CAD Projects should be undertaken and suitable corrective measures may be taken if necessary

(1) Components for reclamation of waterlogged areas as well as correction of conveyance deficiencies with enhanced scope may be implemented to cover all the projects in the country details of which could be approved in consultation with expert organizations such as CWC CSSRI CGWB etc

(m) Water Resources Irrigation Departments need to undertake assessment periodically (at least once in 5 years) to determine the training needs at different levels of personnel deployed in water resources development and management Facilities available for capacity building are to be considered instead of establishing new training centres There has to be networking of existing training facilities so that training will be effective and economical It is desirable to have a separate scheme for training and capacity building for State Governments as well as central Government

43 Creation of Storage

Creation of storages is of prime importance in order to avoid severe domestic crisis on water issues As per the estimates given in the working group report there is a need of approximately live storage of around 450 km3

Major amp Medium Projects (Existing) -213 KJ13

Major amp Medium Projects (Under construction) -76 KM3 Minor Storages (Existing amp Under construction) -70 KM3 Total Live Storages in projects existing and under construction - 359 Km3

Likely loss in Live storage due to sedimentation upto 2050 which has to be compensated for -53 Km3 (say) Balance available live storage from the above in 2050 - 306 Km3 say 300 Km3

Therefore further new live storage to be created to have a live storage of 450 Km3 by 2050 is 150Km3

For creation the needed storage in addition to the present way of envisaging attention has to be paid to changing popUlation dynamics changing pattern of human settlements climatic change causing change in pattern of spatial and temporal variation in rainfall deterioration in water quality etc

44 Conjunctive Use of surface and ground water

Conjunctive use of surface and ground water can address the situation in two ways by decreasing the dependence on a single source and the quality of the available waterThis will reduce the chance of desalination as well Working group has suggested for the conjunctive use of middotgood quality water and saline seawater which will be helpful in reducing the cost of water requirement for irrigation

27

45 Efficiency improvement in the distribution system as well as in field

Deficiencies of the irrigated agriculture in India have been a cause of concern and a huge amount of thinking and analysis ha been done to devise ways and means to improve it The Working Group has recommended some important recommendations in this matter

1 Standardized definitions of irrigation efficiencies need to be evolved for use in India after reviewing available material All water resources of a basin form a unified resource and hence the basin efficiency concept which integrates all surface water and ground water uses as well as reuse and recirculation is important The basin efficiency also needs to be estimated along with project related efficiencies

2 Conjunctive use of water to be given higher priority particularly in alluvial areas as a very effective means of improving water use amp basin efficiency and of saving possible water logging and salination For givin an encouragement to conjunctive use irrigation Act may be amended if req ired The policy of favoring selective lining of canals should be continued LD ater allowances and somewhat inadequate conveyance capacities lead to be r efficiencies and less water loggingrelated problems These need to be encouraged

3 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Water Csers Associations (WUAs) should include a standard clause which binds the users to effective conjunctive use of surface and ground water On rising of gro nd water table the MOW should allow the department to cut the surface water supply

4 Where there are minor irrigation tanks minor urface lifts etc middotin the command these should be integrated with major project works and not be treated as separate entity Such tanks should be filled with cfulals water as per requirement Also such works will allow reuse of the seeped wateT

5 Each major irrigation system authorities should annually prepare the water budget accruing for all water stored or diverted all losses all reuse of lost waters estimated evaporation etc

6 Sufficient funds for operation and maintenance work to be provided Creation of Irrigation Maintenance Corporation as provided in the irrigation management policy is considered so that a linkage between revenues from water and OampM funds is established Water rates may accordingly be increased in a phased manner

7 Priority may be assigned toERM schemes for projects where water distribution systems are to be handed over to WUAs Where total ERM scheme is not contemplated one time maintenance deferred maintenance of a project may be allowed as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance of a project may be allowed

28

as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance budget to be decided in consultation with the farmers and walk through survey to assess what is appropriate and achievable within the available fund

8 All the schemes more than 25 years old should be studied in details to bring out the status of schemes in respect of structural safety and performance and ERM schemes may be formulated and taken up based on such studies

9 Drip sprinklers are mostly for horticulture vegetable crops (and surgarcane) in the present major and medium surface irrigation system These may be encouraged for other crops also Any compulsion for a particular cropping pattern needs to be removed whenever WUAs are formed amp volumetric water rates come into practice Use of sprinkler or drips or rotational surface supplies requires additional on farm storage (either as dug out ponds or elevatged storage with pump) This becomes essential since supply rotates are 10 daily or fortnightly whereas drips amp sprinkler require daily or 1 in 2 days operation Such storage creation needs to be within the ambit of subsidies for drips and sprinklers

10 As automation is a costly affair it is to be adopted for pilot schemes and not for larger area However preferably this should be introduced for conjunctive use of ground water and not always for surface water

The group has also recommended the concept of Target Efficiency of the water delivery system timely and equitable distribution ohvater increasing production per unit area and per unit volume of water used and financial sustainability of the water delivery infrastructure

46 Bridging the gap between the Potential created and potential utilised

There may be various reasons for increase in the gap between potential creation and potential utilized Some ofthese are

a likely over estimation and double counting of potential creation and inaccuracies discrepancies in reporting of potential utilized

b Loss of potential due to siltation in reservoirs ponds etc and deterioration of water distribution system

c Time gap between potential creation and command area development

d Assumption of optimistic cropping pattern in economic analysis and deviation in cropping pattern as compared to that envisaged during planning

e Over-drawl of water in head reaches depriving potential utilization by tail enders

f Unused canal flow during night hours

29

l

It is desirable to introduce more reliable and accurate system of assessment for potential created and utilized There should be a coordinating statistical organization in each State for reporting the figures of potential created and utilized The Remote Sensing Technique can also be effectively utilized for counter verification of figures reported The loss in potential due to siltation ageing of various distribution systems etc needs to be periodically assessed and accounted

The productivity of irrigated crop as assumed in economic analysis often seem to be optimistic and are not based on experience of nearby irrigation projects Use of water for irrigation and selection of crops have been left to the discretion of users farmers The adverse consequences of such freedom have been manifested as water logging in some commands Somewhere overexploitation of ground -vater has been leading to progressive fall in ground water level It is therefore necessary that a regulatory mechanism is brought into practice by which undesirable or unsuitable crops are discouraged and tendency to over use of irrigation water is c~ecked Similarly in areas where ground water is being used for irrigation a regulatory mechanism should be in place to deter over exploitation of ground water beyond allOvable limit

Sometimes apprehension of scarcity of water and non availability of water when needed also lead to over withdrawal by head end users Since extra tion of ground water is costly farmers tend to take water more than their requirements when that is available through canals Higher cost of ground water is primarily because of cost of power required for lifting of water In case source of solar power is created for lifting of water the cost of ground water will get substantially reduced This may facilitate and give farmers option to use surface water and ground water thom any extra cost Once this option is available and known to farmers that they are aware that use of more water than the optimal requirement is likely to reduce the yield certainly there would be reductionin

overdraw of water by head enders Thus there is a need to extend u~er friendly system and increase awareness and cooperation among farmers through Participatory Irrigation Management Water Users Associatiortsneed to be empowered to look into these aspects Further the piped distribution system and micro irrigation should be adopted as far as possible

In India night imgation is not practiced in general As a result waters flowing in canals during night hours either pass unutilized or wasted on account of uncontrolled flooding It is desirable that the night irrigation is introduced in policy and practice

47 Flood Management

In regard to flood management the strategies recommended are given here under

(a) Undertake construction of dams and reservoir schemes with adequate flood cushion for long term solution of flood problems Efforts should also be made for utilizing the existing reservoirs in the country for flood moderation to the extent

30

possible Even in Reservoirs constructed for power other purposes the rule curves may be framed in such way that effective flood moderation is achieved

(b) Flood Forecasting and flood warning network of ewe be extended and integrated with similar networks of the state governments so as to get real time information at a central point say in central flood control room under FMO ewe This activity should be extended to cover rivers originating from or flowing to the neighbouring countries

( c) To take up development of digital elevation model of flood prone areas for taking up schemes for inundation forecast preparation of flood risk maps planning of flood management schemes etc

(d) Identification of appropriate location for breaching spiling sections in the flood embankment for the controlled flooding of the protected areas for restoring fertility recharge of soil moisture and ground water

( e) Integrating flood management schemes with other infrastructural development programmes in the sectors of roads railways inland waterways and canal command area development works as well as recently declared Rural Employment Guarantee Programme

(f) Watershed management in the hilly catchmentgs of the rivers ongmating in Nepal Bhutan and hilly areas of India should be selectively chosen and funded fully Implementation should be done through a joint mechanism Ministry of Agriculture who is the nodal Ministry for the watershed management works should work out a detailed program in consultation with the Ministry of Water Resources

(g) To give adequate emphasis on the operation and maintenance (OampM) of the flood protection measures already created a percentage of outlay of the flood sector should be earmarked for this purpose

(h) Raising and strengthening of the existing embankments if required after detailed studies of hydrological morphological topographical and developmental aspects to stabilize the benefits of these measures

(i) Natural swamps and lakes to be developed into detention basins and capacity of existing depressions be improved for absorbing flood waters Special drives for development of Tal and Diara areas

G) Erosion of land either by sea or rivers to be minimized through suitable cost effective measures

(k) Flood proofing program such as raised platform and quick drainage facilities to be taken up in a)l the flood prone states

31

(1) Drainage improvement in critical areas in the country to be given priority

(m) Dredging at selective locations ie outfalls etc in the rivers and the tributaries as a way to reduce flood levels in low-lying areas and help in quick drainage

(n) Encourage RampD activities for improved flood management

(0) To encourage peoples participation

(p) To expedite projects peaks

on interlinking of rivers for helping in attenuating flood

(q) Steps to ensure implementation of action plan prepared by NDMA for flood management should be taken

(r) On-going schemes of earlier plans be completed expeditiously All the on going schemes spilling over to the XI Plan in which at least 50 execution has taken place should get first priority on fund allocation during the XI Plan

(s) The cost for flood component in a multi-purpose water resources development projects as a long-term solution to flood problem should be funded by Government of India

(t) Maintenance of existing flood management works to optimize its benefits

32

48 Achievement in irrigation during the two years of the Bharat Nirman Plan

The statewise achievement in two years ending on September 2006 is given below It shows that 2183776 thousand hectare has been added to the irrigation potential A daunting task still left to be achieved in coming two years

thF19ures are III ousand h ec ares t

I

i rOo

rarget bull Major amp Aebievements upSI No

States UrsName MinorMedium Total to September

Irrigation Irrigation 2006 r i

1 Andhra Pradesh 44127 112523 156649 302065

2 Arunachal Pradesh 00 2239 2239 4 777 3 Assam 303 4275 7306 3314

4 Bihar 41399 12858 169979 279451 5 Chhattisgarh 4435 14668 19103 65661

6 Goa 2442 26 2702 1224 7 Gujarat 94573 00 945 73 255224

8 Haryana 3373 241 5783 33301 9 Himachal Pradesh 3091 4691 7788 8842

10 lharkhand 8122 25314 33436 15 701 11 Jammu amp Kashmir 1801 9254 11055 14847

12 Karnataka 26282 124 38682 11131 13 Kerala 1609 2168 3777 15856

14 Madhya Pradesh 61172 162 77372 8138 15 Maharashtra 465 31 35651 82181 9313

16 Manipur 5195 155 6745 0 17 Meghalaya 00 1493 1493 2073

18 Mizoram 00 1096 1096 0628 19 Nagaland 00 1612 1612 259

20 Orissa 19899 13295 33194 3266 21 Punjab 4034 2056 609 68755

22 Rajasthan 37974 401 41984 26459 23 Sikkim 00 703 703 08

24 Tamil Nadu 00 2355 23 55 16461 25 Tripura 2689 5429 8118 6327 26 Uttar Pradesh 82516 15208 977 24 464 372 27 Uttranchal 00 3829 3829 34 967

28 West Bengal 13567 56384 69951 346

29 Andman amp Nicobar Island 00 033 033 0

30 Pondicherry 00 275 275 0 ~-

Total 2183766507867 479958 987826

I

L 33

------------------~------

The achievements are up to March 2006 only The progressachievement of 2006-07 was under compilationscrutiny in ewe at the time of preparation of this document

The figures for states ofKerala and Rajasthan pertain to the achievement of whole year 2006-07 and for the State of Uttar Pradesh the achievement is up to December2006

49 Conclusions

Water sector development encompasses multidisciplinary considerations There is no scope of overlooking any sector while giving priority to any sector or sectors The integrated planning is the only possible way to tackle the water resources development The participatory approach is the key for its sustainability Bharat middot Nirman Plan of Government of India by setting up goals for the period of four years is a boost to the already existing schemes in different ministries Irrigation and public water supply is the basic components of development have been rightly considered in the Bharat Nirman Plan The ambitious project has already traveled through a span of two years and has achieved some part of the goals The balance part has to be done with equal fervor The recent modification in AlBP norms is the evidence of the governmental zeal in achieving the goals For the continuance of the food sufficiency the irrigation development is the feasible quick solution The component of Irrigation in Bharat Nirman is thus a huge help for the required development in the water sector

34

Page 13: ROLE OF WRD&M IN BHARAT NIRMAN DURING WRD 2007

CHAPTER II

ROLE OF WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT IN ASCERTAINING SOCIO-ECONOMIC GROWTH

Right from independence India has been developing atmiddot a very fast pace Consequently it is hardly any surprise that rapid urbanization through infrastructure development has been the key feature of the last few decades At the same time the steep rise in population hasresulted in a phenomenal increase in the demand for food and water supply Till now one of the potent solutions to these multi-faceted challenges has been creation of large storages to wither out the spatial cindtemporal variations The sector wise development which has changed the socio economic status of the country is analysed below

21 Agricultural Production

The direct relationship between food production and assured irrigation is so pronounced that it hardly requires any further explanation During independence the food production of the country was only a meager 50 million tones while the irrigation potential created was 22 m~llion ha By the tum of the century while the irrigation potential created has shot upto 10277 Mha thefood production has crossed 200 million tones If we concentrate over the states which have out performed in the food production like Punjab Haryana Gujarat Uttar Pradesh Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra West Bengal it is apparent that the large and medium water resources storage projects have played the key role Such remarkable achievement have been possible due to the fact that large areas of these States are being covered under assured irrigation

22 Domestic and Industrial Water Supply

The National Water Policy adopted by the Government of India in 2002 accords highest priority to drinking water supply The Vision document for Integrated Water Resources Development formulated by th~ Ministry of Water Resources in 2002 states that 92 of the urban popUlation and 97 of the rural population are having access to safe drinking water This achievement has been largely possible due to the significant contributions made by the large projects a few examples ofwhich are listed below

Delhi the capital of India which is situated on the banks of the Yamuna gets only a fraction of its needs from river Yamuna though situated on its banks The balance needs are met with releases from Bhakra and Ramganga pams The population of the city has grown from 14 million in 1951 to close to 14 million by 2001 Though in 1950s the entire water need of the city was possible to be met with from Jamuna (essentially the flows that were regenerated) this was soon not possible Ramganga and Bhakra waters had to be supplemented for meeting the

11

requirements Infact the releases from the Tehri Dam for the Sonia Vihar Water Treatment plant seems to be the only silver lining for the city plagued by water crisis particularly during the summer months Besides this allocation for drinking water supply t6 Delhi has also been provided in upcoming Renuka and Kishau dam Projects in Yamuna Basin for meeting the future needs

bull The entire water supply of Mumbai is dependant Vaitrana Upper Vaitama Tansa and Bhatsa

on a senes of dams like

bull The acute scarcity of water supply in Chennai is well known The states of Andhra Pradesh Maharashtra and Kamataka agreed to provide a part of their allocated share of Krishna water (to the extent of 15 TMC) for drinking water requirements of Chennai city

bull Water supply of Pune town in Maharashtra is Sagar) Khadakwasla dam and Temghar dam

met with from Panchet(Tangi

bull Hyderabad is mainly dependent on Himayatsagar Manjra and Singur Dams

its water supply from Osmansagar

bull The water supply for Bangalore city heavily depends on Cauvery Stage-I Stage-II and Stage-III projects

bull A sizeable number of cities having population more than one million as per the 2001 census are having their water demand met from several projects The prominent cities among them being Bhopal Indore Jabalpur Nagpur Nashik and Surat

In addition to above a major dam at Bisalpur had been constructed in Chambal Basin to provide water supply to Ajmer City besides towns of Beawar and Tonk in Rajasthan Warrangal town in Andhra Pradesh depends for water supply on Sriramsagar Dam Shillong water supply is to be ensured with a dam under construction in the North-East

The position of drinking water supply in various towns and villages has improved after the coming up of Bhakra and Beas Proj ects Cities of Delhi Chandigarh and town of Patiala and Ropar apart from numerous towns and villages in the states of Haryana and Rajasthan are getting their supply of drinking water from the canals fed by these projects

Drinking water supply for most of the cities and towns in the country are dependant on storages and diversions for the purpose proving the important fact that stored water distributed temporally as well as spatially serves the basic needs in a sustained manner for a sizeable population

12

Industrial water requirement though considerably low in comparison to agriculture and domestic water demand has its own share of importance Most of the industries require assured water supply for their effective performance It is therefore quite natural that the pr~sence of a large project capable of delivering assured water supply invariably boosts up the industrial development of the area Numerous examples may be cited to back the above contention however the more important ones are given below

For catering the needs of Bokaro Steel Plant a dam at Tenughat in the Damodar River Basin had to be constructed

bull Similarly a cluster of thermal and super-thermal stations in uP is entirely dependent on the water stored at Rihand Dam on a tributary of the Sone River in uP

bull For the Vishkhapatnam Steel Plant the water IS to be supplied from Yeleru Reservoir

bull As abundant and assured cooling water is available from Ukai reservoir a large thermal power station having installed capacity of 850 MW is also set up and commissioned at Ukai since 1975 Other huge industries like Essar Gujarat Reliance Petrochemicals KRlBHCO ONGC NTPC etc are direct beneficiaries from Ukai-Kakrapar project as regards industrial water supply

bull For the requirements of Udaipur and Chittor plants of Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL) Gosunda Dam was necessary This meets not only the needs of HZL but also the water-supply needs of Udaipur

Major industries getting water from Bhakra Canals are National Fertilizers Ltd Nangal Ropar Thermal Plant and C-Thermal Delhi besides numerous other small industrial units

23 Hydropower generation

The hydropower generated from the large projects like Bhakra-Nangal Hirakud Iddukki Ukai Srisailam Gandhisagar Rana Pratapsagar Jawaharsagar projects have not only provided middotcheap energy but also has immensely helped in meeting the peaking demands Thus there is not even an iota of doubt about the role played by these projects in improving the economy of their command area Infact hydropower being durable non-polluting and extremely cheap its viability as an effective mode of producing energy increases even further

It is often been contended by the social activists that the improvement in irrigation facilities and the resultant boom in food production is largely due to the minor irrigation and ground water irrigation schemes There is no point in denying the fact that the harnessing of minor irrigation as well as ground water irrigation facilities is equally

13

important in promoting food production but more often that not we ignore the power requirement for operating the pumps for lifting ground water In fact in the recent times one of the most debated issues have been providing free power to the farmers proving the importance of availability of cheap power to the agricultural community

24 Flood Control and Drought Mitigation

It wont be an overstatement to acknowledge the benefit offered by those large projects by providing the required cushion against the raging floods An estimation of the past 100 years will invariably indicate the astronomical damages that were inflicted on our country by the floods Even in the 21 st cenfliry after so much advancement we are often rendered helpless to the fury of floods particularly in the North-East where the protection upto the desired level is yet to be materialized Even then all the projects mentioned above like the Hirakud Bhakra-Nangal Ukai-Kakrapar Nagarjunasagar had given immense relief to the people of their command area by not only restricting the financial losses but at times even saving the loss of lives

The greatest inexplicable paradox of this countrys water resources scenario has been the co-existence of droughts and floods and the beauty of the large projects is that they have the capability to handle both the situations simultaneously and thus ironing out the erratic climatic behavior to a large extent The excess monsoon received in a particular year is being used by these projects to wonderful effect in another year facing paucity of rainfall

14

CHAPTER III

Bharat Nirman Plan (2005-2009)

Government of India in partnership with State Governments and Panchayat Raj Institutions has launched Bharat Nirman programme as a time-bound business plan for action in rural infrastructure for the span of four years (2005-2009) Under Bharat Nirman Plan action is proposed in the areas of irrigation road rural housing rural water supply rural electrification and rural telecommunication connectivity Specific targets are set to be achieved under each of these goals so that there is accountability in the progress of this initiative The goals in different sectors are as under

31 IClectricity

Goal Every village to be provided electricity remaining 125000 villages to be covered by 2009

The Ministry of Power has the responsibility of providing electricity to the remaining 125000 villages through the programme instrument of Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana In addition it will also provide 23 million households with electricity As per the Census of 2001 125000 villages remained uncovered To be able to achieve this objective Rural Electricity Distribution Backbone with at least a 33111 KV sub-station would be set up in each block at least one Distribution TransfOlmer in each habitation of every village or hamlet as Village Electrification Infrastructure Standshyalone grid with generation where grid supply is not feasible These Stand-alone grids would be set up in partnership with the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy also

Rural Electrification Corporation would be the agency for implementation The Mcmagement of Rural Distribution will be fioanchisees that could be Users Associations individual entrepreneurs Cooperatives Non-Governmental Organizations Panchayat Institutions Services of Central Services undertakings like National Them1al Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POClL) National Hydro Electric Power Corporation Limited (NHPC) and Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) will be made available for the execution of rural electrification projects These CPSUs have been allocated districts in each state wherein they will implement the rural electrification network

90 capital subsidy will be provided for overall cost of the projects under the scheme The capital subsidy for eligible projects under the scheme will be through the Rural Electrification Corporation Limited which will be the nodal agency Electrification of unelectrified below-poverty-line households will be financed with 100 capital subsidy at Rs1500 per connection in all rural habitations Others will be paying for the connections at prescribed connection charges and no subsidy will be made availableFor creation of village eIectrification infrastructure first priority will be given to unshy

15

electrified villages Preference for electrification will be given to Dalit Bastis Tribal settlements and habitations of weaker sections

32 Roads

Goal Every habitation over 1000 population andabove (500 in hilly and tribal areas) to be provided an all-weather road remaining 66802 habitations to be covered by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development has the responsibility of ensuring that every habitation over 1000 population and every habitation with more than 500 in hilly and tribal areas is connected with an all-weather road by 2009 This is expected to generate multiplier effects in the rural economy of linking production to markets and services This work which is being undertaken under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana since 2000 has been modified to address the above goals within the stipulated timeshyframeTo achieve the targets of Bharat Nirman 146185 Kms road length is proposed to be constructed by 2009 This will benefit 66802 unconnected eligible habitations in the country To ensure full farm-to-market connectivity it is also proposed to upgrade 194132 kms of the existing Associated Through Routes

A district and rural roads plan has been prepared listing out complete network of all roads in the district that has village roads major district roads state roads and national highways The concept of core network has been operationalised to focus on those set of roads which are considered essential to provid~ connectivity to all habitations of the desired size The Core Network is the basic in$trumentality for prioritization of construction and allocation of funds for maintenance Action has been initiated to develop GIS-based applications to further enhance the utility of the Core Network

The programme is implemented through a framework of consultation with public representatives ranging from the panchayat level up to Parlian1ent A Rural Roads Manual guides the implementation of the programme A separate Book of Specification and a Standard Data Book have been prepared As per this standard bidding documents are to be adopted by the states For MIS there is a computerized Online Management and Monitoring Accounting System

Approximately Rs48000 crores is proposed to be invested to achieve this objective 100 of the funds of this programme is being provided by the Central Government

33 Drinking Water

Goal Every habitation to have a safe source of drinking water 55067 uncovered habitations to be covered by 2009 In addition all habitations which have slipped back from full coverage to partial coverage due to failure of source and habitations which have water quality problems to be addressed

16

The Ministry of Rural Development Department of Drinking Water Supply is responsible for meeting this goal in partnership with State Governments The programme instrument of the Govemment of India is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme under implementation since 1972-73 which is funded on a 50 matching share basis between the Government of India and the State Government Since 1972 over 37 lakh hand pumps and l5 lakh pipe water supply systems have been set up to provide safe water to over 15 lakh habitations in the country at a cost of over Rs 50000 crore The norms which are fixed to achieve the goal are - 40 litres per capita per day (lpcd) of safe drinking water for human beings - 30 Ipcd additional for cattle in the Desert Development Programme Areas - One hand pump or stand post for every 250 persons - The water source should exist within 16 km in the plains and within 100 metres

elevation in the hilly areas

The backlog for coverage is under estimation based on a habitation survey for the categories of uncovered villages slipped- back villages and villages affected with a problem of water quality 55067 villages remain uncovered and are targeted for coverage as first priority The category of slipped-back villages estimated by the Planning Commission at the beginning of the Tenth Plan as 28 lakh habitations These are so on account of a number of factors like - Sources going dry or lowering of the ground water table - Sources becoming quality affected - Systems outliving their lives - Systems working below rated capacity due to poor operation and maintenance - Increase in population resulting in lower per capita availability - Emergence of new habitations According to the data received from State Governments based on a survey undertaken in 2000216968 habitations are affected due to a variety of water quality problems consists of excess fluoride 31306 excess arsenic 5029 excess salinity23495 excess iron118088 excess nitrate 13958 and multiple quality problems 25092

The Govemment of India has decided that under Bharat Nirman names of habitations would have to be provided by State Governments for availing funds from Government of India This would give maximum transparency to the programme State Governments would be required to place the habitations proposed for coverage and covered on this site in course of time

The scheme is funded on a 50 basis by the Gol and expenditure ofRsA050 crores is expected for the current year The actual requirement will be worked out based on the names of habitations supplied by the states and funded

34 Telephone

Goal Every village to be connected by telephone remaining 66822 villagesto be covered by November 2007

17

The Department of Telecom in the Ministry of Communications and Infonnation Technology has the responsibility of providing telephone cOlmectivity to the 66822 villages that remain to be covered

The resources for implementation of universal services obligation are raised through a Universal Service Levy which has presently been fixed at 5 of the adjusted gross revenue of all telecom service providers except the pure value added service providers like internet voice mail e-mail service providers The rules also make a provision for the Central Government to give grants and loans to the Fund The balance to the credit of the Fund does not lapse at the end of the financial year usa Fund assigns the task of providing Village Public Telephones (VPTs) on the basis of bids through open tender and in this case the work has been assigned to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd Out of the 66822 villages identified connectivity in 14183 remote and far-flung villages will be provided through digital satellite phone tenninals From the USOF assistance is provided for both capital expenditure as well as operational expenditure It is estimated that a total sum of Rs451 crore would be required to provide VPTs in these 66822 villages and the entire sum will be met out of USOF and no separate allocation from Government would be required

As an additional incentives telecom service providers are being assisted through the USOF to penetrate into the rural areas for the following activities - Maintenance of existing village public telephones (VPTs) - Provision of an additional mral community phone in villages with a population of more

than two thousand and where no public call office exists - Replacement of village public telephones installed on Multi Access Radio Relay

(MARR) technology - Telephone lines installed in household in specified rural areas

Rural teledensity will be significantly enhanced during the period of Bharat Nirman

The Government is committed to expanding mral connectivity through a slew of measures so that rural users can access information of value and transact business This will include cOlmecting block headquarters with fibre optic network using wireless technology to achieve last mile connectivity and operating information kiosks through a partnership of citizens panchayats civil society organizations the private sector and Government

35 Irrigation

Goal J 0 million hectares (J 00 lakhs) of additional irrigation capacity to be created by 2009

The Ministry of Water Resources in collaboration with State Governments is responsible for creation of additional 10 million hectares of irrigation capacity by the year 2009 through major medium and minor irrigation projects complemented by ground water development

18

The ultimate irrigation potential for the country has been estimated as 140 million hectare (Mba) which include potential through Major and Medium irrigation projects (5846 Mha) surface water based minor irrigation schemes (1754 Mha) and ground water development (6400 Mha) So far the irrigation potential of 10277 Mha has already been created However the created potential has not been fully utilized and the gap between created and utilized potential has been estimated to be of the order of 17 Mha

351 Major and Medium Irrigation (MMI) Proj ects

For the country as a whole 66 of the ultimate irrigationpotential of major and medium projects has been created 477 Major and Medium irrigation projects have spilled over to Xl In addition the States have proposed 223 Major and Medium projects and 86 ERM projects during XI Plan An outlay of Rs 30670 crore has been provided for the new proj ects in the XI Plan

So far 173 major and medium 4169 minor and 21 Extension Renovation and Modernization (ERM) projects have been provided Central Loan Assistance under Accelerated Irrigation benefit Programme (AIBP) The potential creation through projects supported under AIBP has been found to be 035 Mha per year with about 047 Mha per year in the last two years As per existing Plan the projected creation of irrigation potential through AIBP is 050 Mba per year in the remaining period of X Five Year Plan

The average rate of creation of irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects from 1951 to 1997 has been found to be of the order of 051 Mha per year During the year 1997 to 2005 the rate for creati n has been found to be 092 Mah per year The pace of creation of new irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects has increased in the recent past This is due to fruition of projects started much earlier which have been expedited due to increased support through AIBP

The projects for extension renovation and modernization (ERM) of major and medium irrigation schemes are also being implemented with arrangement similar to that for completion of ongoing major and medium schemes The implementation of ERM projects along with Command Area Development and Water Management (CAD and WM) help in sustaining the created facilities and in improving the utilization

35 2 Minor Irrigatioll Schemes

There is considerable variation in creation of ilTIgation potential through minor irrigation (both surface and ground water) schemes from State to State While full potential through minor irrigation has been tapped in some of the States it is relatively very low in others

19

Minor irrigation through surface water covers water sources (tanks and small reservoirs) with a culturable command area (CCA) of less than 2000 ha About 70 of the ultimate potential through surface water based minor irrigation schemes has since been created The Report of the National Commission for Integrated Water Resources Development points out that the carrying capacity of tanks has decreased over time for a variety of reasons and that the restoration and renovation of tanks and other local sources is a priority task

Since 2004-05 a pilot scheme for repair renovation and restoration of water bodies directly linked to agriculture has been taken up by the Government as a state-sector scheme in the 16 districts of the country which is proposed to be expanded

353 Ground Water Development

From the surveys conducted for estimation of availability and status of ground water the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has identified areas that are over-exploited (where exploitation is more than natural recharge of ground water) and areas that are critical or dark (where draft is between 70 to 100 of the natural recharge ofground water) The recent survey indicates that out of 7414 identified units (blockstalukaswatershed) 471 are Overexploited and 318 are Critical or Dark units Thus less than 11 of the total units fall under the category of over-exploited and critical The ultimate irrigation potential to be created is based on the assessed replenishable groundwater after duly accounting for the domestic and industrial uses (about 10) It has been assessed that ground water is still available for utilization in many parts of the country particularly in the eastern parts of the country Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and in specific pockets of Andhra Pradesh Kamataka Maharashtra and Jammu amp Kashmir In Punjab Haryana Rajasthan Gujarat and Tamil Nadu the rechargeable quantum of ground water has been exceeded and mining of static reserves has commenced This reinforces the need to take urgent steps to increase recharge and conservation

354 Targets under Bharat Nirman

Sl No Component Target I Completion of ongoing Major amp medium Irrigation

Projects 42Mha

II Minor irrigation schemes bull Surface water 10 Mha bull Ground Water 18 Mha

10Mha l8Mha

28Mha

III Enhancing utilization of completed projects bull ERM of major amp medium projects bull Repair renovation and restoration of water bodiesERM of minor irrigation schemes

lOMha 10Mha

20Mha

IV Ground water development in area with unutilized ground water potential (for benefit of small and marginal farmers and Tribals amp Dalits) -

lOMba

20

Creation of potential of 1 Mha through ground water development in areas with unutilized ground water potential would primarily benefit small and marginal farmers who are mostly tribals dalits and weaker sections of society The scheme envisages full involvement of Panchayati Raj Institutions in implementation of the schemes

36 Housing

Goal 60 lakh houses to be constructed for the rural poor by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development through the IndiraAwaas Yojana undertakes this activity as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme where the cost is shared between the Centre and States on 7525 basis

The 2001 Census places the rural housing shortage figure ~n India at around 1491akhs Construction of 60 lakh houses over the next four years across the country is envisaged starting from 2005-06 to address a significant portion of this backlog

The criteria adopted for allocation of financial resources between the StatesUTs give greater emphasis to the states with higher incidence or shelterlessness 75 weightage is given to housing shortage and 25 to the poverty ratios prescribed by the Planning Commission for State-level allocations For district-level allocations 75 weightage is given again to housing shortage and 25 to SCST population of the districts concerned Grant assistance is provided to the extent of Rs 25000 per house for normal middot areas and Rs 27500 for hilly areas Funds are released to the DRDAs in two installments

Implementation guidelines of the scheme specifically target the rural below poverty line (BPL) households The respective Gram Sabha does the selection of beneficiaries from the BPL list and no higher approval is required The guidelines also clearlY Specify that the house allotment should be in the name of the female member of the family as a first priority While seeking to empower the rural women the scheme also provides priority to physically and mentally challenged persons exservicemen widows and freed bonded labourers It is stipulated that at least 60 of the beneficiaries should belong to the SCST communities TheIAY scheme also lays emphasis on sanitation and health by incorporating the cost of a sanitary latrine and smokeless chulah into the per unit grant provided to the beneficiary for constructionlupgradation of the dwelling unit

21

CHAPTER IV

WATER SECTOR ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN BHARAT NIRMAN PLAN

Water resource is a vital input in the development endeavours of the country Its finite availability and ever increasing demand in every sector have aggravated the problem manifold in case of India The requirement of faster development in irrigation water supply industrial use flood protection is evident assuming the future scenario Bharat Nirman Plan has rightly stressed on the irrigation and water supply where as the other sectors requirement is to be redressed with equal priority for the sustainable development of India

The water sector is grappled with the following Issues

Irrigation development Command area development amp Catchment area treatment Creation of storages Conunctive use of surface and ground water Efficiency improvement in distribution system Bridging the gap between irrigation potential created and potential utilised Flood Management

41 Irrigation Development

In India with the constitution of the Planning commission in 1950 and the advent of planning process in the first five year plan (1951-56) the country launched a major irrigation programme A number of multipurpose and major projects such as Bhakra Nangal Nagarjunasagar Kosi Chambal Hirakund Kakrapar and Tungbhadra were taken up Simultaneously minor irrigation schemes including ground water were given emphasis under the Agricultural Sector along with financial assistance from the Centre

During the period of Second Five Year Plan (1956-61) Third Five Year Plan (1961-66) and the Three Annual Plans (1966-69) irrigation programmes continued with addition of new projects During the Fourth Five Year Plan (1969-74) the emphasis was shifted to the completion of ongoing projects integrated use of surface and ground water adoption of efficient management techniques and modernization of existing schemes However new projects continued to be added

During the fifth Plan (1974-79) command Area Development Programme Was launched as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with the objective of reducing the lag between potential created and optimum utilization of available land and water Initially 60 major and medium proj ects were covered with a CCA of 15 Mha

22

During the Annual Plans of 1978-80 and the Sixth Five Year Plan ( 1980-85) new starts continued and at the end of Seventh Plan there were as many as 182 major and 312 medium ongoing proj ects requiring an estimated amount of Rs 39044 crore at the 1990shy91 price level for their completion New starts were therefore restricted considerably and greater emphasis was laid on completion of projects which were in the advanced stages of completion (those with an expenditure of 75 per cent or more) This was continued during 1990-91 and 1991-92 Annual Plans VIII Plan (1992-97) and IX Plan (1997 -2000)

For speedy completion of ongoing projects in advance stage of construction Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) was launched in 1996-97 During VIII Plan period irrigation potential of 22 Mha was created under major and medium sector at an annual rate of 044 Mha per annum During IX plan period this increased to 412 Mha out of which 165 Mha (nearly 40) was through AIBP Renovation Modernisation and Rehabilitation of old irrigation schemes gained momentum Users participation in major and medium irrigation schemes received greater attention Repairs and improvemen to the minor irrigation projects as a part of integrated micro-development also received encouragement Similarly sprinkler and drip irrigation programmes and the conjunctive use of surface and ground water gained momentum The project completed along with minor irrigation and ground water development have created an estimated potential of about 10277 Mha by the end of the X Plan

Although plan expenditure on irrigation has increased from Rs44l 8 crore in the 1st Plan to Rs 9574342 crore (outlay) in the X plan the share in total plan expenditure has decreased from 23 in the 1st Plan to 63 in the X Plan

The created irrigation potential increased from 226 Mha (97 Mha through major amp medium and 129 Mha through minor irrigation) in preplan period to 102Mha (4235 Mha through major and medium and 6042 1Tha through minor including ground water schemes) upto the end of X Plan with an annual average growth of 14 Mha In the corresponding period the potential utilistion has been from 226 Mha period to 8100 Mha

411 Central Assistance under AIBP

During IX Plan period irrigation potential of 165 Mha was created through AIBP at an average rate of 033 Mha per annum During the first three years of X plan the potential creation in major and medium irrigation sector through AIBP is around 14 Mha 047 Mha per annum In spite of rationalizing completion schedule of projects under AIBP several projects are lying behind schedule It is desirable to work out realistic time frame and cost to completion for projects to be considered under AIBP It is pertinent to mention that the spirit of the programme ie completion of last mile projects should not get diluted in the enthusiasm of inclusion of large number of projects under this programme As reported by the state governments but of total 200 projects presently under AIBP 95 projects would be completed by the end of X plan

23

The Central Assistance under AIBP as loan and grant provided up to March 2006 is Rs 1943790 crore out of which Rs 1883010 crore has been provided in Major and Medium irrigation sector

Impact ofAIBP

Plan Potential Created (Mha) Contribution of AIBP(Mha) IX 410 165 ( 402) X 530 300 ( 566)

Keeping an eye over the future requirement the Working Group on Water Resources for the XI Five Year Plan has brought out several suggestions in order to expedite completion of the projects which is very very essential Some other issues relating irrigation sector were also addressed in addition to this The strategies adopted for XI Plan proposal are swnmarized as below

1 Ongoing projects which have already achieved 90 or more of the ultimate potential should be considered as completed~ Critically review all such projects which are having only marginal benefit left or are near impossible to complete because of various problems and declare them completed or curtailed or deleted The balance cost of the remaining projects should be updated realistically for consideration under XI plan

2 Inter-Se priority should be decided considering various aspects such as externally aided proj ects interstate proj ects proj ects benefiting drought prone or tribal areas etc as per the guidelines prepared by National Commission for integrated Water Resources Development Plan

3 High priority should be accorded to the Pre-seventh and Seventh Plan Projects for funding under AIBP with emphasis to complete these projects during XI Plan List of such projects is appended as Annex31 Fund allocation under AIBP should be enhanced for this purpose ifnecessary

4 Foremost priority should be given for completion of ongoing projects and new projects should be taken up very selectively keeping in view the necessity for removal of regional imbalances and development of drought prone and tribal areas

5 Since the fund requirement for mediumminor irrigation projects are less adequate fund may be made available for completion of these projects without jeopardizing programme for important major projects ERM Projects should be given due priority where the eroded potential can be restored with ~oderate expenditure

24

6 A separate budget head upto 15 of Plan fund may be provided as Irrigation Maintenance Fund (IMF) and full amount of irrigation revenue as collectged should be credited to IMF

7 In addition to liabilities of completed projects and provision for ongoing and new projects the State plan proposals should incorporate provisions for special repairs of existing irrigation systems dam safety measures improved water management and water development aspect encompassing survey and investigation research and development training and National Hydrology Project

8 Substantial higher outlay should be provided in Central Plan to bring out effective role in plan activities of the Central Institutions by way of suitably strengthening them and provide adequate funds for taking new initiatives under Central Plan

9 The existing regionalstate level institutions such as W ALMIs should be strengthened and brought into mainstream activities for irrigation management improvement

10 Dam safety measures should be taken up all over country which is very essential in the context of disaster Prevention and Management

11 The performance evaluation of completed projects needs to be continued for benchmarking and improvement in irrigation efficiency

In addition to above recommendations on Minor Irrigation Sector are gIven as follows

1 Renovation Restoration of old tanks as well as old diversion channels in hilly regions along with improving efficiency of the projects Besides surface lift schemes may also be given due consideration particularly in hilly regions for irrigating high terraces

2 Expansion of irrigation facilities through a time bound programme for exploiting the huge ground water potential in the Eastern Region

3 Promotion of Micro Irrigation system in Water deficit areas 4 Promotion of Ground Water Development in areas haaving untapped unutilized

potential 5 National rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) may be linked with minor

irrigation Ground Water Development 6 A comprehensive act for regulation and development of ground water on

sustainable basis both in public and private sector

42 Command Area Development

In respect of command area development works for performance improvement-of the projects the working group has recommended the following recommendations for consideration

25

(a) Central funding for CAD works may be enhanced from present level of 5050 to 7525 for all the States while for states of North eastern Region and Hilly Special Category States the funding may be 90 from Government of India For software activities like trainings adaptive trials demonstrations monitoring and evaluation etc 100 Central funding may be considered in place of the existing pattern of 75 25 between the Centre and the States Funds can be directly given to W ALMIs and other State Central agencies for carrying out such activities

(b) It is proposed to increase the functional grant from Rs 600 per ha to Rs 1000 per ha which is to be shared in the ratio ofRs 675225100 between the centre State and the farmers while keeping all cost norms unchanged The State Governments may also be allowed to raise fund for its share through institutional funding or public borrowings through bonds on the pattern of Krishna Bhagya Nigam of Karnataka Government

(c) As per the existing system of release of Central Assistance the funds are transferred to the pool of State Finance Department which in tum releases funds to the implementing departments This procedure is not amenable for timely availability of the funds to the CADAs Therefore direct funding to CADAs from the Ministry in a mission mode can be considered to alleviate this problem For instance the Ministry of rural Development has a system of direct release of Central share of funds to the District Rural Development Authorities (DRDA) Jilla Parishads for implementing the schemes of the Central Ministry

(d) To ensure optimum utilization of created irrigation potential the CADWM should be made a part of the new major and medium projects

(e) Formation of WUAs under PTh1 Act is mandatory for implementation of CADWM programme Transition time of 2 years (upto the end of financial year 2008-09) may be allowed to those States which have not enact~d their PIM Acts so far Further relaxation may be only be allowed with the approval of CCEA

(f) WUAs should be involved in planning budgeting implementation and management of irrigation systems to be transferred to them There is a need to enforce a regime whereby farmers pay the water rates to meet the OampM expenditure rates Conditions of reforms should be imposed before handing over the projects to WUAs

(g) Volumetric supply of irrigation water to WUAs should be introduced

(h) Reputed NGOs with requisite skills may be involved for promotion of WUAs Rehabilitation of Canal Systems and Water Management for at least 2-3 years The estimated expenditure of Rs 600-800 per ha on account of this may be provided by the central government in the form of grant

(i) Autonomy of WUAs should be maintained in regard to Water Management However there may be linkages with Panchayati Raj Institutions through cross representation It may be considered to provide support to W ALMIs Agriculture Universities and reputed NGOs for improved water management at micro level It may also be considered to provide incentives for activities ofWUAs

26

(j) The WUAs should include women members from the land owning holding house holds in the Command Area irrespective of their ownership of the land

(k) Periodic evaluation of CAD Projects should be undertaken and suitable corrective measures may be taken if necessary

(1) Components for reclamation of waterlogged areas as well as correction of conveyance deficiencies with enhanced scope may be implemented to cover all the projects in the country details of which could be approved in consultation with expert organizations such as CWC CSSRI CGWB etc

(m) Water Resources Irrigation Departments need to undertake assessment periodically (at least once in 5 years) to determine the training needs at different levels of personnel deployed in water resources development and management Facilities available for capacity building are to be considered instead of establishing new training centres There has to be networking of existing training facilities so that training will be effective and economical It is desirable to have a separate scheme for training and capacity building for State Governments as well as central Government

43 Creation of Storage

Creation of storages is of prime importance in order to avoid severe domestic crisis on water issues As per the estimates given in the working group report there is a need of approximately live storage of around 450 km3

Major amp Medium Projects (Existing) -213 KJ13

Major amp Medium Projects (Under construction) -76 KM3 Minor Storages (Existing amp Under construction) -70 KM3 Total Live Storages in projects existing and under construction - 359 Km3

Likely loss in Live storage due to sedimentation upto 2050 which has to be compensated for -53 Km3 (say) Balance available live storage from the above in 2050 - 306 Km3 say 300 Km3

Therefore further new live storage to be created to have a live storage of 450 Km3 by 2050 is 150Km3

For creation the needed storage in addition to the present way of envisaging attention has to be paid to changing popUlation dynamics changing pattern of human settlements climatic change causing change in pattern of spatial and temporal variation in rainfall deterioration in water quality etc

44 Conjunctive Use of surface and ground water

Conjunctive use of surface and ground water can address the situation in two ways by decreasing the dependence on a single source and the quality of the available waterThis will reduce the chance of desalination as well Working group has suggested for the conjunctive use of middotgood quality water and saline seawater which will be helpful in reducing the cost of water requirement for irrigation

27

45 Efficiency improvement in the distribution system as well as in field

Deficiencies of the irrigated agriculture in India have been a cause of concern and a huge amount of thinking and analysis ha been done to devise ways and means to improve it The Working Group has recommended some important recommendations in this matter

1 Standardized definitions of irrigation efficiencies need to be evolved for use in India after reviewing available material All water resources of a basin form a unified resource and hence the basin efficiency concept which integrates all surface water and ground water uses as well as reuse and recirculation is important The basin efficiency also needs to be estimated along with project related efficiencies

2 Conjunctive use of water to be given higher priority particularly in alluvial areas as a very effective means of improving water use amp basin efficiency and of saving possible water logging and salination For givin an encouragement to conjunctive use irrigation Act may be amended if req ired The policy of favoring selective lining of canals should be continued LD ater allowances and somewhat inadequate conveyance capacities lead to be r efficiencies and less water loggingrelated problems These need to be encouraged

3 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Water Csers Associations (WUAs) should include a standard clause which binds the users to effective conjunctive use of surface and ground water On rising of gro nd water table the MOW should allow the department to cut the surface water supply

4 Where there are minor irrigation tanks minor urface lifts etc middotin the command these should be integrated with major project works and not be treated as separate entity Such tanks should be filled with cfulals water as per requirement Also such works will allow reuse of the seeped wateT

5 Each major irrigation system authorities should annually prepare the water budget accruing for all water stored or diverted all losses all reuse of lost waters estimated evaporation etc

6 Sufficient funds for operation and maintenance work to be provided Creation of Irrigation Maintenance Corporation as provided in the irrigation management policy is considered so that a linkage between revenues from water and OampM funds is established Water rates may accordingly be increased in a phased manner

7 Priority may be assigned toERM schemes for projects where water distribution systems are to be handed over to WUAs Where total ERM scheme is not contemplated one time maintenance deferred maintenance of a project may be allowed as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance of a project may be allowed

28

as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance budget to be decided in consultation with the farmers and walk through survey to assess what is appropriate and achievable within the available fund

8 All the schemes more than 25 years old should be studied in details to bring out the status of schemes in respect of structural safety and performance and ERM schemes may be formulated and taken up based on such studies

9 Drip sprinklers are mostly for horticulture vegetable crops (and surgarcane) in the present major and medium surface irrigation system These may be encouraged for other crops also Any compulsion for a particular cropping pattern needs to be removed whenever WUAs are formed amp volumetric water rates come into practice Use of sprinkler or drips or rotational surface supplies requires additional on farm storage (either as dug out ponds or elevatged storage with pump) This becomes essential since supply rotates are 10 daily or fortnightly whereas drips amp sprinkler require daily or 1 in 2 days operation Such storage creation needs to be within the ambit of subsidies for drips and sprinklers

10 As automation is a costly affair it is to be adopted for pilot schemes and not for larger area However preferably this should be introduced for conjunctive use of ground water and not always for surface water

The group has also recommended the concept of Target Efficiency of the water delivery system timely and equitable distribution ohvater increasing production per unit area and per unit volume of water used and financial sustainability of the water delivery infrastructure

46 Bridging the gap between the Potential created and potential utilised

There may be various reasons for increase in the gap between potential creation and potential utilized Some ofthese are

a likely over estimation and double counting of potential creation and inaccuracies discrepancies in reporting of potential utilized

b Loss of potential due to siltation in reservoirs ponds etc and deterioration of water distribution system

c Time gap between potential creation and command area development

d Assumption of optimistic cropping pattern in economic analysis and deviation in cropping pattern as compared to that envisaged during planning

e Over-drawl of water in head reaches depriving potential utilization by tail enders

f Unused canal flow during night hours

29

l

It is desirable to introduce more reliable and accurate system of assessment for potential created and utilized There should be a coordinating statistical organization in each State for reporting the figures of potential created and utilized The Remote Sensing Technique can also be effectively utilized for counter verification of figures reported The loss in potential due to siltation ageing of various distribution systems etc needs to be periodically assessed and accounted

The productivity of irrigated crop as assumed in economic analysis often seem to be optimistic and are not based on experience of nearby irrigation projects Use of water for irrigation and selection of crops have been left to the discretion of users farmers The adverse consequences of such freedom have been manifested as water logging in some commands Somewhere overexploitation of ground -vater has been leading to progressive fall in ground water level It is therefore necessary that a regulatory mechanism is brought into practice by which undesirable or unsuitable crops are discouraged and tendency to over use of irrigation water is c~ecked Similarly in areas where ground water is being used for irrigation a regulatory mechanism should be in place to deter over exploitation of ground water beyond allOvable limit

Sometimes apprehension of scarcity of water and non availability of water when needed also lead to over withdrawal by head end users Since extra tion of ground water is costly farmers tend to take water more than their requirements when that is available through canals Higher cost of ground water is primarily because of cost of power required for lifting of water In case source of solar power is created for lifting of water the cost of ground water will get substantially reduced This may facilitate and give farmers option to use surface water and ground water thom any extra cost Once this option is available and known to farmers that they are aware that use of more water than the optimal requirement is likely to reduce the yield certainly there would be reductionin

overdraw of water by head enders Thus there is a need to extend u~er friendly system and increase awareness and cooperation among farmers through Participatory Irrigation Management Water Users Associatiortsneed to be empowered to look into these aspects Further the piped distribution system and micro irrigation should be adopted as far as possible

In India night imgation is not practiced in general As a result waters flowing in canals during night hours either pass unutilized or wasted on account of uncontrolled flooding It is desirable that the night irrigation is introduced in policy and practice

47 Flood Management

In regard to flood management the strategies recommended are given here under

(a) Undertake construction of dams and reservoir schemes with adequate flood cushion for long term solution of flood problems Efforts should also be made for utilizing the existing reservoirs in the country for flood moderation to the extent

30

possible Even in Reservoirs constructed for power other purposes the rule curves may be framed in such way that effective flood moderation is achieved

(b) Flood Forecasting and flood warning network of ewe be extended and integrated with similar networks of the state governments so as to get real time information at a central point say in central flood control room under FMO ewe This activity should be extended to cover rivers originating from or flowing to the neighbouring countries

( c) To take up development of digital elevation model of flood prone areas for taking up schemes for inundation forecast preparation of flood risk maps planning of flood management schemes etc

(d) Identification of appropriate location for breaching spiling sections in the flood embankment for the controlled flooding of the protected areas for restoring fertility recharge of soil moisture and ground water

( e) Integrating flood management schemes with other infrastructural development programmes in the sectors of roads railways inland waterways and canal command area development works as well as recently declared Rural Employment Guarantee Programme

(f) Watershed management in the hilly catchmentgs of the rivers ongmating in Nepal Bhutan and hilly areas of India should be selectively chosen and funded fully Implementation should be done through a joint mechanism Ministry of Agriculture who is the nodal Ministry for the watershed management works should work out a detailed program in consultation with the Ministry of Water Resources

(g) To give adequate emphasis on the operation and maintenance (OampM) of the flood protection measures already created a percentage of outlay of the flood sector should be earmarked for this purpose

(h) Raising and strengthening of the existing embankments if required after detailed studies of hydrological morphological topographical and developmental aspects to stabilize the benefits of these measures

(i) Natural swamps and lakes to be developed into detention basins and capacity of existing depressions be improved for absorbing flood waters Special drives for development of Tal and Diara areas

G) Erosion of land either by sea or rivers to be minimized through suitable cost effective measures

(k) Flood proofing program such as raised platform and quick drainage facilities to be taken up in a)l the flood prone states

31

(1) Drainage improvement in critical areas in the country to be given priority

(m) Dredging at selective locations ie outfalls etc in the rivers and the tributaries as a way to reduce flood levels in low-lying areas and help in quick drainage

(n) Encourage RampD activities for improved flood management

(0) To encourage peoples participation

(p) To expedite projects peaks

on interlinking of rivers for helping in attenuating flood

(q) Steps to ensure implementation of action plan prepared by NDMA for flood management should be taken

(r) On-going schemes of earlier plans be completed expeditiously All the on going schemes spilling over to the XI Plan in which at least 50 execution has taken place should get first priority on fund allocation during the XI Plan

(s) The cost for flood component in a multi-purpose water resources development projects as a long-term solution to flood problem should be funded by Government of India

(t) Maintenance of existing flood management works to optimize its benefits

32

48 Achievement in irrigation during the two years of the Bharat Nirman Plan

The statewise achievement in two years ending on September 2006 is given below It shows that 2183776 thousand hectare has been added to the irrigation potential A daunting task still left to be achieved in coming two years

thF19ures are III ousand h ec ares t

I

i rOo

rarget bull Major amp Aebievements upSI No

States UrsName MinorMedium Total to September

Irrigation Irrigation 2006 r i

1 Andhra Pradesh 44127 112523 156649 302065

2 Arunachal Pradesh 00 2239 2239 4 777 3 Assam 303 4275 7306 3314

4 Bihar 41399 12858 169979 279451 5 Chhattisgarh 4435 14668 19103 65661

6 Goa 2442 26 2702 1224 7 Gujarat 94573 00 945 73 255224

8 Haryana 3373 241 5783 33301 9 Himachal Pradesh 3091 4691 7788 8842

10 lharkhand 8122 25314 33436 15 701 11 Jammu amp Kashmir 1801 9254 11055 14847

12 Karnataka 26282 124 38682 11131 13 Kerala 1609 2168 3777 15856

14 Madhya Pradesh 61172 162 77372 8138 15 Maharashtra 465 31 35651 82181 9313

16 Manipur 5195 155 6745 0 17 Meghalaya 00 1493 1493 2073

18 Mizoram 00 1096 1096 0628 19 Nagaland 00 1612 1612 259

20 Orissa 19899 13295 33194 3266 21 Punjab 4034 2056 609 68755

22 Rajasthan 37974 401 41984 26459 23 Sikkim 00 703 703 08

24 Tamil Nadu 00 2355 23 55 16461 25 Tripura 2689 5429 8118 6327 26 Uttar Pradesh 82516 15208 977 24 464 372 27 Uttranchal 00 3829 3829 34 967

28 West Bengal 13567 56384 69951 346

29 Andman amp Nicobar Island 00 033 033 0

30 Pondicherry 00 275 275 0 ~-

Total 2183766507867 479958 987826

I

L 33

------------------~------

The achievements are up to March 2006 only The progressachievement of 2006-07 was under compilationscrutiny in ewe at the time of preparation of this document

The figures for states ofKerala and Rajasthan pertain to the achievement of whole year 2006-07 and for the State of Uttar Pradesh the achievement is up to December2006

49 Conclusions

Water sector development encompasses multidisciplinary considerations There is no scope of overlooking any sector while giving priority to any sector or sectors The integrated planning is the only possible way to tackle the water resources development The participatory approach is the key for its sustainability Bharat middot Nirman Plan of Government of India by setting up goals for the period of four years is a boost to the already existing schemes in different ministries Irrigation and public water supply is the basic components of development have been rightly considered in the Bharat Nirman Plan The ambitious project has already traveled through a span of two years and has achieved some part of the goals The balance part has to be done with equal fervor The recent modification in AlBP norms is the evidence of the governmental zeal in achieving the goals For the continuance of the food sufficiency the irrigation development is the feasible quick solution The component of Irrigation in Bharat Nirman is thus a huge help for the required development in the water sector

34

Page 14: ROLE OF WRD&M IN BHARAT NIRMAN DURING WRD 2007

requirements Infact the releases from the Tehri Dam for the Sonia Vihar Water Treatment plant seems to be the only silver lining for the city plagued by water crisis particularly during the summer months Besides this allocation for drinking water supply t6 Delhi has also been provided in upcoming Renuka and Kishau dam Projects in Yamuna Basin for meeting the future needs

bull The entire water supply of Mumbai is dependant Vaitrana Upper Vaitama Tansa and Bhatsa

on a senes of dams like

bull The acute scarcity of water supply in Chennai is well known The states of Andhra Pradesh Maharashtra and Kamataka agreed to provide a part of their allocated share of Krishna water (to the extent of 15 TMC) for drinking water requirements of Chennai city

bull Water supply of Pune town in Maharashtra is Sagar) Khadakwasla dam and Temghar dam

met with from Panchet(Tangi

bull Hyderabad is mainly dependent on Himayatsagar Manjra and Singur Dams

its water supply from Osmansagar

bull The water supply for Bangalore city heavily depends on Cauvery Stage-I Stage-II and Stage-III projects

bull A sizeable number of cities having population more than one million as per the 2001 census are having their water demand met from several projects The prominent cities among them being Bhopal Indore Jabalpur Nagpur Nashik and Surat

In addition to above a major dam at Bisalpur had been constructed in Chambal Basin to provide water supply to Ajmer City besides towns of Beawar and Tonk in Rajasthan Warrangal town in Andhra Pradesh depends for water supply on Sriramsagar Dam Shillong water supply is to be ensured with a dam under construction in the North-East

The position of drinking water supply in various towns and villages has improved after the coming up of Bhakra and Beas Proj ects Cities of Delhi Chandigarh and town of Patiala and Ropar apart from numerous towns and villages in the states of Haryana and Rajasthan are getting their supply of drinking water from the canals fed by these projects

Drinking water supply for most of the cities and towns in the country are dependant on storages and diversions for the purpose proving the important fact that stored water distributed temporally as well as spatially serves the basic needs in a sustained manner for a sizeable population

12

Industrial water requirement though considerably low in comparison to agriculture and domestic water demand has its own share of importance Most of the industries require assured water supply for their effective performance It is therefore quite natural that the pr~sence of a large project capable of delivering assured water supply invariably boosts up the industrial development of the area Numerous examples may be cited to back the above contention however the more important ones are given below

For catering the needs of Bokaro Steel Plant a dam at Tenughat in the Damodar River Basin had to be constructed

bull Similarly a cluster of thermal and super-thermal stations in uP is entirely dependent on the water stored at Rihand Dam on a tributary of the Sone River in uP

bull For the Vishkhapatnam Steel Plant the water IS to be supplied from Yeleru Reservoir

bull As abundant and assured cooling water is available from Ukai reservoir a large thermal power station having installed capacity of 850 MW is also set up and commissioned at Ukai since 1975 Other huge industries like Essar Gujarat Reliance Petrochemicals KRlBHCO ONGC NTPC etc are direct beneficiaries from Ukai-Kakrapar project as regards industrial water supply

bull For the requirements of Udaipur and Chittor plants of Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL) Gosunda Dam was necessary This meets not only the needs of HZL but also the water-supply needs of Udaipur

Major industries getting water from Bhakra Canals are National Fertilizers Ltd Nangal Ropar Thermal Plant and C-Thermal Delhi besides numerous other small industrial units

23 Hydropower generation

The hydropower generated from the large projects like Bhakra-Nangal Hirakud Iddukki Ukai Srisailam Gandhisagar Rana Pratapsagar Jawaharsagar projects have not only provided middotcheap energy but also has immensely helped in meeting the peaking demands Thus there is not even an iota of doubt about the role played by these projects in improving the economy of their command area Infact hydropower being durable non-polluting and extremely cheap its viability as an effective mode of producing energy increases even further

It is often been contended by the social activists that the improvement in irrigation facilities and the resultant boom in food production is largely due to the minor irrigation and ground water irrigation schemes There is no point in denying the fact that the harnessing of minor irrigation as well as ground water irrigation facilities is equally

13

important in promoting food production but more often that not we ignore the power requirement for operating the pumps for lifting ground water In fact in the recent times one of the most debated issues have been providing free power to the farmers proving the importance of availability of cheap power to the agricultural community

24 Flood Control and Drought Mitigation

It wont be an overstatement to acknowledge the benefit offered by those large projects by providing the required cushion against the raging floods An estimation of the past 100 years will invariably indicate the astronomical damages that were inflicted on our country by the floods Even in the 21 st cenfliry after so much advancement we are often rendered helpless to the fury of floods particularly in the North-East where the protection upto the desired level is yet to be materialized Even then all the projects mentioned above like the Hirakud Bhakra-Nangal Ukai-Kakrapar Nagarjunasagar had given immense relief to the people of their command area by not only restricting the financial losses but at times even saving the loss of lives

The greatest inexplicable paradox of this countrys water resources scenario has been the co-existence of droughts and floods and the beauty of the large projects is that they have the capability to handle both the situations simultaneously and thus ironing out the erratic climatic behavior to a large extent The excess monsoon received in a particular year is being used by these projects to wonderful effect in another year facing paucity of rainfall

14

CHAPTER III

Bharat Nirman Plan (2005-2009)

Government of India in partnership with State Governments and Panchayat Raj Institutions has launched Bharat Nirman programme as a time-bound business plan for action in rural infrastructure for the span of four years (2005-2009) Under Bharat Nirman Plan action is proposed in the areas of irrigation road rural housing rural water supply rural electrification and rural telecommunication connectivity Specific targets are set to be achieved under each of these goals so that there is accountability in the progress of this initiative The goals in different sectors are as under

31 IClectricity

Goal Every village to be provided electricity remaining 125000 villages to be covered by 2009

The Ministry of Power has the responsibility of providing electricity to the remaining 125000 villages through the programme instrument of Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana In addition it will also provide 23 million households with electricity As per the Census of 2001 125000 villages remained uncovered To be able to achieve this objective Rural Electricity Distribution Backbone with at least a 33111 KV sub-station would be set up in each block at least one Distribution TransfOlmer in each habitation of every village or hamlet as Village Electrification Infrastructure Standshyalone grid with generation where grid supply is not feasible These Stand-alone grids would be set up in partnership with the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy also

Rural Electrification Corporation would be the agency for implementation The Mcmagement of Rural Distribution will be fioanchisees that could be Users Associations individual entrepreneurs Cooperatives Non-Governmental Organizations Panchayat Institutions Services of Central Services undertakings like National Them1al Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POClL) National Hydro Electric Power Corporation Limited (NHPC) and Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) will be made available for the execution of rural electrification projects These CPSUs have been allocated districts in each state wherein they will implement the rural electrification network

90 capital subsidy will be provided for overall cost of the projects under the scheme The capital subsidy for eligible projects under the scheme will be through the Rural Electrification Corporation Limited which will be the nodal agency Electrification of unelectrified below-poverty-line households will be financed with 100 capital subsidy at Rs1500 per connection in all rural habitations Others will be paying for the connections at prescribed connection charges and no subsidy will be made availableFor creation of village eIectrification infrastructure first priority will be given to unshy

15

electrified villages Preference for electrification will be given to Dalit Bastis Tribal settlements and habitations of weaker sections

32 Roads

Goal Every habitation over 1000 population andabove (500 in hilly and tribal areas) to be provided an all-weather road remaining 66802 habitations to be covered by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development has the responsibility of ensuring that every habitation over 1000 population and every habitation with more than 500 in hilly and tribal areas is connected with an all-weather road by 2009 This is expected to generate multiplier effects in the rural economy of linking production to markets and services This work which is being undertaken under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana since 2000 has been modified to address the above goals within the stipulated timeshyframeTo achieve the targets of Bharat Nirman 146185 Kms road length is proposed to be constructed by 2009 This will benefit 66802 unconnected eligible habitations in the country To ensure full farm-to-market connectivity it is also proposed to upgrade 194132 kms of the existing Associated Through Routes

A district and rural roads plan has been prepared listing out complete network of all roads in the district that has village roads major district roads state roads and national highways The concept of core network has been operationalised to focus on those set of roads which are considered essential to provid~ connectivity to all habitations of the desired size The Core Network is the basic in$trumentality for prioritization of construction and allocation of funds for maintenance Action has been initiated to develop GIS-based applications to further enhance the utility of the Core Network

The programme is implemented through a framework of consultation with public representatives ranging from the panchayat level up to Parlian1ent A Rural Roads Manual guides the implementation of the programme A separate Book of Specification and a Standard Data Book have been prepared As per this standard bidding documents are to be adopted by the states For MIS there is a computerized Online Management and Monitoring Accounting System

Approximately Rs48000 crores is proposed to be invested to achieve this objective 100 of the funds of this programme is being provided by the Central Government

33 Drinking Water

Goal Every habitation to have a safe source of drinking water 55067 uncovered habitations to be covered by 2009 In addition all habitations which have slipped back from full coverage to partial coverage due to failure of source and habitations which have water quality problems to be addressed

16

The Ministry of Rural Development Department of Drinking Water Supply is responsible for meeting this goal in partnership with State Governments The programme instrument of the Govemment of India is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme under implementation since 1972-73 which is funded on a 50 matching share basis between the Government of India and the State Government Since 1972 over 37 lakh hand pumps and l5 lakh pipe water supply systems have been set up to provide safe water to over 15 lakh habitations in the country at a cost of over Rs 50000 crore The norms which are fixed to achieve the goal are - 40 litres per capita per day (lpcd) of safe drinking water for human beings - 30 Ipcd additional for cattle in the Desert Development Programme Areas - One hand pump or stand post for every 250 persons - The water source should exist within 16 km in the plains and within 100 metres

elevation in the hilly areas

The backlog for coverage is under estimation based on a habitation survey for the categories of uncovered villages slipped- back villages and villages affected with a problem of water quality 55067 villages remain uncovered and are targeted for coverage as first priority The category of slipped-back villages estimated by the Planning Commission at the beginning of the Tenth Plan as 28 lakh habitations These are so on account of a number of factors like - Sources going dry or lowering of the ground water table - Sources becoming quality affected - Systems outliving their lives - Systems working below rated capacity due to poor operation and maintenance - Increase in population resulting in lower per capita availability - Emergence of new habitations According to the data received from State Governments based on a survey undertaken in 2000216968 habitations are affected due to a variety of water quality problems consists of excess fluoride 31306 excess arsenic 5029 excess salinity23495 excess iron118088 excess nitrate 13958 and multiple quality problems 25092

The Govemment of India has decided that under Bharat Nirman names of habitations would have to be provided by State Governments for availing funds from Government of India This would give maximum transparency to the programme State Governments would be required to place the habitations proposed for coverage and covered on this site in course of time

The scheme is funded on a 50 basis by the Gol and expenditure ofRsA050 crores is expected for the current year The actual requirement will be worked out based on the names of habitations supplied by the states and funded

34 Telephone

Goal Every village to be connected by telephone remaining 66822 villagesto be covered by November 2007

17

The Department of Telecom in the Ministry of Communications and Infonnation Technology has the responsibility of providing telephone cOlmectivity to the 66822 villages that remain to be covered

The resources for implementation of universal services obligation are raised through a Universal Service Levy which has presently been fixed at 5 of the adjusted gross revenue of all telecom service providers except the pure value added service providers like internet voice mail e-mail service providers The rules also make a provision for the Central Government to give grants and loans to the Fund The balance to the credit of the Fund does not lapse at the end of the financial year usa Fund assigns the task of providing Village Public Telephones (VPTs) on the basis of bids through open tender and in this case the work has been assigned to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd Out of the 66822 villages identified connectivity in 14183 remote and far-flung villages will be provided through digital satellite phone tenninals From the USOF assistance is provided for both capital expenditure as well as operational expenditure It is estimated that a total sum of Rs451 crore would be required to provide VPTs in these 66822 villages and the entire sum will be met out of USOF and no separate allocation from Government would be required

As an additional incentives telecom service providers are being assisted through the USOF to penetrate into the rural areas for the following activities - Maintenance of existing village public telephones (VPTs) - Provision of an additional mral community phone in villages with a population of more

than two thousand and where no public call office exists - Replacement of village public telephones installed on Multi Access Radio Relay

(MARR) technology - Telephone lines installed in household in specified rural areas

Rural teledensity will be significantly enhanced during the period of Bharat Nirman

The Government is committed to expanding mral connectivity through a slew of measures so that rural users can access information of value and transact business This will include cOlmecting block headquarters with fibre optic network using wireless technology to achieve last mile connectivity and operating information kiosks through a partnership of citizens panchayats civil society organizations the private sector and Government

35 Irrigation

Goal J 0 million hectares (J 00 lakhs) of additional irrigation capacity to be created by 2009

The Ministry of Water Resources in collaboration with State Governments is responsible for creation of additional 10 million hectares of irrigation capacity by the year 2009 through major medium and minor irrigation projects complemented by ground water development

18

The ultimate irrigation potential for the country has been estimated as 140 million hectare (Mba) which include potential through Major and Medium irrigation projects (5846 Mha) surface water based minor irrigation schemes (1754 Mha) and ground water development (6400 Mha) So far the irrigation potential of 10277 Mha has already been created However the created potential has not been fully utilized and the gap between created and utilized potential has been estimated to be of the order of 17 Mha

351 Major and Medium Irrigation (MMI) Proj ects

For the country as a whole 66 of the ultimate irrigationpotential of major and medium projects has been created 477 Major and Medium irrigation projects have spilled over to Xl In addition the States have proposed 223 Major and Medium projects and 86 ERM projects during XI Plan An outlay of Rs 30670 crore has been provided for the new proj ects in the XI Plan

So far 173 major and medium 4169 minor and 21 Extension Renovation and Modernization (ERM) projects have been provided Central Loan Assistance under Accelerated Irrigation benefit Programme (AIBP) The potential creation through projects supported under AIBP has been found to be 035 Mha per year with about 047 Mha per year in the last two years As per existing Plan the projected creation of irrigation potential through AIBP is 050 Mba per year in the remaining period of X Five Year Plan

The average rate of creation of irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects from 1951 to 1997 has been found to be of the order of 051 Mha per year During the year 1997 to 2005 the rate for creati n has been found to be 092 Mah per year The pace of creation of new irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects has increased in the recent past This is due to fruition of projects started much earlier which have been expedited due to increased support through AIBP

The projects for extension renovation and modernization (ERM) of major and medium irrigation schemes are also being implemented with arrangement similar to that for completion of ongoing major and medium schemes The implementation of ERM projects along with Command Area Development and Water Management (CAD and WM) help in sustaining the created facilities and in improving the utilization

35 2 Minor Irrigatioll Schemes

There is considerable variation in creation of ilTIgation potential through minor irrigation (both surface and ground water) schemes from State to State While full potential through minor irrigation has been tapped in some of the States it is relatively very low in others

19

Minor irrigation through surface water covers water sources (tanks and small reservoirs) with a culturable command area (CCA) of less than 2000 ha About 70 of the ultimate potential through surface water based minor irrigation schemes has since been created The Report of the National Commission for Integrated Water Resources Development points out that the carrying capacity of tanks has decreased over time for a variety of reasons and that the restoration and renovation of tanks and other local sources is a priority task

Since 2004-05 a pilot scheme for repair renovation and restoration of water bodies directly linked to agriculture has been taken up by the Government as a state-sector scheme in the 16 districts of the country which is proposed to be expanded

353 Ground Water Development

From the surveys conducted for estimation of availability and status of ground water the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has identified areas that are over-exploited (where exploitation is more than natural recharge of ground water) and areas that are critical or dark (where draft is between 70 to 100 of the natural recharge ofground water) The recent survey indicates that out of 7414 identified units (blockstalukaswatershed) 471 are Overexploited and 318 are Critical or Dark units Thus less than 11 of the total units fall under the category of over-exploited and critical The ultimate irrigation potential to be created is based on the assessed replenishable groundwater after duly accounting for the domestic and industrial uses (about 10) It has been assessed that ground water is still available for utilization in many parts of the country particularly in the eastern parts of the country Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and in specific pockets of Andhra Pradesh Kamataka Maharashtra and Jammu amp Kashmir In Punjab Haryana Rajasthan Gujarat and Tamil Nadu the rechargeable quantum of ground water has been exceeded and mining of static reserves has commenced This reinforces the need to take urgent steps to increase recharge and conservation

354 Targets under Bharat Nirman

Sl No Component Target I Completion of ongoing Major amp medium Irrigation

Projects 42Mha

II Minor irrigation schemes bull Surface water 10 Mha bull Ground Water 18 Mha

10Mha l8Mha

28Mha

III Enhancing utilization of completed projects bull ERM of major amp medium projects bull Repair renovation and restoration of water bodiesERM of minor irrigation schemes

lOMha 10Mha

20Mha

IV Ground water development in area with unutilized ground water potential (for benefit of small and marginal farmers and Tribals amp Dalits) -

lOMba

20

Creation of potential of 1 Mha through ground water development in areas with unutilized ground water potential would primarily benefit small and marginal farmers who are mostly tribals dalits and weaker sections of society The scheme envisages full involvement of Panchayati Raj Institutions in implementation of the schemes

36 Housing

Goal 60 lakh houses to be constructed for the rural poor by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development through the IndiraAwaas Yojana undertakes this activity as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme where the cost is shared between the Centre and States on 7525 basis

The 2001 Census places the rural housing shortage figure ~n India at around 1491akhs Construction of 60 lakh houses over the next four years across the country is envisaged starting from 2005-06 to address a significant portion of this backlog

The criteria adopted for allocation of financial resources between the StatesUTs give greater emphasis to the states with higher incidence or shelterlessness 75 weightage is given to housing shortage and 25 to the poverty ratios prescribed by the Planning Commission for State-level allocations For district-level allocations 75 weightage is given again to housing shortage and 25 to SCST population of the districts concerned Grant assistance is provided to the extent of Rs 25000 per house for normal middot areas and Rs 27500 for hilly areas Funds are released to the DRDAs in two installments

Implementation guidelines of the scheme specifically target the rural below poverty line (BPL) households The respective Gram Sabha does the selection of beneficiaries from the BPL list and no higher approval is required The guidelines also clearlY Specify that the house allotment should be in the name of the female member of the family as a first priority While seeking to empower the rural women the scheme also provides priority to physically and mentally challenged persons exservicemen widows and freed bonded labourers It is stipulated that at least 60 of the beneficiaries should belong to the SCST communities TheIAY scheme also lays emphasis on sanitation and health by incorporating the cost of a sanitary latrine and smokeless chulah into the per unit grant provided to the beneficiary for constructionlupgradation of the dwelling unit

21

CHAPTER IV

WATER SECTOR ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN BHARAT NIRMAN PLAN

Water resource is a vital input in the development endeavours of the country Its finite availability and ever increasing demand in every sector have aggravated the problem manifold in case of India The requirement of faster development in irrigation water supply industrial use flood protection is evident assuming the future scenario Bharat Nirman Plan has rightly stressed on the irrigation and water supply where as the other sectors requirement is to be redressed with equal priority for the sustainable development of India

The water sector is grappled with the following Issues

Irrigation development Command area development amp Catchment area treatment Creation of storages Conunctive use of surface and ground water Efficiency improvement in distribution system Bridging the gap between irrigation potential created and potential utilised Flood Management

41 Irrigation Development

In India with the constitution of the Planning commission in 1950 and the advent of planning process in the first five year plan (1951-56) the country launched a major irrigation programme A number of multipurpose and major projects such as Bhakra Nangal Nagarjunasagar Kosi Chambal Hirakund Kakrapar and Tungbhadra were taken up Simultaneously minor irrigation schemes including ground water were given emphasis under the Agricultural Sector along with financial assistance from the Centre

During the period of Second Five Year Plan (1956-61) Third Five Year Plan (1961-66) and the Three Annual Plans (1966-69) irrigation programmes continued with addition of new projects During the Fourth Five Year Plan (1969-74) the emphasis was shifted to the completion of ongoing projects integrated use of surface and ground water adoption of efficient management techniques and modernization of existing schemes However new projects continued to be added

During the fifth Plan (1974-79) command Area Development Programme Was launched as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with the objective of reducing the lag between potential created and optimum utilization of available land and water Initially 60 major and medium proj ects were covered with a CCA of 15 Mha

22

During the Annual Plans of 1978-80 and the Sixth Five Year Plan ( 1980-85) new starts continued and at the end of Seventh Plan there were as many as 182 major and 312 medium ongoing proj ects requiring an estimated amount of Rs 39044 crore at the 1990shy91 price level for their completion New starts were therefore restricted considerably and greater emphasis was laid on completion of projects which were in the advanced stages of completion (those with an expenditure of 75 per cent or more) This was continued during 1990-91 and 1991-92 Annual Plans VIII Plan (1992-97) and IX Plan (1997 -2000)

For speedy completion of ongoing projects in advance stage of construction Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) was launched in 1996-97 During VIII Plan period irrigation potential of 22 Mha was created under major and medium sector at an annual rate of 044 Mha per annum During IX plan period this increased to 412 Mha out of which 165 Mha (nearly 40) was through AIBP Renovation Modernisation and Rehabilitation of old irrigation schemes gained momentum Users participation in major and medium irrigation schemes received greater attention Repairs and improvemen to the minor irrigation projects as a part of integrated micro-development also received encouragement Similarly sprinkler and drip irrigation programmes and the conjunctive use of surface and ground water gained momentum The project completed along with minor irrigation and ground water development have created an estimated potential of about 10277 Mha by the end of the X Plan

Although plan expenditure on irrigation has increased from Rs44l 8 crore in the 1st Plan to Rs 9574342 crore (outlay) in the X plan the share in total plan expenditure has decreased from 23 in the 1st Plan to 63 in the X Plan

The created irrigation potential increased from 226 Mha (97 Mha through major amp medium and 129 Mha through minor irrigation) in preplan period to 102Mha (4235 Mha through major and medium and 6042 1Tha through minor including ground water schemes) upto the end of X Plan with an annual average growth of 14 Mha In the corresponding period the potential utilistion has been from 226 Mha period to 8100 Mha

411 Central Assistance under AIBP

During IX Plan period irrigation potential of 165 Mha was created through AIBP at an average rate of 033 Mha per annum During the first three years of X plan the potential creation in major and medium irrigation sector through AIBP is around 14 Mha 047 Mha per annum In spite of rationalizing completion schedule of projects under AIBP several projects are lying behind schedule It is desirable to work out realistic time frame and cost to completion for projects to be considered under AIBP It is pertinent to mention that the spirit of the programme ie completion of last mile projects should not get diluted in the enthusiasm of inclusion of large number of projects under this programme As reported by the state governments but of total 200 projects presently under AIBP 95 projects would be completed by the end of X plan

23

The Central Assistance under AIBP as loan and grant provided up to March 2006 is Rs 1943790 crore out of which Rs 1883010 crore has been provided in Major and Medium irrigation sector

Impact ofAIBP

Plan Potential Created (Mha) Contribution of AIBP(Mha) IX 410 165 ( 402) X 530 300 ( 566)

Keeping an eye over the future requirement the Working Group on Water Resources for the XI Five Year Plan has brought out several suggestions in order to expedite completion of the projects which is very very essential Some other issues relating irrigation sector were also addressed in addition to this The strategies adopted for XI Plan proposal are swnmarized as below

1 Ongoing projects which have already achieved 90 or more of the ultimate potential should be considered as completed~ Critically review all such projects which are having only marginal benefit left or are near impossible to complete because of various problems and declare them completed or curtailed or deleted The balance cost of the remaining projects should be updated realistically for consideration under XI plan

2 Inter-Se priority should be decided considering various aspects such as externally aided proj ects interstate proj ects proj ects benefiting drought prone or tribal areas etc as per the guidelines prepared by National Commission for integrated Water Resources Development Plan

3 High priority should be accorded to the Pre-seventh and Seventh Plan Projects for funding under AIBP with emphasis to complete these projects during XI Plan List of such projects is appended as Annex31 Fund allocation under AIBP should be enhanced for this purpose ifnecessary

4 Foremost priority should be given for completion of ongoing projects and new projects should be taken up very selectively keeping in view the necessity for removal of regional imbalances and development of drought prone and tribal areas

5 Since the fund requirement for mediumminor irrigation projects are less adequate fund may be made available for completion of these projects without jeopardizing programme for important major projects ERM Projects should be given due priority where the eroded potential can be restored with ~oderate expenditure

24

6 A separate budget head upto 15 of Plan fund may be provided as Irrigation Maintenance Fund (IMF) and full amount of irrigation revenue as collectged should be credited to IMF

7 In addition to liabilities of completed projects and provision for ongoing and new projects the State plan proposals should incorporate provisions for special repairs of existing irrigation systems dam safety measures improved water management and water development aspect encompassing survey and investigation research and development training and National Hydrology Project

8 Substantial higher outlay should be provided in Central Plan to bring out effective role in plan activities of the Central Institutions by way of suitably strengthening them and provide adequate funds for taking new initiatives under Central Plan

9 The existing regionalstate level institutions such as W ALMIs should be strengthened and brought into mainstream activities for irrigation management improvement

10 Dam safety measures should be taken up all over country which is very essential in the context of disaster Prevention and Management

11 The performance evaluation of completed projects needs to be continued for benchmarking and improvement in irrigation efficiency

In addition to above recommendations on Minor Irrigation Sector are gIven as follows

1 Renovation Restoration of old tanks as well as old diversion channels in hilly regions along with improving efficiency of the projects Besides surface lift schemes may also be given due consideration particularly in hilly regions for irrigating high terraces

2 Expansion of irrigation facilities through a time bound programme for exploiting the huge ground water potential in the Eastern Region

3 Promotion of Micro Irrigation system in Water deficit areas 4 Promotion of Ground Water Development in areas haaving untapped unutilized

potential 5 National rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) may be linked with minor

irrigation Ground Water Development 6 A comprehensive act for regulation and development of ground water on

sustainable basis both in public and private sector

42 Command Area Development

In respect of command area development works for performance improvement-of the projects the working group has recommended the following recommendations for consideration

25

(a) Central funding for CAD works may be enhanced from present level of 5050 to 7525 for all the States while for states of North eastern Region and Hilly Special Category States the funding may be 90 from Government of India For software activities like trainings adaptive trials demonstrations monitoring and evaluation etc 100 Central funding may be considered in place of the existing pattern of 75 25 between the Centre and the States Funds can be directly given to W ALMIs and other State Central agencies for carrying out such activities

(b) It is proposed to increase the functional grant from Rs 600 per ha to Rs 1000 per ha which is to be shared in the ratio ofRs 675225100 between the centre State and the farmers while keeping all cost norms unchanged The State Governments may also be allowed to raise fund for its share through institutional funding or public borrowings through bonds on the pattern of Krishna Bhagya Nigam of Karnataka Government

(c) As per the existing system of release of Central Assistance the funds are transferred to the pool of State Finance Department which in tum releases funds to the implementing departments This procedure is not amenable for timely availability of the funds to the CADAs Therefore direct funding to CADAs from the Ministry in a mission mode can be considered to alleviate this problem For instance the Ministry of rural Development has a system of direct release of Central share of funds to the District Rural Development Authorities (DRDA) Jilla Parishads for implementing the schemes of the Central Ministry

(d) To ensure optimum utilization of created irrigation potential the CADWM should be made a part of the new major and medium projects

(e) Formation of WUAs under PTh1 Act is mandatory for implementation of CADWM programme Transition time of 2 years (upto the end of financial year 2008-09) may be allowed to those States which have not enact~d their PIM Acts so far Further relaxation may be only be allowed with the approval of CCEA

(f) WUAs should be involved in planning budgeting implementation and management of irrigation systems to be transferred to them There is a need to enforce a regime whereby farmers pay the water rates to meet the OampM expenditure rates Conditions of reforms should be imposed before handing over the projects to WUAs

(g) Volumetric supply of irrigation water to WUAs should be introduced

(h) Reputed NGOs with requisite skills may be involved for promotion of WUAs Rehabilitation of Canal Systems and Water Management for at least 2-3 years The estimated expenditure of Rs 600-800 per ha on account of this may be provided by the central government in the form of grant

(i) Autonomy of WUAs should be maintained in regard to Water Management However there may be linkages with Panchayati Raj Institutions through cross representation It may be considered to provide support to W ALMIs Agriculture Universities and reputed NGOs for improved water management at micro level It may also be considered to provide incentives for activities ofWUAs

26

(j) The WUAs should include women members from the land owning holding house holds in the Command Area irrespective of their ownership of the land

(k) Periodic evaluation of CAD Projects should be undertaken and suitable corrective measures may be taken if necessary

(1) Components for reclamation of waterlogged areas as well as correction of conveyance deficiencies with enhanced scope may be implemented to cover all the projects in the country details of which could be approved in consultation with expert organizations such as CWC CSSRI CGWB etc

(m) Water Resources Irrigation Departments need to undertake assessment periodically (at least once in 5 years) to determine the training needs at different levels of personnel deployed in water resources development and management Facilities available for capacity building are to be considered instead of establishing new training centres There has to be networking of existing training facilities so that training will be effective and economical It is desirable to have a separate scheme for training and capacity building for State Governments as well as central Government

43 Creation of Storage

Creation of storages is of prime importance in order to avoid severe domestic crisis on water issues As per the estimates given in the working group report there is a need of approximately live storage of around 450 km3

Major amp Medium Projects (Existing) -213 KJ13

Major amp Medium Projects (Under construction) -76 KM3 Minor Storages (Existing amp Under construction) -70 KM3 Total Live Storages in projects existing and under construction - 359 Km3

Likely loss in Live storage due to sedimentation upto 2050 which has to be compensated for -53 Km3 (say) Balance available live storage from the above in 2050 - 306 Km3 say 300 Km3

Therefore further new live storage to be created to have a live storage of 450 Km3 by 2050 is 150Km3

For creation the needed storage in addition to the present way of envisaging attention has to be paid to changing popUlation dynamics changing pattern of human settlements climatic change causing change in pattern of spatial and temporal variation in rainfall deterioration in water quality etc

44 Conjunctive Use of surface and ground water

Conjunctive use of surface and ground water can address the situation in two ways by decreasing the dependence on a single source and the quality of the available waterThis will reduce the chance of desalination as well Working group has suggested for the conjunctive use of middotgood quality water and saline seawater which will be helpful in reducing the cost of water requirement for irrigation

27

45 Efficiency improvement in the distribution system as well as in field

Deficiencies of the irrigated agriculture in India have been a cause of concern and a huge amount of thinking and analysis ha been done to devise ways and means to improve it The Working Group has recommended some important recommendations in this matter

1 Standardized definitions of irrigation efficiencies need to be evolved for use in India after reviewing available material All water resources of a basin form a unified resource and hence the basin efficiency concept which integrates all surface water and ground water uses as well as reuse and recirculation is important The basin efficiency also needs to be estimated along with project related efficiencies

2 Conjunctive use of water to be given higher priority particularly in alluvial areas as a very effective means of improving water use amp basin efficiency and of saving possible water logging and salination For givin an encouragement to conjunctive use irrigation Act may be amended if req ired The policy of favoring selective lining of canals should be continued LD ater allowances and somewhat inadequate conveyance capacities lead to be r efficiencies and less water loggingrelated problems These need to be encouraged

3 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Water Csers Associations (WUAs) should include a standard clause which binds the users to effective conjunctive use of surface and ground water On rising of gro nd water table the MOW should allow the department to cut the surface water supply

4 Where there are minor irrigation tanks minor urface lifts etc middotin the command these should be integrated with major project works and not be treated as separate entity Such tanks should be filled with cfulals water as per requirement Also such works will allow reuse of the seeped wateT

5 Each major irrigation system authorities should annually prepare the water budget accruing for all water stored or diverted all losses all reuse of lost waters estimated evaporation etc

6 Sufficient funds for operation and maintenance work to be provided Creation of Irrigation Maintenance Corporation as provided in the irrigation management policy is considered so that a linkage between revenues from water and OampM funds is established Water rates may accordingly be increased in a phased manner

7 Priority may be assigned toERM schemes for projects where water distribution systems are to be handed over to WUAs Where total ERM scheme is not contemplated one time maintenance deferred maintenance of a project may be allowed as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance of a project may be allowed

28

as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance budget to be decided in consultation with the farmers and walk through survey to assess what is appropriate and achievable within the available fund

8 All the schemes more than 25 years old should be studied in details to bring out the status of schemes in respect of structural safety and performance and ERM schemes may be formulated and taken up based on such studies

9 Drip sprinklers are mostly for horticulture vegetable crops (and surgarcane) in the present major and medium surface irrigation system These may be encouraged for other crops also Any compulsion for a particular cropping pattern needs to be removed whenever WUAs are formed amp volumetric water rates come into practice Use of sprinkler or drips or rotational surface supplies requires additional on farm storage (either as dug out ponds or elevatged storage with pump) This becomes essential since supply rotates are 10 daily or fortnightly whereas drips amp sprinkler require daily or 1 in 2 days operation Such storage creation needs to be within the ambit of subsidies for drips and sprinklers

10 As automation is a costly affair it is to be adopted for pilot schemes and not for larger area However preferably this should be introduced for conjunctive use of ground water and not always for surface water

The group has also recommended the concept of Target Efficiency of the water delivery system timely and equitable distribution ohvater increasing production per unit area and per unit volume of water used and financial sustainability of the water delivery infrastructure

46 Bridging the gap between the Potential created and potential utilised

There may be various reasons for increase in the gap between potential creation and potential utilized Some ofthese are

a likely over estimation and double counting of potential creation and inaccuracies discrepancies in reporting of potential utilized

b Loss of potential due to siltation in reservoirs ponds etc and deterioration of water distribution system

c Time gap between potential creation and command area development

d Assumption of optimistic cropping pattern in economic analysis and deviation in cropping pattern as compared to that envisaged during planning

e Over-drawl of water in head reaches depriving potential utilization by tail enders

f Unused canal flow during night hours

29

l

It is desirable to introduce more reliable and accurate system of assessment for potential created and utilized There should be a coordinating statistical organization in each State for reporting the figures of potential created and utilized The Remote Sensing Technique can also be effectively utilized for counter verification of figures reported The loss in potential due to siltation ageing of various distribution systems etc needs to be periodically assessed and accounted

The productivity of irrigated crop as assumed in economic analysis often seem to be optimistic and are not based on experience of nearby irrigation projects Use of water for irrigation and selection of crops have been left to the discretion of users farmers The adverse consequences of such freedom have been manifested as water logging in some commands Somewhere overexploitation of ground -vater has been leading to progressive fall in ground water level It is therefore necessary that a regulatory mechanism is brought into practice by which undesirable or unsuitable crops are discouraged and tendency to over use of irrigation water is c~ecked Similarly in areas where ground water is being used for irrigation a regulatory mechanism should be in place to deter over exploitation of ground water beyond allOvable limit

Sometimes apprehension of scarcity of water and non availability of water when needed also lead to over withdrawal by head end users Since extra tion of ground water is costly farmers tend to take water more than their requirements when that is available through canals Higher cost of ground water is primarily because of cost of power required for lifting of water In case source of solar power is created for lifting of water the cost of ground water will get substantially reduced This may facilitate and give farmers option to use surface water and ground water thom any extra cost Once this option is available and known to farmers that they are aware that use of more water than the optimal requirement is likely to reduce the yield certainly there would be reductionin

overdraw of water by head enders Thus there is a need to extend u~er friendly system and increase awareness and cooperation among farmers through Participatory Irrigation Management Water Users Associatiortsneed to be empowered to look into these aspects Further the piped distribution system and micro irrigation should be adopted as far as possible

In India night imgation is not practiced in general As a result waters flowing in canals during night hours either pass unutilized or wasted on account of uncontrolled flooding It is desirable that the night irrigation is introduced in policy and practice

47 Flood Management

In regard to flood management the strategies recommended are given here under

(a) Undertake construction of dams and reservoir schemes with adequate flood cushion for long term solution of flood problems Efforts should also be made for utilizing the existing reservoirs in the country for flood moderation to the extent

30

possible Even in Reservoirs constructed for power other purposes the rule curves may be framed in such way that effective flood moderation is achieved

(b) Flood Forecasting and flood warning network of ewe be extended and integrated with similar networks of the state governments so as to get real time information at a central point say in central flood control room under FMO ewe This activity should be extended to cover rivers originating from or flowing to the neighbouring countries

( c) To take up development of digital elevation model of flood prone areas for taking up schemes for inundation forecast preparation of flood risk maps planning of flood management schemes etc

(d) Identification of appropriate location for breaching spiling sections in the flood embankment for the controlled flooding of the protected areas for restoring fertility recharge of soil moisture and ground water

( e) Integrating flood management schemes with other infrastructural development programmes in the sectors of roads railways inland waterways and canal command area development works as well as recently declared Rural Employment Guarantee Programme

(f) Watershed management in the hilly catchmentgs of the rivers ongmating in Nepal Bhutan and hilly areas of India should be selectively chosen and funded fully Implementation should be done through a joint mechanism Ministry of Agriculture who is the nodal Ministry for the watershed management works should work out a detailed program in consultation with the Ministry of Water Resources

(g) To give adequate emphasis on the operation and maintenance (OampM) of the flood protection measures already created a percentage of outlay of the flood sector should be earmarked for this purpose

(h) Raising and strengthening of the existing embankments if required after detailed studies of hydrological morphological topographical and developmental aspects to stabilize the benefits of these measures

(i) Natural swamps and lakes to be developed into detention basins and capacity of existing depressions be improved for absorbing flood waters Special drives for development of Tal and Diara areas

G) Erosion of land either by sea or rivers to be minimized through suitable cost effective measures

(k) Flood proofing program such as raised platform and quick drainage facilities to be taken up in a)l the flood prone states

31

(1) Drainage improvement in critical areas in the country to be given priority

(m) Dredging at selective locations ie outfalls etc in the rivers and the tributaries as a way to reduce flood levels in low-lying areas and help in quick drainage

(n) Encourage RampD activities for improved flood management

(0) To encourage peoples participation

(p) To expedite projects peaks

on interlinking of rivers for helping in attenuating flood

(q) Steps to ensure implementation of action plan prepared by NDMA for flood management should be taken

(r) On-going schemes of earlier plans be completed expeditiously All the on going schemes spilling over to the XI Plan in which at least 50 execution has taken place should get first priority on fund allocation during the XI Plan

(s) The cost for flood component in a multi-purpose water resources development projects as a long-term solution to flood problem should be funded by Government of India

(t) Maintenance of existing flood management works to optimize its benefits

32

48 Achievement in irrigation during the two years of the Bharat Nirman Plan

The statewise achievement in two years ending on September 2006 is given below It shows that 2183776 thousand hectare has been added to the irrigation potential A daunting task still left to be achieved in coming two years

thF19ures are III ousand h ec ares t

I

i rOo

rarget bull Major amp Aebievements upSI No

States UrsName MinorMedium Total to September

Irrigation Irrigation 2006 r i

1 Andhra Pradesh 44127 112523 156649 302065

2 Arunachal Pradesh 00 2239 2239 4 777 3 Assam 303 4275 7306 3314

4 Bihar 41399 12858 169979 279451 5 Chhattisgarh 4435 14668 19103 65661

6 Goa 2442 26 2702 1224 7 Gujarat 94573 00 945 73 255224

8 Haryana 3373 241 5783 33301 9 Himachal Pradesh 3091 4691 7788 8842

10 lharkhand 8122 25314 33436 15 701 11 Jammu amp Kashmir 1801 9254 11055 14847

12 Karnataka 26282 124 38682 11131 13 Kerala 1609 2168 3777 15856

14 Madhya Pradesh 61172 162 77372 8138 15 Maharashtra 465 31 35651 82181 9313

16 Manipur 5195 155 6745 0 17 Meghalaya 00 1493 1493 2073

18 Mizoram 00 1096 1096 0628 19 Nagaland 00 1612 1612 259

20 Orissa 19899 13295 33194 3266 21 Punjab 4034 2056 609 68755

22 Rajasthan 37974 401 41984 26459 23 Sikkim 00 703 703 08

24 Tamil Nadu 00 2355 23 55 16461 25 Tripura 2689 5429 8118 6327 26 Uttar Pradesh 82516 15208 977 24 464 372 27 Uttranchal 00 3829 3829 34 967

28 West Bengal 13567 56384 69951 346

29 Andman amp Nicobar Island 00 033 033 0

30 Pondicherry 00 275 275 0 ~-

Total 2183766507867 479958 987826

I

L 33

------------------~------

The achievements are up to March 2006 only The progressachievement of 2006-07 was under compilationscrutiny in ewe at the time of preparation of this document

The figures for states ofKerala and Rajasthan pertain to the achievement of whole year 2006-07 and for the State of Uttar Pradesh the achievement is up to December2006

49 Conclusions

Water sector development encompasses multidisciplinary considerations There is no scope of overlooking any sector while giving priority to any sector or sectors The integrated planning is the only possible way to tackle the water resources development The participatory approach is the key for its sustainability Bharat middot Nirman Plan of Government of India by setting up goals for the period of four years is a boost to the already existing schemes in different ministries Irrigation and public water supply is the basic components of development have been rightly considered in the Bharat Nirman Plan The ambitious project has already traveled through a span of two years and has achieved some part of the goals The balance part has to be done with equal fervor The recent modification in AlBP norms is the evidence of the governmental zeal in achieving the goals For the continuance of the food sufficiency the irrigation development is the feasible quick solution The component of Irrigation in Bharat Nirman is thus a huge help for the required development in the water sector

34

Page 15: ROLE OF WRD&M IN BHARAT NIRMAN DURING WRD 2007

Industrial water requirement though considerably low in comparison to agriculture and domestic water demand has its own share of importance Most of the industries require assured water supply for their effective performance It is therefore quite natural that the pr~sence of a large project capable of delivering assured water supply invariably boosts up the industrial development of the area Numerous examples may be cited to back the above contention however the more important ones are given below

For catering the needs of Bokaro Steel Plant a dam at Tenughat in the Damodar River Basin had to be constructed

bull Similarly a cluster of thermal and super-thermal stations in uP is entirely dependent on the water stored at Rihand Dam on a tributary of the Sone River in uP

bull For the Vishkhapatnam Steel Plant the water IS to be supplied from Yeleru Reservoir

bull As abundant and assured cooling water is available from Ukai reservoir a large thermal power station having installed capacity of 850 MW is also set up and commissioned at Ukai since 1975 Other huge industries like Essar Gujarat Reliance Petrochemicals KRlBHCO ONGC NTPC etc are direct beneficiaries from Ukai-Kakrapar project as regards industrial water supply

bull For the requirements of Udaipur and Chittor plants of Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL) Gosunda Dam was necessary This meets not only the needs of HZL but also the water-supply needs of Udaipur

Major industries getting water from Bhakra Canals are National Fertilizers Ltd Nangal Ropar Thermal Plant and C-Thermal Delhi besides numerous other small industrial units

23 Hydropower generation

The hydropower generated from the large projects like Bhakra-Nangal Hirakud Iddukki Ukai Srisailam Gandhisagar Rana Pratapsagar Jawaharsagar projects have not only provided middotcheap energy but also has immensely helped in meeting the peaking demands Thus there is not even an iota of doubt about the role played by these projects in improving the economy of their command area Infact hydropower being durable non-polluting and extremely cheap its viability as an effective mode of producing energy increases even further

It is often been contended by the social activists that the improvement in irrigation facilities and the resultant boom in food production is largely due to the minor irrigation and ground water irrigation schemes There is no point in denying the fact that the harnessing of minor irrigation as well as ground water irrigation facilities is equally

13

important in promoting food production but more often that not we ignore the power requirement for operating the pumps for lifting ground water In fact in the recent times one of the most debated issues have been providing free power to the farmers proving the importance of availability of cheap power to the agricultural community

24 Flood Control and Drought Mitigation

It wont be an overstatement to acknowledge the benefit offered by those large projects by providing the required cushion against the raging floods An estimation of the past 100 years will invariably indicate the astronomical damages that were inflicted on our country by the floods Even in the 21 st cenfliry after so much advancement we are often rendered helpless to the fury of floods particularly in the North-East where the protection upto the desired level is yet to be materialized Even then all the projects mentioned above like the Hirakud Bhakra-Nangal Ukai-Kakrapar Nagarjunasagar had given immense relief to the people of their command area by not only restricting the financial losses but at times even saving the loss of lives

The greatest inexplicable paradox of this countrys water resources scenario has been the co-existence of droughts and floods and the beauty of the large projects is that they have the capability to handle both the situations simultaneously and thus ironing out the erratic climatic behavior to a large extent The excess monsoon received in a particular year is being used by these projects to wonderful effect in another year facing paucity of rainfall

14

CHAPTER III

Bharat Nirman Plan (2005-2009)

Government of India in partnership with State Governments and Panchayat Raj Institutions has launched Bharat Nirman programme as a time-bound business plan for action in rural infrastructure for the span of four years (2005-2009) Under Bharat Nirman Plan action is proposed in the areas of irrigation road rural housing rural water supply rural electrification and rural telecommunication connectivity Specific targets are set to be achieved under each of these goals so that there is accountability in the progress of this initiative The goals in different sectors are as under

31 IClectricity

Goal Every village to be provided electricity remaining 125000 villages to be covered by 2009

The Ministry of Power has the responsibility of providing electricity to the remaining 125000 villages through the programme instrument of Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana In addition it will also provide 23 million households with electricity As per the Census of 2001 125000 villages remained uncovered To be able to achieve this objective Rural Electricity Distribution Backbone with at least a 33111 KV sub-station would be set up in each block at least one Distribution TransfOlmer in each habitation of every village or hamlet as Village Electrification Infrastructure Standshyalone grid with generation where grid supply is not feasible These Stand-alone grids would be set up in partnership with the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy also

Rural Electrification Corporation would be the agency for implementation The Mcmagement of Rural Distribution will be fioanchisees that could be Users Associations individual entrepreneurs Cooperatives Non-Governmental Organizations Panchayat Institutions Services of Central Services undertakings like National Them1al Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POClL) National Hydro Electric Power Corporation Limited (NHPC) and Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) will be made available for the execution of rural electrification projects These CPSUs have been allocated districts in each state wherein they will implement the rural electrification network

90 capital subsidy will be provided for overall cost of the projects under the scheme The capital subsidy for eligible projects under the scheme will be through the Rural Electrification Corporation Limited which will be the nodal agency Electrification of unelectrified below-poverty-line households will be financed with 100 capital subsidy at Rs1500 per connection in all rural habitations Others will be paying for the connections at prescribed connection charges and no subsidy will be made availableFor creation of village eIectrification infrastructure first priority will be given to unshy

15

electrified villages Preference for electrification will be given to Dalit Bastis Tribal settlements and habitations of weaker sections

32 Roads

Goal Every habitation over 1000 population andabove (500 in hilly and tribal areas) to be provided an all-weather road remaining 66802 habitations to be covered by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development has the responsibility of ensuring that every habitation over 1000 population and every habitation with more than 500 in hilly and tribal areas is connected with an all-weather road by 2009 This is expected to generate multiplier effects in the rural economy of linking production to markets and services This work which is being undertaken under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana since 2000 has been modified to address the above goals within the stipulated timeshyframeTo achieve the targets of Bharat Nirman 146185 Kms road length is proposed to be constructed by 2009 This will benefit 66802 unconnected eligible habitations in the country To ensure full farm-to-market connectivity it is also proposed to upgrade 194132 kms of the existing Associated Through Routes

A district and rural roads plan has been prepared listing out complete network of all roads in the district that has village roads major district roads state roads and national highways The concept of core network has been operationalised to focus on those set of roads which are considered essential to provid~ connectivity to all habitations of the desired size The Core Network is the basic in$trumentality for prioritization of construction and allocation of funds for maintenance Action has been initiated to develop GIS-based applications to further enhance the utility of the Core Network

The programme is implemented through a framework of consultation with public representatives ranging from the panchayat level up to Parlian1ent A Rural Roads Manual guides the implementation of the programme A separate Book of Specification and a Standard Data Book have been prepared As per this standard bidding documents are to be adopted by the states For MIS there is a computerized Online Management and Monitoring Accounting System

Approximately Rs48000 crores is proposed to be invested to achieve this objective 100 of the funds of this programme is being provided by the Central Government

33 Drinking Water

Goal Every habitation to have a safe source of drinking water 55067 uncovered habitations to be covered by 2009 In addition all habitations which have slipped back from full coverage to partial coverage due to failure of source and habitations which have water quality problems to be addressed

16

The Ministry of Rural Development Department of Drinking Water Supply is responsible for meeting this goal in partnership with State Governments The programme instrument of the Govemment of India is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme under implementation since 1972-73 which is funded on a 50 matching share basis between the Government of India and the State Government Since 1972 over 37 lakh hand pumps and l5 lakh pipe water supply systems have been set up to provide safe water to over 15 lakh habitations in the country at a cost of over Rs 50000 crore The norms which are fixed to achieve the goal are - 40 litres per capita per day (lpcd) of safe drinking water for human beings - 30 Ipcd additional for cattle in the Desert Development Programme Areas - One hand pump or stand post for every 250 persons - The water source should exist within 16 km in the plains and within 100 metres

elevation in the hilly areas

The backlog for coverage is under estimation based on a habitation survey for the categories of uncovered villages slipped- back villages and villages affected with a problem of water quality 55067 villages remain uncovered and are targeted for coverage as first priority The category of slipped-back villages estimated by the Planning Commission at the beginning of the Tenth Plan as 28 lakh habitations These are so on account of a number of factors like - Sources going dry or lowering of the ground water table - Sources becoming quality affected - Systems outliving their lives - Systems working below rated capacity due to poor operation and maintenance - Increase in population resulting in lower per capita availability - Emergence of new habitations According to the data received from State Governments based on a survey undertaken in 2000216968 habitations are affected due to a variety of water quality problems consists of excess fluoride 31306 excess arsenic 5029 excess salinity23495 excess iron118088 excess nitrate 13958 and multiple quality problems 25092

The Govemment of India has decided that under Bharat Nirman names of habitations would have to be provided by State Governments for availing funds from Government of India This would give maximum transparency to the programme State Governments would be required to place the habitations proposed for coverage and covered on this site in course of time

The scheme is funded on a 50 basis by the Gol and expenditure ofRsA050 crores is expected for the current year The actual requirement will be worked out based on the names of habitations supplied by the states and funded

34 Telephone

Goal Every village to be connected by telephone remaining 66822 villagesto be covered by November 2007

17

The Department of Telecom in the Ministry of Communications and Infonnation Technology has the responsibility of providing telephone cOlmectivity to the 66822 villages that remain to be covered

The resources for implementation of universal services obligation are raised through a Universal Service Levy which has presently been fixed at 5 of the adjusted gross revenue of all telecom service providers except the pure value added service providers like internet voice mail e-mail service providers The rules also make a provision for the Central Government to give grants and loans to the Fund The balance to the credit of the Fund does not lapse at the end of the financial year usa Fund assigns the task of providing Village Public Telephones (VPTs) on the basis of bids through open tender and in this case the work has been assigned to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd Out of the 66822 villages identified connectivity in 14183 remote and far-flung villages will be provided through digital satellite phone tenninals From the USOF assistance is provided for both capital expenditure as well as operational expenditure It is estimated that a total sum of Rs451 crore would be required to provide VPTs in these 66822 villages and the entire sum will be met out of USOF and no separate allocation from Government would be required

As an additional incentives telecom service providers are being assisted through the USOF to penetrate into the rural areas for the following activities - Maintenance of existing village public telephones (VPTs) - Provision of an additional mral community phone in villages with a population of more

than two thousand and where no public call office exists - Replacement of village public telephones installed on Multi Access Radio Relay

(MARR) technology - Telephone lines installed in household in specified rural areas

Rural teledensity will be significantly enhanced during the period of Bharat Nirman

The Government is committed to expanding mral connectivity through a slew of measures so that rural users can access information of value and transact business This will include cOlmecting block headquarters with fibre optic network using wireless technology to achieve last mile connectivity and operating information kiosks through a partnership of citizens panchayats civil society organizations the private sector and Government

35 Irrigation

Goal J 0 million hectares (J 00 lakhs) of additional irrigation capacity to be created by 2009

The Ministry of Water Resources in collaboration with State Governments is responsible for creation of additional 10 million hectares of irrigation capacity by the year 2009 through major medium and minor irrigation projects complemented by ground water development

18

The ultimate irrigation potential for the country has been estimated as 140 million hectare (Mba) which include potential through Major and Medium irrigation projects (5846 Mha) surface water based minor irrigation schemes (1754 Mha) and ground water development (6400 Mha) So far the irrigation potential of 10277 Mha has already been created However the created potential has not been fully utilized and the gap between created and utilized potential has been estimated to be of the order of 17 Mha

351 Major and Medium Irrigation (MMI) Proj ects

For the country as a whole 66 of the ultimate irrigationpotential of major and medium projects has been created 477 Major and Medium irrigation projects have spilled over to Xl In addition the States have proposed 223 Major and Medium projects and 86 ERM projects during XI Plan An outlay of Rs 30670 crore has been provided for the new proj ects in the XI Plan

So far 173 major and medium 4169 minor and 21 Extension Renovation and Modernization (ERM) projects have been provided Central Loan Assistance under Accelerated Irrigation benefit Programme (AIBP) The potential creation through projects supported under AIBP has been found to be 035 Mha per year with about 047 Mha per year in the last two years As per existing Plan the projected creation of irrigation potential through AIBP is 050 Mba per year in the remaining period of X Five Year Plan

The average rate of creation of irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects from 1951 to 1997 has been found to be of the order of 051 Mha per year During the year 1997 to 2005 the rate for creati n has been found to be 092 Mah per year The pace of creation of new irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects has increased in the recent past This is due to fruition of projects started much earlier which have been expedited due to increased support through AIBP

The projects for extension renovation and modernization (ERM) of major and medium irrigation schemes are also being implemented with arrangement similar to that for completion of ongoing major and medium schemes The implementation of ERM projects along with Command Area Development and Water Management (CAD and WM) help in sustaining the created facilities and in improving the utilization

35 2 Minor Irrigatioll Schemes

There is considerable variation in creation of ilTIgation potential through minor irrigation (both surface and ground water) schemes from State to State While full potential through minor irrigation has been tapped in some of the States it is relatively very low in others

19

Minor irrigation through surface water covers water sources (tanks and small reservoirs) with a culturable command area (CCA) of less than 2000 ha About 70 of the ultimate potential through surface water based minor irrigation schemes has since been created The Report of the National Commission for Integrated Water Resources Development points out that the carrying capacity of tanks has decreased over time for a variety of reasons and that the restoration and renovation of tanks and other local sources is a priority task

Since 2004-05 a pilot scheme for repair renovation and restoration of water bodies directly linked to agriculture has been taken up by the Government as a state-sector scheme in the 16 districts of the country which is proposed to be expanded

353 Ground Water Development

From the surveys conducted for estimation of availability and status of ground water the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has identified areas that are over-exploited (where exploitation is more than natural recharge of ground water) and areas that are critical or dark (where draft is between 70 to 100 of the natural recharge ofground water) The recent survey indicates that out of 7414 identified units (blockstalukaswatershed) 471 are Overexploited and 318 are Critical or Dark units Thus less than 11 of the total units fall under the category of over-exploited and critical The ultimate irrigation potential to be created is based on the assessed replenishable groundwater after duly accounting for the domestic and industrial uses (about 10) It has been assessed that ground water is still available for utilization in many parts of the country particularly in the eastern parts of the country Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and in specific pockets of Andhra Pradesh Kamataka Maharashtra and Jammu amp Kashmir In Punjab Haryana Rajasthan Gujarat and Tamil Nadu the rechargeable quantum of ground water has been exceeded and mining of static reserves has commenced This reinforces the need to take urgent steps to increase recharge and conservation

354 Targets under Bharat Nirman

Sl No Component Target I Completion of ongoing Major amp medium Irrigation

Projects 42Mha

II Minor irrigation schemes bull Surface water 10 Mha bull Ground Water 18 Mha

10Mha l8Mha

28Mha

III Enhancing utilization of completed projects bull ERM of major amp medium projects bull Repair renovation and restoration of water bodiesERM of minor irrigation schemes

lOMha 10Mha

20Mha

IV Ground water development in area with unutilized ground water potential (for benefit of small and marginal farmers and Tribals amp Dalits) -

lOMba

20

Creation of potential of 1 Mha through ground water development in areas with unutilized ground water potential would primarily benefit small and marginal farmers who are mostly tribals dalits and weaker sections of society The scheme envisages full involvement of Panchayati Raj Institutions in implementation of the schemes

36 Housing

Goal 60 lakh houses to be constructed for the rural poor by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development through the IndiraAwaas Yojana undertakes this activity as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme where the cost is shared between the Centre and States on 7525 basis

The 2001 Census places the rural housing shortage figure ~n India at around 1491akhs Construction of 60 lakh houses over the next four years across the country is envisaged starting from 2005-06 to address a significant portion of this backlog

The criteria adopted for allocation of financial resources between the StatesUTs give greater emphasis to the states with higher incidence or shelterlessness 75 weightage is given to housing shortage and 25 to the poverty ratios prescribed by the Planning Commission for State-level allocations For district-level allocations 75 weightage is given again to housing shortage and 25 to SCST population of the districts concerned Grant assistance is provided to the extent of Rs 25000 per house for normal middot areas and Rs 27500 for hilly areas Funds are released to the DRDAs in two installments

Implementation guidelines of the scheme specifically target the rural below poverty line (BPL) households The respective Gram Sabha does the selection of beneficiaries from the BPL list and no higher approval is required The guidelines also clearlY Specify that the house allotment should be in the name of the female member of the family as a first priority While seeking to empower the rural women the scheme also provides priority to physically and mentally challenged persons exservicemen widows and freed bonded labourers It is stipulated that at least 60 of the beneficiaries should belong to the SCST communities TheIAY scheme also lays emphasis on sanitation and health by incorporating the cost of a sanitary latrine and smokeless chulah into the per unit grant provided to the beneficiary for constructionlupgradation of the dwelling unit

21

CHAPTER IV

WATER SECTOR ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN BHARAT NIRMAN PLAN

Water resource is a vital input in the development endeavours of the country Its finite availability and ever increasing demand in every sector have aggravated the problem manifold in case of India The requirement of faster development in irrigation water supply industrial use flood protection is evident assuming the future scenario Bharat Nirman Plan has rightly stressed on the irrigation and water supply where as the other sectors requirement is to be redressed with equal priority for the sustainable development of India

The water sector is grappled with the following Issues

Irrigation development Command area development amp Catchment area treatment Creation of storages Conunctive use of surface and ground water Efficiency improvement in distribution system Bridging the gap between irrigation potential created and potential utilised Flood Management

41 Irrigation Development

In India with the constitution of the Planning commission in 1950 and the advent of planning process in the first five year plan (1951-56) the country launched a major irrigation programme A number of multipurpose and major projects such as Bhakra Nangal Nagarjunasagar Kosi Chambal Hirakund Kakrapar and Tungbhadra were taken up Simultaneously minor irrigation schemes including ground water were given emphasis under the Agricultural Sector along with financial assistance from the Centre

During the period of Second Five Year Plan (1956-61) Third Five Year Plan (1961-66) and the Three Annual Plans (1966-69) irrigation programmes continued with addition of new projects During the Fourth Five Year Plan (1969-74) the emphasis was shifted to the completion of ongoing projects integrated use of surface and ground water adoption of efficient management techniques and modernization of existing schemes However new projects continued to be added

During the fifth Plan (1974-79) command Area Development Programme Was launched as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with the objective of reducing the lag between potential created and optimum utilization of available land and water Initially 60 major and medium proj ects were covered with a CCA of 15 Mha

22

During the Annual Plans of 1978-80 and the Sixth Five Year Plan ( 1980-85) new starts continued and at the end of Seventh Plan there were as many as 182 major and 312 medium ongoing proj ects requiring an estimated amount of Rs 39044 crore at the 1990shy91 price level for their completion New starts were therefore restricted considerably and greater emphasis was laid on completion of projects which were in the advanced stages of completion (those with an expenditure of 75 per cent or more) This was continued during 1990-91 and 1991-92 Annual Plans VIII Plan (1992-97) and IX Plan (1997 -2000)

For speedy completion of ongoing projects in advance stage of construction Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) was launched in 1996-97 During VIII Plan period irrigation potential of 22 Mha was created under major and medium sector at an annual rate of 044 Mha per annum During IX plan period this increased to 412 Mha out of which 165 Mha (nearly 40) was through AIBP Renovation Modernisation and Rehabilitation of old irrigation schemes gained momentum Users participation in major and medium irrigation schemes received greater attention Repairs and improvemen to the minor irrigation projects as a part of integrated micro-development also received encouragement Similarly sprinkler and drip irrigation programmes and the conjunctive use of surface and ground water gained momentum The project completed along with minor irrigation and ground water development have created an estimated potential of about 10277 Mha by the end of the X Plan

Although plan expenditure on irrigation has increased from Rs44l 8 crore in the 1st Plan to Rs 9574342 crore (outlay) in the X plan the share in total plan expenditure has decreased from 23 in the 1st Plan to 63 in the X Plan

The created irrigation potential increased from 226 Mha (97 Mha through major amp medium and 129 Mha through minor irrigation) in preplan period to 102Mha (4235 Mha through major and medium and 6042 1Tha through minor including ground water schemes) upto the end of X Plan with an annual average growth of 14 Mha In the corresponding period the potential utilistion has been from 226 Mha period to 8100 Mha

411 Central Assistance under AIBP

During IX Plan period irrigation potential of 165 Mha was created through AIBP at an average rate of 033 Mha per annum During the first three years of X plan the potential creation in major and medium irrigation sector through AIBP is around 14 Mha 047 Mha per annum In spite of rationalizing completion schedule of projects under AIBP several projects are lying behind schedule It is desirable to work out realistic time frame and cost to completion for projects to be considered under AIBP It is pertinent to mention that the spirit of the programme ie completion of last mile projects should not get diluted in the enthusiasm of inclusion of large number of projects under this programme As reported by the state governments but of total 200 projects presently under AIBP 95 projects would be completed by the end of X plan

23

The Central Assistance under AIBP as loan and grant provided up to March 2006 is Rs 1943790 crore out of which Rs 1883010 crore has been provided in Major and Medium irrigation sector

Impact ofAIBP

Plan Potential Created (Mha) Contribution of AIBP(Mha) IX 410 165 ( 402) X 530 300 ( 566)

Keeping an eye over the future requirement the Working Group on Water Resources for the XI Five Year Plan has brought out several suggestions in order to expedite completion of the projects which is very very essential Some other issues relating irrigation sector were also addressed in addition to this The strategies adopted for XI Plan proposal are swnmarized as below

1 Ongoing projects which have already achieved 90 or more of the ultimate potential should be considered as completed~ Critically review all such projects which are having only marginal benefit left or are near impossible to complete because of various problems and declare them completed or curtailed or deleted The balance cost of the remaining projects should be updated realistically for consideration under XI plan

2 Inter-Se priority should be decided considering various aspects such as externally aided proj ects interstate proj ects proj ects benefiting drought prone or tribal areas etc as per the guidelines prepared by National Commission for integrated Water Resources Development Plan

3 High priority should be accorded to the Pre-seventh and Seventh Plan Projects for funding under AIBP with emphasis to complete these projects during XI Plan List of such projects is appended as Annex31 Fund allocation under AIBP should be enhanced for this purpose ifnecessary

4 Foremost priority should be given for completion of ongoing projects and new projects should be taken up very selectively keeping in view the necessity for removal of regional imbalances and development of drought prone and tribal areas

5 Since the fund requirement for mediumminor irrigation projects are less adequate fund may be made available for completion of these projects without jeopardizing programme for important major projects ERM Projects should be given due priority where the eroded potential can be restored with ~oderate expenditure

24

6 A separate budget head upto 15 of Plan fund may be provided as Irrigation Maintenance Fund (IMF) and full amount of irrigation revenue as collectged should be credited to IMF

7 In addition to liabilities of completed projects and provision for ongoing and new projects the State plan proposals should incorporate provisions for special repairs of existing irrigation systems dam safety measures improved water management and water development aspect encompassing survey and investigation research and development training and National Hydrology Project

8 Substantial higher outlay should be provided in Central Plan to bring out effective role in plan activities of the Central Institutions by way of suitably strengthening them and provide adequate funds for taking new initiatives under Central Plan

9 The existing regionalstate level institutions such as W ALMIs should be strengthened and brought into mainstream activities for irrigation management improvement

10 Dam safety measures should be taken up all over country which is very essential in the context of disaster Prevention and Management

11 The performance evaluation of completed projects needs to be continued for benchmarking and improvement in irrigation efficiency

In addition to above recommendations on Minor Irrigation Sector are gIven as follows

1 Renovation Restoration of old tanks as well as old diversion channels in hilly regions along with improving efficiency of the projects Besides surface lift schemes may also be given due consideration particularly in hilly regions for irrigating high terraces

2 Expansion of irrigation facilities through a time bound programme for exploiting the huge ground water potential in the Eastern Region

3 Promotion of Micro Irrigation system in Water deficit areas 4 Promotion of Ground Water Development in areas haaving untapped unutilized

potential 5 National rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) may be linked with minor

irrigation Ground Water Development 6 A comprehensive act for regulation and development of ground water on

sustainable basis both in public and private sector

42 Command Area Development

In respect of command area development works for performance improvement-of the projects the working group has recommended the following recommendations for consideration

25

(a) Central funding for CAD works may be enhanced from present level of 5050 to 7525 for all the States while for states of North eastern Region and Hilly Special Category States the funding may be 90 from Government of India For software activities like trainings adaptive trials demonstrations monitoring and evaluation etc 100 Central funding may be considered in place of the existing pattern of 75 25 between the Centre and the States Funds can be directly given to W ALMIs and other State Central agencies for carrying out such activities

(b) It is proposed to increase the functional grant from Rs 600 per ha to Rs 1000 per ha which is to be shared in the ratio ofRs 675225100 between the centre State and the farmers while keeping all cost norms unchanged The State Governments may also be allowed to raise fund for its share through institutional funding or public borrowings through bonds on the pattern of Krishna Bhagya Nigam of Karnataka Government

(c) As per the existing system of release of Central Assistance the funds are transferred to the pool of State Finance Department which in tum releases funds to the implementing departments This procedure is not amenable for timely availability of the funds to the CADAs Therefore direct funding to CADAs from the Ministry in a mission mode can be considered to alleviate this problem For instance the Ministry of rural Development has a system of direct release of Central share of funds to the District Rural Development Authorities (DRDA) Jilla Parishads for implementing the schemes of the Central Ministry

(d) To ensure optimum utilization of created irrigation potential the CADWM should be made a part of the new major and medium projects

(e) Formation of WUAs under PTh1 Act is mandatory for implementation of CADWM programme Transition time of 2 years (upto the end of financial year 2008-09) may be allowed to those States which have not enact~d their PIM Acts so far Further relaxation may be only be allowed with the approval of CCEA

(f) WUAs should be involved in planning budgeting implementation and management of irrigation systems to be transferred to them There is a need to enforce a regime whereby farmers pay the water rates to meet the OampM expenditure rates Conditions of reforms should be imposed before handing over the projects to WUAs

(g) Volumetric supply of irrigation water to WUAs should be introduced

(h) Reputed NGOs with requisite skills may be involved for promotion of WUAs Rehabilitation of Canal Systems and Water Management for at least 2-3 years The estimated expenditure of Rs 600-800 per ha on account of this may be provided by the central government in the form of grant

(i) Autonomy of WUAs should be maintained in regard to Water Management However there may be linkages with Panchayati Raj Institutions through cross representation It may be considered to provide support to W ALMIs Agriculture Universities and reputed NGOs for improved water management at micro level It may also be considered to provide incentives for activities ofWUAs

26

(j) The WUAs should include women members from the land owning holding house holds in the Command Area irrespective of their ownership of the land

(k) Periodic evaluation of CAD Projects should be undertaken and suitable corrective measures may be taken if necessary

(1) Components for reclamation of waterlogged areas as well as correction of conveyance deficiencies with enhanced scope may be implemented to cover all the projects in the country details of which could be approved in consultation with expert organizations such as CWC CSSRI CGWB etc

(m) Water Resources Irrigation Departments need to undertake assessment periodically (at least once in 5 years) to determine the training needs at different levels of personnel deployed in water resources development and management Facilities available for capacity building are to be considered instead of establishing new training centres There has to be networking of existing training facilities so that training will be effective and economical It is desirable to have a separate scheme for training and capacity building for State Governments as well as central Government

43 Creation of Storage

Creation of storages is of prime importance in order to avoid severe domestic crisis on water issues As per the estimates given in the working group report there is a need of approximately live storage of around 450 km3

Major amp Medium Projects (Existing) -213 KJ13

Major amp Medium Projects (Under construction) -76 KM3 Minor Storages (Existing amp Under construction) -70 KM3 Total Live Storages in projects existing and under construction - 359 Km3

Likely loss in Live storage due to sedimentation upto 2050 which has to be compensated for -53 Km3 (say) Balance available live storage from the above in 2050 - 306 Km3 say 300 Km3

Therefore further new live storage to be created to have a live storage of 450 Km3 by 2050 is 150Km3

For creation the needed storage in addition to the present way of envisaging attention has to be paid to changing popUlation dynamics changing pattern of human settlements climatic change causing change in pattern of spatial and temporal variation in rainfall deterioration in water quality etc

44 Conjunctive Use of surface and ground water

Conjunctive use of surface and ground water can address the situation in two ways by decreasing the dependence on a single source and the quality of the available waterThis will reduce the chance of desalination as well Working group has suggested for the conjunctive use of middotgood quality water and saline seawater which will be helpful in reducing the cost of water requirement for irrigation

27

45 Efficiency improvement in the distribution system as well as in field

Deficiencies of the irrigated agriculture in India have been a cause of concern and a huge amount of thinking and analysis ha been done to devise ways and means to improve it The Working Group has recommended some important recommendations in this matter

1 Standardized definitions of irrigation efficiencies need to be evolved for use in India after reviewing available material All water resources of a basin form a unified resource and hence the basin efficiency concept which integrates all surface water and ground water uses as well as reuse and recirculation is important The basin efficiency also needs to be estimated along with project related efficiencies

2 Conjunctive use of water to be given higher priority particularly in alluvial areas as a very effective means of improving water use amp basin efficiency and of saving possible water logging and salination For givin an encouragement to conjunctive use irrigation Act may be amended if req ired The policy of favoring selective lining of canals should be continued LD ater allowances and somewhat inadequate conveyance capacities lead to be r efficiencies and less water loggingrelated problems These need to be encouraged

3 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Water Csers Associations (WUAs) should include a standard clause which binds the users to effective conjunctive use of surface and ground water On rising of gro nd water table the MOW should allow the department to cut the surface water supply

4 Where there are minor irrigation tanks minor urface lifts etc middotin the command these should be integrated with major project works and not be treated as separate entity Such tanks should be filled with cfulals water as per requirement Also such works will allow reuse of the seeped wateT

5 Each major irrigation system authorities should annually prepare the water budget accruing for all water stored or diverted all losses all reuse of lost waters estimated evaporation etc

6 Sufficient funds for operation and maintenance work to be provided Creation of Irrigation Maintenance Corporation as provided in the irrigation management policy is considered so that a linkage between revenues from water and OampM funds is established Water rates may accordingly be increased in a phased manner

7 Priority may be assigned toERM schemes for projects where water distribution systems are to be handed over to WUAs Where total ERM scheme is not contemplated one time maintenance deferred maintenance of a project may be allowed as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance of a project may be allowed

28

as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance budget to be decided in consultation with the farmers and walk through survey to assess what is appropriate and achievable within the available fund

8 All the schemes more than 25 years old should be studied in details to bring out the status of schemes in respect of structural safety and performance and ERM schemes may be formulated and taken up based on such studies

9 Drip sprinklers are mostly for horticulture vegetable crops (and surgarcane) in the present major and medium surface irrigation system These may be encouraged for other crops also Any compulsion for a particular cropping pattern needs to be removed whenever WUAs are formed amp volumetric water rates come into practice Use of sprinkler or drips or rotational surface supplies requires additional on farm storage (either as dug out ponds or elevatged storage with pump) This becomes essential since supply rotates are 10 daily or fortnightly whereas drips amp sprinkler require daily or 1 in 2 days operation Such storage creation needs to be within the ambit of subsidies for drips and sprinklers

10 As automation is a costly affair it is to be adopted for pilot schemes and not for larger area However preferably this should be introduced for conjunctive use of ground water and not always for surface water

The group has also recommended the concept of Target Efficiency of the water delivery system timely and equitable distribution ohvater increasing production per unit area and per unit volume of water used and financial sustainability of the water delivery infrastructure

46 Bridging the gap between the Potential created and potential utilised

There may be various reasons for increase in the gap between potential creation and potential utilized Some ofthese are

a likely over estimation and double counting of potential creation and inaccuracies discrepancies in reporting of potential utilized

b Loss of potential due to siltation in reservoirs ponds etc and deterioration of water distribution system

c Time gap between potential creation and command area development

d Assumption of optimistic cropping pattern in economic analysis and deviation in cropping pattern as compared to that envisaged during planning

e Over-drawl of water in head reaches depriving potential utilization by tail enders

f Unused canal flow during night hours

29

l

It is desirable to introduce more reliable and accurate system of assessment for potential created and utilized There should be a coordinating statistical organization in each State for reporting the figures of potential created and utilized The Remote Sensing Technique can also be effectively utilized for counter verification of figures reported The loss in potential due to siltation ageing of various distribution systems etc needs to be periodically assessed and accounted

The productivity of irrigated crop as assumed in economic analysis often seem to be optimistic and are not based on experience of nearby irrigation projects Use of water for irrigation and selection of crops have been left to the discretion of users farmers The adverse consequences of such freedom have been manifested as water logging in some commands Somewhere overexploitation of ground -vater has been leading to progressive fall in ground water level It is therefore necessary that a regulatory mechanism is brought into practice by which undesirable or unsuitable crops are discouraged and tendency to over use of irrigation water is c~ecked Similarly in areas where ground water is being used for irrigation a regulatory mechanism should be in place to deter over exploitation of ground water beyond allOvable limit

Sometimes apprehension of scarcity of water and non availability of water when needed also lead to over withdrawal by head end users Since extra tion of ground water is costly farmers tend to take water more than their requirements when that is available through canals Higher cost of ground water is primarily because of cost of power required for lifting of water In case source of solar power is created for lifting of water the cost of ground water will get substantially reduced This may facilitate and give farmers option to use surface water and ground water thom any extra cost Once this option is available and known to farmers that they are aware that use of more water than the optimal requirement is likely to reduce the yield certainly there would be reductionin

overdraw of water by head enders Thus there is a need to extend u~er friendly system and increase awareness and cooperation among farmers through Participatory Irrigation Management Water Users Associatiortsneed to be empowered to look into these aspects Further the piped distribution system and micro irrigation should be adopted as far as possible

In India night imgation is not practiced in general As a result waters flowing in canals during night hours either pass unutilized or wasted on account of uncontrolled flooding It is desirable that the night irrigation is introduced in policy and practice

47 Flood Management

In regard to flood management the strategies recommended are given here under

(a) Undertake construction of dams and reservoir schemes with adequate flood cushion for long term solution of flood problems Efforts should also be made for utilizing the existing reservoirs in the country for flood moderation to the extent

30

possible Even in Reservoirs constructed for power other purposes the rule curves may be framed in such way that effective flood moderation is achieved

(b) Flood Forecasting and flood warning network of ewe be extended and integrated with similar networks of the state governments so as to get real time information at a central point say in central flood control room under FMO ewe This activity should be extended to cover rivers originating from or flowing to the neighbouring countries

( c) To take up development of digital elevation model of flood prone areas for taking up schemes for inundation forecast preparation of flood risk maps planning of flood management schemes etc

(d) Identification of appropriate location for breaching spiling sections in the flood embankment for the controlled flooding of the protected areas for restoring fertility recharge of soil moisture and ground water

( e) Integrating flood management schemes with other infrastructural development programmes in the sectors of roads railways inland waterways and canal command area development works as well as recently declared Rural Employment Guarantee Programme

(f) Watershed management in the hilly catchmentgs of the rivers ongmating in Nepal Bhutan and hilly areas of India should be selectively chosen and funded fully Implementation should be done through a joint mechanism Ministry of Agriculture who is the nodal Ministry for the watershed management works should work out a detailed program in consultation with the Ministry of Water Resources

(g) To give adequate emphasis on the operation and maintenance (OampM) of the flood protection measures already created a percentage of outlay of the flood sector should be earmarked for this purpose

(h) Raising and strengthening of the existing embankments if required after detailed studies of hydrological morphological topographical and developmental aspects to stabilize the benefits of these measures

(i) Natural swamps and lakes to be developed into detention basins and capacity of existing depressions be improved for absorbing flood waters Special drives for development of Tal and Diara areas

G) Erosion of land either by sea or rivers to be minimized through suitable cost effective measures

(k) Flood proofing program such as raised platform and quick drainage facilities to be taken up in a)l the flood prone states

31

(1) Drainage improvement in critical areas in the country to be given priority

(m) Dredging at selective locations ie outfalls etc in the rivers and the tributaries as a way to reduce flood levels in low-lying areas and help in quick drainage

(n) Encourage RampD activities for improved flood management

(0) To encourage peoples participation

(p) To expedite projects peaks

on interlinking of rivers for helping in attenuating flood

(q) Steps to ensure implementation of action plan prepared by NDMA for flood management should be taken

(r) On-going schemes of earlier plans be completed expeditiously All the on going schemes spilling over to the XI Plan in which at least 50 execution has taken place should get first priority on fund allocation during the XI Plan

(s) The cost for flood component in a multi-purpose water resources development projects as a long-term solution to flood problem should be funded by Government of India

(t) Maintenance of existing flood management works to optimize its benefits

32

48 Achievement in irrigation during the two years of the Bharat Nirman Plan

The statewise achievement in two years ending on September 2006 is given below It shows that 2183776 thousand hectare has been added to the irrigation potential A daunting task still left to be achieved in coming two years

thF19ures are III ousand h ec ares t

I

i rOo

rarget bull Major amp Aebievements upSI No

States UrsName MinorMedium Total to September

Irrigation Irrigation 2006 r i

1 Andhra Pradesh 44127 112523 156649 302065

2 Arunachal Pradesh 00 2239 2239 4 777 3 Assam 303 4275 7306 3314

4 Bihar 41399 12858 169979 279451 5 Chhattisgarh 4435 14668 19103 65661

6 Goa 2442 26 2702 1224 7 Gujarat 94573 00 945 73 255224

8 Haryana 3373 241 5783 33301 9 Himachal Pradesh 3091 4691 7788 8842

10 lharkhand 8122 25314 33436 15 701 11 Jammu amp Kashmir 1801 9254 11055 14847

12 Karnataka 26282 124 38682 11131 13 Kerala 1609 2168 3777 15856

14 Madhya Pradesh 61172 162 77372 8138 15 Maharashtra 465 31 35651 82181 9313

16 Manipur 5195 155 6745 0 17 Meghalaya 00 1493 1493 2073

18 Mizoram 00 1096 1096 0628 19 Nagaland 00 1612 1612 259

20 Orissa 19899 13295 33194 3266 21 Punjab 4034 2056 609 68755

22 Rajasthan 37974 401 41984 26459 23 Sikkim 00 703 703 08

24 Tamil Nadu 00 2355 23 55 16461 25 Tripura 2689 5429 8118 6327 26 Uttar Pradesh 82516 15208 977 24 464 372 27 Uttranchal 00 3829 3829 34 967

28 West Bengal 13567 56384 69951 346

29 Andman amp Nicobar Island 00 033 033 0

30 Pondicherry 00 275 275 0 ~-

Total 2183766507867 479958 987826

I

L 33

------------------~------

The achievements are up to March 2006 only The progressachievement of 2006-07 was under compilationscrutiny in ewe at the time of preparation of this document

The figures for states ofKerala and Rajasthan pertain to the achievement of whole year 2006-07 and for the State of Uttar Pradesh the achievement is up to December2006

49 Conclusions

Water sector development encompasses multidisciplinary considerations There is no scope of overlooking any sector while giving priority to any sector or sectors The integrated planning is the only possible way to tackle the water resources development The participatory approach is the key for its sustainability Bharat middot Nirman Plan of Government of India by setting up goals for the period of four years is a boost to the already existing schemes in different ministries Irrigation and public water supply is the basic components of development have been rightly considered in the Bharat Nirman Plan The ambitious project has already traveled through a span of two years and has achieved some part of the goals The balance part has to be done with equal fervor The recent modification in AlBP norms is the evidence of the governmental zeal in achieving the goals For the continuance of the food sufficiency the irrigation development is the feasible quick solution The component of Irrigation in Bharat Nirman is thus a huge help for the required development in the water sector

34

Page 16: ROLE OF WRD&M IN BHARAT NIRMAN DURING WRD 2007

important in promoting food production but more often that not we ignore the power requirement for operating the pumps for lifting ground water In fact in the recent times one of the most debated issues have been providing free power to the farmers proving the importance of availability of cheap power to the agricultural community

24 Flood Control and Drought Mitigation

It wont be an overstatement to acknowledge the benefit offered by those large projects by providing the required cushion against the raging floods An estimation of the past 100 years will invariably indicate the astronomical damages that were inflicted on our country by the floods Even in the 21 st cenfliry after so much advancement we are often rendered helpless to the fury of floods particularly in the North-East where the protection upto the desired level is yet to be materialized Even then all the projects mentioned above like the Hirakud Bhakra-Nangal Ukai-Kakrapar Nagarjunasagar had given immense relief to the people of their command area by not only restricting the financial losses but at times even saving the loss of lives

The greatest inexplicable paradox of this countrys water resources scenario has been the co-existence of droughts and floods and the beauty of the large projects is that they have the capability to handle both the situations simultaneously and thus ironing out the erratic climatic behavior to a large extent The excess monsoon received in a particular year is being used by these projects to wonderful effect in another year facing paucity of rainfall

14

CHAPTER III

Bharat Nirman Plan (2005-2009)

Government of India in partnership with State Governments and Panchayat Raj Institutions has launched Bharat Nirman programme as a time-bound business plan for action in rural infrastructure for the span of four years (2005-2009) Under Bharat Nirman Plan action is proposed in the areas of irrigation road rural housing rural water supply rural electrification and rural telecommunication connectivity Specific targets are set to be achieved under each of these goals so that there is accountability in the progress of this initiative The goals in different sectors are as under

31 IClectricity

Goal Every village to be provided electricity remaining 125000 villages to be covered by 2009

The Ministry of Power has the responsibility of providing electricity to the remaining 125000 villages through the programme instrument of Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana In addition it will also provide 23 million households with electricity As per the Census of 2001 125000 villages remained uncovered To be able to achieve this objective Rural Electricity Distribution Backbone with at least a 33111 KV sub-station would be set up in each block at least one Distribution TransfOlmer in each habitation of every village or hamlet as Village Electrification Infrastructure Standshyalone grid with generation where grid supply is not feasible These Stand-alone grids would be set up in partnership with the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy also

Rural Electrification Corporation would be the agency for implementation The Mcmagement of Rural Distribution will be fioanchisees that could be Users Associations individual entrepreneurs Cooperatives Non-Governmental Organizations Panchayat Institutions Services of Central Services undertakings like National Them1al Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POClL) National Hydro Electric Power Corporation Limited (NHPC) and Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) will be made available for the execution of rural electrification projects These CPSUs have been allocated districts in each state wherein they will implement the rural electrification network

90 capital subsidy will be provided for overall cost of the projects under the scheme The capital subsidy for eligible projects under the scheme will be through the Rural Electrification Corporation Limited which will be the nodal agency Electrification of unelectrified below-poverty-line households will be financed with 100 capital subsidy at Rs1500 per connection in all rural habitations Others will be paying for the connections at prescribed connection charges and no subsidy will be made availableFor creation of village eIectrification infrastructure first priority will be given to unshy

15

electrified villages Preference for electrification will be given to Dalit Bastis Tribal settlements and habitations of weaker sections

32 Roads

Goal Every habitation over 1000 population andabove (500 in hilly and tribal areas) to be provided an all-weather road remaining 66802 habitations to be covered by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development has the responsibility of ensuring that every habitation over 1000 population and every habitation with more than 500 in hilly and tribal areas is connected with an all-weather road by 2009 This is expected to generate multiplier effects in the rural economy of linking production to markets and services This work which is being undertaken under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana since 2000 has been modified to address the above goals within the stipulated timeshyframeTo achieve the targets of Bharat Nirman 146185 Kms road length is proposed to be constructed by 2009 This will benefit 66802 unconnected eligible habitations in the country To ensure full farm-to-market connectivity it is also proposed to upgrade 194132 kms of the existing Associated Through Routes

A district and rural roads plan has been prepared listing out complete network of all roads in the district that has village roads major district roads state roads and national highways The concept of core network has been operationalised to focus on those set of roads which are considered essential to provid~ connectivity to all habitations of the desired size The Core Network is the basic in$trumentality for prioritization of construction and allocation of funds for maintenance Action has been initiated to develop GIS-based applications to further enhance the utility of the Core Network

The programme is implemented through a framework of consultation with public representatives ranging from the panchayat level up to Parlian1ent A Rural Roads Manual guides the implementation of the programme A separate Book of Specification and a Standard Data Book have been prepared As per this standard bidding documents are to be adopted by the states For MIS there is a computerized Online Management and Monitoring Accounting System

Approximately Rs48000 crores is proposed to be invested to achieve this objective 100 of the funds of this programme is being provided by the Central Government

33 Drinking Water

Goal Every habitation to have a safe source of drinking water 55067 uncovered habitations to be covered by 2009 In addition all habitations which have slipped back from full coverage to partial coverage due to failure of source and habitations which have water quality problems to be addressed

16

The Ministry of Rural Development Department of Drinking Water Supply is responsible for meeting this goal in partnership with State Governments The programme instrument of the Govemment of India is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme under implementation since 1972-73 which is funded on a 50 matching share basis between the Government of India and the State Government Since 1972 over 37 lakh hand pumps and l5 lakh pipe water supply systems have been set up to provide safe water to over 15 lakh habitations in the country at a cost of over Rs 50000 crore The norms which are fixed to achieve the goal are - 40 litres per capita per day (lpcd) of safe drinking water for human beings - 30 Ipcd additional for cattle in the Desert Development Programme Areas - One hand pump or stand post for every 250 persons - The water source should exist within 16 km in the plains and within 100 metres

elevation in the hilly areas

The backlog for coverage is under estimation based on a habitation survey for the categories of uncovered villages slipped- back villages and villages affected with a problem of water quality 55067 villages remain uncovered and are targeted for coverage as first priority The category of slipped-back villages estimated by the Planning Commission at the beginning of the Tenth Plan as 28 lakh habitations These are so on account of a number of factors like - Sources going dry or lowering of the ground water table - Sources becoming quality affected - Systems outliving their lives - Systems working below rated capacity due to poor operation and maintenance - Increase in population resulting in lower per capita availability - Emergence of new habitations According to the data received from State Governments based on a survey undertaken in 2000216968 habitations are affected due to a variety of water quality problems consists of excess fluoride 31306 excess arsenic 5029 excess salinity23495 excess iron118088 excess nitrate 13958 and multiple quality problems 25092

The Govemment of India has decided that under Bharat Nirman names of habitations would have to be provided by State Governments for availing funds from Government of India This would give maximum transparency to the programme State Governments would be required to place the habitations proposed for coverage and covered on this site in course of time

The scheme is funded on a 50 basis by the Gol and expenditure ofRsA050 crores is expected for the current year The actual requirement will be worked out based on the names of habitations supplied by the states and funded

34 Telephone

Goal Every village to be connected by telephone remaining 66822 villagesto be covered by November 2007

17

The Department of Telecom in the Ministry of Communications and Infonnation Technology has the responsibility of providing telephone cOlmectivity to the 66822 villages that remain to be covered

The resources for implementation of universal services obligation are raised through a Universal Service Levy which has presently been fixed at 5 of the adjusted gross revenue of all telecom service providers except the pure value added service providers like internet voice mail e-mail service providers The rules also make a provision for the Central Government to give grants and loans to the Fund The balance to the credit of the Fund does not lapse at the end of the financial year usa Fund assigns the task of providing Village Public Telephones (VPTs) on the basis of bids through open tender and in this case the work has been assigned to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd Out of the 66822 villages identified connectivity in 14183 remote and far-flung villages will be provided through digital satellite phone tenninals From the USOF assistance is provided for both capital expenditure as well as operational expenditure It is estimated that a total sum of Rs451 crore would be required to provide VPTs in these 66822 villages and the entire sum will be met out of USOF and no separate allocation from Government would be required

As an additional incentives telecom service providers are being assisted through the USOF to penetrate into the rural areas for the following activities - Maintenance of existing village public telephones (VPTs) - Provision of an additional mral community phone in villages with a population of more

than two thousand and where no public call office exists - Replacement of village public telephones installed on Multi Access Radio Relay

(MARR) technology - Telephone lines installed in household in specified rural areas

Rural teledensity will be significantly enhanced during the period of Bharat Nirman

The Government is committed to expanding mral connectivity through a slew of measures so that rural users can access information of value and transact business This will include cOlmecting block headquarters with fibre optic network using wireless technology to achieve last mile connectivity and operating information kiosks through a partnership of citizens panchayats civil society organizations the private sector and Government

35 Irrigation

Goal J 0 million hectares (J 00 lakhs) of additional irrigation capacity to be created by 2009

The Ministry of Water Resources in collaboration with State Governments is responsible for creation of additional 10 million hectares of irrigation capacity by the year 2009 through major medium and minor irrigation projects complemented by ground water development

18

The ultimate irrigation potential for the country has been estimated as 140 million hectare (Mba) which include potential through Major and Medium irrigation projects (5846 Mha) surface water based minor irrigation schemes (1754 Mha) and ground water development (6400 Mha) So far the irrigation potential of 10277 Mha has already been created However the created potential has not been fully utilized and the gap between created and utilized potential has been estimated to be of the order of 17 Mha

351 Major and Medium Irrigation (MMI) Proj ects

For the country as a whole 66 of the ultimate irrigationpotential of major and medium projects has been created 477 Major and Medium irrigation projects have spilled over to Xl In addition the States have proposed 223 Major and Medium projects and 86 ERM projects during XI Plan An outlay of Rs 30670 crore has been provided for the new proj ects in the XI Plan

So far 173 major and medium 4169 minor and 21 Extension Renovation and Modernization (ERM) projects have been provided Central Loan Assistance under Accelerated Irrigation benefit Programme (AIBP) The potential creation through projects supported under AIBP has been found to be 035 Mha per year with about 047 Mha per year in the last two years As per existing Plan the projected creation of irrigation potential through AIBP is 050 Mba per year in the remaining period of X Five Year Plan

The average rate of creation of irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects from 1951 to 1997 has been found to be of the order of 051 Mha per year During the year 1997 to 2005 the rate for creati n has been found to be 092 Mah per year The pace of creation of new irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects has increased in the recent past This is due to fruition of projects started much earlier which have been expedited due to increased support through AIBP

The projects for extension renovation and modernization (ERM) of major and medium irrigation schemes are also being implemented with arrangement similar to that for completion of ongoing major and medium schemes The implementation of ERM projects along with Command Area Development and Water Management (CAD and WM) help in sustaining the created facilities and in improving the utilization

35 2 Minor Irrigatioll Schemes

There is considerable variation in creation of ilTIgation potential through minor irrigation (both surface and ground water) schemes from State to State While full potential through minor irrigation has been tapped in some of the States it is relatively very low in others

19

Minor irrigation through surface water covers water sources (tanks and small reservoirs) with a culturable command area (CCA) of less than 2000 ha About 70 of the ultimate potential through surface water based minor irrigation schemes has since been created The Report of the National Commission for Integrated Water Resources Development points out that the carrying capacity of tanks has decreased over time for a variety of reasons and that the restoration and renovation of tanks and other local sources is a priority task

Since 2004-05 a pilot scheme for repair renovation and restoration of water bodies directly linked to agriculture has been taken up by the Government as a state-sector scheme in the 16 districts of the country which is proposed to be expanded

353 Ground Water Development

From the surveys conducted for estimation of availability and status of ground water the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has identified areas that are over-exploited (where exploitation is more than natural recharge of ground water) and areas that are critical or dark (where draft is between 70 to 100 of the natural recharge ofground water) The recent survey indicates that out of 7414 identified units (blockstalukaswatershed) 471 are Overexploited and 318 are Critical or Dark units Thus less than 11 of the total units fall under the category of over-exploited and critical The ultimate irrigation potential to be created is based on the assessed replenishable groundwater after duly accounting for the domestic and industrial uses (about 10) It has been assessed that ground water is still available for utilization in many parts of the country particularly in the eastern parts of the country Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and in specific pockets of Andhra Pradesh Kamataka Maharashtra and Jammu amp Kashmir In Punjab Haryana Rajasthan Gujarat and Tamil Nadu the rechargeable quantum of ground water has been exceeded and mining of static reserves has commenced This reinforces the need to take urgent steps to increase recharge and conservation

354 Targets under Bharat Nirman

Sl No Component Target I Completion of ongoing Major amp medium Irrigation

Projects 42Mha

II Minor irrigation schemes bull Surface water 10 Mha bull Ground Water 18 Mha

10Mha l8Mha

28Mha

III Enhancing utilization of completed projects bull ERM of major amp medium projects bull Repair renovation and restoration of water bodiesERM of minor irrigation schemes

lOMha 10Mha

20Mha

IV Ground water development in area with unutilized ground water potential (for benefit of small and marginal farmers and Tribals amp Dalits) -

lOMba

20

Creation of potential of 1 Mha through ground water development in areas with unutilized ground water potential would primarily benefit small and marginal farmers who are mostly tribals dalits and weaker sections of society The scheme envisages full involvement of Panchayati Raj Institutions in implementation of the schemes

36 Housing

Goal 60 lakh houses to be constructed for the rural poor by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development through the IndiraAwaas Yojana undertakes this activity as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme where the cost is shared between the Centre and States on 7525 basis

The 2001 Census places the rural housing shortage figure ~n India at around 1491akhs Construction of 60 lakh houses over the next four years across the country is envisaged starting from 2005-06 to address a significant portion of this backlog

The criteria adopted for allocation of financial resources between the StatesUTs give greater emphasis to the states with higher incidence or shelterlessness 75 weightage is given to housing shortage and 25 to the poverty ratios prescribed by the Planning Commission for State-level allocations For district-level allocations 75 weightage is given again to housing shortage and 25 to SCST population of the districts concerned Grant assistance is provided to the extent of Rs 25000 per house for normal middot areas and Rs 27500 for hilly areas Funds are released to the DRDAs in two installments

Implementation guidelines of the scheme specifically target the rural below poverty line (BPL) households The respective Gram Sabha does the selection of beneficiaries from the BPL list and no higher approval is required The guidelines also clearlY Specify that the house allotment should be in the name of the female member of the family as a first priority While seeking to empower the rural women the scheme also provides priority to physically and mentally challenged persons exservicemen widows and freed bonded labourers It is stipulated that at least 60 of the beneficiaries should belong to the SCST communities TheIAY scheme also lays emphasis on sanitation and health by incorporating the cost of a sanitary latrine and smokeless chulah into the per unit grant provided to the beneficiary for constructionlupgradation of the dwelling unit

21

CHAPTER IV

WATER SECTOR ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN BHARAT NIRMAN PLAN

Water resource is a vital input in the development endeavours of the country Its finite availability and ever increasing demand in every sector have aggravated the problem manifold in case of India The requirement of faster development in irrigation water supply industrial use flood protection is evident assuming the future scenario Bharat Nirman Plan has rightly stressed on the irrigation and water supply where as the other sectors requirement is to be redressed with equal priority for the sustainable development of India

The water sector is grappled with the following Issues

Irrigation development Command area development amp Catchment area treatment Creation of storages Conunctive use of surface and ground water Efficiency improvement in distribution system Bridging the gap between irrigation potential created and potential utilised Flood Management

41 Irrigation Development

In India with the constitution of the Planning commission in 1950 and the advent of planning process in the first five year plan (1951-56) the country launched a major irrigation programme A number of multipurpose and major projects such as Bhakra Nangal Nagarjunasagar Kosi Chambal Hirakund Kakrapar and Tungbhadra were taken up Simultaneously minor irrigation schemes including ground water were given emphasis under the Agricultural Sector along with financial assistance from the Centre

During the period of Second Five Year Plan (1956-61) Third Five Year Plan (1961-66) and the Three Annual Plans (1966-69) irrigation programmes continued with addition of new projects During the Fourth Five Year Plan (1969-74) the emphasis was shifted to the completion of ongoing projects integrated use of surface and ground water adoption of efficient management techniques and modernization of existing schemes However new projects continued to be added

During the fifth Plan (1974-79) command Area Development Programme Was launched as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with the objective of reducing the lag between potential created and optimum utilization of available land and water Initially 60 major and medium proj ects were covered with a CCA of 15 Mha

22

During the Annual Plans of 1978-80 and the Sixth Five Year Plan ( 1980-85) new starts continued and at the end of Seventh Plan there were as many as 182 major and 312 medium ongoing proj ects requiring an estimated amount of Rs 39044 crore at the 1990shy91 price level for their completion New starts were therefore restricted considerably and greater emphasis was laid on completion of projects which were in the advanced stages of completion (those with an expenditure of 75 per cent or more) This was continued during 1990-91 and 1991-92 Annual Plans VIII Plan (1992-97) and IX Plan (1997 -2000)

For speedy completion of ongoing projects in advance stage of construction Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) was launched in 1996-97 During VIII Plan period irrigation potential of 22 Mha was created under major and medium sector at an annual rate of 044 Mha per annum During IX plan period this increased to 412 Mha out of which 165 Mha (nearly 40) was through AIBP Renovation Modernisation and Rehabilitation of old irrigation schemes gained momentum Users participation in major and medium irrigation schemes received greater attention Repairs and improvemen to the minor irrigation projects as a part of integrated micro-development also received encouragement Similarly sprinkler and drip irrigation programmes and the conjunctive use of surface and ground water gained momentum The project completed along with minor irrigation and ground water development have created an estimated potential of about 10277 Mha by the end of the X Plan

Although plan expenditure on irrigation has increased from Rs44l 8 crore in the 1st Plan to Rs 9574342 crore (outlay) in the X plan the share in total plan expenditure has decreased from 23 in the 1st Plan to 63 in the X Plan

The created irrigation potential increased from 226 Mha (97 Mha through major amp medium and 129 Mha through minor irrigation) in preplan period to 102Mha (4235 Mha through major and medium and 6042 1Tha through minor including ground water schemes) upto the end of X Plan with an annual average growth of 14 Mha In the corresponding period the potential utilistion has been from 226 Mha period to 8100 Mha

411 Central Assistance under AIBP

During IX Plan period irrigation potential of 165 Mha was created through AIBP at an average rate of 033 Mha per annum During the first three years of X plan the potential creation in major and medium irrigation sector through AIBP is around 14 Mha 047 Mha per annum In spite of rationalizing completion schedule of projects under AIBP several projects are lying behind schedule It is desirable to work out realistic time frame and cost to completion for projects to be considered under AIBP It is pertinent to mention that the spirit of the programme ie completion of last mile projects should not get diluted in the enthusiasm of inclusion of large number of projects under this programme As reported by the state governments but of total 200 projects presently under AIBP 95 projects would be completed by the end of X plan

23

The Central Assistance under AIBP as loan and grant provided up to March 2006 is Rs 1943790 crore out of which Rs 1883010 crore has been provided in Major and Medium irrigation sector

Impact ofAIBP

Plan Potential Created (Mha) Contribution of AIBP(Mha) IX 410 165 ( 402) X 530 300 ( 566)

Keeping an eye over the future requirement the Working Group on Water Resources for the XI Five Year Plan has brought out several suggestions in order to expedite completion of the projects which is very very essential Some other issues relating irrigation sector were also addressed in addition to this The strategies adopted for XI Plan proposal are swnmarized as below

1 Ongoing projects which have already achieved 90 or more of the ultimate potential should be considered as completed~ Critically review all such projects which are having only marginal benefit left or are near impossible to complete because of various problems and declare them completed or curtailed or deleted The balance cost of the remaining projects should be updated realistically for consideration under XI plan

2 Inter-Se priority should be decided considering various aspects such as externally aided proj ects interstate proj ects proj ects benefiting drought prone or tribal areas etc as per the guidelines prepared by National Commission for integrated Water Resources Development Plan

3 High priority should be accorded to the Pre-seventh and Seventh Plan Projects for funding under AIBP with emphasis to complete these projects during XI Plan List of such projects is appended as Annex31 Fund allocation under AIBP should be enhanced for this purpose ifnecessary

4 Foremost priority should be given for completion of ongoing projects and new projects should be taken up very selectively keeping in view the necessity for removal of regional imbalances and development of drought prone and tribal areas

5 Since the fund requirement for mediumminor irrigation projects are less adequate fund may be made available for completion of these projects without jeopardizing programme for important major projects ERM Projects should be given due priority where the eroded potential can be restored with ~oderate expenditure

24

6 A separate budget head upto 15 of Plan fund may be provided as Irrigation Maintenance Fund (IMF) and full amount of irrigation revenue as collectged should be credited to IMF

7 In addition to liabilities of completed projects and provision for ongoing and new projects the State plan proposals should incorporate provisions for special repairs of existing irrigation systems dam safety measures improved water management and water development aspect encompassing survey and investigation research and development training and National Hydrology Project

8 Substantial higher outlay should be provided in Central Plan to bring out effective role in plan activities of the Central Institutions by way of suitably strengthening them and provide adequate funds for taking new initiatives under Central Plan

9 The existing regionalstate level institutions such as W ALMIs should be strengthened and brought into mainstream activities for irrigation management improvement

10 Dam safety measures should be taken up all over country which is very essential in the context of disaster Prevention and Management

11 The performance evaluation of completed projects needs to be continued for benchmarking and improvement in irrigation efficiency

In addition to above recommendations on Minor Irrigation Sector are gIven as follows

1 Renovation Restoration of old tanks as well as old diversion channels in hilly regions along with improving efficiency of the projects Besides surface lift schemes may also be given due consideration particularly in hilly regions for irrigating high terraces

2 Expansion of irrigation facilities through a time bound programme for exploiting the huge ground water potential in the Eastern Region

3 Promotion of Micro Irrigation system in Water deficit areas 4 Promotion of Ground Water Development in areas haaving untapped unutilized

potential 5 National rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) may be linked with minor

irrigation Ground Water Development 6 A comprehensive act for regulation and development of ground water on

sustainable basis both in public and private sector

42 Command Area Development

In respect of command area development works for performance improvement-of the projects the working group has recommended the following recommendations for consideration

25

(a) Central funding for CAD works may be enhanced from present level of 5050 to 7525 for all the States while for states of North eastern Region and Hilly Special Category States the funding may be 90 from Government of India For software activities like trainings adaptive trials demonstrations monitoring and evaluation etc 100 Central funding may be considered in place of the existing pattern of 75 25 between the Centre and the States Funds can be directly given to W ALMIs and other State Central agencies for carrying out such activities

(b) It is proposed to increase the functional grant from Rs 600 per ha to Rs 1000 per ha which is to be shared in the ratio ofRs 675225100 between the centre State and the farmers while keeping all cost norms unchanged The State Governments may also be allowed to raise fund for its share through institutional funding or public borrowings through bonds on the pattern of Krishna Bhagya Nigam of Karnataka Government

(c) As per the existing system of release of Central Assistance the funds are transferred to the pool of State Finance Department which in tum releases funds to the implementing departments This procedure is not amenable for timely availability of the funds to the CADAs Therefore direct funding to CADAs from the Ministry in a mission mode can be considered to alleviate this problem For instance the Ministry of rural Development has a system of direct release of Central share of funds to the District Rural Development Authorities (DRDA) Jilla Parishads for implementing the schemes of the Central Ministry

(d) To ensure optimum utilization of created irrigation potential the CADWM should be made a part of the new major and medium projects

(e) Formation of WUAs under PTh1 Act is mandatory for implementation of CADWM programme Transition time of 2 years (upto the end of financial year 2008-09) may be allowed to those States which have not enact~d their PIM Acts so far Further relaxation may be only be allowed with the approval of CCEA

(f) WUAs should be involved in planning budgeting implementation and management of irrigation systems to be transferred to them There is a need to enforce a regime whereby farmers pay the water rates to meet the OampM expenditure rates Conditions of reforms should be imposed before handing over the projects to WUAs

(g) Volumetric supply of irrigation water to WUAs should be introduced

(h) Reputed NGOs with requisite skills may be involved for promotion of WUAs Rehabilitation of Canal Systems and Water Management for at least 2-3 years The estimated expenditure of Rs 600-800 per ha on account of this may be provided by the central government in the form of grant

(i) Autonomy of WUAs should be maintained in regard to Water Management However there may be linkages with Panchayati Raj Institutions through cross representation It may be considered to provide support to W ALMIs Agriculture Universities and reputed NGOs for improved water management at micro level It may also be considered to provide incentives for activities ofWUAs

26

(j) The WUAs should include women members from the land owning holding house holds in the Command Area irrespective of their ownership of the land

(k) Periodic evaluation of CAD Projects should be undertaken and suitable corrective measures may be taken if necessary

(1) Components for reclamation of waterlogged areas as well as correction of conveyance deficiencies with enhanced scope may be implemented to cover all the projects in the country details of which could be approved in consultation with expert organizations such as CWC CSSRI CGWB etc

(m) Water Resources Irrigation Departments need to undertake assessment periodically (at least once in 5 years) to determine the training needs at different levels of personnel deployed in water resources development and management Facilities available for capacity building are to be considered instead of establishing new training centres There has to be networking of existing training facilities so that training will be effective and economical It is desirable to have a separate scheme for training and capacity building for State Governments as well as central Government

43 Creation of Storage

Creation of storages is of prime importance in order to avoid severe domestic crisis on water issues As per the estimates given in the working group report there is a need of approximately live storage of around 450 km3

Major amp Medium Projects (Existing) -213 KJ13

Major amp Medium Projects (Under construction) -76 KM3 Minor Storages (Existing amp Under construction) -70 KM3 Total Live Storages in projects existing and under construction - 359 Km3

Likely loss in Live storage due to sedimentation upto 2050 which has to be compensated for -53 Km3 (say) Balance available live storage from the above in 2050 - 306 Km3 say 300 Km3

Therefore further new live storage to be created to have a live storage of 450 Km3 by 2050 is 150Km3

For creation the needed storage in addition to the present way of envisaging attention has to be paid to changing popUlation dynamics changing pattern of human settlements climatic change causing change in pattern of spatial and temporal variation in rainfall deterioration in water quality etc

44 Conjunctive Use of surface and ground water

Conjunctive use of surface and ground water can address the situation in two ways by decreasing the dependence on a single source and the quality of the available waterThis will reduce the chance of desalination as well Working group has suggested for the conjunctive use of middotgood quality water and saline seawater which will be helpful in reducing the cost of water requirement for irrigation

27

45 Efficiency improvement in the distribution system as well as in field

Deficiencies of the irrigated agriculture in India have been a cause of concern and a huge amount of thinking and analysis ha been done to devise ways and means to improve it The Working Group has recommended some important recommendations in this matter

1 Standardized definitions of irrigation efficiencies need to be evolved for use in India after reviewing available material All water resources of a basin form a unified resource and hence the basin efficiency concept which integrates all surface water and ground water uses as well as reuse and recirculation is important The basin efficiency also needs to be estimated along with project related efficiencies

2 Conjunctive use of water to be given higher priority particularly in alluvial areas as a very effective means of improving water use amp basin efficiency and of saving possible water logging and salination For givin an encouragement to conjunctive use irrigation Act may be amended if req ired The policy of favoring selective lining of canals should be continued LD ater allowances and somewhat inadequate conveyance capacities lead to be r efficiencies and less water loggingrelated problems These need to be encouraged

3 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Water Csers Associations (WUAs) should include a standard clause which binds the users to effective conjunctive use of surface and ground water On rising of gro nd water table the MOW should allow the department to cut the surface water supply

4 Where there are minor irrigation tanks minor urface lifts etc middotin the command these should be integrated with major project works and not be treated as separate entity Such tanks should be filled with cfulals water as per requirement Also such works will allow reuse of the seeped wateT

5 Each major irrigation system authorities should annually prepare the water budget accruing for all water stored or diverted all losses all reuse of lost waters estimated evaporation etc

6 Sufficient funds for operation and maintenance work to be provided Creation of Irrigation Maintenance Corporation as provided in the irrigation management policy is considered so that a linkage between revenues from water and OampM funds is established Water rates may accordingly be increased in a phased manner

7 Priority may be assigned toERM schemes for projects where water distribution systems are to be handed over to WUAs Where total ERM scheme is not contemplated one time maintenance deferred maintenance of a project may be allowed as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance of a project may be allowed

28

as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance budget to be decided in consultation with the farmers and walk through survey to assess what is appropriate and achievable within the available fund

8 All the schemes more than 25 years old should be studied in details to bring out the status of schemes in respect of structural safety and performance and ERM schemes may be formulated and taken up based on such studies

9 Drip sprinklers are mostly for horticulture vegetable crops (and surgarcane) in the present major and medium surface irrigation system These may be encouraged for other crops also Any compulsion for a particular cropping pattern needs to be removed whenever WUAs are formed amp volumetric water rates come into practice Use of sprinkler or drips or rotational surface supplies requires additional on farm storage (either as dug out ponds or elevatged storage with pump) This becomes essential since supply rotates are 10 daily or fortnightly whereas drips amp sprinkler require daily or 1 in 2 days operation Such storage creation needs to be within the ambit of subsidies for drips and sprinklers

10 As automation is a costly affair it is to be adopted for pilot schemes and not for larger area However preferably this should be introduced for conjunctive use of ground water and not always for surface water

The group has also recommended the concept of Target Efficiency of the water delivery system timely and equitable distribution ohvater increasing production per unit area and per unit volume of water used and financial sustainability of the water delivery infrastructure

46 Bridging the gap between the Potential created and potential utilised

There may be various reasons for increase in the gap between potential creation and potential utilized Some ofthese are

a likely over estimation and double counting of potential creation and inaccuracies discrepancies in reporting of potential utilized

b Loss of potential due to siltation in reservoirs ponds etc and deterioration of water distribution system

c Time gap between potential creation and command area development

d Assumption of optimistic cropping pattern in economic analysis and deviation in cropping pattern as compared to that envisaged during planning

e Over-drawl of water in head reaches depriving potential utilization by tail enders

f Unused canal flow during night hours

29

l

It is desirable to introduce more reliable and accurate system of assessment for potential created and utilized There should be a coordinating statistical organization in each State for reporting the figures of potential created and utilized The Remote Sensing Technique can also be effectively utilized for counter verification of figures reported The loss in potential due to siltation ageing of various distribution systems etc needs to be periodically assessed and accounted

The productivity of irrigated crop as assumed in economic analysis often seem to be optimistic and are not based on experience of nearby irrigation projects Use of water for irrigation and selection of crops have been left to the discretion of users farmers The adverse consequences of such freedom have been manifested as water logging in some commands Somewhere overexploitation of ground -vater has been leading to progressive fall in ground water level It is therefore necessary that a regulatory mechanism is brought into practice by which undesirable or unsuitable crops are discouraged and tendency to over use of irrigation water is c~ecked Similarly in areas where ground water is being used for irrigation a regulatory mechanism should be in place to deter over exploitation of ground water beyond allOvable limit

Sometimes apprehension of scarcity of water and non availability of water when needed also lead to over withdrawal by head end users Since extra tion of ground water is costly farmers tend to take water more than their requirements when that is available through canals Higher cost of ground water is primarily because of cost of power required for lifting of water In case source of solar power is created for lifting of water the cost of ground water will get substantially reduced This may facilitate and give farmers option to use surface water and ground water thom any extra cost Once this option is available and known to farmers that they are aware that use of more water than the optimal requirement is likely to reduce the yield certainly there would be reductionin

overdraw of water by head enders Thus there is a need to extend u~er friendly system and increase awareness and cooperation among farmers through Participatory Irrigation Management Water Users Associatiortsneed to be empowered to look into these aspects Further the piped distribution system and micro irrigation should be adopted as far as possible

In India night imgation is not practiced in general As a result waters flowing in canals during night hours either pass unutilized or wasted on account of uncontrolled flooding It is desirable that the night irrigation is introduced in policy and practice

47 Flood Management

In regard to flood management the strategies recommended are given here under

(a) Undertake construction of dams and reservoir schemes with adequate flood cushion for long term solution of flood problems Efforts should also be made for utilizing the existing reservoirs in the country for flood moderation to the extent

30

possible Even in Reservoirs constructed for power other purposes the rule curves may be framed in such way that effective flood moderation is achieved

(b) Flood Forecasting and flood warning network of ewe be extended and integrated with similar networks of the state governments so as to get real time information at a central point say in central flood control room under FMO ewe This activity should be extended to cover rivers originating from or flowing to the neighbouring countries

( c) To take up development of digital elevation model of flood prone areas for taking up schemes for inundation forecast preparation of flood risk maps planning of flood management schemes etc

(d) Identification of appropriate location for breaching spiling sections in the flood embankment for the controlled flooding of the protected areas for restoring fertility recharge of soil moisture and ground water

( e) Integrating flood management schemes with other infrastructural development programmes in the sectors of roads railways inland waterways and canal command area development works as well as recently declared Rural Employment Guarantee Programme

(f) Watershed management in the hilly catchmentgs of the rivers ongmating in Nepal Bhutan and hilly areas of India should be selectively chosen and funded fully Implementation should be done through a joint mechanism Ministry of Agriculture who is the nodal Ministry for the watershed management works should work out a detailed program in consultation with the Ministry of Water Resources

(g) To give adequate emphasis on the operation and maintenance (OampM) of the flood protection measures already created a percentage of outlay of the flood sector should be earmarked for this purpose

(h) Raising and strengthening of the existing embankments if required after detailed studies of hydrological morphological topographical and developmental aspects to stabilize the benefits of these measures

(i) Natural swamps and lakes to be developed into detention basins and capacity of existing depressions be improved for absorbing flood waters Special drives for development of Tal and Diara areas

G) Erosion of land either by sea or rivers to be minimized through suitable cost effective measures

(k) Flood proofing program such as raised platform and quick drainage facilities to be taken up in a)l the flood prone states

31

(1) Drainage improvement in critical areas in the country to be given priority

(m) Dredging at selective locations ie outfalls etc in the rivers and the tributaries as a way to reduce flood levels in low-lying areas and help in quick drainage

(n) Encourage RampD activities for improved flood management

(0) To encourage peoples participation

(p) To expedite projects peaks

on interlinking of rivers for helping in attenuating flood

(q) Steps to ensure implementation of action plan prepared by NDMA for flood management should be taken

(r) On-going schemes of earlier plans be completed expeditiously All the on going schemes spilling over to the XI Plan in which at least 50 execution has taken place should get first priority on fund allocation during the XI Plan

(s) The cost for flood component in a multi-purpose water resources development projects as a long-term solution to flood problem should be funded by Government of India

(t) Maintenance of existing flood management works to optimize its benefits

32

48 Achievement in irrigation during the two years of the Bharat Nirman Plan

The statewise achievement in two years ending on September 2006 is given below It shows that 2183776 thousand hectare has been added to the irrigation potential A daunting task still left to be achieved in coming two years

thF19ures are III ousand h ec ares t

I

i rOo

rarget bull Major amp Aebievements upSI No

States UrsName MinorMedium Total to September

Irrigation Irrigation 2006 r i

1 Andhra Pradesh 44127 112523 156649 302065

2 Arunachal Pradesh 00 2239 2239 4 777 3 Assam 303 4275 7306 3314

4 Bihar 41399 12858 169979 279451 5 Chhattisgarh 4435 14668 19103 65661

6 Goa 2442 26 2702 1224 7 Gujarat 94573 00 945 73 255224

8 Haryana 3373 241 5783 33301 9 Himachal Pradesh 3091 4691 7788 8842

10 lharkhand 8122 25314 33436 15 701 11 Jammu amp Kashmir 1801 9254 11055 14847

12 Karnataka 26282 124 38682 11131 13 Kerala 1609 2168 3777 15856

14 Madhya Pradesh 61172 162 77372 8138 15 Maharashtra 465 31 35651 82181 9313

16 Manipur 5195 155 6745 0 17 Meghalaya 00 1493 1493 2073

18 Mizoram 00 1096 1096 0628 19 Nagaland 00 1612 1612 259

20 Orissa 19899 13295 33194 3266 21 Punjab 4034 2056 609 68755

22 Rajasthan 37974 401 41984 26459 23 Sikkim 00 703 703 08

24 Tamil Nadu 00 2355 23 55 16461 25 Tripura 2689 5429 8118 6327 26 Uttar Pradesh 82516 15208 977 24 464 372 27 Uttranchal 00 3829 3829 34 967

28 West Bengal 13567 56384 69951 346

29 Andman amp Nicobar Island 00 033 033 0

30 Pondicherry 00 275 275 0 ~-

Total 2183766507867 479958 987826

I

L 33

------------------~------

The achievements are up to March 2006 only The progressachievement of 2006-07 was under compilationscrutiny in ewe at the time of preparation of this document

The figures for states ofKerala and Rajasthan pertain to the achievement of whole year 2006-07 and for the State of Uttar Pradesh the achievement is up to December2006

49 Conclusions

Water sector development encompasses multidisciplinary considerations There is no scope of overlooking any sector while giving priority to any sector or sectors The integrated planning is the only possible way to tackle the water resources development The participatory approach is the key for its sustainability Bharat middot Nirman Plan of Government of India by setting up goals for the period of four years is a boost to the already existing schemes in different ministries Irrigation and public water supply is the basic components of development have been rightly considered in the Bharat Nirman Plan The ambitious project has already traveled through a span of two years and has achieved some part of the goals The balance part has to be done with equal fervor The recent modification in AlBP norms is the evidence of the governmental zeal in achieving the goals For the continuance of the food sufficiency the irrigation development is the feasible quick solution The component of Irrigation in Bharat Nirman is thus a huge help for the required development in the water sector

34

Page 17: ROLE OF WRD&M IN BHARAT NIRMAN DURING WRD 2007

CHAPTER III

Bharat Nirman Plan (2005-2009)

Government of India in partnership with State Governments and Panchayat Raj Institutions has launched Bharat Nirman programme as a time-bound business plan for action in rural infrastructure for the span of four years (2005-2009) Under Bharat Nirman Plan action is proposed in the areas of irrigation road rural housing rural water supply rural electrification and rural telecommunication connectivity Specific targets are set to be achieved under each of these goals so that there is accountability in the progress of this initiative The goals in different sectors are as under

31 IClectricity

Goal Every village to be provided electricity remaining 125000 villages to be covered by 2009

The Ministry of Power has the responsibility of providing electricity to the remaining 125000 villages through the programme instrument of Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana In addition it will also provide 23 million households with electricity As per the Census of 2001 125000 villages remained uncovered To be able to achieve this objective Rural Electricity Distribution Backbone with at least a 33111 KV sub-station would be set up in each block at least one Distribution TransfOlmer in each habitation of every village or hamlet as Village Electrification Infrastructure Standshyalone grid with generation where grid supply is not feasible These Stand-alone grids would be set up in partnership with the Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy also

Rural Electrification Corporation would be the agency for implementation The Mcmagement of Rural Distribution will be fioanchisees that could be Users Associations individual entrepreneurs Cooperatives Non-Governmental Organizations Panchayat Institutions Services of Central Services undertakings like National Them1al Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POClL) National Hydro Electric Power Corporation Limited (NHPC) and Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) will be made available for the execution of rural electrification projects These CPSUs have been allocated districts in each state wherein they will implement the rural electrification network

90 capital subsidy will be provided for overall cost of the projects under the scheme The capital subsidy for eligible projects under the scheme will be through the Rural Electrification Corporation Limited which will be the nodal agency Electrification of unelectrified below-poverty-line households will be financed with 100 capital subsidy at Rs1500 per connection in all rural habitations Others will be paying for the connections at prescribed connection charges and no subsidy will be made availableFor creation of village eIectrification infrastructure first priority will be given to unshy

15

electrified villages Preference for electrification will be given to Dalit Bastis Tribal settlements and habitations of weaker sections

32 Roads

Goal Every habitation over 1000 population andabove (500 in hilly and tribal areas) to be provided an all-weather road remaining 66802 habitations to be covered by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development has the responsibility of ensuring that every habitation over 1000 population and every habitation with more than 500 in hilly and tribal areas is connected with an all-weather road by 2009 This is expected to generate multiplier effects in the rural economy of linking production to markets and services This work which is being undertaken under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana since 2000 has been modified to address the above goals within the stipulated timeshyframeTo achieve the targets of Bharat Nirman 146185 Kms road length is proposed to be constructed by 2009 This will benefit 66802 unconnected eligible habitations in the country To ensure full farm-to-market connectivity it is also proposed to upgrade 194132 kms of the existing Associated Through Routes

A district and rural roads plan has been prepared listing out complete network of all roads in the district that has village roads major district roads state roads and national highways The concept of core network has been operationalised to focus on those set of roads which are considered essential to provid~ connectivity to all habitations of the desired size The Core Network is the basic in$trumentality for prioritization of construction and allocation of funds for maintenance Action has been initiated to develop GIS-based applications to further enhance the utility of the Core Network

The programme is implemented through a framework of consultation with public representatives ranging from the panchayat level up to Parlian1ent A Rural Roads Manual guides the implementation of the programme A separate Book of Specification and a Standard Data Book have been prepared As per this standard bidding documents are to be adopted by the states For MIS there is a computerized Online Management and Monitoring Accounting System

Approximately Rs48000 crores is proposed to be invested to achieve this objective 100 of the funds of this programme is being provided by the Central Government

33 Drinking Water

Goal Every habitation to have a safe source of drinking water 55067 uncovered habitations to be covered by 2009 In addition all habitations which have slipped back from full coverage to partial coverage due to failure of source and habitations which have water quality problems to be addressed

16

The Ministry of Rural Development Department of Drinking Water Supply is responsible for meeting this goal in partnership with State Governments The programme instrument of the Govemment of India is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme under implementation since 1972-73 which is funded on a 50 matching share basis between the Government of India and the State Government Since 1972 over 37 lakh hand pumps and l5 lakh pipe water supply systems have been set up to provide safe water to over 15 lakh habitations in the country at a cost of over Rs 50000 crore The norms which are fixed to achieve the goal are - 40 litres per capita per day (lpcd) of safe drinking water for human beings - 30 Ipcd additional for cattle in the Desert Development Programme Areas - One hand pump or stand post for every 250 persons - The water source should exist within 16 km in the plains and within 100 metres

elevation in the hilly areas

The backlog for coverage is under estimation based on a habitation survey for the categories of uncovered villages slipped- back villages and villages affected with a problem of water quality 55067 villages remain uncovered and are targeted for coverage as first priority The category of slipped-back villages estimated by the Planning Commission at the beginning of the Tenth Plan as 28 lakh habitations These are so on account of a number of factors like - Sources going dry or lowering of the ground water table - Sources becoming quality affected - Systems outliving their lives - Systems working below rated capacity due to poor operation and maintenance - Increase in population resulting in lower per capita availability - Emergence of new habitations According to the data received from State Governments based on a survey undertaken in 2000216968 habitations are affected due to a variety of water quality problems consists of excess fluoride 31306 excess arsenic 5029 excess salinity23495 excess iron118088 excess nitrate 13958 and multiple quality problems 25092

The Govemment of India has decided that under Bharat Nirman names of habitations would have to be provided by State Governments for availing funds from Government of India This would give maximum transparency to the programme State Governments would be required to place the habitations proposed for coverage and covered on this site in course of time

The scheme is funded on a 50 basis by the Gol and expenditure ofRsA050 crores is expected for the current year The actual requirement will be worked out based on the names of habitations supplied by the states and funded

34 Telephone

Goal Every village to be connected by telephone remaining 66822 villagesto be covered by November 2007

17

The Department of Telecom in the Ministry of Communications and Infonnation Technology has the responsibility of providing telephone cOlmectivity to the 66822 villages that remain to be covered

The resources for implementation of universal services obligation are raised through a Universal Service Levy which has presently been fixed at 5 of the adjusted gross revenue of all telecom service providers except the pure value added service providers like internet voice mail e-mail service providers The rules also make a provision for the Central Government to give grants and loans to the Fund The balance to the credit of the Fund does not lapse at the end of the financial year usa Fund assigns the task of providing Village Public Telephones (VPTs) on the basis of bids through open tender and in this case the work has been assigned to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd Out of the 66822 villages identified connectivity in 14183 remote and far-flung villages will be provided through digital satellite phone tenninals From the USOF assistance is provided for both capital expenditure as well as operational expenditure It is estimated that a total sum of Rs451 crore would be required to provide VPTs in these 66822 villages and the entire sum will be met out of USOF and no separate allocation from Government would be required

As an additional incentives telecom service providers are being assisted through the USOF to penetrate into the rural areas for the following activities - Maintenance of existing village public telephones (VPTs) - Provision of an additional mral community phone in villages with a population of more

than two thousand and where no public call office exists - Replacement of village public telephones installed on Multi Access Radio Relay

(MARR) technology - Telephone lines installed in household in specified rural areas

Rural teledensity will be significantly enhanced during the period of Bharat Nirman

The Government is committed to expanding mral connectivity through a slew of measures so that rural users can access information of value and transact business This will include cOlmecting block headquarters with fibre optic network using wireless technology to achieve last mile connectivity and operating information kiosks through a partnership of citizens panchayats civil society organizations the private sector and Government

35 Irrigation

Goal J 0 million hectares (J 00 lakhs) of additional irrigation capacity to be created by 2009

The Ministry of Water Resources in collaboration with State Governments is responsible for creation of additional 10 million hectares of irrigation capacity by the year 2009 through major medium and minor irrigation projects complemented by ground water development

18

The ultimate irrigation potential for the country has been estimated as 140 million hectare (Mba) which include potential through Major and Medium irrigation projects (5846 Mha) surface water based minor irrigation schemes (1754 Mha) and ground water development (6400 Mha) So far the irrigation potential of 10277 Mha has already been created However the created potential has not been fully utilized and the gap between created and utilized potential has been estimated to be of the order of 17 Mha

351 Major and Medium Irrigation (MMI) Proj ects

For the country as a whole 66 of the ultimate irrigationpotential of major and medium projects has been created 477 Major and Medium irrigation projects have spilled over to Xl In addition the States have proposed 223 Major and Medium projects and 86 ERM projects during XI Plan An outlay of Rs 30670 crore has been provided for the new proj ects in the XI Plan

So far 173 major and medium 4169 minor and 21 Extension Renovation and Modernization (ERM) projects have been provided Central Loan Assistance under Accelerated Irrigation benefit Programme (AIBP) The potential creation through projects supported under AIBP has been found to be 035 Mha per year with about 047 Mha per year in the last two years As per existing Plan the projected creation of irrigation potential through AIBP is 050 Mba per year in the remaining period of X Five Year Plan

The average rate of creation of irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects from 1951 to 1997 has been found to be of the order of 051 Mha per year During the year 1997 to 2005 the rate for creati n has been found to be 092 Mah per year The pace of creation of new irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects has increased in the recent past This is due to fruition of projects started much earlier which have been expedited due to increased support through AIBP

The projects for extension renovation and modernization (ERM) of major and medium irrigation schemes are also being implemented with arrangement similar to that for completion of ongoing major and medium schemes The implementation of ERM projects along with Command Area Development and Water Management (CAD and WM) help in sustaining the created facilities and in improving the utilization

35 2 Minor Irrigatioll Schemes

There is considerable variation in creation of ilTIgation potential through minor irrigation (both surface and ground water) schemes from State to State While full potential through minor irrigation has been tapped in some of the States it is relatively very low in others

19

Minor irrigation through surface water covers water sources (tanks and small reservoirs) with a culturable command area (CCA) of less than 2000 ha About 70 of the ultimate potential through surface water based minor irrigation schemes has since been created The Report of the National Commission for Integrated Water Resources Development points out that the carrying capacity of tanks has decreased over time for a variety of reasons and that the restoration and renovation of tanks and other local sources is a priority task

Since 2004-05 a pilot scheme for repair renovation and restoration of water bodies directly linked to agriculture has been taken up by the Government as a state-sector scheme in the 16 districts of the country which is proposed to be expanded

353 Ground Water Development

From the surveys conducted for estimation of availability and status of ground water the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has identified areas that are over-exploited (where exploitation is more than natural recharge of ground water) and areas that are critical or dark (where draft is between 70 to 100 of the natural recharge ofground water) The recent survey indicates that out of 7414 identified units (blockstalukaswatershed) 471 are Overexploited and 318 are Critical or Dark units Thus less than 11 of the total units fall under the category of over-exploited and critical The ultimate irrigation potential to be created is based on the assessed replenishable groundwater after duly accounting for the domestic and industrial uses (about 10) It has been assessed that ground water is still available for utilization in many parts of the country particularly in the eastern parts of the country Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and in specific pockets of Andhra Pradesh Kamataka Maharashtra and Jammu amp Kashmir In Punjab Haryana Rajasthan Gujarat and Tamil Nadu the rechargeable quantum of ground water has been exceeded and mining of static reserves has commenced This reinforces the need to take urgent steps to increase recharge and conservation

354 Targets under Bharat Nirman

Sl No Component Target I Completion of ongoing Major amp medium Irrigation

Projects 42Mha

II Minor irrigation schemes bull Surface water 10 Mha bull Ground Water 18 Mha

10Mha l8Mha

28Mha

III Enhancing utilization of completed projects bull ERM of major amp medium projects bull Repair renovation and restoration of water bodiesERM of minor irrigation schemes

lOMha 10Mha

20Mha

IV Ground water development in area with unutilized ground water potential (for benefit of small and marginal farmers and Tribals amp Dalits) -

lOMba

20

Creation of potential of 1 Mha through ground water development in areas with unutilized ground water potential would primarily benefit small and marginal farmers who are mostly tribals dalits and weaker sections of society The scheme envisages full involvement of Panchayati Raj Institutions in implementation of the schemes

36 Housing

Goal 60 lakh houses to be constructed for the rural poor by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development through the IndiraAwaas Yojana undertakes this activity as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme where the cost is shared between the Centre and States on 7525 basis

The 2001 Census places the rural housing shortage figure ~n India at around 1491akhs Construction of 60 lakh houses over the next four years across the country is envisaged starting from 2005-06 to address a significant portion of this backlog

The criteria adopted for allocation of financial resources between the StatesUTs give greater emphasis to the states with higher incidence or shelterlessness 75 weightage is given to housing shortage and 25 to the poverty ratios prescribed by the Planning Commission for State-level allocations For district-level allocations 75 weightage is given again to housing shortage and 25 to SCST population of the districts concerned Grant assistance is provided to the extent of Rs 25000 per house for normal middot areas and Rs 27500 for hilly areas Funds are released to the DRDAs in two installments

Implementation guidelines of the scheme specifically target the rural below poverty line (BPL) households The respective Gram Sabha does the selection of beneficiaries from the BPL list and no higher approval is required The guidelines also clearlY Specify that the house allotment should be in the name of the female member of the family as a first priority While seeking to empower the rural women the scheme also provides priority to physically and mentally challenged persons exservicemen widows and freed bonded labourers It is stipulated that at least 60 of the beneficiaries should belong to the SCST communities TheIAY scheme also lays emphasis on sanitation and health by incorporating the cost of a sanitary latrine and smokeless chulah into the per unit grant provided to the beneficiary for constructionlupgradation of the dwelling unit

21

CHAPTER IV

WATER SECTOR ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN BHARAT NIRMAN PLAN

Water resource is a vital input in the development endeavours of the country Its finite availability and ever increasing demand in every sector have aggravated the problem manifold in case of India The requirement of faster development in irrigation water supply industrial use flood protection is evident assuming the future scenario Bharat Nirman Plan has rightly stressed on the irrigation and water supply where as the other sectors requirement is to be redressed with equal priority for the sustainable development of India

The water sector is grappled with the following Issues

Irrigation development Command area development amp Catchment area treatment Creation of storages Conunctive use of surface and ground water Efficiency improvement in distribution system Bridging the gap between irrigation potential created and potential utilised Flood Management

41 Irrigation Development

In India with the constitution of the Planning commission in 1950 and the advent of planning process in the first five year plan (1951-56) the country launched a major irrigation programme A number of multipurpose and major projects such as Bhakra Nangal Nagarjunasagar Kosi Chambal Hirakund Kakrapar and Tungbhadra were taken up Simultaneously minor irrigation schemes including ground water were given emphasis under the Agricultural Sector along with financial assistance from the Centre

During the period of Second Five Year Plan (1956-61) Third Five Year Plan (1961-66) and the Three Annual Plans (1966-69) irrigation programmes continued with addition of new projects During the Fourth Five Year Plan (1969-74) the emphasis was shifted to the completion of ongoing projects integrated use of surface and ground water adoption of efficient management techniques and modernization of existing schemes However new projects continued to be added

During the fifth Plan (1974-79) command Area Development Programme Was launched as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with the objective of reducing the lag between potential created and optimum utilization of available land and water Initially 60 major and medium proj ects were covered with a CCA of 15 Mha

22

During the Annual Plans of 1978-80 and the Sixth Five Year Plan ( 1980-85) new starts continued and at the end of Seventh Plan there were as many as 182 major and 312 medium ongoing proj ects requiring an estimated amount of Rs 39044 crore at the 1990shy91 price level for their completion New starts were therefore restricted considerably and greater emphasis was laid on completion of projects which were in the advanced stages of completion (those with an expenditure of 75 per cent or more) This was continued during 1990-91 and 1991-92 Annual Plans VIII Plan (1992-97) and IX Plan (1997 -2000)

For speedy completion of ongoing projects in advance stage of construction Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) was launched in 1996-97 During VIII Plan period irrigation potential of 22 Mha was created under major and medium sector at an annual rate of 044 Mha per annum During IX plan period this increased to 412 Mha out of which 165 Mha (nearly 40) was through AIBP Renovation Modernisation and Rehabilitation of old irrigation schemes gained momentum Users participation in major and medium irrigation schemes received greater attention Repairs and improvemen to the minor irrigation projects as a part of integrated micro-development also received encouragement Similarly sprinkler and drip irrigation programmes and the conjunctive use of surface and ground water gained momentum The project completed along with minor irrigation and ground water development have created an estimated potential of about 10277 Mha by the end of the X Plan

Although plan expenditure on irrigation has increased from Rs44l 8 crore in the 1st Plan to Rs 9574342 crore (outlay) in the X plan the share in total plan expenditure has decreased from 23 in the 1st Plan to 63 in the X Plan

The created irrigation potential increased from 226 Mha (97 Mha through major amp medium and 129 Mha through minor irrigation) in preplan period to 102Mha (4235 Mha through major and medium and 6042 1Tha through minor including ground water schemes) upto the end of X Plan with an annual average growth of 14 Mha In the corresponding period the potential utilistion has been from 226 Mha period to 8100 Mha

411 Central Assistance under AIBP

During IX Plan period irrigation potential of 165 Mha was created through AIBP at an average rate of 033 Mha per annum During the first three years of X plan the potential creation in major and medium irrigation sector through AIBP is around 14 Mha 047 Mha per annum In spite of rationalizing completion schedule of projects under AIBP several projects are lying behind schedule It is desirable to work out realistic time frame and cost to completion for projects to be considered under AIBP It is pertinent to mention that the spirit of the programme ie completion of last mile projects should not get diluted in the enthusiasm of inclusion of large number of projects under this programme As reported by the state governments but of total 200 projects presently under AIBP 95 projects would be completed by the end of X plan

23

The Central Assistance under AIBP as loan and grant provided up to March 2006 is Rs 1943790 crore out of which Rs 1883010 crore has been provided in Major and Medium irrigation sector

Impact ofAIBP

Plan Potential Created (Mha) Contribution of AIBP(Mha) IX 410 165 ( 402) X 530 300 ( 566)

Keeping an eye over the future requirement the Working Group on Water Resources for the XI Five Year Plan has brought out several suggestions in order to expedite completion of the projects which is very very essential Some other issues relating irrigation sector were also addressed in addition to this The strategies adopted for XI Plan proposal are swnmarized as below

1 Ongoing projects which have already achieved 90 or more of the ultimate potential should be considered as completed~ Critically review all such projects which are having only marginal benefit left or are near impossible to complete because of various problems and declare them completed or curtailed or deleted The balance cost of the remaining projects should be updated realistically for consideration under XI plan

2 Inter-Se priority should be decided considering various aspects such as externally aided proj ects interstate proj ects proj ects benefiting drought prone or tribal areas etc as per the guidelines prepared by National Commission for integrated Water Resources Development Plan

3 High priority should be accorded to the Pre-seventh and Seventh Plan Projects for funding under AIBP with emphasis to complete these projects during XI Plan List of such projects is appended as Annex31 Fund allocation under AIBP should be enhanced for this purpose ifnecessary

4 Foremost priority should be given for completion of ongoing projects and new projects should be taken up very selectively keeping in view the necessity for removal of regional imbalances and development of drought prone and tribal areas

5 Since the fund requirement for mediumminor irrigation projects are less adequate fund may be made available for completion of these projects without jeopardizing programme for important major projects ERM Projects should be given due priority where the eroded potential can be restored with ~oderate expenditure

24

6 A separate budget head upto 15 of Plan fund may be provided as Irrigation Maintenance Fund (IMF) and full amount of irrigation revenue as collectged should be credited to IMF

7 In addition to liabilities of completed projects and provision for ongoing and new projects the State plan proposals should incorporate provisions for special repairs of existing irrigation systems dam safety measures improved water management and water development aspect encompassing survey and investigation research and development training and National Hydrology Project

8 Substantial higher outlay should be provided in Central Plan to bring out effective role in plan activities of the Central Institutions by way of suitably strengthening them and provide adequate funds for taking new initiatives under Central Plan

9 The existing regionalstate level institutions such as W ALMIs should be strengthened and brought into mainstream activities for irrigation management improvement

10 Dam safety measures should be taken up all over country which is very essential in the context of disaster Prevention and Management

11 The performance evaluation of completed projects needs to be continued for benchmarking and improvement in irrigation efficiency

In addition to above recommendations on Minor Irrigation Sector are gIven as follows

1 Renovation Restoration of old tanks as well as old diversion channels in hilly regions along with improving efficiency of the projects Besides surface lift schemes may also be given due consideration particularly in hilly regions for irrigating high terraces

2 Expansion of irrigation facilities through a time bound programme for exploiting the huge ground water potential in the Eastern Region

3 Promotion of Micro Irrigation system in Water deficit areas 4 Promotion of Ground Water Development in areas haaving untapped unutilized

potential 5 National rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) may be linked with minor

irrigation Ground Water Development 6 A comprehensive act for regulation and development of ground water on

sustainable basis both in public and private sector

42 Command Area Development

In respect of command area development works for performance improvement-of the projects the working group has recommended the following recommendations for consideration

25

(a) Central funding for CAD works may be enhanced from present level of 5050 to 7525 for all the States while for states of North eastern Region and Hilly Special Category States the funding may be 90 from Government of India For software activities like trainings adaptive trials demonstrations monitoring and evaluation etc 100 Central funding may be considered in place of the existing pattern of 75 25 between the Centre and the States Funds can be directly given to W ALMIs and other State Central agencies for carrying out such activities

(b) It is proposed to increase the functional grant from Rs 600 per ha to Rs 1000 per ha which is to be shared in the ratio ofRs 675225100 between the centre State and the farmers while keeping all cost norms unchanged The State Governments may also be allowed to raise fund for its share through institutional funding or public borrowings through bonds on the pattern of Krishna Bhagya Nigam of Karnataka Government

(c) As per the existing system of release of Central Assistance the funds are transferred to the pool of State Finance Department which in tum releases funds to the implementing departments This procedure is not amenable for timely availability of the funds to the CADAs Therefore direct funding to CADAs from the Ministry in a mission mode can be considered to alleviate this problem For instance the Ministry of rural Development has a system of direct release of Central share of funds to the District Rural Development Authorities (DRDA) Jilla Parishads for implementing the schemes of the Central Ministry

(d) To ensure optimum utilization of created irrigation potential the CADWM should be made a part of the new major and medium projects

(e) Formation of WUAs under PTh1 Act is mandatory for implementation of CADWM programme Transition time of 2 years (upto the end of financial year 2008-09) may be allowed to those States which have not enact~d their PIM Acts so far Further relaxation may be only be allowed with the approval of CCEA

(f) WUAs should be involved in planning budgeting implementation and management of irrigation systems to be transferred to them There is a need to enforce a regime whereby farmers pay the water rates to meet the OampM expenditure rates Conditions of reforms should be imposed before handing over the projects to WUAs

(g) Volumetric supply of irrigation water to WUAs should be introduced

(h) Reputed NGOs with requisite skills may be involved for promotion of WUAs Rehabilitation of Canal Systems and Water Management for at least 2-3 years The estimated expenditure of Rs 600-800 per ha on account of this may be provided by the central government in the form of grant

(i) Autonomy of WUAs should be maintained in regard to Water Management However there may be linkages with Panchayati Raj Institutions through cross representation It may be considered to provide support to W ALMIs Agriculture Universities and reputed NGOs for improved water management at micro level It may also be considered to provide incentives for activities ofWUAs

26

(j) The WUAs should include women members from the land owning holding house holds in the Command Area irrespective of their ownership of the land

(k) Periodic evaluation of CAD Projects should be undertaken and suitable corrective measures may be taken if necessary

(1) Components for reclamation of waterlogged areas as well as correction of conveyance deficiencies with enhanced scope may be implemented to cover all the projects in the country details of which could be approved in consultation with expert organizations such as CWC CSSRI CGWB etc

(m) Water Resources Irrigation Departments need to undertake assessment periodically (at least once in 5 years) to determine the training needs at different levels of personnel deployed in water resources development and management Facilities available for capacity building are to be considered instead of establishing new training centres There has to be networking of existing training facilities so that training will be effective and economical It is desirable to have a separate scheme for training and capacity building for State Governments as well as central Government

43 Creation of Storage

Creation of storages is of prime importance in order to avoid severe domestic crisis on water issues As per the estimates given in the working group report there is a need of approximately live storage of around 450 km3

Major amp Medium Projects (Existing) -213 KJ13

Major amp Medium Projects (Under construction) -76 KM3 Minor Storages (Existing amp Under construction) -70 KM3 Total Live Storages in projects existing and under construction - 359 Km3

Likely loss in Live storage due to sedimentation upto 2050 which has to be compensated for -53 Km3 (say) Balance available live storage from the above in 2050 - 306 Km3 say 300 Km3

Therefore further new live storage to be created to have a live storage of 450 Km3 by 2050 is 150Km3

For creation the needed storage in addition to the present way of envisaging attention has to be paid to changing popUlation dynamics changing pattern of human settlements climatic change causing change in pattern of spatial and temporal variation in rainfall deterioration in water quality etc

44 Conjunctive Use of surface and ground water

Conjunctive use of surface and ground water can address the situation in two ways by decreasing the dependence on a single source and the quality of the available waterThis will reduce the chance of desalination as well Working group has suggested for the conjunctive use of middotgood quality water and saline seawater which will be helpful in reducing the cost of water requirement for irrigation

27

45 Efficiency improvement in the distribution system as well as in field

Deficiencies of the irrigated agriculture in India have been a cause of concern and a huge amount of thinking and analysis ha been done to devise ways and means to improve it The Working Group has recommended some important recommendations in this matter

1 Standardized definitions of irrigation efficiencies need to be evolved for use in India after reviewing available material All water resources of a basin form a unified resource and hence the basin efficiency concept which integrates all surface water and ground water uses as well as reuse and recirculation is important The basin efficiency also needs to be estimated along with project related efficiencies

2 Conjunctive use of water to be given higher priority particularly in alluvial areas as a very effective means of improving water use amp basin efficiency and of saving possible water logging and salination For givin an encouragement to conjunctive use irrigation Act may be amended if req ired The policy of favoring selective lining of canals should be continued LD ater allowances and somewhat inadequate conveyance capacities lead to be r efficiencies and less water loggingrelated problems These need to be encouraged

3 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Water Csers Associations (WUAs) should include a standard clause which binds the users to effective conjunctive use of surface and ground water On rising of gro nd water table the MOW should allow the department to cut the surface water supply

4 Where there are minor irrigation tanks minor urface lifts etc middotin the command these should be integrated with major project works and not be treated as separate entity Such tanks should be filled with cfulals water as per requirement Also such works will allow reuse of the seeped wateT

5 Each major irrigation system authorities should annually prepare the water budget accruing for all water stored or diverted all losses all reuse of lost waters estimated evaporation etc

6 Sufficient funds for operation and maintenance work to be provided Creation of Irrigation Maintenance Corporation as provided in the irrigation management policy is considered so that a linkage between revenues from water and OampM funds is established Water rates may accordingly be increased in a phased manner

7 Priority may be assigned toERM schemes for projects where water distribution systems are to be handed over to WUAs Where total ERM scheme is not contemplated one time maintenance deferred maintenance of a project may be allowed as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance of a project may be allowed

28

as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance budget to be decided in consultation with the farmers and walk through survey to assess what is appropriate and achievable within the available fund

8 All the schemes more than 25 years old should be studied in details to bring out the status of schemes in respect of structural safety and performance and ERM schemes may be formulated and taken up based on such studies

9 Drip sprinklers are mostly for horticulture vegetable crops (and surgarcane) in the present major and medium surface irrigation system These may be encouraged for other crops also Any compulsion for a particular cropping pattern needs to be removed whenever WUAs are formed amp volumetric water rates come into practice Use of sprinkler or drips or rotational surface supplies requires additional on farm storage (either as dug out ponds or elevatged storage with pump) This becomes essential since supply rotates are 10 daily or fortnightly whereas drips amp sprinkler require daily or 1 in 2 days operation Such storage creation needs to be within the ambit of subsidies for drips and sprinklers

10 As automation is a costly affair it is to be adopted for pilot schemes and not for larger area However preferably this should be introduced for conjunctive use of ground water and not always for surface water

The group has also recommended the concept of Target Efficiency of the water delivery system timely and equitable distribution ohvater increasing production per unit area and per unit volume of water used and financial sustainability of the water delivery infrastructure

46 Bridging the gap between the Potential created and potential utilised

There may be various reasons for increase in the gap between potential creation and potential utilized Some ofthese are

a likely over estimation and double counting of potential creation and inaccuracies discrepancies in reporting of potential utilized

b Loss of potential due to siltation in reservoirs ponds etc and deterioration of water distribution system

c Time gap between potential creation and command area development

d Assumption of optimistic cropping pattern in economic analysis and deviation in cropping pattern as compared to that envisaged during planning

e Over-drawl of water in head reaches depriving potential utilization by tail enders

f Unused canal flow during night hours

29

l

It is desirable to introduce more reliable and accurate system of assessment for potential created and utilized There should be a coordinating statistical organization in each State for reporting the figures of potential created and utilized The Remote Sensing Technique can also be effectively utilized for counter verification of figures reported The loss in potential due to siltation ageing of various distribution systems etc needs to be periodically assessed and accounted

The productivity of irrigated crop as assumed in economic analysis often seem to be optimistic and are not based on experience of nearby irrigation projects Use of water for irrigation and selection of crops have been left to the discretion of users farmers The adverse consequences of such freedom have been manifested as water logging in some commands Somewhere overexploitation of ground -vater has been leading to progressive fall in ground water level It is therefore necessary that a regulatory mechanism is brought into practice by which undesirable or unsuitable crops are discouraged and tendency to over use of irrigation water is c~ecked Similarly in areas where ground water is being used for irrigation a regulatory mechanism should be in place to deter over exploitation of ground water beyond allOvable limit

Sometimes apprehension of scarcity of water and non availability of water when needed also lead to over withdrawal by head end users Since extra tion of ground water is costly farmers tend to take water more than their requirements when that is available through canals Higher cost of ground water is primarily because of cost of power required for lifting of water In case source of solar power is created for lifting of water the cost of ground water will get substantially reduced This may facilitate and give farmers option to use surface water and ground water thom any extra cost Once this option is available and known to farmers that they are aware that use of more water than the optimal requirement is likely to reduce the yield certainly there would be reductionin

overdraw of water by head enders Thus there is a need to extend u~er friendly system and increase awareness and cooperation among farmers through Participatory Irrigation Management Water Users Associatiortsneed to be empowered to look into these aspects Further the piped distribution system and micro irrigation should be adopted as far as possible

In India night imgation is not practiced in general As a result waters flowing in canals during night hours either pass unutilized or wasted on account of uncontrolled flooding It is desirable that the night irrigation is introduced in policy and practice

47 Flood Management

In regard to flood management the strategies recommended are given here under

(a) Undertake construction of dams and reservoir schemes with adequate flood cushion for long term solution of flood problems Efforts should also be made for utilizing the existing reservoirs in the country for flood moderation to the extent

30

possible Even in Reservoirs constructed for power other purposes the rule curves may be framed in such way that effective flood moderation is achieved

(b) Flood Forecasting and flood warning network of ewe be extended and integrated with similar networks of the state governments so as to get real time information at a central point say in central flood control room under FMO ewe This activity should be extended to cover rivers originating from or flowing to the neighbouring countries

( c) To take up development of digital elevation model of flood prone areas for taking up schemes for inundation forecast preparation of flood risk maps planning of flood management schemes etc

(d) Identification of appropriate location for breaching spiling sections in the flood embankment for the controlled flooding of the protected areas for restoring fertility recharge of soil moisture and ground water

( e) Integrating flood management schemes with other infrastructural development programmes in the sectors of roads railways inland waterways and canal command area development works as well as recently declared Rural Employment Guarantee Programme

(f) Watershed management in the hilly catchmentgs of the rivers ongmating in Nepal Bhutan and hilly areas of India should be selectively chosen and funded fully Implementation should be done through a joint mechanism Ministry of Agriculture who is the nodal Ministry for the watershed management works should work out a detailed program in consultation with the Ministry of Water Resources

(g) To give adequate emphasis on the operation and maintenance (OampM) of the flood protection measures already created a percentage of outlay of the flood sector should be earmarked for this purpose

(h) Raising and strengthening of the existing embankments if required after detailed studies of hydrological morphological topographical and developmental aspects to stabilize the benefits of these measures

(i) Natural swamps and lakes to be developed into detention basins and capacity of existing depressions be improved for absorbing flood waters Special drives for development of Tal and Diara areas

G) Erosion of land either by sea or rivers to be minimized through suitable cost effective measures

(k) Flood proofing program such as raised platform and quick drainage facilities to be taken up in a)l the flood prone states

31

(1) Drainage improvement in critical areas in the country to be given priority

(m) Dredging at selective locations ie outfalls etc in the rivers and the tributaries as a way to reduce flood levels in low-lying areas and help in quick drainage

(n) Encourage RampD activities for improved flood management

(0) To encourage peoples participation

(p) To expedite projects peaks

on interlinking of rivers for helping in attenuating flood

(q) Steps to ensure implementation of action plan prepared by NDMA for flood management should be taken

(r) On-going schemes of earlier plans be completed expeditiously All the on going schemes spilling over to the XI Plan in which at least 50 execution has taken place should get first priority on fund allocation during the XI Plan

(s) The cost for flood component in a multi-purpose water resources development projects as a long-term solution to flood problem should be funded by Government of India

(t) Maintenance of existing flood management works to optimize its benefits

32

48 Achievement in irrigation during the two years of the Bharat Nirman Plan

The statewise achievement in two years ending on September 2006 is given below It shows that 2183776 thousand hectare has been added to the irrigation potential A daunting task still left to be achieved in coming two years

thF19ures are III ousand h ec ares t

I

i rOo

rarget bull Major amp Aebievements upSI No

States UrsName MinorMedium Total to September

Irrigation Irrigation 2006 r i

1 Andhra Pradesh 44127 112523 156649 302065

2 Arunachal Pradesh 00 2239 2239 4 777 3 Assam 303 4275 7306 3314

4 Bihar 41399 12858 169979 279451 5 Chhattisgarh 4435 14668 19103 65661

6 Goa 2442 26 2702 1224 7 Gujarat 94573 00 945 73 255224

8 Haryana 3373 241 5783 33301 9 Himachal Pradesh 3091 4691 7788 8842

10 lharkhand 8122 25314 33436 15 701 11 Jammu amp Kashmir 1801 9254 11055 14847

12 Karnataka 26282 124 38682 11131 13 Kerala 1609 2168 3777 15856

14 Madhya Pradesh 61172 162 77372 8138 15 Maharashtra 465 31 35651 82181 9313

16 Manipur 5195 155 6745 0 17 Meghalaya 00 1493 1493 2073

18 Mizoram 00 1096 1096 0628 19 Nagaland 00 1612 1612 259

20 Orissa 19899 13295 33194 3266 21 Punjab 4034 2056 609 68755

22 Rajasthan 37974 401 41984 26459 23 Sikkim 00 703 703 08

24 Tamil Nadu 00 2355 23 55 16461 25 Tripura 2689 5429 8118 6327 26 Uttar Pradesh 82516 15208 977 24 464 372 27 Uttranchal 00 3829 3829 34 967

28 West Bengal 13567 56384 69951 346

29 Andman amp Nicobar Island 00 033 033 0

30 Pondicherry 00 275 275 0 ~-

Total 2183766507867 479958 987826

I

L 33

------------------~------

The achievements are up to March 2006 only The progressachievement of 2006-07 was under compilationscrutiny in ewe at the time of preparation of this document

The figures for states ofKerala and Rajasthan pertain to the achievement of whole year 2006-07 and for the State of Uttar Pradesh the achievement is up to December2006

49 Conclusions

Water sector development encompasses multidisciplinary considerations There is no scope of overlooking any sector while giving priority to any sector or sectors The integrated planning is the only possible way to tackle the water resources development The participatory approach is the key for its sustainability Bharat middot Nirman Plan of Government of India by setting up goals for the period of four years is a boost to the already existing schemes in different ministries Irrigation and public water supply is the basic components of development have been rightly considered in the Bharat Nirman Plan The ambitious project has already traveled through a span of two years and has achieved some part of the goals The balance part has to be done with equal fervor The recent modification in AlBP norms is the evidence of the governmental zeal in achieving the goals For the continuance of the food sufficiency the irrigation development is the feasible quick solution The component of Irrigation in Bharat Nirman is thus a huge help for the required development in the water sector

34

Page 18: ROLE OF WRD&M IN BHARAT NIRMAN DURING WRD 2007

electrified villages Preference for electrification will be given to Dalit Bastis Tribal settlements and habitations of weaker sections

32 Roads

Goal Every habitation over 1000 population andabove (500 in hilly and tribal areas) to be provided an all-weather road remaining 66802 habitations to be covered by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development has the responsibility of ensuring that every habitation over 1000 population and every habitation with more than 500 in hilly and tribal areas is connected with an all-weather road by 2009 This is expected to generate multiplier effects in the rural economy of linking production to markets and services This work which is being undertaken under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana since 2000 has been modified to address the above goals within the stipulated timeshyframeTo achieve the targets of Bharat Nirman 146185 Kms road length is proposed to be constructed by 2009 This will benefit 66802 unconnected eligible habitations in the country To ensure full farm-to-market connectivity it is also proposed to upgrade 194132 kms of the existing Associated Through Routes

A district and rural roads plan has been prepared listing out complete network of all roads in the district that has village roads major district roads state roads and national highways The concept of core network has been operationalised to focus on those set of roads which are considered essential to provid~ connectivity to all habitations of the desired size The Core Network is the basic in$trumentality for prioritization of construction and allocation of funds for maintenance Action has been initiated to develop GIS-based applications to further enhance the utility of the Core Network

The programme is implemented through a framework of consultation with public representatives ranging from the panchayat level up to Parlian1ent A Rural Roads Manual guides the implementation of the programme A separate Book of Specification and a Standard Data Book have been prepared As per this standard bidding documents are to be adopted by the states For MIS there is a computerized Online Management and Monitoring Accounting System

Approximately Rs48000 crores is proposed to be invested to achieve this objective 100 of the funds of this programme is being provided by the Central Government

33 Drinking Water

Goal Every habitation to have a safe source of drinking water 55067 uncovered habitations to be covered by 2009 In addition all habitations which have slipped back from full coverage to partial coverage due to failure of source and habitations which have water quality problems to be addressed

16

The Ministry of Rural Development Department of Drinking Water Supply is responsible for meeting this goal in partnership with State Governments The programme instrument of the Govemment of India is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme under implementation since 1972-73 which is funded on a 50 matching share basis between the Government of India and the State Government Since 1972 over 37 lakh hand pumps and l5 lakh pipe water supply systems have been set up to provide safe water to over 15 lakh habitations in the country at a cost of over Rs 50000 crore The norms which are fixed to achieve the goal are - 40 litres per capita per day (lpcd) of safe drinking water for human beings - 30 Ipcd additional for cattle in the Desert Development Programme Areas - One hand pump or stand post for every 250 persons - The water source should exist within 16 km in the plains and within 100 metres

elevation in the hilly areas

The backlog for coverage is under estimation based on a habitation survey for the categories of uncovered villages slipped- back villages and villages affected with a problem of water quality 55067 villages remain uncovered and are targeted for coverage as first priority The category of slipped-back villages estimated by the Planning Commission at the beginning of the Tenth Plan as 28 lakh habitations These are so on account of a number of factors like - Sources going dry or lowering of the ground water table - Sources becoming quality affected - Systems outliving their lives - Systems working below rated capacity due to poor operation and maintenance - Increase in population resulting in lower per capita availability - Emergence of new habitations According to the data received from State Governments based on a survey undertaken in 2000216968 habitations are affected due to a variety of water quality problems consists of excess fluoride 31306 excess arsenic 5029 excess salinity23495 excess iron118088 excess nitrate 13958 and multiple quality problems 25092

The Govemment of India has decided that under Bharat Nirman names of habitations would have to be provided by State Governments for availing funds from Government of India This would give maximum transparency to the programme State Governments would be required to place the habitations proposed for coverage and covered on this site in course of time

The scheme is funded on a 50 basis by the Gol and expenditure ofRsA050 crores is expected for the current year The actual requirement will be worked out based on the names of habitations supplied by the states and funded

34 Telephone

Goal Every village to be connected by telephone remaining 66822 villagesto be covered by November 2007

17

The Department of Telecom in the Ministry of Communications and Infonnation Technology has the responsibility of providing telephone cOlmectivity to the 66822 villages that remain to be covered

The resources for implementation of universal services obligation are raised through a Universal Service Levy which has presently been fixed at 5 of the adjusted gross revenue of all telecom service providers except the pure value added service providers like internet voice mail e-mail service providers The rules also make a provision for the Central Government to give grants and loans to the Fund The balance to the credit of the Fund does not lapse at the end of the financial year usa Fund assigns the task of providing Village Public Telephones (VPTs) on the basis of bids through open tender and in this case the work has been assigned to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd Out of the 66822 villages identified connectivity in 14183 remote and far-flung villages will be provided through digital satellite phone tenninals From the USOF assistance is provided for both capital expenditure as well as operational expenditure It is estimated that a total sum of Rs451 crore would be required to provide VPTs in these 66822 villages and the entire sum will be met out of USOF and no separate allocation from Government would be required

As an additional incentives telecom service providers are being assisted through the USOF to penetrate into the rural areas for the following activities - Maintenance of existing village public telephones (VPTs) - Provision of an additional mral community phone in villages with a population of more

than two thousand and where no public call office exists - Replacement of village public telephones installed on Multi Access Radio Relay

(MARR) technology - Telephone lines installed in household in specified rural areas

Rural teledensity will be significantly enhanced during the period of Bharat Nirman

The Government is committed to expanding mral connectivity through a slew of measures so that rural users can access information of value and transact business This will include cOlmecting block headquarters with fibre optic network using wireless technology to achieve last mile connectivity and operating information kiosks through a partnership of citizens panchayats civil society organizations the private sector and Government

35 Irrigation

Goal J 0 million hectares (J 00 lakhs) of additional irrigation capacity to be created by 2009

The Ministry of Water Resources in collaboration with State Governments is responsible for creation of additional 10 million hectares of irrigation capacity by the year 2009 through major medium and minor irrigation projects complemented by ground water development

18

The ultimate irrigation potential for the country has been estimated as 140 million hectare (Mba) which include potential through Major and Medium irrigation projects (5846 Mha) surface water based minor irrigation schemes (1754 Mha) and ground water development (6400 Mha) So far the irrigation potential of 10277 Mha has already been created However the created potential has not been fully utilized and the gap between created and utilized potential has been estimated to be of the order of 17 Mha

351 Major and Medium Irrigation (MMI) Proj ects

For the country as a whole 66 of the ultimate irrigationpotential of major and medium projects has been created 477 Major and Medium irrigation projects have spilled over to Xl In addition the States have proposed 223 Major and Medium projects and 86 ERM projects during XI Plan An outlay of Rs 30670 crore has been provided for the new proj ects in the XI Plan

So far 173 major and medium 4169 minor and 21 Extension Renovation and Modernization (ERM) projects have been provided Central Loan Assistance under Accelerated Irrigation benefit Programme (AIBP) The potential creation through projects supported under AIBP has been found to be 035 Mha per year with about 047 Mha per year in the last two years As per existing Plan the projected creation of irrigation potential through AIBP is 050 Mba per year in the remaining period of X Five Year Plan

The average rate of creation of irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects from 1951 to 1997 has been found to be of the order of 051 Mha per year During the year 1997 to 2005 the rate for creati n has been found to be 092 Mah per year The pace of creation of new irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects has increased in the recent past This is due to fruition of projects started much earlier which have been expedited due to increased support through AIBP

The projects for extension renovation and modernization (ERM) of major and medium irrigation schemes are also being implemented with arrangement similar to that for completion of ongoing major and medium schemes The implementation of ERM projects along with Command Area Development and Water Management (CAD and WM) help in sustaining the created facilities and in improving the utilization

35 2 Minor Irrigatioll Schemes

There is considerable variation in creation of ilTIgation potential through minor irrigation (both surface and ground water) schemes from State to State While full potential through minor irrigation has been tapped in some of the States it is relatively very low in others

19

Minor irrigation through surface water covers water sources (tanks and small reservoirs) with a culturable command area (CCA) of less than 2000 ha About 70 of the ultimate potential through surface water based minor irrigation schemes has since been created The Report of the National Commission for Integrated Water Resources Development points out that the carrying capacity of tanks has decreased over time for a variety of reasons and that the restoration and renovation of tanks and other local sources is a priority task

Since 2004-05 a pilot scheme for repair renovation and restoration of water bodies directly linked to agriculture has been taken up by the Government as a state-sector scheme in the 16 districts of the country which is proposed to be expanded

353 Ground Water Development

From the surveys conducted for estimation of availability and status of ground water the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has identified areas that are over-exploited (where exploitation is more than natural recharge of ground water) and areas that are critical or dark (where draft is between 70 to 100 of the natural recharge ofground water) The recent survey indicates that out of 7414 identified units (blockstalukaswatershed) 471 are Overexploited and 318 are Critical or Dark units Thus less than 11 of the total units fall under the category of over-exploited and critical The ultimate irrigation potential to be created is based on the assessed replenishable groundwater after duly accounting for the domestic and industrial uses (about 10) It has been assessed that ground water is still available for utilization in many parts of the country particularly in the eastern parts of the country Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and in specific pockets of Andhra Pradesh Kamataka Maharashtra and Jammu amp Kashmir In Punjab Haryana Rajasthan Gujarat and Tamil Nadu the rechargeable quantum of ground water has been exceeded and mining of static reserves has commenced This reinforces the need to take urgent steps to increase recharge and conservation

354 Targets under Bharat Nirman

Sl No Component Target I Completion of ongoing Major amp medium Irrigation

Projects 42Mha

II Minor irrigation schemes bull Surface water 10 Mha bull Ground Water 18 Mha

10Mha l8Mha

28Mha

III Enhancing utilization of completed projects bull ERM of major amp medium projects bull Repair renovation and restoration of water bodiesERM of minor irrigation schemes

lOMha 10Mha

20Mha

IV Ground water development in area with unutilized ground water potential (for benefit of small and marginal farmers and Tribals amp Dalits) -

lOMba

20

Creation of potential of 1 Mha through ground water development in areas with unutilized ground water potential would primarily benefit small and marginal farmers who are mostly tribals dalits and weaker sections of society The scheme envisages full involvement of Panchayati Raj Institutions in implementation of the schemes

36 Housing

Goal 60 lakh houses to be constructed for the rural poor by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development through the IndiraAwaas Yojana undertakes this activity as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme where the cost is shared between the Centre and States on 7525 basis

The 2001 Census places the rural housing shortage figure ~n India at around 1491akhs Construction of 60 lakh houses over the next four years across the country is envisaged starting from 2005-06 to address a significant portion of this backlog

The criteria adopted for allocation of financial resources between the StatesUTs give greater emphasis to the states with higher incidence or shelterlessness 75 weightage is given to housing shortage and 25 to the poverty ratios prescribed by the Planning Commission for State-level allocations For district-level allocations 75 weightage is given again to housing shortage and 25 to SCST population of the districts concerned Grant assistance is provided to the extent of Rs 25000 per house for normal middot areas and Rs 27500 for hilly areas Funds are released to the DRDAs in two installments

Implementation guidelines of the scheme specifically target the rural below poverty line (BPL) households The respective Gram Sabha does the selection of beneficiaries from the BPL list and no higher approval is required The guidelines also clearlY Specify that the house allotment should be in the name of the female member of the family as a first priority While seeking to empower the rural women the scheme also provides priority to physically and mentally challenged persons exservicemen widows and freed bonded labourers It is stipulated that at least 60 of the beneficiaries should belong to the SCST communities TheIAY scheme also lays emphasis on sanitation and health by incorporating the cost of a sanitary latrine and smokeless chulah into the per unit grant provided to the beneficiary for constructionlupgradation of the dwelling unit

21

CHAPTER IV

WATER SECTOR ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN BHARAT NIRMAN PLAN

Water resource is a vital input in the development endeavours of the country Its finite availability and ever increasing demand in every sector have aggravated the problem manifold in case of India The requirement of faster development in irrigation water supply industrial use flood protection is evident assuming the future scenario Bharat Nirman Plan has rightly stressed on the irrigation and water supply where as the other sectors requirement is to be redressed with equal priority for the sustainable development of India

The water sector is grappled with the following Issues

Irrigation development Command area development amp Catchment area treatment Creation of storages Conunctive use of surface and ground water Efficiency improvement in distribution system Bridging the gap between irrigation potential created and potential utilised Flood Management

41 Irrigation Development

In India with the constitution of the Planning commission in 1950 and the advent of planning process in the first five year plan (1951-56) the country launched a major irrigation programme A number of multipurpose and major projects such as Bhakra Nangal Nagarjunasagar Kosi Chambal Hirakund Kakrapar and Tungbhadra were taken up Simultaneously minor irrigation schemes including ground water were given emphasis under the Agricultural Sector along with financial assistance from the Centre

During the period of Second Five Year Plan (1956-61) Third Five Year Plan (1961-66) and the Three Annual Plans (1966-69) irrigation programmes continued with addition of new projects During the Fourth Five Year Plan (1969-74) the emphasis was shifted to the completion of ongoing projects integrated use of surface and ground water adoption of efficient management techniques and modernization of existing schemes However new projects continued to be added

During the fifth Plan (1974-79) command Area Development Programme Was launched as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with the objective of reducing the lag between potential created and optimum utilization of available land and water Initially 60 major and medium proj ects were covered with a CCA of 15 Mha

22

During the Annual Plans of 1978-80 and the Sixth Five Year Plan ( 1980-85) new starts continued and at the end of Seventh Plan there were as many as 182 major and 312 medium ongoing proj ects requiring an estimated amount of Rs 39044 crore at the 1990shy91 price level for their completion New starts were therefore restricted considerably and greater emphasis was laid on completion of projects which were in the advanced stages of completion (those with an expenditure of 75 per cent or more) This was continued during 1990-91 and 1991-92 Annual Plans VIII Plan (1992-97) and IX Plan (1997 -2000)

For speedy completion of ongoing projects in advance stage of construction Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) was launched in 1996-97 During VIII Plan period irrigation potential of 22 Mha was created under major and medium sector at an annual rate of 044 Mha per annum During IX plan period this increased to 412 Mha out of which 165 Mha (nearly 40) was through AIBP Renovation Modernisation and Rehabilitation of old irrigation schemes gained momentum Users participation in major and medium irrigation schemes received greater attention Repairs and improvemen to the minor irrigation projects as a part of integrated micro-development also received encouragement Similarly sprinkler and drip irrigation programmes and the conjunctive use of surface and ground water gained momentum The project completed along with minor irrigation and ground water development have created an estimated potential of about 10277 Mha by the end of the X Plan

Although plan expenditure on irrigation has increased from Rs44l 8 crore in the 1st Plan to Rs 9574342 crore (outlay) in the X plan the share in total plan expenditure has decreased from 23 in the 1st Plan to 63 in the X Plan

The created irrigation potential increased from 226 Mha (97 Mha through major amp medium and 129 Mha through minor irrigation) in preplan period to 102Mha (4235 Mha through major and medium and 6042 1Tha through minor including ground water schemes) upto the end of X Plan with an annual average growth of 14 Mha In the corresponding period the potential utilistion has been from 226 Mha period to 8100 Mha

411 Central Assistance under AIBP

During IX Plan period irrigation potential of 165 Mha was created through AIBP at an average rate of 033 Mha per annum During the first three years of X plan the potential creation in major and medium irrigation sector through AIBP is around 14 Mha 047 Mha per annum In spite of rationalizing completion schedule of projects under AIBP several projects are lying behind schedule It is desirable to work out realistic time frame and cost to completion for projects to be considered under AIBP It is pertinent to mention that the spirit of the programme ie completion of last mile projects should not get diluted in the enthusiasm of inclusion of large number of projects under this programme As reported by the state governments but of total 200 projects presently under AIBP 95 projects would be completed by the end of X plan

23

The Central Assistance under AIBP as loan and grant provided up to March 2006 is Rs 1943790 crore out of which Rs 1883010 crore has been provided in Major and Medium irrigation sector

Impact ofAIBP

Plan Potential Created (Mha) Contribution of AIBP(Mha) IX 410 165 ( 402) X 530 300 ( 566)

Keeping an eye over the future requirement the Working Group on Water Resources for the XI Five Year Plan has brought out several suggestions in order to expedite completion of the projects which is very very essential Some other issues relating irrigation sector were also addressed in addition to this The strategies adopted for XI Plan proposal are swnmarized as below

1 Ongoing projects which have already achieved 90 or more of the ultimate potential should be considered as completed~ Critically review all such projects which are having only marginal benefit left or are near impossible to complete because of various problems and declare them completed or curtailed or deleted The balance cost of the remaining projects should be updated realistically for consideration under XI plan

2 Inter-Se priority should be decided considering various aspects such as externally aided proj ects interstate proj ects proj ects benefiting drought prone or tribal areas etc as per the guidelines prepared by National Commission for integrated Water Resources Development Plan

3 High priority should be accorded to the Pre-seventh and Seventh Plan Projects for funding under AIBP with emphasis to complete these projects during XI Plan List of such projects is appended as Annex31 Fund allocation under AIBP should be enhanced for this purpose ifnecessary

4 Foremost priority should be given for completion of ongoing projects and new projects should be taken up very selectively keeping in view the necessity for removal of regional imbalances and development of drought prone and tribal areas

5 Since the fund requirement for mediumminor irrigation projects are less adequate fund may be made available for completion of these projects without jeopardizing programme for important major projects ERM Projects should be given due priority where the eroded potential can be restored with ~oderate expenditure

24

6 A separate budget head upto 15 of Plan fund may be provided as Irrigation Maintenance Fund (IMF) and full amount of irrigation revenue as collectged should be credited to IMF

7 In addition to liabilities of completed projects and provision for ongoing and new projects the State plan proposals should incorporate provisions for special repairs of existing irrigation systems dam safety measures improved water management and water development aspect encompassing survey and investigation research and development training and National Hydrology Project

8 Substantial higher outlay should be provided in Central Plan to bring out effective role in plan activities of the Central Institutions by way of suitably strengthening them and provide adequate funds for taking new initiatives under Central Plan

9 The existing regionalstate level institutions such as W ALMIs should be strengthened and brought into mainstream activities for irrigation management improvement

10 Dam safety measures should be taken up all over country which is very essential in the context of disaster Prevention and Management

11 The performance evaluation of completed projects needs to be continued for benchmarking and improvement in irrigation efficiency

In addition to above recommendations on Minor Irrigation Sector are gIven as follows

1 Renovation Restoration of old tanks as well as old diversion channels in hilly regions along with improving efficiency of the projects Besides surface lift schemes may also be given due consideration particularly in hilly regions for irrigating high terraces

2 Expansion of irrigation facilities through a time bound programme for exploiting the huge ground water potential in the Eastern Region

3 Promotion of Micro Irrigation system in Water deficit areas 4 Promotion of Ground Water Development in areas haaving untapped unutilized

potential 5 National rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) may be linked with minor

irrigation Ground Water Development 6 A comprehensive act for regulation and development of ground water on

sustainable basis both in public and private sector

42 Command Area Development

In respect of command area development works for performance improvement-of the projects the working group has recommended the following recommendations for consideration

25

(a) Central funding for CAD works may be enhanced from present level of 5050 to 7525 for all the States while for states of North eastern Region and Hilly Special Category States the funding may be 90 from Government of India For software activities like trainings adaptive trials demonstrations monitoring and evaluation etc 100 Central funding may be considered in place of the existing pattern of 75 25 between the Centre and the States Funds can be directly given to W ALMIs and other State Central agencies for carrying out such activities

(b) It is proposed to increase the functional grant from Rs 600 per ha to Rs 1000 per ha which is to be shared in the ratio ofRs 675225100 between the centre State and the farmers while keeping all cost norms unchanged The State Governments may also be allowed to raise fund for its share through institutional funding or public borrowings through bonds on the pattern of Krishna Bhagya Nigam of Karnataka Government

(c) As per the existing system of release of Central Assistance the funds are transferred to the pool of State Finance Department which in tum releases funds to the implementing departments This procedure is not amenable for timely availability of the funds to the CADAs Therefore direct funding to CADAs from the Ministry in a mission mode can be considered to alleviate this problem For instance the Ministry of rural Development has a system of direct release of Central share of funds to the District Rural Development Authorities (DRDA) Jilla Parishads for implementing the schemes of the Central Ministry

(d) To ensure optimum utilization of created irrigation potential the CADWM should be made a part of the new major and medium projects

(e) Formation of WUAs under PTh1 Act is mandatory for implementation of CADWM programme Transition time of 2 years (upto the end of financial year 2008-09) may be allowed to those States which have not enact~d their PIM Acts so far Further relaxation may be only be allowed with the approval of CCEA

(f) WUAs should be involved in planning budgeting implementation and management of irrigation systems to be transferred to them There is a need to enforce a regime whereby farmers pay the water rates to meet the OampM expenditure rates Conditions of reforms should be imposed before handing over the projects to WUAs

(g) Volumetric supply of irrigation water to WUAs should be introduced

(h) Reputed NGOs with requisite skills may be involved for promotion of WUAs Rehabilitation of Canal Systems and Water Management for at least 2-3 years The estimated expenditure of Rs 600-800 per ha on account of this may be provided by the central government in the form of grant

(i) Autonomy of WUAs should be maintained in regard to Water Management However there may be linkages with Panchayati Raj Institutions through cross representation It may be considered to provide support to W ALMIs Agriculture Universities and reputed NGOs for improved water management at micro level It may also be considered to provide incentives for activities ofWUAs

26

(j) The WUAs should include women members from the land owning holding house holds in the Command Area irrespective of their ownership of the land

(k) Periodic evaluation of CAD Projects should be undertaken and suitable corrective measures may be taken if necessary

(1) Components for reclamation of waterlogged areas as well as correction of conveyance deficiencies with enhanced scope may be implemented to cover all the projects in the country details of which could be approved in consultation with expert organizations such as CWC CSSRI CGWB etc

(m) Water Resources Irrigation Departments need to undertake assessment periodically (at least once in 5 years) to determine the training needs at different levels of personnel deployed in water resources development and management Facilities available for capacity building are to be considered instead of establishing new training centres There has to be networking of existing training facilities so that training will be effective and economical It is desirable to have a separate scheme for training and capacity building for State Governments as well as central Government

43 Creation of Storage

Creation of storages is of prime importance in order to avoid severe domestic crisis on water issues As per the estimates given in the working group report there is a need of approximately live storage of around 450 km3

Major amp Medium Projects (Existing) -213 KJ13

Major amp Medium Projects (Under construction) -76 KM3 Minor Storages (Existing amp Under construction) -70 KM3 Total Live Storages in projects existing and under construction - 359 Km3

Likely loss in Live storage due to sedimentation upto 2050 which has to be compensated for -53 Km3 (say) Balance available live storage from the above in 2050 - 306 Km3 say 300 Km3

Therefore further new live storage to be created to have a live storage of 450 Km3 by 2050 is 150Km3

For creation the needed storage in addition to the present way of envisaging attention has to be paid to changing popUlation dynamics changing pattern of human settlements climatic change causing change in pattern of spatial and temporal variation in rainfall deterioration in water quality etc

44 Conjunctive Use of surface and ground water

Conjunctive use of surface and ground water can address the situation in two ways by decreasing the dependence on a single source and the quality of the available waterThis will reduce the chance of desalination as well Working group has suggested for the conjunctive use of middotgood quality water and saline seawater which will be helpful in reducing the cost of water requirement for irrigation

27

45 Efficiency improvement in the distribution system as well as in field

Deficiencies of the irrigated agriculture in India have been a cause of concern and a huge amount of thinking and analysis ha been done to devise ways and means to improve it The Working Group has recommended some important recommendations in this matter

1 Standardized definitions of irrigation efficiencies need to be evolved for use in India after reviewing available material All water resources of a basin form a unified resource and hence the basin efficiency concept which integrates all surface water and ground water uses as well as reuse and recirculation is important The basin efficiency also needs to be estimated along with project related efficiencies

2 Conjunctive use of water to be given higher priority particularly in alluvial areas as a very effective means of improving water use amp basin efficiency and of saving possible water logging and salination For givin an encouragement to conjunctive use irrigation Act may be amended if req ired The policy of favoring selective lining of canals should be continued LD ater allowances and somewhat inadequate conveyance capacities lead to be r efficiencies and less water loggingrelated problems These need to be encouraged

3 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Water Csers Associations (WUAs) should include a standard clause which binds the users to effective conjunctive use of surface and ground water On rising of gro nd water table the MOW should allow the department to cut the surface water supply

4 Where there are minor irrigation tanks minor urface lifts etc middotin the command these should be integrated with major project works and not be treated as separate entity Such tanks should be filled with cfulals water as per requirement Also such works will allow reuse of the seeped wateT

5 Each major irrigation system authorities should annually prepare the water budget accruing for all water stored or diverted all losses all reuse of lost waters estimated evaporation etc

6 Sufficient funds for operation and maintenance work to be provided Creation of Irrigation Maintenance Corporation as provided in the irrigation management policy is considered so that a linkage between revenues from water and OampM funds is established Water rates may accordingly be increased in a phased manner

7 Priority may be assigned toERM schemes for projects where water distribution systems are to be handed over to WUAs Where total ERM scheme is not contemplated one time maintenance deferred maintenance of a project may be allowed as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance of a project may be allowed

28

as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance budget to be decided in consultation with the farmers and walk through survey to assess what is appropriate and achievable within the available fund

8 All the schemes more than 25 years old should be studied in details to bring out the status of schemes in respect of structural safety and performance and ERM schemes may be formulated and taken up based on such studies

9 Drip sprinklers are mostly for horticulture vegetable crops (and surgarcane) in the present major and medium surface irrigation system These may be encouraged for other crops also Any compulsion for a particular cropping pattern needs to be removed whenever WUAs are formed amp volumetric water rates come into practice Use of sprinkler or drips or rotational surface supplies requires additional on farm storage (either as dug out ponds or elevatged storage with pump) This becomes essential since supply rotates are 10 daily or fortnightly whereas drips amp sprinkler require daily or 1 in 2 days operation Such storage creation needs to be within the ambit of subsidies for drips and sprinklers

10 As automation is a costly affair it is to be adopted for pilot schemes and not for larger area However preferably this should be introduced for conjunctive use of ground water and not always for surface water

The group has also recommended the concept of Target Efficiency of the water delivery system timely and equitable distribution ohvater increasing production per unit area and per unit volume of water used and financial sustainability of the water delivery infrastructure

46 Bridging the gap between the Potential created and potential utilised

There may be various reasons for increase in the gap between potential creation and potential utilized Some ofthese are

a likely over estimation and double counting of potential creation and inaccuracies discrepancies in reporting of potential utilized

b Loss of potential due to siltation in reservoirs ponds etc and deterioration of water distribution system

c Time gap between potential creation and command area development

d Assumption of optimistic cropping pattern in economic analysis and deviation in cropping pattern as compared to that envisaged during planning

e Over-drawl of water in head reaches depriving potential utilization by tail enders

f Unused canal flow during night hours

29

l

It is desirable to introduce more reliable and accurate system of assessment for potential created and utilized There should be a coordinating statistical organization in each State for reporting the figures of potential created and utilized The Remote Sensing Technique can also be effectively utilized for counter verification of figures reported The loss in potential due to siltation ageing of various distribution systems etc needs to be periodically assessed and accounted

The productivity of irrigated crop as assumed in economic analysis often seem to be optimistic and are not based on experience of nearby irrigation projects Use of water for irrigation and selection of crops have been left to the discretion of users farmers The adverse consequences of such freedom have been manifested as water logging in some commands Somewhere overexploitation of ground -vater has been leading to progressive fall in ground water level It is therefore necessary that a regulatory mechanism is brought into practice by which undesirable or unsuitable crops are discouraged and tendency to over use of irrigation water is c~ecked Similarly in areas where ground water is being used for irrigation a regulatory mechanism should be in place to deter over exploitation of ground water beyond allOvable limit

Sometimes apprehension of scarcity of water and non availability of water when needed also lead to over withdrawal by head end users Since extra tion of ground water is costly farmers tend to take water more than their requirements when that is available through canals Higher cost of ground water is primarily because of cost of power required for lifting of water In case source of solar power is created for lifting of water the cost of ground water will get substantially reduced This may facilitate and give farmers option to use surface water and ground water thom any extra cost Once this option is available and known to farmers that they are aware that use of more water than the optimal requirement is likely to reduce the yield certainly there would be reductionin

overdraw of water by head enders Thus there is a need to extend u~er friendly system and increase awareness and cooperation among farmers through Participatory Irrigation Management Water Users Associatiortsneed to be empowered to look into these aspects Further the piped distribution system and micro irrigation should be adopted as far as possible

In India night imgation is not practiced in general As a result waters flowing in canals during night hours either pass unutilized or wasted on account of uncontrolled flooding It is desirable that the night irrigation is introduced in policy and practice

47 Flood Management

In regard to flood management the strategies recommended are given here under

(a) Undertake construction of dams and reservoir schemes with adequate flood cushion for long term solution of flood problems Efforts should also be made for utilizing the existing reservoirs in the country for flood moderation to the extent

30

possible Even in Reservoirs constructed for power other purposes the rule curves may be framed in such way that effective flood moderation is achieved

(b) Flood Forecasting and flood warning network of ewe be extended and integrated with similar networks of the state governments so as to get real time information at a central point say in central flood control room under FMO ewe This activity should be extended to cover rivers originating from or flowing to the neighbouring countries

( c) To take up development of digital elevation model of flood prone areas for taking up schemes for inundation forecast preparation of flood risk maps planning of flood management schemes etc

(d) Identification of appropriate location for breaching spiling sections in the flood embankment for the controlled flooding of the protected areas for restoring fertility recharge of soil moisture and ground water

( e) Integrating flood management schemes with other infrastructural development programmes in the sectors of roads railways inland waterways and canal command area development works as well as recently declared Rural Employment Guarantee Programme

(f) Watershed management in the hilly catchmentgs of the rivers ongmating in Nepal Bhutan and hilly areas of India should be selectively chosen and funded fully Implementation should be done through a joint mechanism Ministry of Agriculture who is the nodal Ministry for the watershed management works should work out a detailed program in consultation with the Ministry of Water Resources

(g) To give adequate emphasis on the operation and maintenance (OampM) of the flood protection measures already created a percentage of outlay of the flood sector should be earmarked for this purpose

(h) Raising and strengthening of the existing embankments if required after detailed studies of hydrological morphological topographical and developmental aspects to stabilize the benefits of these measures

(i) Natural swamps and lakes to be developed into detention basins and capacity of existing depressions be improved for absorbing flood waters Special drives for development of Tal and Diara areas

G) Erosion of land either by sea or rivers to be minimized through suitable cost effective measures

(k) Flood proofing program such as raised platform and quick drainage facilities to be taken up in a)l the flood prone states

31

(1) Drainage improvement in critical areas in the country to be given priority

(m) Dredging at selective locations ie outfalls etc in the rivers and the tributaries as a way to reduce flood levels in low-lying areas and help in quick drainage

(n) Encourage RampD activities for improved flood management

(0) To encourage peoples participation

(p) To expedite projects peaks

on interlinking of rivers for helping in attenuating flood

(q) Steps to ensure implementation of action plan prepared by NDMA for flood management should be taken

(r) On-going schemes of earlier plans be completed expeditiously All the on going schemes spilling over to the XI Plan in which at least 50 execution has taken place should get first priority on fund allocation during the XI Plan

(s) The cost for flood component in a multi-purpose water resources development projects as a long-term solution to flood problem should be funded by Government of India

(t) Maintenance of existing flood management works to optimize its benefits

32

48 Achievement in irrigation during the two years of the Bharat Nirman Plan

The statewise achievement in two years ending on September 2006 is given below It shows that 2183776 thousand hectare has been added to the irrigation potential A daunting task still left to be achieved in coming two years

thF19ures are III ousand h ec ares t

I

i rOo

rarget bull Major amp Aebievements upSI No

States UrsName MinorMedium Total to September

Irrigation Irrigation 2006 r i

1 Andhra Pradesh 44127 112523 156649 302065

2 Arunachal Pradesh 00 2239 2239 4 777 3 Assam 303 4275 7306 3314

4 Bihar 41399 12858 169979 279451 5 Chhattisgarh 4435 14668 19103 65661

6 Goa 2442 26 2702 1224 7 Gujarat 94573 00 945 73 255224

8 Haryana 3373 241 5783 33301 9 Himachal Pradesh 3091 4691 7788 8842

10 lharkhand 8122 25314 33436 15 701 11 Jammu amp Kashmir 1801 9254 11055 14847

12 Karnataka 26282 124 38682 11131 13 Kerala 1609 2168 3777 15856

14 Madhya Pradesh 61172 162 77372 8138 15 Maharashtra 465 31 35651 82181 9313

16 Manipur 5195 155 6745 0 17 Meghalaya 00 1493 1493 2073

18 Mizoram 00 1096 1096 0628 19 Nagaland 00 1612 1612 259

20 Orissa 19899 13295 33194 3266 21 Punjab 4034 2056 609 68755

22 Rajasthan 37974 401 41984 26459 23 Sikkim 00 703 703 08

24 Tamil Nadu 00 2355 23 55 16461 25 Tripura 2689 5429 8118 6327 26 Uttar Pradesh 82516 15208 977 24 464 372 27 Uttranchal 00 3829 3829 34 967

28 West Bengal 13567 56384 69951 346

29 Andman amp Nicobar Island 00 033 033 0

30 Pondicherry 00 275 275 0 ~-

Total 2183766507867 479958 987826

I

L 33

------------------~------

The achievements are up to March 2006 only The progressachievement of 2006-07 was under compilationscrutiny in ewe at the time of preparation of this document

The figures for states ofKerala and Rajasthan pertain to the achievement of whole year 2006-07 and for the State of Uttar Pradesh the achievement is up to December2006

49 Conclusions

Water sector development encompasses multidisciplinary considerations There is no scope of overlooking any sector while giving priority to any sector or sectors The integrated planning is the only possible way to tackle the water resources development The participatory approach is the key for its sustainability Bharat middot Nirman Plan of Government of India by setting up goals for the period of four years is a boost to the already existing schemes in different ministries Irrigation and public water supply is the basic components of development have been rightly considered in the Bharat Nirman Plan The ambitious project has already traveled through a span of two years and has achieved some part of the goals The balance part has to be done with equal fervor The recent modification in AlBP norms is the evidence of the governmental zeal in achieving the goals For the continuance of the food sufficiency the irrigation development is the feasible quick solution The component of Irrigation in Bharat Nirman is thus a huge help for the required development in the water sector

34

Page 19: ROLE OF WRD&M IN BHARAT NIRMAN DURING WRD 2007

The Ministry of Rural Development Department of Drinking Water Supply is responsible for meeting this goal in partnership with State Governments The programme instrument of the Govemment of India is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme under implementation since 1972-73 which is funded on a 50 matching share basis between the Government of India and the State Government Since 1972 over 37 lakh hand pumps and l5 lakh pipe water supply systems have been set up to provide safe water to over 15 lakh habitations in the country at a cost of over Rs 50000 crore The norms which are fixed to achieve the goal are - 40 litres per capita per day (lpcd) of safe drinking water for human beings - 30 Ipcd additional for cattle in the Desert Development Programme Areas - One hand pump or stand post for every 250 persons - The water source should exist within 16 km in the plains and within 100 metres

elevation in the hilly areas

The backlog for coverage is under estimation based on a habitation survey for the categories of uncovered villages slipped- back villages and villages affected with a problem of water quality 55067 villages remain uncovered and are targeted for coverage as first priority The category of slipped-back villages estimated by the Planning Commission at the beginning of the Tenth Plan as 28 lakh habitations These are so on account of a number of factors like - Sources going dry or lowering of the ground water table - Sources becoming quality affected - Systems outliving their lives - Systems working below rated capacity due to poor operation and maintenance - Increase in population resulting in lower per capita availability - Emergence of new habitations According to the data received from State Governments based on a survey undertaken in 2000216968 habitations are affected due to a variety of water quality problems consists of excess fluoride 31306 excess arsenic 5029 excess salinity23495 excess iron118088 excess nitrate 13958 and multiple quality problems 25092

The Govemment of India has decided that under Bharat Nirman names of habitations would have to be provided by State Governments for availing funds from Government of India This would give maximum transparency to the programme State Governments would be required to place the habitations proposed for coverage and covered on this site in course of time

The scheme is funded on a 50 basis by the Gol and expenditure ofRsA050 crores is expected for the current year The actual requirement will be worked out based on the names of habitations supplied by the states and funded

34 Telephone

Goal Every village to be connected by telephone remaining 66822 villagesto be covered by November 2007

17

The Department of Telecom in the Ministry of Communications and Infonnation Technology has the responsibility of providing telephone cOlmectivity to the 66822 villages that remain to be covered

The resources for implementation of universal services obligation are raised through a Universal Service Levy which has presently been fixed at 5 of the adjusted gross revenue of all telecom service providers except the pure value added service providers like internet voice mail e-mail service providers The rules also make a provision for the Central Government to give grants and loans to the Fund The balance to the credit of the Fund does not lapse at the end of the financial year usa Fund assigns the task of providing Village Public Telephones (VPTs) on the basis of bids through open tender and in this case the work has been assigned to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd Out of the 66822 villages identified connectivity in 14183 remote and far-flung villages will be provided through digital satellite phone tenninals From the USOF assistance is provided for both capital expenditure as well as operational expenditure It is estimated that a total sum of Rs451 crore would be required to provide VPTs in these 66822 villages and the entire sum will be met out of USOF and no separate allocation from Government would be required

As an additional incentives telecom service providers are being assisted through the USOF to penetrate into the rural areas for the following activities - Maintenance of existing village public telephones (VPTs) - Provision of an additional mral community phone in villages with a population of more

than two thousand and where no public call office exists - Replacement of village public telephones installed on Multi Access Radio Relay

(MARR) technology - Telephone lines installed in household in specified rural areas

Rural teledensity will be significantly enhanced during the period of Bharat Nirman

The Government is committed to expanding mral connectivity through a slew of measures so that rural users can access information of value and transact business This will include cOlmecting block headquarters with fibre optic network using wireless technology to achieve last mile connectivity and operating information kiosks through a partnership of citizens panchayats civil society organizations the private sector and Government

35 Irrigation

Goal J 0 million hectares (J 00 lakhs) of additional irrigation capacity to be created by 2009

The Ministry of Water Resources in collaboration with State Governments is responsible for creation of additional 10 million hectares of irrigation capacity by the year 2009 through major medium and minor irrigation projects complemented by ground water development

18

The ultimate irrigation potential for the country has been estimated as 140 million hectare (Mba) which include potential through Major and Medium irrigation projects (5846 Mha) surface water based minor irrigation schemes (1754 Mha) and ground water development (6400 Mha) So far the irrigation potential of 10277 Mha has already been created However the created potential has not been fully utilized and the gap between created and utilized potential has been estimated to be of the order of 17 Mha

351 Major and Medium Irrigation (MMI) Proj ects

For the country as a whole 66 of the ultimate irrigationpotential of major and medium projects has been created 477 Major and Medium irrigation projects have spilled over to Xl In addition the States have proposed 223 Major and Medium projects and 86 ERM projects during XI Plan An outlay of Rs 30670 crore has been provided for the new proj ects in the XI Plan

So far 173 major and medium 4169 minor and 21 Extension Renovation and Modernization (ERM) projects have been provided Central Loan Assistance under Accelerated Irrigation benefit Programme (AIBP) The potential creation through projects supported under AIBP has been found to be 035 Mha per year with about 047 Mha per year in the last two years As per existing Plan the projected creation of irrigation potential through AIBP is 050 Mba per year in the remaining period of X Five Year Plan

The average rate of creation of irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects from 1951 to 1997 has been found to be of the order of 051 Mha per year During the year 1997 to 2005 the rate for creati n has been found to be 092 Mah per year The pace of creation of new irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects has increased in the recent past This is due to fruition of projects started much earlier which have been expedited due to increased support through AIBP

The projects for extension renovation and modernization (ERM) of major and medium irrigation schemes are also being implemented with arrangement similar to that for completion of ongoing major and medium schemes The implementation of ERM projects along with Command Area Development and Water Management (CAD and WM) help in sustaining the created facilities and in improving the utilization

35 2 Minor Irrigatioll Schemes

There is considerable variation in creation of ilTIgation potential through minor irrigation (both surface and ground water) schemes from State to State While full potential through minor irrigation has been tapped in some of the States it is relatively very low in others

19

Minor irrigation through surface water covers water sources (tanks and small reservoirs) with a culturable command area (CCA) of less than 2000 ha About 70 of the ultimate potential through surface water based minor irrigation schemes has since been created The Report of the National Commission for Integrated Water Resources Development points out that the carrying capacity of tanks has decreased over time for a variety of reasons and that the restoration and renovation of tanks and other local sources is a priority task

Since 2004-05 a pilot scheme for repair renovation and restoration of water bodies directly linked to agriculture has been taken up by the Government as a state-sector scheme in the 16 districts of the country which is proposed to be expanded

353 Ground Water Development

From the surveys conducted for estimation of availability and status of ground water the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has identified areas that are over-exploited (where exploitation is more than natural recharge of ground water) and areas that are critical or dark (where draft is between 70 to 100 of the natural recharge ofground water) The recent survey indicates that out of 7414 identified units (blockstalukaswatershed) 471 are Overexploited and 318 are Critical or Dark units Thus less than 11 of the total units fall under the category of over-exploited and critical The ultimate irrigation potential to be created is based on the assessed replenishable groundwater after duly accounting for the domestic and industrial uses (about 10) It has been assessed that ground water is still available for utilization in many parts of the country particularly in the eastern parts of the country Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and in specific pockets of Andhra Pradesh Kamataka Maharashtra and Jammu amp Kashmir In Punjab Haryana Rajasthan Gujarat and Tamil Nadu the rechargeable quantum of ground water has been exceeded and mining of static reserves has commenced This reinforces the need to take urgent steps to increase recharge and conservation

354 Targets under Bharat Nirman

Sl No Component Target I Completion of ongoing Major amp medium Irrigation

Projects 42Mha

II Minor irrigation schemes bull Surface water 10 Mha bull Ground Water 18 Mha

10Mha l8Mha

28Mha

III Enhancing utilization of completed projects bull ERM of major amp medium projects bull Repair renovation and restoration of water bodiesERM of minor irrigation schemes

lOMha 10Mha

20Mha

IV Ground water development in area with unutilized ground water potential (for benefit of small and marginal farmers and Tribals amp Dalits) -

lOMba

20

Creation of potential of 1 Mha through ground water development in areas with unutilized ground water potential would primarily benefit small and marginal farmers who are mostly tribals dalits and weaker sections of society The scheme envisages full involvement of Panchayati Raj Institutions in implementation of the schemes

36 Housing

Goal 60 lakh houses to be constructed for the rural poor by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development through the IndiraAwaas Yojana undertakes this activity as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme where the cost is shared between the Centre and States on 7525 basis

The 2001 Census places the rural housing shortage figure ~n India at around 1491akhs Construction of 60 lakh houses over the next four years across the country is envisaged starting from 2005-06 to address a significant portion of this backlog

The criteria adopted for allocation of financial resources between the StatesUTs give greater emphasis to the states with higher incidence or shelterlessness 75 weightage is given to housing shortage and 25 to the poverty ratios prescribed by the Planning Commission for State-level allocations For district-level allocations 75 weightage is given again to housing shortage and 25 to SCST population of the districts concerned Grant assistance is provided to the extent of Rs 25000 per house for normal middot areas and Rs 27500 for hilly areas Funds are released to the DRDAs in two installments

Implementation guidelines of the scheme specifically target the rural below poverty line (BPL) households The respective Gram Sabha does the selection of beneficiaries from the BPL list and no higher approval is required The guidelines also clearlY Specify that the house allotment should be in the name of the female member of the family as a first priority While seeking to empower the rural women the scheme also provides priority to physically and mentally challenged persons exservicemen widows and freed bonded labourers It is stipulated that at least 60 of the beneficiaries should belong to the SCST communities TheIAY scheme also lays emphasis on sanitation and health by incorporating the cost of a sanitary latrine and smokeless chulah into the per unit grant provided to the beneficiary for constructionlupgradation of the dwelling unit

21

CHAPTER IV

WATER SECTOR ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN BHARAT NIRMAN PLAN

Water resource is a vital input in the development endeavours of the country Its finite availability and ever increasing demand in every sector have aggravated the problem manifold in case of India The requirement of faster development in irrigation water supply industrial use flood protection is evident assuming the future scenario Bharat Nirman Plan has rightly stressed on the irrigation and water supply where as the other sectors requirement is to be redressed with equal priority for the sustainable development of India

The water sector is grappled with the following Issues

Irrigation development Command area development amp Catchment area treatment Creation of storages Conunctive use of surface and ground water Efficiency improvement in distribution system Bridging the gap between irrigation potential created and potential utilised Flood Management

41 Irrigation Development

In India with the constitution of the Planning commission in 1950 and the advent of planning process in the first five year plan (1951-56) the country launched a major irrigation programme A number of multipurpose and major projects such as Bhakra Nangal Nagarjunasagar Kosi Chambal Hirakund Kakrapar and Tungbhadra were taken up Simultaneously minor irrigation schemes including ground water were given emphasis under the Agricultural Sector along with financial assistance from the Centre

During the period of Second Five Year Plan (1956-61) Third Five Year Plan (1961-66) and the Three Annual Plans (1966-69) irrigation programmes continued with addition of new projects During the Fourth Five Year Plan (1969-74) the emphasis was shifted to the completion of ongoing projects integrated use of surface and ground water adoption of efficient management techniques and modernization of existing schemes However new projects continued to be added

During the fifth Plan (1974-79) command Area Development Programme Was launched as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with the objective of reducing the lag between potential created and optimum utilization of available land and water Initially 60 major and medium proj ects were covered with a CCA of 15 Mha

22

During the Annual Plans of 1978-80 and the Sixth Five Year Plan ( 1980-85) new starts continued and at the end of Seventh Plan there were as many as 182 major and 312 medium ongoing proj ects requiring an estimated amount of Rs 39044 crore at the 1990shy91 price level for their completion New starts were therefore restricted considerably and greater emphasis was laid on completion of projects which were in the advanced stages of completion (those with an expenditure of 75 per cent or more) This was continued during 1990-91 and 1991-92 Annual Plans VIII Plan (1992-97) and IX Plan (1997 -2000)

For speedy completion of ongoing projects in advance stage of construction Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) was launched in 1996-97 During VIII Plan period irrigation potential of 22 Mha was created under major and medium sector at an annual rate of 044 Mha per annum During IX plan period this increased to 412 Mha out of which 165 Mha (nearly 40) was through AIBP Renovation Modernisation and Rehabilitation of old irrigation schemes gained momentum Users participation in major and medium irrigation schemes received greater attention Repairs and improvemen to the minor irrigation projects as a part of integrated micro-development also received encouragement Similarly sprinkler and drip irrigation programmes and the conjunctive use of surface and ground water gained momentum The project completed along with minor irrigation and ground water development have created an estimated potential of about 10277 Mha by the end of the X Plan

Although plan expenditure on irrigation has increased from Rs44l 8 crore in the 1st Plan to Rs 9574342 crore (outlay) in the X plan the share in total plan expenditure has decreased from 23 in the 1st Plan to 63 in the X Plan

The created irrigation potential increased from 226 Mha (97 Mha through major amp medium and 129 Mha through minor irrigation) in preplan period to 102Mha (4235 Mha through major and medium and 6042 1Tha through minor including ground water schemes) upto the end of X Plan with an annual average growth of 14 Mha In the corresponding period the potential utilistion has been from 226 Mha period to 8100 Mha

411 Central Assistance under AIBP

During IX Plan period irrigation potential of 165 Mha was created through AIBP at an average rate of 033 Mha per annum During the first three years of X plan the potential creation in major and medium irrigation sector through AIBP is around 14 Mha 047 Mha per annum In spite of rationalizing completion schedule of projects under AIBP several projects are lying behind schedule It is desirable to work out realistic time frame and cost to completion for projects to be considered under AIBP It is pertinent to mention that the spirit of the programme ie completion of last mile projects should not get diluted in the enthusiasm of inclusion of large number of projects under this programme As reported by the state governments but of total 200 projects presently under AIBP 95 projects would be completed by the end of X plan

23

The Central Assistance under AIBP as loan and grant provided up to March 2006 is Rs 1943790 crore out of which Rs 1883010 crore has been provided in Major and Medium irrigation sector

Impact ofAIBP

Plan Potential Created (Mha) Contribution of AIBP(Mha) IX 410 165 ( 402) X 530 300 ( 566)

Keeping an eye over the future requirement the Working Group on Water Resources for the XI Five Year Plan has brought out several suggestions in order to expedite completion of the projects which is very very essential Some other issues relating irrigation sector were also addressed in addition to this The strategies adopted for XI Plan proposal are swnmarized as below

1 Ongoing projects which have already achieved 90 or more of the ultimate potential should be considered as completed~ Critically review all such projects which are having only marginal benefit left or are near impossible to complete because of various problems and declare them completed or curtailed or deleted The balance cost of the remaining projects should be updated realistically for consideration under XI plan

2 Inter-Se priority should be decided considering various aspects such as externally aided proj ects interstate proj ects proj ects benefiting drought prone or tribal areas etc as per the guidelines prepared by National Commission for integrated Water Resources Development Plan

3 High priority should be accorded to the Pre-seventh and Seventh Plan Projects for funding under AIBP with emphasis to complete these projects during XI Plan List of such projects is appended as Annex31 Fund allocation under AIBP should be enhanced for this purpose ifnecessary

4 Foremost priority should be given for completion of ongoing projects and new projects should be taken up very selectively keeping in view the necessity for removal of regional imbalances and development of drought prone and tribal areas

5 Since the fund requirement for mediumminor irrigation projects are less adequate fund may be made available for completion of these projects without jeopardizing programme for important major projects ERM Projects should be given due priority where the eroded potential can be restored with ~oderate expenditure

24

6 A separate budget head upto 15 of Plan fund may be provided as Irrigation Maintenance Fund (IMF) and full amount of irrigation revenue as collectged should be credited to IMF

7 In addition to liabilities of completed projects and provision for ongoing and new projects the State plan proposals should incorporate provisions for special repairs of existing irrigation systems dam safety measures improved water management and water development aspect encompassing survey and investigation research and development training and National Hydrology Project

8 Substantial higher outlay should be provided in Central Plan to bring out effective role in plan activities of the Central Institutions by way of suitably strengthening them and provide adequate funds for taking new initiatives under Central Plan

9 The existing regionalstate level institutions such as W ALMIs should be strengthened and brought into mainstream activities for irrigation management improvement

10 Dam safety measures should be taken up all over country which is very essential in the context of disaster Prevention and Management

11 The performance evaluation of completed projects needs to be continued for benchmarking and improvement in irrigation efficiency

In addition to above recommendations on Minor Irrigation Sector are gIven as follows

1 Renovation Restoration of old tanks as well as old diversion channels in hilly regions along with improving efficiency of the projects Besides surface lift schemes may also be given due consideration particularly in hilly regions for irrigating high terraces

2 Expansion of irrigation facilities through a time bound programme for exploiting the huge ground water potential in the Eastern Region

3 Promotion of Micro Irrigation system in Water deficit areas 4 Promotion of Ground Water Development in areas haaving untapped unutilized

potential 5 National rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) may be linked with minor

irrigation Ground Water Development 6 A comprehensive act for regulation and development of ground water on

sustainable basis both in public and private sector

42 Command Area Development

In respect of command area development works for performance improvement-of the projects the working group has recommended the following recommendations for consideration

25

(a) Central funding for CAD works may be enhanced from present level of 5050 to 7525 for all the States while for states of North eastern Region and Hilly Special Category States the funding may be 90 from Government of India For software activities like trainings adaptive trials demonstrations monitoring and evaluation etc 100 Central funding may be considered in place of the existing pattern of 75 25 between the Centre and the States Funds can be directly given to W ALMIs and other State Central agencies for carrying out such activities

(b) It is proposed to increase the functional grant from Rs 600 per ha to Rs 1000 per ha which is to be shared in the ratio ofRs 675225100 between the centre State and the farmers while keeping all cost norms unchanged The State Governments may also be allowed to raise fund for its share through institutional funding or public borrowings through bonds on the pattern of Krishna Bhagya Nigam of Karnataka Government

(c) As per the existing system of release of Central Assistance the funds are transferred to the pool of State Finance Department which in tum releases funds to the implementing departments This procedure is not amenable for timely availability of the funds to the CADAs Therefore direct funding to CADAs from the Ministry in a mission mode can be considered to alleviate this problem For instance the Ministry of rural Development has a system of direct release of Central share of funds to the District Rural Development Authorities (DRDA) Jilla Parishads for implementing the schemes of the Central Ministry

(d) To ensure optimum utilization of created irrigation potential the CADWM should be made a part of the new major and medium projects

(e) Formation of WUAs under PTh1 Act is mandatory for implementation of CADWM programme Transition time of 2 years (upto the end of financial year 2008-09) may be allowed to those States which have not enact~d their PIM Acts so far Further relaxation may be only be allowed with the approval of CCEA

(f) WUAs should be involved in planning budgeting implementation and management of irrigation systems to be transferred to them There is a need to enforce a regime whereby farmers pay the water rates to meet the OampM expenditure rates Conditions of reforms should be imposed before handing over the projects to WUAs

(g) Volumetric supply of irrigation water to WUAs should be introduced

(h) Reputed NGOs with requisite skills may be involved for promotion of WUAs Rehabilitation of Canal Systems and Water Management for at least 2-3 years The estimated expenditure of Rs 600-800 per ha on account of this may be provided by the central government in the form of grant

(i) Autonomy of WUAs should be maintained in regard to Water Management However there may be linkages with Panchayati Raj Institutions through cross representation It may be considered to provide support to W ALMIs Agriculture Universities and reputed NGOs for improved water management at micro level It may also be considered to provide incentives for activities ofWUAs

26

(j) The WUAs should include women members from the land owning holding house holds in the Command Area irrespective of their ownership of the land

(k) Periodic evaluation of CAD Projects should be undertaken and suitable corrective measures may be taken if necessary

(1) Components for reclamation of waterlogged areas as well as correction of conveyance deficiencies with enhanced scope may be implemented to cover all the projects in the country details of which could be approved in consultation with expert organizations such as CWC CSSRI CGWB etc

(m) Water Resources Irrigation Departments need to undertake assessment periodically (at least once in 5 years) to determine the training needs at different levels of personnel deployed in water resources development and management Facilities available for capacity building are to be considered instead of establishing new training centres There has to be networking of existing training facilities so that training will be effective and economical It is desirable to have a separate scheme for training and capacity building for State Governments as well as central Government

43 Creation of Storage

Creation of storages is of prime importance in order to avoid severe domestic crisis on water issues As per the estimates given in the working group report there is a need of approximately live storage of around 450 km3

Major amp Medium Projects (Existing) -213 KJ13

Major amp Medium Projects (Under construction) -76 KM3 Minor Storages (Existing amp Under construction) -70 KM3 Total Live Storages in projects existing and under construction - 359 Km3

Likely loss in Live storage due to sedimentation upto 2050 which has to be compensated for -53 Km3 (say) Balance available live storage from the above in 2050 - 306 Km3 say 300 Km3

Therefore further new live storage to be created to have a live storage of 450 Km3 by 2050 is 150Km3

For creation the needed storage in addition to the present way of envisaging attention has to be paid to changing popUlation dynamics changing pattern of human settlements climatic change causing change in pattern of spatial and temporal variation in rainfall deterioration in water quality etc

44 Conjunctive Use of surface and ground water

Conjunctive use of surface and ground water can address the situation in two ways by decreasing the dependence on a single source and the quality of the available waterThis will reduce the chance of desalination as well Working group has suggested for the conjunctive use of middotgood quality water and saline seawater which will be helpful in reducing the cost of water requirement for irrigation

27

45 Efficiency improvement in the distribution system as well as in field

Deficiencies of the irrigated agriculture in India have been a cause of concern and a huge amount of thinking and analysis ha been done to devise ways and means to improve it The Working Group has recommended some important recommendations in this matter

1 Standardized definitions of irrigation efficiencies need to be evolved for use in India after reviewing available material All water resources of a basin form a unified resource and hence the basin efficiency concept which integrates all surface water and ground water uses as well as reuse and recirculation is important The basin efficiency also needs to be estimated along with project related efficiencies

2 Conjunctive use of water to be given higher priority particularly in alluvial areas as a very effective means of improving water use amp basin efficiency and of saving possible water logging and salination For givin an encouragement to conjunctive use irrigation Act may be amended if req ired The policy of favoring selective lining of canals should be continued LD ater allowances and somewhat inadequate conveyance capacities lead to be r efficiencies and less water loggingrelated problems These need to be encouraged

3 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Water Csers Associations (WUAs) should include a standard clause which binds the users to effective conjunctive use of surface and ground water On rising of gro nd water table the MOW should allow the department to cut the surface water supply

4 Where there are minor irrigation tanks minor urface lifts etc middotin the command these should be integrated with major project works and not be treated as separate entity Such tanks should be filled with cfulals water as per requirement Also such works will allow reuse of the seeped wateT

5 Each major irrigation system authorities should annually prepare the water budget accruing for all water stored or diverted all losses all reuse of lost waters estimated evaporation etc

6 Sufficient funds for operation and maintenance work to be provided Creation of Irrigation Maintenance Corporation as provided in the irrigation management policy is considered so that a linkage between revenues from water and OampM funds is established Water rates may accordingly be increased in a phased manner

7 Priority may be assigned toERM schemes for projects where water distribution systems are to be handed over to WUAs Where total ERM scheme is not contemplated one time maintenance deferred maintenance of a project may be allowed as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance of a project may be allowed

28

as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance budget to be decided in consultation with the farmers and walk through survey to assess what is appropriate and achievable within the available fund

8 All the schemes more than 25 years old should be studied in details to bring out the status of schemes in respect of structural safety and performance and ERM schemes may be formulated and taken up based on such studies

9 Drip sprinklers are mostly for horticulture vegetable crops (and surgarcane) in the present major and medium surface irrigation system These may be encouraged for other crops also Any compulsion for a particular cropping pattern needs to be removed whenever WUAs are formed amp volumetric water rates come into practice Use of sprinkler or drips or rotational surface supplies requires additional on farm storage (either as dug out ponds or elevatged storage with pump) This becomes essential since supply rotates are 10 daily or fortnightly whereas drips amp sprinkler require daily or 1 in 2 days operation Such storage creation needs to be within the ambit of subsidies for drips and sprinklers

10 As automation is a costly affair it is to be adopted for pilot schemes and not for larger area However preferably this should be introduced for conjunctive use of ground water and not always for surface water

The group has also recommended the concept of Target Efficiency of the water delivery system timely and equitable distribution ohvater increasing production per unit area and per unit volume of water used and financial sustainability of the water delivery infrastructure

46 Bridging the gap between the Potential created and potential utilised

There may be various reasons for increase in the gap between potential creation and potential utilized Some ofthese are

a likely over estimation and double counting of potential creation and inaccuracies discrepancies in reporting of potential utilized

b Loss of potential due to siltation in reservoirs ponds etc and deterioration of water distribution system

c Time gap between potential creation and command area development

d Assumption of optimistic cropping pattern in economic analysis and deviation in cropping pattern as compared to that envisaged during planning

e Over-drawl of water in head reaches depriving potential utilization by tail enders

f Unused canal flow during night hours

29

l

It is desirable to introduce more reliable and accurate system of assessment for potential created and utilized There should be a coordinating statistical organization in each State for reporting the figures of potential created and utilized The Remote Sensing Technique can also be effectively utilized for counter verification of figures reported The loss in potential due to siltation ageing of various distribution systems etc needs to be periodically assessed and accounted

The productivity of irrigated crop as assumed in economic analysis often seem to be optimistic and are not based on experience of nearby irrigation projects Use of water for irrigation and selection of crops have been left to the discretion of users farmers The adverse consequences of such freedom have been manifested as water logging in some commands Somewhere overexploitation of ground -vater has been leading to progressive fall in ground water level It is therefore necessary that a regulatory mechanism is brought into practice by which undesirable or unsuitable crops are discouraged and tendency to over use of irrigation water is c~ecked Similarly in areas where ground water is being used for irrigation a regulatory mechanism should be in place to deter over exploitation of ground water beyond allOvable limit

Sometimes apprehension of scarcity of water and non availability of water when needed also lead to over withdrawal by head end users Since extra tion of ground water is costly farmers tend to take water more than their requirements when that is available through canals Higher cost of ground water is primarily because of cost of power required for lifting of water In case source of solar power is created for lifting of water the cost of ground water will get substantially reduced This may facilitate and give farmers option to use surface water and ground water thom any extra cost Once this option is available and known to farmers that they are aware that use of more water than the optimal requirement is likely to reduce the yield certainly there would be reductionin

overdraw of water by head enders Thus there is a need to extend u~er friendly system and increase awareness and cooperation among farmers through Participatory Irrigation Management Water Users Associatiortsneed to be empowered to look into these aspects Further the piped distribution system and micro irrigation should be adopted as far as possible

In India night imgation is not practiced in general As a result waters flowing in canals during night hours either pass unutilized or wasted on account of uncontrolled flooding It is desirable that the night irrigation is introduced in policy and practice

47 Flood Management

In regard to flood management the strategies recommended are given here under

(a) Undertake construction of dams and reservoir schemes with adequate flood cushion for long term solution of flood problems Efforts should also be made for utilizing the existing reservoirs in the country for flood moderation to the extent

30

possible Even in Reservoirs constructed for power other purposes the rule curves may be framed in such way that effective flood moderation is achieved

(b) Flood Forecasting and flood warning network of ewe be extended and integrated with similar networks of the state governments so as to get real time information at a central point say in central flood control room under FMO ewe This activity should be extended to cover rivers originating from or flowing to the neighbouring countries

( c) To take up development of digital elevation model of flood prone areas for taking up schemes for inundation forecast preparation of flood risk maps planning of flood management schemes etc

(d) Identification of appropriate location for breaching spiling sections in the flood embankment for the controlled flooding of the protected areas for restoring fertility recharge of soil moisture and ground water

( e) Integrating flood management schemes with other infrastructural development programmes in the sectors of roads railways inland waterways and canal command area development works as well as recently declared Rural Employment Guarantee Programme

(f) Watershed management in the hilly catchmentgs of the rivers ongmating in Nepal Bhutan and hilly areas of India should be selectively chosen and funded fully Implementation should be done through a joint mechanism Ministry of Agriculture who is the nodal Ministry for the watershed management works should work out a detailed program in consultation with the Ministry of Water Resources

(g) To give adequate emphasis on the operation and maintenance (OampM) of the flood protection measures already created a percentage of outlay of the flood sector should be earmarked for this purpose

(h) Raising and strengthening of the existing embankments if required after detailed studies of hydrological morphological topographical and developmental aspects to stabilize the benefits of these measures

(i) Natural swamps and lakes to be developed into detention basins and capacity of existing depressions be improved for absorbing flood waters Special drives for development of Tal and Diara areas

G) Erosion of land either by sea or rivers to be minimized through suitable cost effective measures

(k) Flood proofing program such as raised platform and quick drainage facilities to be taken up in a)l the flood prone states

31

(1) Drainage improvement in critical areas in the country to be given priority

(m) Dredging at selective locations ie outfalls etc in the rivers and the tributaries as a way to reduce flood levels in low-lying areas and help in quick drainage

(n) Encourage RampD activities for improved flood management

(0) To encourage peoples participation

(p) To expedite projects peaks

on interlinking of rivers for helping in attenuating flood

(q) Steps to ensure implementation of action plan prepared by NDMA for flood management should be taken

(r) On-going schemes of earlier plans be completed expeditiously All the on going schemes spilling over to the XI Plan in which at least 50 execution has taken place should get first priority on fund allocation during the XI Plan

(s) The cost for flood component in a multi-purpose water resources development projects as a long-term solution to flood problem should be funded by Government of India

(t) Maintenance of existing flood management works to optimize its benefits

32

48 Achievement in irrigation during the two years of the Bharat Nirman Plan

The statewise achievement in two years ending on September 2006 is given below It shows that 2183776 thousand hectare has been added to the irrigation potential A daunting task still left to be achieved in coming two years

thF19ures are III ousand h ec ares t

I

i rOo

rarget bull Major amp Aebievements upSI No

States UrsName MinorMedium Total to September

Irrigation Irrigation 2006 r i

1 Andhra Pradesh 44127 112523 156649 302065

2 Arunachal Pradesh 00 2239 2239 4 777 3 Assam 303 4275 7306 3314

4 Bihar 41399 12858 169979 279451 5 Chhattisgarh 4435 14668 19103 65661

6 Goa 2442 26 2702 1224 7 Gujarat 94573 00 945 73 255224

8 Haryana 3373 241 5783 33301 9 Himachal Pradesh 3091 4691 7788 8842

10 lharkhand 8122 25314 33436 15 701 11 Jammu amp Kashmir 1801 9254 11055 14847

12 Karnataka 26282 124 38682 11131 13 Kerala 1609 2168 3777 15856

14 Madhya Pradesh 61172 162 77372 8138 15 Maharashtra 465 31 35651 82181 9313

16 Manipur 5195 155 6745 0 17 Meghalaya 00 1493 1493 2073

18 Mizoram 00 1096 1096 0628 19 Nagaland 00 1612 1612 259

20 Orissa 19899 13295 33194 3266 21 Punjab 4034 2056 609 68755

22 Rajasthan 37974 401 41984 26459 23 Sikkim 00 703 703 08

24 Tamil Nadu 00 2355 23 55 16461 25 Tripura 2689 5429 8118 6327 26 Uttar Pradesh 82516 15208 977 24 464 372 27 Uttranchal 00 3829 3829 34 967

28 West Bengal 13567 56384 69951 346

29 Andman amp Nicobar Island 00 033 033 0

30 Pondicherry 00 275 275 0 ~-

Total 2183766507867 479958 987826

I

L 33

------------------~------

The achievements are up to March 2006 only The progressachievement of 2006-07 was under compilationscrutiny in ewe at the time of preparation of this document

The figures for states ofKerala and Rajasthan pertain to the achievement of whole year 2006-07 and for the State of Uttar Pradesh the achievement is up to December2006

49 Conclusions

Water sector development encompasses multidisciplinary considerations There is no scope of overlooking any sector while giving priority to any sector or sectors The integrated planning is the only possible way to tackle the water resources development The participatory approach is the key for its sustainability Bharat middot Nirman Plan of Government of India by setting up goals for the period of four years is a boost to the already existing schemes in different ministries Irrigation and public water supply is the basic components of development have been rightly considered in the Bharat Nirman Plan The ambitious project has already traveled through a span of two years and has achieved some part of the goals The balance part has to be done with equal fervor The recent modification in AlBP norms is the evidence of the governmental zeal in achieving the goals For the continuance of the food sufficiency the irrigation development is the feasible quick solution The component of Irrigation in Bharat Nirman is thus a huge help for the required development in the water sector

34

Page 20: ROLE OF WRD&M IN BHARAT NIRMAN DURING WRD 2007

The Department of Telecom in the Ministry of Communications and Infonnation Technology has the responsibility of providing telephone cOlmectivity to the 66822 villages that remain to be covered

The resources for implementation of universal services obligation are raised through a Universal Service Levy which has presently been fixed at 5 of the adjusted gross revenue of all telecom service providers except the pure value added service providers like internet voice mail e-mail service providers The rules also make a provision for the Central Government to give grants and loans to the Fund The balance to the credit of the Fund does not lapse at the end of the financial year usa Fund assigns the task of providing Village Public Telephones (VPTs) on the basis of bids through open tender and in this case the work has been assigned to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd Out of the 66822 villages identified connectivity in 14183 remote and far-flung villages will be provided through digital satellite phone tenninals From the USOF assistance is provided for both capital expenditure as well as operational expenditure It is estimated that a total sum of Rs451 crore would be required to provide VPTs in these 66822 villages and the entire sum will be met out of USOF and no separate allocation from Government would be required

As an additional incentives telecom service providers are being assisted through the USOF to penetrate into the rural areas for the following activities - Maintenance of existing village public telephones (VPTs) - Provision of an additional mral community phone in villages with a population of more

than two thousand and where no public call office exists - Replacement of village public telephones installed on Multi Access Radio Relay

(MARR) technology - Telephone lines installed in household in specified rural areas

Rural teledensity will be significantly enhanced during the period of Bharat Nirman

The Government is committed to expanding mral connectivity through a slew of measures so that rural users can access information of value and transact business This will include cOlmecting block headquarters with fibre optic network using wireless technology to achieve last mile connectivity and operating information kiosks through a partnership of citizens panchayats civil society organizations the private sector and Government

35 Irrigation

Goal J 0 million hectares (J 00 lakhs) of additional irrigation capacity to be created by 2009

The Ministry of Water Resources in collaboration with State Governments is responsible for creation of additional 10 million hectares of irrigation capacity by the year 2009 through major medium and minor irrigation projects complemented by ground water development

18

The ultimate irrigation potential for the country has been estimated as 140 million hectare (Mba) which include potential through Major and Medium irrigation projects (5846 Mha) surface water based minor irrigation schemes (1754 Mha) and ground water development (6400 Mha) So far the irrigation potential of 10277 Mha has already been created However the created potential has not been fully utilized and the gap between created and utilized potential has been estimated to be of the order of 17 Mha

351 Major and Medium Irrigation (MMI) Proj ects

For the country as a whole 66 of the ultimate irrigationpotential of major and medium projects has been created 477 Major and Medium irrigation projects have spilled over to Xl In addition the States have proposed 223 Major and Medium projects and 86 ERM projects during XI Plan An outlay of Rs 30670 crore has been provided for the new proj ects in the XI Plan

So far 173 major and medium 4169 minor and 21 Extension Renovation and Modernization (ERM) projects have been provided Central Loan Assistance under Accelerated Irrigation benefit Programme (AIBP) The potential creation through projects supported under AIBP has been found to be 035 Mha per year with about 047 Mha per year in the last two years As per existing Plan the projected creation of irrigation potential through AIBP is 050 Mba per year in the remaining period of X Five Year Plan

The average rate of creation of irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects from 1951 to 1997 has been found to be of the order of 051 Mha per year During the year 1997 to 2005 the rate for creati n has been found to be 092 Mah per year The pace of creation of new irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects has increased in the recent past This is due to fruition of projects started much earlier which have been expedited due to increased support through AIBP

The projects for extension renovation and modernization (ERM) of major and medium irrigation schemes are also being implemented with arrangement similar to that for completion of ongoing major and medium schemes The implementation of ERM projects along with Command Area Development and Water Management (CAD and WM) help in sustaining the created facilities and in improving the utilization

35 2 Minor Irrigatioll Schemes

There is considerable variation in creation of ilTIgation potential through minor irrigation (both surface and ground water) schemes from State to State While full potential through minor irrigation has been tapped in some of the States it is relatively very low in others

19

Minor irrigation through surface water covers water sources (tanks and small reservoirs) with a culturable command area (CCA) of less than 2000 ha About 70 of the ultimate potential through surface water based minor irrigation schemes has since been created The Report of the National Commission for Integrated Water Resources Development points out that the carrying capacity of tanks has decreased over time for a variety of reasons and that the restoration and renovation of tanks and other local sources is a priority task

Since 2004-05 a pilot scheme for repair renovation and restoration of water bodies directly linked to agriculture has been taken up by the Government as a state-sector scheme in the 16 districts of the country which is proposed to be expanded

353 Ground Water Development

From the surveys conducted for estimation of availability and status of ground water the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has identified areas that are over-exploited (where exploitation is more than natural recharge of ground water) and areas that are critical or dark (where draft is between 70 to 100 of the natural recharge ofground water) The recent survey indicates that out of 7414 identified units (blockstalukaswatershed) 471 are Overexploited and 318 are Critical or Dark units Thus less than 11 of the total units fall under the category of over-exploited and critical The ultimate irrigation potential to be created is based on the assessed replenishable groundwater after duly accounting for the domestic and industrial uses (about 10) It has been assessed that ground water is still available for utilization in many parts of the country particularly in the eastern parts of the country Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and in specific pockets of Andhra Pradesh Kamataka Maharashtra and Jammu amp Kashmir In Punjab Haryana Rajasthan Gujarat and Tamil Nadu the rechargeable quantum of ground water has been exceeded and mining of static reserves has commenced This reinforces the need to take urgent steps to increase recharge and conservation

354 Targets under Bharat Nirman

Sl No Component Target I Completion of ongoing Major amp medium Irrigation

Projects 42Mha

II Minor irrigation schemes bull Surface water 10 Mha bull Ground Water 18 Mha

10Mha l8Mha

28Mha

III Enhancing utilization of completed projects bull ERM of major amp medium projects bull Repair renovation and restoration of water bodiesERM of minor irrigation schemes

lOMha 10Mha

20Mha

IV Ground water development in area with unutilized ground water potential (for benefit of small and marginal farmers and Tribals amp Dalits) -

lOMba

20

Creation of potential of 1 Mha through ground water development in areas with unutilized ground water potential would primarily benefit small and marginal farmers who are mostly tribals dalits and weaker sections of society The scheme envisages full involvement of Panchayati Raj Institutions in implementation of the schemes

36 Housing

Goal 60 lakh houses to be constructed for the rural poor by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development through the IndiraAwaas Yojana undertakes this activity as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme where the cost is shared between the Centre and States on 7525 basis

The 2001 Census places the rural housing shortage figure ~n India at around 1491akhs Construction of 60 lakh houses over the next four years across the country is envisaged starting from 2005-06 to address a significant portion of this backlog

The criteria adopted for allocation of financial resources between the StatesUTs give greater emphasis to the states with higher incidence or shelterlessness 75 weightage is given to housing shortage and 25 to the poverty ratios prescribed by the Planning Commission for State-level allocations For district-level allocations 75 weightage is given again to housing shortage and 25 to SCST population of the districts concerned Grant assistance is provided to the extent of Rs 25000 per house for normal middot areas and Rs 27500 for hilly areas Funds are released to the DRDAs in two installments

Implementation guidelines of the scheme specifically target the rural below poverty line (BPL) households The respective Gram Sabha does the selection of beneficiaries from the BPL list and no higher approval is required The guidelines also clearlY Specify that the house allotment should be in the name of the female member of the family as a first priority While seeking to empower the rural women the scheme also provides priority to physically and mentally challenged persons exservicemen widows and freed bonded labourers It is stipulated that at least 60 of the beneficiaries should belong to the SCST communities TheIAY scheme also lays emphasis on sanitation and health by incorporating the cost of a sanitary latrine and smokeless chulah into the per unit grant provided to the beneficiary for constructionlupgradation of the dwelling unit

21

CHAPTER IV

WATER SECTOR ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN BHARAT NIRMAN PLAN

Water resource is a vital input in the development endeavours of the country Its finite availability and ever increasing demand in every sector have aggravated the problem manifold in case of India The requirement of faster development in irrigation water supply industrial use flood protection is evident assuming the future scenario Bharat Nirman Plan has rightly stressed on the irrigation and water supply where as the other sectors requirement is to be redressed with equal priority for the sustainable development of India

The water sector is grappled with the following Issues

Irrigation development Command area development amp Catchment area treatment Creation of storages Conunctive use of surface and ground water Efficiency improvement in distribution system Bridging the gap between irrigation potential created and potential utilised Flood Management

41 Irrigation Development

In India with the constitution of the Planning commission in 1950 and the advent of planning process in the first five year plan (1951-56) the country launched a major irrigation programme A number of multipurpose and major projects such as Bhakra Nangal Nagarjunasagar Kosi Chambal Hirakund Kakrapar and Tungbhadra were taken up Simultaneously minor irrigation schemes including ground water were given emphasis under the Agricultural Sector along with financial assistance from the Centre

During the period of Second Five Year Plan (1956-61) Third Five Year Plan (1961-66) and the Three Annual Plans (1966-69) irrigation programmes continued with addition of new projects During the Fourth Five Year Plan (1969-74) the emphasis was shifted to the completion of ongoing projects integrated use of surface and ground water adoption of efficient management techniques and modernization of existing schemes However new projects continued to be added

During the fifth Plan (1974-79) command Area Development Programme Was launched as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with the objective of reducing the lag between potential created and optimum utilization of available land and water Initially 60 major and medium proj ects were covered with a CCA of 15 Mha

22

During the Annual Plans of 1978-80 and the Sixth Five Year Plan ( 1980-85) new starts continued and at the end of Seventh Plan there were as many as 182 major and 312 medium ongoing proj ects requiring an estimated amount of Rs 39044 crore at the 1990shy91 price level for their completion New starts were therefore restricted considerably and greater emphasis was laid on completion of projects which were in the advanced stages of completion (those with an expenditure of 75 per cent or more) This was continued during 1990-91 and 1991-92 Annual Plans VIII Plan (1992-97) and IX Plan (1997 -2000)

For speedy completion of ongoing projects in advance stage of construction Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) was launched in 1996-97 During VIII Plan period irrigation potential of 22 Mha was created under major and medium sector at an annual rate of 044 Mha per annum During IX plan period this increased to 412 Mha out of which 165 Mha (nearly 40) was through AIBP Renovation Modernisation and Rehabilitation of old irrigation schemes gained momentum Users participation in major and medium irrigation schemes received greater attention Repairs and improvemen to the minor irrigation projects as a part of integrated micro-development also received encouragement Similarly sprinkler and drip irrigation programmes and the conjunctive use of surface and ground water gained momentum The project completed along with minor irrigation and ground water development have created an estimated potential of about 10277 Mha by the end of the X Plan

Although plan expenditure on irrigation has increased from Rs44l 8 crore in the 1st Plan to Rs 9574342 crore (outlay) in the X plan the share in total plan expenditure has decreased from 23 in the 1st Plan to 63 in the X Plan

The created irrigation potential increased from 226 Mha (97 Mha through major amp medium and 129 Mha through minor irrigation) in preplan period to 102Mha (4235 Mha through major and medium and 6042 1Tha through minor including ground water schemes) upto the end of X Plan with an annual average growth of 14 Mha In the corresponding period the potential utilistion has been from 226 Mha period to 8100 Mha

411 Central Assistance under AIBP

During IX Plan period irrigation potential of 165 Mha was created through AIBP at an average rate of 033 Mha per annum During the first three years of X plan the potential creation in major and medium irrigation sector through AIBP is around 14 Mha 047 Mha per annum In spite of rationalizing completion schedule of projects under AIBP several projects are lying behind schedule It is desirable to work out realistic time frame and cost to completion for projects to be considered under AIBP It is pertinent to mention that the spirit of the programme ie completion of last mile projects should not get diluted in the enthusiasm of inclusion of large number of projects under this programme As reported by the state governments but of total 200 projects presently under AIBP 95 projects would be completed by the end of X plan

23

The Central Assistance under AIBP as loan and grant provided up to March 2006 is Rs 1943790 crore out of which Rs 1883010 crore has been provided in Major and Medium irrigation sector

Impact ofAIBP

Plan Potential Created (Mha) Contribution of AIBP(Mha) IX 410 165 ( 402) X 530 300 ( 566)

Keeping an eye over the future requirement the Working Group on Water Resources for the XI Five Year Plan has brought out several suggestions in order to expedite completion of the projects which is very very essential Some other issues relating irrigation sector were also addressed in addition to this The strategies adopted for XI Plan proposal are swnmarized as below

1 Ongoing projects which have already achieved 90 or more of the ultimate potential should be considered as completed~ Critically review all such projects which are having only marginal benefit left or are near impossible to complete because of various problems and declare them completed or curtailed or deleted The balance cost of the remaining projects should be updated realistically for consideration under XI plan

2 Inter-Se priority should be decided considering various aspects such as externally aided proj ects interstate proj ects proj ects benefiting drought prone or tribal areas etc as per the guidelines prepared by National Commission for integrated Water Resources Development Plan

3 High priority should be accorded to the Pre-seventh and Seventh Plan Projects for funding under AIBP with emphasis to complete these projects during XI Plan List of such projects is appended as Annex31 Fund allocation under AIBP should be enhanced for this purpose ifnecessary

4 Foremost priority should be given for completion of ongoing projects and new projects should be taken up very selectively keeping in view the necessity for removal of regional imbalances and development of drought prone and tribal areas

5 Since the fund requirement for mediumminor irrigation projects are less adequate fund may be made available for completion of these projects without jeopardizing programme for important major projects ERM Projects should be given due priority where the eroded potential can be restored with ~oderate expenditure

24

6 A separate budget head upto 15 of Plan fund may be provided as Irrigation Maintenance Fund (IMF) and full amount of irrigation revenue as collectged should be credited to IMF

7 In addition to liabilities of completed projects and provision for ongoing and new projects the State plan proposals should incorporate provisions for special repairs of existing irrigation systems dam safety measures improved water management and water development aspect encompassing survey and investigation research and development training and National Hydrology Project

8 Substantial higher outlay should be provided in Central Plan to bring out effective role in plan activities of the Central Institutions by way of suitably strengthening them and provide adequate funds for taking new initiatives under Central Plan

9 The existing regionalstate level institutions such as W ALMIs should be strengthened and brought into mainstream activities for irrigation management improvement

10 Dam safety measures should be taken up all over country which is very essential in the context of disaster Prevention and Management

11 The performance evaluation of completed projects needs to be continued for benchmarking and improvement in irrigation efficiency

In addition to above recommendations on Minor Irrigation Sector are gIven as follows

1 Renovation Restoration of old tanks as well as old diversion channels in hilly regions along with improving efficiency of the projects Besides surface lift schemes may also be given due consideration particularly in hilly regions for irrigating high terraces

2 Expansion of irrigation facilities through a time bound programme for exploiting the huge ground water potential in the Eastern Region

3 Promotion of Micro Irrigation system in Water deficit areas 4 Promotion of Ground Water Development in areas haaving untapped unutilized

potential 5 National rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) may be linked with minor

irrigation Ground Water Development 6 A comprehensive act for regulation and development of ground water on

sustainable basis both in public and private sector

42 Command Area Development

In respect of command area development works for performance improvement-of the projects the working group has recommended the following recommendations for consideration

25

(a) Central funding for CAD works may be enhanced from present level of 5050 to 7525 for all the States while for states of North eastern Region and Hilly Special Category States the funding may be 90 from Government of India For software activities like trainings adaptive trials demonstrations monitoring and evaluation etc 100 Central funding may be considered in place of the existing pattern of 75 25 between the Centre and the States Funds can be directly given to W ALMIs and other State Central agencies for carrying out such activities

(b) It is proposed to increase the functional grant from Rs 600 per ha to Rs 1000 per ha which is to be shared in the ratio ofRs 675225100 between the centre State and the farmers while keeping all cost norms unchanged The State Governments may also be allowed to raise fund for its share through institutional funding or public borrowings through bonds on the pattern of Krishna Bhagya Nigam of Karnataka Government

(c) As per the existing system of release of Central Assistance the funds are transferred to the pool of State Finance Department which in tum releases funds to the implementing departments This procedure is not amenable for timely availability of the funds to the CADAs Therefore direct funding to CADAs from the Ministry in a mission mode can be considered to alleviate this problem For instance the Ministry of rural Development has a system of direct release of Central share of funds to the District Rural Development Authorities (DRDA) Jilla Parishads for implementing the schemes of the Central Ministry

(d) To ensure optimum utilization of created irrigation potential the CADWM should be made a part of the new major and medium projects

(e) Formation of WUAs under PTh1 Act is mandatory for implementation of CADWM programme Transition time of 2 years (upto the end of financial year 2008-09) may be allowed to those States which have not enact~d their PIM Acts so far Further relaxation may be only be allowed with the approval of CCEA

(f) WUAs should be involved in planning budgeting implementation and management of irrigation systems to be transferred to them There is a need to enforce a regime whereby farmers pay the water rates to meet the OampM expenditure rates Conditions of reforms should be imposed before handing over the projects to WUAs

(g) Volumetric supply of irrigation water to WUAs should be introduced

(h) Reputed NGOs with requisite skills may be involved for promotion of WUAs Rehabilitation of Canal Systems and Water Management for at least 2-3 years The estimated expenditure of Rs 600-800 per ha on account of this may be provided by the central government in the form of grant

(i) Autonomy of WUAs should be maintained in regard to Water Management However there may be linkages with Panchayati Raj Institutions through cross representation It may be considered to provide support to W ALMIs Agriculture Universities and reputed NGOs for improved water management at micro level It may also be considered to provide incentives for activities ofWUAs

26

(j) The WUAs should include women members from the land owning holding house holds in the Command Area irrespective of their ownership of the land

(k) Periodic evaluation of CAD Projects should be undertaken and suitable corrective measures may be taken if necessary

(1) Components for reclamation of waterlogged areas as well as correction of conveyance deficiencies with enhanced scope may be implemented to cover all the projects in the country details of which could be approved in consultation with expert organizations such as CWC CSSRI CGWB etc

(m) Water Resources Irrigation Departments need to undertake assessment periodically (at least once in 5 years) to determine the training needs at different levels of personnel deployed in water resources development and management Facilities available for capacity building are to be considered instead of establishing new training centres There has to be networking of existing training facilities so that training will be effective and economical It is desirable to have a separate scheme for training and capacity building for State Governments as well as central Government

43 Creation of Storage

Creation of storages is of prime importance in order to avoid severe domestic crisis on water issues As per the estimates given in the working group report there is a need of approximately live storage of around 450 km3

Major amp Medium Projects (Existing) -213 KJ13

Major amp Medium Projects (Under construction) -76 KM3 Minor Storages (Existing amp Under construction) -70 KM3 Total Live Storages in projects existing and under construction - 359 Km3

Likely loss in Live storage due to sedimentation upto 2050 which has to be compensated for -53 Km3 (say) Balance available live storage from the above in 2050 - 306 Km3 say 300 Km3

Therefore further new live storage to be created to have a live storage of 450 Km3 by 2050 is 150Km3

For creation the needed storage in addition to the present way of envisaging attention has to be paid to changing popUlation dynamics changing pattern of human settlements climatic change causing change in pattern of spatial and temporal variation in rainfall deterioration in water quality etc

44 Conjunctive Use of surface and ground water

Conjunctive use of surface and ground water can address the situation in two ways by decreasing the dependence on a single source and the quality of the available waterThis will reduce the chance of desalination as well Working group has suggested for the conjunctive use of middotgood quality water and saline seawater which will be helpful in reducing the cost of water requirement for irrigation

27

45 Efficiency improvement in the distribution system as well as in field

Deficiencies of the irrigated agriculture in India have been a cause of concern and a huge amount of thinking and analysis ha been done to devise ways and means to improve it The Working Group has recommended some important recommendations in this matter

1 Standardized definitions of irrigation efficiencies need to be evolved for use in India after reviewing available material All water resources of a basin form a unified resource and hence the basin efficiency concept which integrates all surface water and ground water uses as well as reuse and recirculation is important The basin efficiency also needs to be estimated along with project related efficiencies

2 Conjunctive use of water to be given higher priority particularly in alluvial areas as a very effective means of improving water use amp basin efficiency and of saving possible water logging and salination For givin an encouragement to conjunctive use irrigation Act may be amended if req ired The policy of favoring selective lining of canals should be continued LD ater allowances and somewhat inadequate conveyance capacities lead to be r efficiencies and less water loggingrelated problems These need to be encouraged

3 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Water Csers Associations (WUAs) should include a standard clause which binds the users to effective conjunctive use of surface and ground water On rising of gro nd water table the MOW should allow the department to cut the surface water supply

4 Where there are minor irrigation tanks minor urface lifts etc middotin the command these should be integrated with major project works and not be treated as separate entity Such tanks should be filled with cfulals water as per requirement Also such works will allow reuse of the seeped wateT

5 Each major irrigation system authorities should annually prepare the water budget accruing for all water stored or diverted all losses all reuse of lost waters estimated evaporation etc

6 Sufficient funds for operation and maintenance work to be provided Creation of Irrigation Maintenance Corporation as provided in the irrigation management policy is considered so that a linkage between revenues from water and OampM funds is established Water rates may accordingly be increased in a phased manner

7 Priority may be assigned toERM schemes for projects where water distribution systems are to be handed over to WUAs Where total ERM scheme is not contemplated one time maintenance deferred maintenance of a project may be allowed as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance of a project may be allowed

28

as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance budget to be decided in consultation with the farmers and walk through survey to assess what is appropriate and achievable within the available fund

8 All the schemes more than 25 years old should be studied in details to bring out the status of schemes in respect of structural safety and performance and ERM schemes may be formulated and taken up based on such studies

9 Drip sprinklers are mostly for horticulture vegetable crops (and surgarcane) in the present major and medium surface irrigation system These may be encouraged for other crops also Any compulsion for a particular cropping pattern needs to be removed whenever WUAs are formed amp volumetric water rates come into practice Use of sprinkler or drips or rotational surface supplies requires additional on farm storage (either as dug out ponds or elevatged storage with pump) This becomes essential since supply rotates are 10 daily or fortnightly whereas drips amp sprinkler require daily or 1 in 2 days operation Such storage creation needs to be within the ambit of subsidies for drips and sprinklers

10 As automation is a costly affair it is to be adopted for pilot schemes and not for larger area However preferably this should be introduced for conjunctive use of ground water and not always for surface water

The group has also recommended the concept of Target Efficiency of the water delivery system timely and equitable distribution ohvater increasing production per unit area and per unit volume of water used and financial sustainability of the water delivery infrastructure

46 Bridging the gap between the Potential created and potential utilised

There may be various reasons for increase in the gap between potential creation and potential utilized Some ofthese are

a likely over estimation and double counting of potential creation and inaccuracies discrepancies in reporting of potential utilized

b Loss of potential due to siltation in reservoirs ponds etc and deterioration of water distribution system

c Time gap between potential creation and command area development

d Assumption of optimistic cropping pattern in economic analysis and deviation in cropping pattern as compared to that envisaged during planning

e Over-drawl of water in head reaches depriving potential utilization by tail enders

f Unused canal flow during night hours

29

l

It is desirable to introduce more reliable and accurate system of assessment for potential created and utilized There should be a coordinating statistical organization in each State for reporting the figures of potential created and utilized The Remote Sensing Technique can also be effectively utilized for counter verification of figures reported The loss in potential due to siltation ageing of various distribution systems etc needs to be periodically assessed and accounted

The productivity of irrigated crop as assumed in economic analysis often seem to be optimistic and are not based on experience of nearby irrigation projects Use of water for irrigation and selection of crops have been left to the discretion of users farmers The adverse consequences of such freedom have been manifested as water logging in some commands Somewhere overexploitation of ground -vater has been leading to progressive fall in ground water level It is therefore necessary that a regulatory mechanism is brought into practice by which undesirable or unsuitable crops are discouraged and tendency to over use of irrigation water is c~ecked Similarly in areas where ground water is being used for irrigation a regulatory mechanism should be in place to deter over exploitation of ground water beyond allOvable limit

Sometimes apprehension of scarcity of water and non availability of water when needed also lead to over withdrawal by head end users Since extra tion of ground water is costly farmers tend to take water more than their requirements when that is available through canals Higher cost of ground water is primarily because of cost of power required for lifting of water In case source of solar power is created for lifting of water the cost of ground water will get substantially reduced This may facilitate and give farmers option to use surface water and ground water thom any extra cost Once this option is available and known to farmers that they are aware that use of more water than the optimal requirement is likely to reduce the yield certainly there would be reductionin

overdraw of water by head enders Thus there is a need to extend u~er friendly system and increase awareness and cooperation among farmers through Participatory Irrigation Management Water Users Associatiortsneed to be empowered to look into these aspects Further the piped distribution system and micro irrigation should be adopted as far as possible

In India night imgation is not practiced in general As a result waters flowing in canals during night hours either pass unutilized or wasted on account of uncontrolled flooding It is desirable that the night irrigation is introduced in policy and practice

47 Flood Management

In regard to flood management the strategies recommended are given here under

(a) Undertake construction of dams and reservoir schemes with adequate flood cushion for long term solution of flood problems Efforts should also be made for utilizing the existing reservoirs in the country for flood moderation to the extent

30

possible Even in Reservoirs constructed for power other purposes the rule curves may be framed in such way that effective flood moderation is achieved

(b) Flood Forecasting and flood warning network of ewe be extended and integrated with similar networks of the state governments so as to get real time information at a central point say in central flood control room under FMO ewe This activity should be extended to cover rivers originating from or flowing to the neighbouring countries

( c) To take up development of digital elevation model of flood prone areas for taking up schemes for inundation forecast preparation of flood risk maps planning of flood management schemes etc

(d) Identification of appropriate location for breaching spiling sections in the flood embankment for the controlled flooding of the protected areas for restoring fertility recharge of soil moisture and ground water

( e) Integrating flood management schemes with other infrastructural development programmes in the sectors of roads railways inland waterways and canal command area development works as well as recently declared Rural Employment Guarantee Programme

(f) Watershed management in the hilly catchmentgs of the rivers ongmating in Nepal Bhutan and hilly areas of India should be selectively chosen and funded fully Implementation should be done through a joint mechanism Ministry of Agriculture who is the nodal Ministry for the watershed management works should work out a detailed program in consultation with the Ministry of Water Resources

(g) To give adequate emphasis on the operation and maintenance (OampM) of the flood protection measures already created a percentage of outlay of the flood sector should be earmarked for this purpose

(h) Raising and strengthening of the existing embankments if required after detailed studies of hydrological morphological topographical and developmental aspects to stabilize the benefits of these measures

(i) Natural swamps and lakes to be developed into detention basins and capacity of existing depressions be improved for absorbing flood waters Special drives for development of Tal and Diara areas

G) Erosion of land either by sea or rivers to be minimized through suitable cost effective measures

(k) Flood proofing program such as raised platform and quick drainage facilities to be taken up in a)l the flood prone states

31

(1) Drainage improvement in critical areas in the country to be given priority

(m) Dredging at selective locations ie outfalls etc in the rivers and the tributaries as a way to reduce flood levels in low-lying areas and help in quick drainage

(n) Encourage RampD activities for improved flood management

(0) To encourage peoples participation

(p) To expedite projects peaks

on interlinking of rivers for helping in attenuating flood

(q) Steps to ensure implementation of action plan prepared by NDMA for flood management should be taken

(r) On-going schemes of earlier plans be completed expeditiously All the on going schemes spilling over to the XI Plan in which at least 50 execution has taken place should get first priority on fund allocation during the XI Plan

(s) The cost for flood component in a multi-purpose water resources development projects as a long-term solution to flood problem should be funded by Government of India

(t) Maintenance of existing flood management works to optimize its benefits

32

48 Achievement in irrigation during the two years of the Bharat Nirman Plan

The statewise achievement in two years ending on September 2006 is given below It shows that 2183776 thousand hectare has been added to the irrigation potential A daunting task still left to be achieved in coming two years

thF19ures are III ousand h ec ares t

I

i rOo

rarget bull Major amp Aebievements upSI No

States UrsName MinorMedium Total to September

Irrigation Irrigation 2006 r i

1 Andhra Pradesh 44127 112523 156649 302065

2 Arunachal Pradesh 00 2239 2239 4 777 3 Assam 303 4275 7306 3314

4 Bihar 41399 12858 169979 279451 5 Chhattisgarh 4435 14668 19103 65661

6 Goa 2442 26 2702 1224 7 Gujarat 94573 00 945 73 255224

8 Haryana 3373 241 5783 33301 9 Himachal Pradesh 3091 4691 7788 8842

10 lharkhand 8122 25314 33436 15 701 11 Jammu amp Kashmir 1801 9254 11055 14847

12 Karnataka 26282 124 38682 11131 13 Kerala 1609 2168 3777 15856

14 Madhya Pradesh 61172 162 77372 8138 15 Maharashtra 465 31 35651 82181 9313

16 Manipur 5195 155 6745 0 17 Meghalaya 00 1493 1493 2073

18 Mizoram 00 1096 1096 0628 19 Nagaland 00 1612 1612 259

20 Orissa 19899 13295 33194 3266 21 Punjab 4034 2056 609 68755

22 Rajasthan 37974 401 41984 26459 23 Sikkim 00 703 703 08

24 Tamil Nadu 00 2355 23 55 16461 25 Tripura 2689 5429 8118 6327 26 Uttar Pradesh 82516 15208 977 24 464 372 27 Uttranchal 00 3829 3829 34 967

28 West Bengal 13567 56384 69951 346

29 Andman amp Nicobar Island 00 033 033 0

30 Pondicherry 00 275 275 0 ~-

Total 2183766507867 479958 987826

I

L 33

------------------~------

The achievements are up to March 2006 only The progressachievement of 2006-07 was under compilationscrutiny in ewe at the time of preparation of this document

The figures for states ofKerala and Rajasthan pertain to the achievement of whole year 2006-07 and for the State of Uttar Pradesh the achievement is up to December2006

49 Conclusions

Water sector development encompasses multidisciplinary considerations There is no scope of overlooking any sector while giving priority to any sector or sectors The integrated planning is the only possible way to tackle the water resources development The participatory approach is the key for its sustainability Bharat middot Nirman Plan of Government of India by setting up goals for the period of four years is a boost to the already existing schemes in different ministries Irrigation and public water supply is the basic components of development have been rightly considered in the Bharat Nirman Plan The ambitious project has already traveled through a span of two years and has achieved some part of the goals The balance part has to be done with equal fervor The recent modification in AlBP norms is the evidence of the governmental zeal in achieving the goals For the continuance of the food sufficiency the irrigation development is the feasible quick solution The component of Irrigation in Bharat Nirman is thus a huge help for the required development in the water sector

34

Page 21: ROLE OF WRD&M IN BHARAT NIRMAN DURING WRD 2007

The ultimate irrigation potential for the country has been estimated as 140 million hectare (Mba) which include potential through Major and Medium irrigation projects (5846 Mha) surface water based minor irrigation schemes (1754 Mha) and ground water development (6400 Mha) So far the irrigation potential of 10277 Mha has already been created However the created potential has not been fully utilized and the gap between created and utilized potential has been estimated to be of the order of 17 Mha

351 Major and Medium Irrigation (MMI) Proj ects

For the country as a whole 66 of the ultimate irrigationpotential of major and medium projects has been created 477 Major and Medium irrigation projects have spilled over to Xl In addition the States have proposed 223 Major and Medium projects and 86 ERM projects during XI Plan An outlay of Rs 30670 crore has been provided for the new proj ects in the XI Plan

So far 173 major and medium 4169 minor and 21 Extension Renovation and Modernization (ERM) projects have been provided Central Loan Assistance under Accelerated Irrigation benefit Programme (AIBP) The potential creation through projects supported under AIBP has been found to be 035 Mha per year with about 047 Mha per year in the last two years As per existing Plan the projected creation of irrigation potential through AIBP is 050 Mba per year in the remaining period of X Five Year Plan

The average rate of creation of irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects from 1951 to 1997 has been found to be of the order of 051 Mha per year During the year 1997 to 2005 the rate for creati n has been found to be 092 Mah per year The pace of creation of new irrigation potential through Major and Medium projects has increased in the recent past This is due to fruition of projects started much earlier which have been expedited due to increased support through AIBP

The projects for extension renovation and modernization (ERM) of major and medium irrigation schemes are also being implemented with arrangement similar to that for completion of ongoing major and medium schemes The implementation of ERM projects along with Command Area Development and Water Management (CAD and WM) help in sustaining the created facilities and in improving the utilization

35 2 Minor Irrigatioll Schemes

There is considerable variation in creation of ilTIgation potential through minor irrigation (both surface and ground water) schemes from State to State While full potential through minor irrigation has been tapped in some of the States it is relatively very low in others

19

Minor irrigation through surface water covers water sources (tanks and small reservoirs) with a culturable command area (CCA) of less than 2000 ha About 70 of the ultimate potential through surface water based minor irrigation schemes has since been created The Report of the National Commission for Integrated Water Resources Development points out that the carrying capacity of tanks has decreased over time for a variety of reasons and that the restoration and renovation of tanks and other local sources is a priority task

Since 2004-05 a pilot scheme for repair renovation and restoration of water bodies directly linked to agriculture has been taken up by the Government as a state-sector scheme in the 16 districts of the country which is proposed to be expanded

353 Ground Water Development

From the surveys conducted for estimation of availability and status of ground water the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has identified areas that are over-exploited (where exploitation is more than natural recharge of ground water) and areas that are critical or dark (where draft is between 70 to 100 of the natural recharge ofground water) The recent survey indicates that out of 7414 identified units (blockstalukaswatershed) 471 are Overexploited and 318 are Critical or Dark units Thus less than 11 of the total units fall under the category of over-exploited and critical The ultimate irrigation potential to be created is based on the assessed replenishable groundwater after duly accounting for the domestic and industrial uses (about 10) It has been assessed that ground water is still available for utilization in many parts of the country particularly in the eastern parts of the country Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and in specific pockets of Andhra Pradesh Kamataka Maharashtra and Jammu amp Kashmir In Punjab Haryana Rajasthan Gujarat and Tamil Nadu the rechargeable quantum of ground water has been exceeded and mining of static reserves has commenced This reinforces the need to take urgent steps to increase recharge and conservation

354 Targets under Bharat Nirman

Sl No Component Target I Completion of ongoing Major amp medium Irrigation

Projects 42Mha

II Minor irrigation schemes bull Surface water 10 Mha bull Ground Water 18 Mha

10Mha l8Mha

28Mha

III Enhancing utilization of completed projects bull ERM of major amp medium projects bull Repair renovation and restoration of water bodiesERM of minor irrigation schemes

lOMha 10Mha

20Mha

IV Ground water development in area with unutilized ground water potential (for benefit of small and marginal farmers and Tribals amp Dalits) -

lOMba

20

Creation of potential of 1 Mha through ground water development in areas with unutilized ground water potential would primarily benefit small and marginal farmers who are mostly tribals dalits and weaker sections of society The scheme envisages full involvement of Panchayati Raj Institutions in implementation of the schemes

36 Housing

Goal 60 lakh houses to be constructed for the rural poor by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development through the IndiraAwaas Yojana undertakes this activity as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme where the cost is shared between the Centre and States on 7525 basis

The 2001 Census places the rural housing shortage figure ~n India at around 1491akhs Construction of 60 lakh houses over the next four years across the country is envisaged starting from 2005-06 to address a significant portion of this backlog

The criteria adopted for allocation of financial resources between the StatesUTs give greater emphasis to the states with higher incidence or shelterlessness 75 weightage is given to housing shortage and 25 to the poverty ratios prescribed by the Planning Commission for State-level allocations For district-level allocations 75 weightage is given again to housing shortage and 25 to SCST population of the districts concerned Grant assistance is provided to the extent of Rs 25000 per house for normal middot areas and Rs 27500 for hilly areas Funds are released to the DRDAs in two installments

Implementation guidelines of the scheme specifically target the rural below poverty line (BPL) households The respective Gram Sabha does the selection of beneficiaries from the BPL list and no higher approval is required The guidelines also clearlY Specify that the house allotment should be in the name of the female member of the family as a first priority While seeking to empower the rural women the scheme also provides priority to physically and mentally challenged persons exservicemen widows and freed bonded labourers It is stipulated that at least 60 of the beneficiaries should belong to the SCST communities TheIAY scheme also lays emphasis on sanitation and health by incorporating the cost of a sanitary latrine and smokeless chulah into the per unit grant provided to the beneficiary for constructionlupgradation of the dwelling unit

21

CHAPTER IV

WATER SECTOR ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN BHARAT NIRMAN PLAN

Water resource is a vital input in the development endeavours of the country Its finite availability and ever increasing demand in every sector have aggravated the problem manifold in case of India The requirement of faster development in irrigation water supply industrial use flood protection is evident assuming the future scenario Bharat Nirman Plan has rightly stressed on the irrigation and water supply where as the other sectors requirement is to be redressed with equal priority for the sustainable development of India

The water sector is grappled with the following Issues

Irrigation development Command area development amp Catchment area treatment Creation of storages Conunctive use of surface and ground water Efficiency improvement in distribution system Bridging the gap between irrigation potential created and potential utilised Flood Management

41 Irrigation Development

In India with the constitution of the Planning commission in 1950 and the advent of planning process in the first five year plan (1951-56) the country launched a major irrigation programme A number of multipurpose and major projects such as Bhakra Nangal Nagarjunasagar Kosi Chambal Hirakund Kakrapar and Tungbhadra were taken up Simultaneously minor irrigation schemes including ground water were given emphasis under the Agricultural Sector along with financial assistance from the Centre

During the period of Second Five Year Plan (1956-61) Third Five Year Plan (1961-66) and the Three Annual Plans (1966-69) irrigation programmes continued with addition of new projects During the Fourth Five Year Plan (1969-74) the emphasis was shifted to the completion of ongoing projects integrated use of surface and ground water adoption of efficient management techniques and modernization of existing schemes However new projects continued to be added

During the fifth Plan (1974-79) command Area Development Programme Was launched as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with the objective of reducing the lag between potential created and optimum utilization of available land and water Initially 60 major and medium proj ects were covered with a CCA of 15 Mha

22

During the Annual Plans of 1978-80 and the Sixth Five Year Plan ( 1980-85) new starts continued and at the end of Seventh Plan there were as many as 182 major and 312 medium ongoing proj ects requiring an estimated amount of Rs 39044 crore at the 1990shy91 price level for their completion New starts were therefore restricted considerably and greater emphasis was laid on completion of projects which were in the advanced stages of completion (those with an expenditure of 75 per cent or more) This was continued during 1990-91 and 1991-92 Annual Plans VIII Plan (1992-97) and IX Plan (1997 -2000)

For speedy completion of ongoing projects in advance stage of construction Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) was launched in 1996-97 During VIII Plan period irrigation potential of 22 Mha was created under major and medium sector at an annual rate of 044 Mha per annum During IX plan period this increased to 412 Mha out of which 165 Mha (nearly 40) was through AIBP Renovation Modernisation and Rehabilitation of old irrigation schemes gained momentum Users participation in major and medium irrigation schemes received greater attention Repairs and improvemen to the minor irrigation projects as a part of integrated micro-development also received encouragement Similarly sprinkler and drip irrigation programmes and the conjunctive use of surface and ground water gained momentum The project completed along with minor irrigation and ground water development have created an estimated potential of about 10277 Mha by the end of the X Plan

Although plan expenditure on irrigation has increased from Rs44l 8 crore in the 1st Plan to Rs 9574342 crore (outlay) in the X plan the share in total plan expenditure has decreased from 23 in the 1st Plan to 63 in the X Plan

The created irrigation potential increased from 226 Mha (97 Mha through major amp medium and 129 Mha through minor irrigation) in preplan period to 102Mha (4235 Mha through major and medium and 6042 1Tha through minor including ground water schemes) upto the end of X Plan with an annual average growth of 14 Mha In the corresponding period the potential utilistion has been from 226 Mha period to 8100 Mha

411 Central Assistance under AIBP

During IX Plan period irrigation potential of 165 Mha was created through AIBP at an average rate of 033 Mha per annum During the first three years of X plan the potential creation in major and medium irrigation sector through AIBP is around 14 Mha 047 Mha per annum In spite of rationalizing completion schedule of projects under AIBP several projects are lying behind schedule It is desirable to work out realistic time frame and cost to completion for projects to be considered under AIBP It is pertinent to mention that the spirit of the programme ie completion of last mile projects should not get diluted in the enthusiasm of inclusion of large number of projects under this programme As reported by the state governments but of total 200 projects presently under AIBP 95 projects would be completed by the end of X plan

23

The Central Assistance under AIBP as loan and grant provided up to March 2006 is Rs 1943790 crore out of which Rs 1883010 crore has been provided in Major and Medium irrigation sector

Impact ofAIBP

Plan Potential Created (Mha) Contribution of AIBP(Mha) IX 410 165 ( 402) X 530 300 ( 566)

Keeping an eye over the future requirement the Working Group on Water Resources for the XI Five Year Plan has brought out several suggestions in order to expedite completion of the projects which is very very essential Some other issues relating irrigation sector were also addressed in addition to this The strategies adopted for XI Plan proposal are swnmarized as below

1 Ongoing projects which have already achieved 90 or more of the ultimate potential should be considered as completed~ Critically review all such projects which are having only marginal benefit left or are near impossible to complete because of various problems and declare them completed or curtailed or deleted The balance cost of the remaining projects should be updated realistically for consideration under XI plan

2 Inter-Se priority should be decided considering various aspects such as externally aided proj ects interstate proj ects proj ects benefiting drought prone or tribal areas etc as per the guidelines prepared by National Commission for integrated Water Resources Development Plan

3 High priority should be accorded to the Pre-seventh and Seventh Plan Projects for funding under AIBP with emphasis to complete these projects during XI Plan List of such projects is appended as Annex31 Fund allocation under AIBP should be enhanced for this purpose ifnecessary

4 Foremost priority should be given for completion of ongoing projects and new projects should be taken up very selectively keeping in view the necessity for removal of regional imbalances and development of drought prone and tribal areas

5 Since the fund requirement for mediumminor irrigation projects are less adequate fund may be made available for completion of these projects without jeopardizing programme for important major projects ERM Projects should be given due priority where the eroded potential can be restored with ~oderate expenditure

24

6 A separate budget head upto 15 of Plan fund may be provided as Irrigation Maintenance Fund (IMF) and full amount of irrigation revenue as collectged should be credited to IMF

7 In addition to liabilities of completed projects and provision for ongoing and new projects the State plan proposals should incorporate provisions for special repairs of existing irrigation systems dam safety measures improved water management and water development aspect encompassing survey and investigation research and development training and National Hydrology Project

8 Substantial higher outlay should be provided in Central Plan to bring out effective role in plan activities of the Central Institutions by way of suitably strengthening them and provide adequate funds for taking new initiatives under Central Plan

9 The existing regionalstate level institutions such as W ALMIs should be strengthened and brought into mainstream activities for irrigation management improvement

10 Dam safety measures should be taken up all over country which is very essential in the context of disaster Prevention and Management

11 The performance evaluation of completed projects needs to be continued for benchmarking and improvement in irrigation efficiency

In addition to above recommendations on Minor Irrigation Sector are gIven as follows

1 Renovation Restoration of old tanks as well as old diversion channels in hilly regions along with improving efficiency of the projects Besides surface lift schemes may also be given due consideration particularly in hilly regions for irrigating high terraces

2 Expansion of irrigation facilities through a time bound programme for exploiting the huge ground water potential in the Eastern Region

3 Promotion of Micro Irrigation system in Water deficit areas 4 Promotion of Ground Water Development in areas haaving untapped unutilized

potential 5 National rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) may be linked with minor

irrigation Ground Water Development 6 A comprehensive act for regulation and development of ground water on

sustainable basis both in public and private sector

42 Command Area Development

In respect of command area development works for performance improvement-of the projects the working group has recommended the following recommendations for consideration

25

(a) Central funding for CAD works may be enhanced from present level of 5050 to 7525 for all the States while for states of North eastern Region and Hilly Special Category States the funding may be 90 from Government of India For software activities like trainings adaptive trials demonstrations monitoring and evaluation etc 100 Central funding may be considered in place of the existing pattern of 75 25 between the Centre and the States Funds can be directly given to W ALMIs and other State Central agencies for carrying out such activities

(b) It is proposed to increase the functional grant from Rs 600 per ha to Rs 1000 per ha which is to be shared in the ratio ofRs 675225100 between the centre State and the farmers while keeping all cost norms unchanged The State Governments may also be allowed to raise fund for its share through institutional funding or public borrowings through bonds on the pattern of Krishna Bhagya Nigam of Karnataka Government

(c) As per the existing system of release of Central Assistance the funds are transferred to the pool of State Finance Department which in tum releases funds to the implementing departments This procedure is not amenable for timely availability of the funds to the CADAs Therefore direct funding to CADAs from the Ministry in a mission mode can be considered to alleviate this problem For instance the Ministry of rural Development has a system of direct release of Central share of funds to the District Rural Development Authorities (DRDA) Jilla Parishads for implementing the schemes of the Central Ministry

(d) To ensure optimum utilization of created irrigation potential the CADWM should be made a part of the new major and medium projects

(e) Formation of WUAs under PTh1 Act is mandatory for implementation of CADWM programme Transition time of 2 years (upto the end of financial year 2008-09) may be allowed to those States which have not enact~d their PIM Acts so far Further relaxation may be only be allowed with the approval of CCEA

(f) WUAs should be involved in planning budgeting implementation and management of irrigation systems to be transferred to them There is a need to enforce a regime whereby farmers pay the water rates to meet the OampM expenditure rates Conditions of reforms should be imposed before handing over the projects to WUAs

(g) Volumetric supply of irrigation water to WUAs should be introduced

(h) Reputed NGOs with requisite skills may be involved for promotion of WUAs Rehabilitation of Canal Systems and Water Management for at least 2-3 years The estimated expenditure of Rs 600-800 per ha on account of this may be provided by the central government in the form of grant

(i) Autonomy of WUAs should be maintained in regard to Water Management However there may be linkages with Panchayati Raj Institutions through cross representation It may be considered to provide support to W ALMIs Agriculture Universities and reputed NGOs for improved water management at micro level It may also be considered to provide incentives for activities ofWUAs

26

(j) The WUAs should include women members from the land owning holding house holds in the Command Area irrespective of their ownership of the land

(k) Periodic evaluation of CAD Projects should be undertaken and suitable corrective measures may be taken if necessary

(1) Components for reclamation of waterlogged areas as well as correction of conveyance deficiencies with enhanced scope may be implemented to cover all the projects in the country details of which could be approved in consultation with expert organizations such as CWC CSSRI CGWB etc

(m) Water Resources Irrigation Departments need to undertake assessment periodically (at least once in 5 years) to determine the training needs at different levels of personnel deployed in water resources development and management Facilities available for capacity building are to be considered instead of establishing new training centres There has to be networking of existing training facilities so that training will be effective and economical It is desirable to have a separate scheme for training and capacity building for State Governments as well as central Government

43 Creation of Storage

Creation of storages is of prime importance in order to avoid severe domestic crisis on water issues As per the estimates given in the working group report there is a need of approximately live storage of around 450 km3

Major amp Medium Projects (Existing) -213 KJ13

Major amp Medium Projects (Under construction) -76 KM3 Minor Storages (Existing amp Under construction) -70 KM3 Total Live Storages in projects existing and under construction - 359 Km3

Likely loss in Live storage due to sedimentation upto 2050 which has to be compensated for -53 Km3 (say) Balance available live storage from the above in 2050 - 306 Km3 say 300 Km3

Therefore further new live storage to be created to have a live storage of 450 Km3 by 2050 is 150Km3

For creation the needed storage in addition to the present way of envisaging attention has to be paid to changing popUlation dynamics changing pattern of human settlements climatic change causing change in pattern of spatial and temporal variation in rainfall deterioration in water quality etc

44 Conjunctive Use of surface and ground water

Conjunctive use of surface and ground water can address the situation in two ways by decreasing the dependence on a single source and the quality of the available waterThis will reduce the chance of desalination as well Working group has suggested for the conjunctive use of middotgood quality water and saline seawater which will be helpful in reducing the cost of water requirement for irrigation

27

45 Efficiency improvement in the distribution system as well as in field

Deficiencies of the irrigated agriculture in India have been a cause of concern and a huge amount of thinking and analysis ha been done to devise ways and means to improve it The Working Group has recommended some important recommendations in this matter

1 Standardized definitions of irrigation efficiencies need to be evolved for use in India after reviewing available material All water resources of a basin form a unified resource and hence the basin efficiency concept which integrates all surface water and ground water uses as well as reuse and recirculation is important The basin efficiency also needs to be estimated along with project related efficiencies

2 Conjunctive use of water to be given higher priority particularly in alluvial areas as a very effective means of improving water use amp basin efficiency and of saving possible water logging and salination For givin an encouragement to conjunctive use irrigation Act may be amended if req ired The policy of favoring selective lining of canals should be continued LD ater allowances and somewhat inadequate conveyance capacities lead to be r efficiencies and less water loggingrelated problems These need to be encouraged

3 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Water Csers Associations (WUAs) should include a standard clause which binds the users to effective conjunctive use of surface and ground water On rising of gro nd water table the MOW should allow the department to cut the surface water supply

4 Where there are minor irrigation tanks minor urface lifts etc middotin the command these should be integrated with major project works and not be treated as separate entity Such tanks should be filled with cfulals water as per requirement Also such works will allow reuse of the seeped wateT

5 Each major irrigation system authorities should annually prepare the water budget accruing for all water stored or diverted all losses all reuse of lost waters estimated evaporation etc

6 Sufficient funds for operation and maintenance work to be provided Creation of Irrigation Maintenance Corporation as provided in the irrigation management policy is considered so that a linkage between revenues from water and OampM funds is established Water rates may accordingly be increased in a phased manner

7 Priority may be assigned toERM schemes for projects where water distribution systems are to be handed over to WUAs Where total ERM scheme is not contemplated one time maintenance deferred maintenance of a project may be allowed as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance of a project may be allowed

28

as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance budget to be decided in consultation with the farmers and walk through survey to assess what is appropriate and achievable within the available fund

8 All the schemes more than 25 years old should be studied in details to bring out the status of schemes in respect of structural safety and performance and ERM schemes may be formulated and taken up based on such studies

9 Drip sprinklers are mostly for horticulture vegetable crops (and surgarcane) in the present major and medium surface irrigation system These may be encouraged for other crops also Any compulsion for a particular cropping pattern needs to be removed whenever WUAs are formed amp volumetric water rates come into practice Use of sprinkler or drips or rotational surface supplies requires additional on farm storage (either as dug out ponds or elevatged storage with pump) This becomes essential since supply rotates are 10 daily or fortnightly whereas drips amp sprinkler require daily or 1 in 2 days operation Such storage creation needs to be within the ambit of subsidies for drips and sprinklers

10 As automation is a costly affair it is to be adopted for pilot schemes and not for larger area However preferably this should be introduced for conjunctive use of ground water and not always for surface water

The group has also recommended the concept of Target Efficiency of the water delivery system timely and equitable distribution ohvater increasing production per unit area and per unit volume of water used and financial sustainability of the water delivery infrastructure

46 Bridging the gap between the Potential created and potential utilised

There may be various reasons for increase in the gap between potential creation and potential utilized Some ofthese are

a likely over estimation and double counting of potential creation and inaccuracies discrepancies in reporting of potential utilized

b Loss of potential due to siltation in reservoirs ponds etc and deterioration of water distribution system

c Time gap between potential creation and command area development

d Assumption of optimistic cropping pattern in economic analysis and deviation in cropping pattern as compared to that envisaged during planning

e Over-drawl of water in head reaches depriving potential utilization by tail enders

f Unused canal flow during night hours

29

l

It is desirable to introduce more reliable and accurate system of assessment for potential created and utilized There should be a coordinating statistical organization in each State for reporting the figures of potential created and utilized The Remote Sensing Technique can also be effectively utilized for counter verification of figures reported The loss in potential due to siltation ageing of various distribution systems etc needs to be periodically assessed and accounted

The productivity of irrigated crop as assumed in economic analysis often seem to be optimistic and are not based on experience of nearby irrigation projects Use of water for irrigation and selection of crops have been left to the discretion of users farmers The adverse consequences of such freedom have been manifested as water logging in some commands Somewhere overexploitation of ground -vater has been leading to progressive fall in ground water level It is therefore necessary that a regulatory mechanism is brought into practice by which undesirable or unsuitable crops are discouraged and tendency to over use of irrigation water is c~ecked Similarly in areas where ground water is being used for irrigation a regulatory mechanism should be in place to deter over exploitation of ground water beyond allOvable limit

Sometimes apprehension of scarcity of water and non availability of water when needed also lead to over withdrawal by head end users Since extra tion of ground water is costly farmers tend to take water more than their requirements when that is available through canals Higher cost of ground water is primarily because of cost of power required for lifting of water In case source of solar power is created for lifting of water the cost of ground water will get substantially reduced This may facilitate and give farmers option to use surface water and ground water thom any extra cost Once this option is available and known to farmers that they are aware that use of more water than the optimal requirement is likely to reduce the yield certainly there would be reductionin

overdraw of water by head enders Thus there is a need to extend u~er friendly system and increase awareness and cooperation among farmers through Participatory Irrigation Management Water Users Associatiortsneed to be empowered to look into these aspects Further the piped distribution system and micro irrigation should be adopted as far as possible

In India night imgation is not practiced in general As a result waters flowing in canals during night hours either pass unutilized or wasted on account of uncontrolled flooding It is desirable that the night irrigation is introduced in policy and practice

47 Flood Management

In regard to flood management the strategies recommended are given here under

(a) Undertake construction of dams and reservoir schemes with adequate flood cushion for long term solution of flood problems Efforts should also be made for utilizing the existing reservoirs in the country for flood moderation to the extent

30

possible Even in Reservoirs constructed for power other purposes the rule curves may be framed in such way that effective flood moderation is achieved

(b) Flood Forecasting and flood warning network of ewe be extended and integrated with similar networks of the state governments so as to get real time information at a central point say in central flood control room under FMO ewe This activity should be extended to cover rivers originating from or flowing to the neighbouring countries

( c) To take up development of digital elevation model of flood prone areas for taking up schemes for inundation forecast preparation of flood risk maps planning of flood management schemes etc

(d) Identification of appropriate location for breaching spiling sections in the flood embankment for the controlled flooding of the protected areas for restoring fertility recharge of soil moisture and ground water

( e) Integrating flood management schemes with other infrastructural development programmes in the sectors of roads railways inland waterways and canal command area development works as well as recently declared Rural Employment Guarantee Programme

(f) Watershed management in the hilly catchmentgs of the rivers ongmating in Nepal Bhutan and hilly areas of India should be selectively chosen and funded fully Implementation should be done through a joint mechanism Ministry of Agriculture who is the nodal Ministry for the watershed management works should work out a detailed program in consultation with the Ministry of Water Resources

(g) To give adequate emphasis on the operation and maintenance (OampM) of the flood protection measures already created a percentage of outlay of the flood sector should be earmarked for this purpose

(h) Raising and strengthening of the existing embankments if required after detailed studies of hydrological morphological topographical and developmental aspects to stabilize the benefits of these measures

(i) Natural swamps and lakes to be developed into detention basins and capacity of existing depressions be improved for absorbing flood waters Special drives for development of Tal and Diara areas

G) Erosion of land either by sea or rivers to be minimized through suitable cost effective measures

(k) Flood proofing program such as raised platform and quick drainage facilities to be taken up in a)l the flood prone states

31

(1) Drainage improvement in critical areas in the country to be given priority

(m) Dredging at selective locations ie outfalls etc in the rivers and the tributaries as a way to reduce flood levels in low-lying areas and help in quick drainage

(n) Encourage RampD activities for improved flood management

(0) To encourage peoples participation

(p) To expedite projects peaks

on interlinking of rivers for helping in attenuating flood

(q) Steps to ensure implementation of action plan prepared by NDMA for flood management should be taken

(r) On-going schemes of earlier plans be completed expeditiously All the on going schemes spilling over to the XI Plan in which at least 50 execution has taken place should get first priority on fund allocation during the XI Plan

(s) The cost for flood component in a multi-purpose water resources development projects as a long-term solution to flood problem should be funded by Government of India

(t) Maintenance of existing flood management works to optimize its benefits

32

48 Achievement in irrigation during the two years of the Bharat Nirman Plan

The statewise achievement in two years ending on September 2006 is given below It shows that 2183776 thousand hectare has been added to the irrigation potential A daunting task still left to be achieved in coming two years

thF19ures are III ousand h ec ares t

I

i rOo

rarget bull Major amp Aebievements upSI No

States UrsName MinorMedium Total to September

Irrigation Irrigation 2006 r i

1 Andhra Pradesh 44127 112523 156649 302065

2 Arunachal Pradesh 00 2239 2239 4 777 3 Assam 303 4275 7306 3314

4 Bihar 41399 12858 169979 279451 5 Chhattisgarh 4435 14668 19103 65661

6 Goa 2442 26 2702 1224 7 Gujarat 94573 00 945 73 255224

8 Haryana 3373 241 5783 33301 9 Himachal Pradesh 3091 4691 7788 8842

10 lharkhand 8122 25314 33436 15 701 11 Jammu amp Kashmir 1801 9254 11055 14847

12 Karnataka 26282 124 38682 11131 13 Kerala 1609 2168 3777 15856

14 Madhya Pradesh 61172 162 77372 8138 15 Maharashtra 465 31 35651 82181 9313

16 Manipur 5195 155 6745 0 17 Meghalaya 00 1493 1493 2073

18 Mizoram 00 1096 1096 0628 19 Nagaland 00 1612 1612 259

20 Orissa 19899 13295 33194 3266 21 Punjab 4034 2056 609 68755

22 Rajasthan 37974 401 41984 26459 23 Sikkim 00 703 703 08

24 Tamil Nadu 00 2355 23 55 16461 25 Tripura 2689 5429 8118 6327 26 Uttar Pradesh 82516 15208 977 24 464 372 27 Uttranchal 00 3829 3829 34 967

28 West Bengal 13567 56384 69951 346

29 Andman amp Nicobar Island 00 033 033 0

30 Pondicherry 00 275 275 0 ~-

Total 2183766507867 479958 987826

I

L 33

------------------~------

The achievements are up to March 2006 only The progressachievement of 2006-07 was under compilationscrutiny in ewe at the time of preparation of this document

The figures for states ofKerala and Rajasthan pertain to the achievement of whole year 2006-07 and for the State of Uttar Pradesh the achievement is up to December2006

49 Conclusions

Water sector development encompasses multidisciplinary considerations There is no scope of overlooking any sector while giving priority to any sector or sectors The integrated planning is the only possible way to tackle the water resources development The participatory approach is the key for its sustainability Bharat middot Nirman Plan of Government of India by setting up goals for the period of four years is a boost to the already existing schemes in different ministries Irrigation and public water supply is the basic components of development have been rightly considered in the Bharat Nirman Plan The ambitious project has already traveled through a span of two years and has achieved some part of the goals The balance part has to be done with equal fervor The recent modification in AlBP norms is the evidence of the governmental zeal in achieving the goals For the continuance of the food sufficiency the irrigation development is the feasible quick solution The component of Irrigation in Bharat Nirman is thus a huge help for the required development in the water sector

34

Page 22: ROLE OF WRD&M IN BHARAT NIRMAN DURING WRD 2007

Minor irrigation through surface water covers water sources (tanks and small reservoirs) with a culturable command area (CCA) of less than 2000 ha About 70 of the ultimate potential through surface water based minor irrigation schemes has since been created The Report of the National Commission for Integrated Water Resources Development points out that the carrying capacity of tanks has decreased over time for a variety of reasons and that the restoration and renovation of tanks and other local sources is a priority task

Since 2004-05 a pilot scheme for repair renovation and restoration of water bodies directly linked to agriculture has been taken up by the Government as a state-sector scheme in the 16 districts of the country which is proposed to be expanded

353 Ground Water Development

From the surveys conducted for estimation of availability and status of ground water the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has identified areas that are over-exploited (where exploitation is more than natural recharge of ground water) and areas that are critical or dark (where draft is between 70 to 100 of the natural recharge ofground water) The recent survey indicates that out of 7414 identified units (blockstalukaswatershed) 471 are Overexploited and 318 are Critical or Dark units Thus less than 11 of the total units fall under the category of over-exploited and critical The ultimate irrigation potential to be created is based on the assessed replenishable groundwater after duly accounting for the domestic and industrial uses (about 10) It has been assessed that ground water is still available for utilization in many parts of the country particularly in the eastern parts of the country Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and in specific pockets of Andhra Pradesh Kamataka Maharashtra and Jammu amp Kashmir In Punjab Haryana Rajasthan Gujarat and Tamil Nadu the rechargeable quantum of ground water has been exceeded and mining of static reserves has commenced This reinforces the need to take urgent steps to increase recharge and conservation

354 Targets under Bharat Nirman

Sl No Component Target I Completion of ongoing Major amp medium Irrigation

Projects 42Mha

II Minor irrigation schemes bull Surface water 10 Mha bull Ground Water 18 Mha

10Mha l8Mha

28Mha

III Enhancing utilization of completed projects bull ERM of major amp medium projects bull Repair renovation and restoration of water bodiesERM of minor irrigation schemes

lOMha 10Mha

20Mha

IV Ground water development in area with unutilized ground water potential (for benefit of small and marginal farmers and Tribals amp Dalits) -

lOMba

20

Creation of potential of 1 Mha through ground water development in areas with unutilized ground water potential would primarily benefit small and marginal farmers who are mostly tribals dalits and weaker sections of society The scheme envisages full involvement of Panchayati Raj Institutions in implementation of the schemes

36 Housing

Goal 60 lakh houses to be constructed for the rural poor by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development through the IndiraAwaas Yojana undertakes this activity as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme where the cost is shared between the Centre and States on 7525 basis

The 2001 Census places the rural housing shortage figure ~n India at around 1491akhs Construction of 60 lakh houses over the next four years across the country is envisaged starting from 2005-06 to address a significant portion of this backlog

The criteria adopted for allocation of financial resources between the StatesUTs give greater emphasis to the states with higher incidence or shelterlessness 75 weightage is given to housing shortage and 25 to the poverty ratios prescribed by the Planning Commission for State-level allocations For district-level allocations 75 weightage is given again to housing shortage and 25 to SCST population of the districts concerned Grant assistance is provided to the extent of Rs 25000 per house for normal middot areas and Rs 27500 for hilly areas Funds are released to the DRDAs in two installments

Implementation guidelines of the scheme specifically target the rural below poverty line (BPL) households The respective Gram Sabha does the selection of beneficiaries from the BPL list and no higher approval is required The guidelines also clearlY Specify that the house allotment should be in the name of the female member of the family as a first priority While seeking to empower the rural women the scheme also provides priority to physically and mentally challenged persons exservicemen widows and freed bonded labourers It is stipulated that at least 60 of the beneficiaries should belong to the SCST communities TheIAY scheme also lays emphasis on sanitation and health by incorporating the cost of a sanitary latrine and smokeless chulah into the per unit grant provided to the beneficiary for constructionlupgradation of the dwelling unit

21

CHAPTER IV

WATER SECTOR ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN BHARAT NIRMAN PLAN

Water resource is a vital input in the development endeavours of the country Its finite availability and ever increasing demand in every sector have aggravated the problem manifold in case of India The requirement of faster development in irrigation water supply industrial use flood protection is evident assuming the future scenario Bharat Nirman Plan has rightly stressed on the irrigation and water supply where as the other sectors requirement is to be redressed with equal priority for the sustainable development of India

The water sector is grappled with the following Issues

Irrigation development Command area development amp Catchment area treatment Creation of storages Conunctive use of surface and ground water Efficiency improvement in distribution system Bridging the gap between irrigation potential created and potential utilised Flood Management

41 Irrigation Development

In India with the constitution of the Planning commission in 1950 and the advent of planning process in the first five year plan (1951-56) the country launched a major irrigation programme A number of multipurpose and major projects such as Bhakra Nangal Nagarjunasagar Kosi Chambal Hirakund Kakrapar and Tungbhadra were taken up Simultaneously minor irrigation schemes including ground water were given emphasis under the Agricultural Sector along with financial assistance from the Centre

During the period of Second Five Year Plan (1956-61) Third Five Year Plan (1961-66) and the Three Annual Plans (1966-69) irrigation programmes continued with addition of new projects During the Fourth Five Year Plan (1969-74) the emphasis was shifted to the completion of ongoing projects integrated use of surface and ground water adoption of efficient management techniques and modernization of existing schemes However new projects continued to be added

During the fifth Plan (1974-79) command Area Development Programme Was launched as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with the objective of reducing the lag between potential created and optimum utilization of available land and water Initially 60 major and medium proj ects were covered with a CCA of 15 Mha

22

During the Annual Plans of 1978-80 and the Sixth Five Year Plan ( 1980-85) new starts continued and at the end of Seventh Plan there were as many as 182 major and 312 medium ongoing proj ects requiring an estimated amount of Rs 39044 crore at the 1990shy91 price level for their completion New starts were therefore restricted considerably and greater emphasis was laid on completion of projects which were in the advanced stages of completion (those with an expenditure of 75 per cent or more) This was continued during 1990-91 and 1991-92 Annual Plans VIII Plan (1992-97) and IX Plan (1997 -2000)

For speedy completion of ongoing projects in advance stage of construction Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) was launched in 1996-97 During VIII Plan period irrigation potential of 22 Mha was created under major and medium sector at an annual rate of 044 Mha per annum During IX plan period this increased to 412 Mha out of which 165 Mha (nearly 40) was through AIBP Renovation Modernisation and Rehabilitation of old irrigation schemes gained momentum Users participation in major and medium irrigation schemes received greater attention Repairs and improvemen to the minor irrigation projects as a part of integrated micro-development also received encouragement Similarly sprinkler and drip irrigation programmes and the conjunctive use of surface and ground water gained momentum The project completed along with minor irrigation and ground water development have created an estimated potential of about 10277 Mha by the end of the X Plan

Although plan expenditure on irrigation has increased from Rs44l 8 crore in the 1st Plan to Rs 9574342 crore (outlay) in the X plan the share in total plan expenditure has decreased from 23 in the 1st Plan to 63 in the X Plan

The created irrigation potential increased from 226 Mha (97 Mha through major amp medium and 129 Mha through minor irrigation) in preplan period to 102Mha (4235 Mha through major and medium and 6042 1Tha through minor including ground water schemes) upto the end of X Plan with an annual average growth of 14 Mha In the corresponding period the potential utilistion has been from 226 Mha period to 8100 Mha

411 Central Assistance under AIBP

During IX Plan period irrigation potential of 165 Mha was created through AIBP at an average rate of 033 Mha per annum During the first three years of X plan the potential creation in major and medium irrigation sector through AIBP is around 14 Mha 047 Mha per annum In spite of rationalizing completion schedule of projects under AIBP several projects are lying behind schedule It is desirable to work out realistic time frame and cost to completion for projects to be considered under AIBP It is pertinent to mention that the spirit of the programme ie completion of last mile projects should not get diluted in the enthusiasm of inclusion of large number of projects under this programme As reported by the state governments but of total 200 projects presently under AIBP 95 projects would be completed by the end of X plan

23

The Central Assistance under AIBP as loan and grant provided up to March 2006 is Rs 1943790 crore out of which Rs 1883010 crore has been provided in Major and Medium irrigation sector

Impact ofAIBP

Plan Potential Created (Mha) Contribution of AIBP(Mha) IX 410 165 ( 402) X 530 300 ( 566)

Keeping an eye over the future requirement the Working Group on Water Resources for the XI Five Year Plan has brought out several suggestions in order to expedite completion of the projects which is very very essential Some other issues relating irrigation sector were also addressed in addition to this The strategies adopted for XI Plan proposal are swnmarized as below

1 Ongoing projects which have already achieved 90 or more of the ultimate potential should be considered as completed~ Critically review all such projects which are having only marginal benefit left or are near impossible to complete because of various problems and declare them completed or curtailed or deleted The balance cost of the remaining projects should be updated realistically for consideration under XI plan

2 Inter-Se priority should be decided considering various aspects such as externally aided proj ects interstate proj ects proj ects benefiting drought prone or tribal areas etc as per the guidelines prepared by National Commission for integrated Water Resources Development Plan

3 High priority should be accorded to the Pre-seventh and Seventh Plan Projects for funding under AIBP with emphasis to complete these projects during XI Plan List of such projects is appended as Annex31 Fund allocation under AIBP should be enhanced for this purpose ifnecessary

4 Foremost priority should be given for completion of ongoing projects and new projects should be taken up very selectively keeping in view the necessity for removal of regional imbalances and development of drought prone and tribal areas

5 Since the fund requirement for mediumminor irrigation projects are less adequate fund may be made available for completion of these projects without jeopardizing programme for important major projects ERM Projects should be given due priority where the eroded potential can be restored with ~oderate expenditure

24

6 A separate budget head upto 15 of Plan fund may be provided as Irrigation Maintenance Fund (IMF) and full amount of irrigation revenue as collectged should be credited to IMF

7 In addition to liabilities of completed projects and provision for ongoing and new projects the State plan proposals should incorporate provisions for special repairs of existing irrigation systems dam safety measures improved water management and water development aspect encompassing survey and investigation research and development training and National Hydrology Project

8 Substantial higher outlay should be provided in Central Plan to bring out effective role in plan activities of the Central Institutions by way of suitably strengthening them and provide adequate funds for taking new initiatives under Central Plan

9 The existing regionalstate level institutions such as W ALMIs should be strengthened and brought into mainstream activities for irrigation management improvement

10 Dam safety measures should be taken up all over country which is very essential in the context of disaster Prevention and Management

11 The performance evaluation of completed projects needs to be continued for benchmarking and improvement in irrigation efficiency

In addition to above recommendations on Minor Irrigation Sector are gIven as follows

1 Renovation Restoration of old tanks as well as old diversion channels in hilly regions along with improving efficiency of the projects Besides surface lift schemes may also be given due consideration particularly in hilly regions for irrigating high terraces

2 Expansion of irrigation facilities through a time bound programme for exploiting the huge ground water potential in the Eastern Region

3 Promotion of Micro Irrigation system in Water deficit areas 4 Promotion of Ground Water Development in areas haaving untapped unutilized

potential 5 National rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) may be linked with minor

irrigation Ground Water Development 6 A comprehensive act for regulation and development of ground water on

sustainable basis both in public and private sector

42 Command Area Development

In respect of command area development works for performance improvement-of the projects the working group has recommended the following recommendations for consideration

25

(a) Central funding for CAD works may be enhanced from present level of 5050 to 7525 for all the States while for states of North eastern Region and Hilly Special Category States the funding may be 90 from Government of India For software activities like trainings adaptive trials demonstrations monitoring and evaluation etc 100 Central funding may be considered in place of the existing pattern of 75 25 between the Centre and the States Funds can be directly given to W ALMIs and other State Central agencies for carrying out such activities

(b) It is proposed to increase the functional grant from Rs 600 per ha to Rs 1000 per ha which is to be shared in the ratio ofRs 675225100 between the centre State and the farmers while keeping all cost norms unchanged The State Governments may also be allowed to raise fund for its share through institutional funding or public borrowings through bonds on the pattern of Krishna Bhagya Nigam of Karnataka Government

(c) As per the existing system of release of Central Assistance the funds are transferred to the pool of State Finance Department which in tum releases funds to the implementing departments This procedure is not amenable for timely availability of the funds to the CADAs Therefore direct funding to CADAs from the Ministry in a mission mode can be considered to alleviate this problem For instance the Ministry of rural Development has a system of direct release of Central share of funds to the District Rural Development Authorities (DRDA) Jilla Parishads for implementing the schemes of the Central Ministry

(d) To ensure optimum utilization of created irrigation potential the CADWM should be made a part of the new major and medium projects

(e) Formation of WUAs under PTh1 Act is mandatory for implementation of CADWM programme Transition time of 2 years (upto the end of financial year 2008-09) may be allowed to those States which have not enact~d their PIM Acts so far Further relaxation may be only be allowed with the approval of CCEA

(f) WUAs should be involved in planning budgeting implementation and management of irrigation systems to be transferred to them There is a need to enforce a regime whereby farmers pay the water rates to meet the OampM expenditure rates Conditions of reforms should be imposed before handing over the projects to WUAs

(g) Volumetric supply of irrigation water to WUAs should be introduced

(h) Reputed NGOs with requisite skills may be involved for promotion of WUAs Rehabilitation of Canal Systems and Water Management for at least 2-3 years The estimated expenditure of Rs 600-800 per ha on account of this may be provided by the central government in the form of grant

(i) Autonomy of WUAs should be maintained in regard to Water Management However there may be linkages with Panchayati Raj Institutions through cross representation It may be considered to provide support to W ALMIs Agriculture Universities and reputed NGOs for improved water management at micro level It may also be considered to provide incentives for activities ofWUAs

26

(j) The WUAs should include women members from the land owning holding house holds in the Command Area irrespective of their ownership of the land

(k) Periodic evaluation of CAD Projects should be undertaken and suitable corrective measures may be taken if necessary

(1) Components for reclamation of waterlogged areas as well as correction of conveyance deficiencies with enhanced scope may be implemented to cover all the projects in the country details of which could be approved in consultation with expert organizations such as CWC CSSRI CGWB etc

(m) Water Resources Irrigation Departments need to undertake assessment periodically (at least once in 5 years) to determine the training needs at different levels of personnel deployed in water resources development and management Facilities available for capacity building are to be considered instead of establishing new training centres There has to be networking of existing training facilities so that training will be effective and economical It is desirable to have a separate scheme for training and capacity building for State Governments as well as central Government

43 Creation of Storage

Creation of storages is of prime importance in order to avoid severe domestic crisis on water issues As per the estimates given in the working group report there is a need of approximately live storage of around 450 km3

Major amp Medium Projects (Existing) -213 KJ13

Major amp Medium Projects (Under construction) -76 KM3 Minor Storages (Existing amp Under construction) -70 KM3 Total Live Storages in projects existing and under construction - 359 Km3

Likely loss in Live storage due to sedimentation upto 2050 which has to be compensated for -53 Km3 (say) Balance available live storage from the above in 2050 - 306 Km3 say 300 Km3

Therefore further new live storage to be created to have a live storage of 450 Km3 by 2050 is 150Km3

For creation the needed storage in addition to the present way of envisaging attention has to be paid to changing popUlation dynamics changing pattern of human settlements climatic change causing change in pattern of spatial and temporal variation in rainfall deterioration in water quality etc

44 Conjunctive Use of surface and ground water

Conjunctive use of surface and ground water can address the situation in two ways by decreasing the dependence on a single source and the quality of the available waterThis will reduce the chance of desalination as well Working group has suggested for the conjunctive use of middotgood quality water and saline seawater which will be helpful in reducing the cost of water requirement for irrigation

27

45 Efficiency improvement in the distribution system as well as in field

Deficiencies of the irrigated agriculture in India have been a cause of concern and a huge amount of thinking and analysis ha been done to devise ways and means to improve it The Working Group has recommended some important recommendations in this matter

1 Standardized definitions of irrigation efficiencies need to be evolved for use in India after reviewing available material All water resources of a basin form a unified resource and hence the basin efficiency concept which integrates all surface water and ground water uses as well as reuse and recirculation is important The basin efficiency also needs to be estimated along with project related efficiencies

2 Conjunctive use of water to be given higher priority particularly in alluvial areas as a very effective means of improving water use amp basin efficiency and of saving possible water logging and salination For givin an encouragement to conjunctive use irrigation Act may be amended if req ired The policy of favoring selective lining of canals should be continued LD ater allowances and somewhat inadequate conveyance capacities lead to be r efficiencies and less water loggingrelated problems These need to be encouraged

3 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Water Csers Associations (WUAs) should include a standard clause which binds the users to effective conjunctive use of surface and ground water On rising of gro nd water table the MOW should allow the department to cut the surface water supply

4 Where there are minor irrigation tanks minor urface lifts etc middotin the command these should be integrated with major project works and not be treated as separate entity Such tanks should be filled with cfulals water as per requirement Also such works will allow reuse of the seeped wateT

5 Each major irrigation system authorities should annually prepare the water budget accruing for all water stored or diverted all losses all reuse of lost waters estimated evaporation etc

6 Sufficient funds for operation and maintenance work to be provided Creation of Irrigation Maintenance Corporation as provided in the irrigation management policy is considered so that a linkage between revenues from water and OampM funds is established Water rates may accordingly be increased in a phased manner

7 Priority may be assigned toERM schemes for projects where water distribution systems are to be handed over to WUAs Where total ERM scheme is not contemplated one time maintenance deferred maintenance of a project may be allowed as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance of a project may be allowed

28

as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance budget to be decided in consultation with the farmers and walk through survey to assess what is appropriate and achievable within the available fund

8 All the schemes more than 25 years old should be studied in details to bring out the status of schemes in respect of structural safety and performance and ERM schemes may be formulated and taken up based on such studies

9 Drip sprinklers are mostly for horticulture vegetable crops (and surgarcane) in the present major and medium surface irrigation system These may be encouraged for other crops also Any compulsion for a particular cropping pattern needs to be removed whenever WUAs are formed amp volumetric water rates come into practice Use of sprinkler or drips or rotational surface supplies requires additional on farm storage (either as dug out ponds or elevatged storage with pump) This becomes essential since supply rotates are 10 daily or fortnightly whereas drips amp sprinkler require daily or 1 in 2 days operation Such storage creation needs to be within the ambit of subsidies for drips and sprinklers

10 As automation is a costly affair it is to be adopted for pilot schemes and not for larger area However preferably this should be introduced for conjunctive use of ground water and not always for surface water

The group has also recommended the concept of Target Efficiency of the water delivery system timely and equitable distribution ohvater increasing production per unit area and per unit volume of water used and financial sustainability of the water delivery infrastructure

46 Bridging the gap between the Potential created and potential utilised

There may be various reasons for increase in the gap between potential creation and potential utilized Some ofthese are

a likely over estimation and double counting of potential creation and inaccuracies discrepancies in reporting of potential utilized

b Loss of potential due to siltation in reservoirs ponds etc and deterioration of water distribution system

c Time gap between potential creation and command area development

d Assumption of optimistic cropping pattern in economic analysis and deviation in cropping pattern as compared to that envisaged during planning

e Over-drawl of water in head reaches depriving potential utilization by tail enders

f Unused canal flow during night hours

29

l

It is desirable to introduce more reliable and accurate system of assessment for potential created and utilized There should be a coordinating statistical organization in each State for reporting the figures of potential created and utilized The Remote Sensing Technique can also be effectively utilized for counter verification of figures reported The loss in potential due to siltation ageing of various distribution systems etc needs to be periodically assessed and accounted

The productivity of irrigated crop as assumed in economic analysis often seem to be optimistic and are not based on experience of nearby irrigation projects Use of water for irrigation and selection of crops have been left to the discretion of users farmers The adverse consequences of such freedom have been manifested as water logging in some commands Somewhere overexploitation of ground -vater has been leading to progressive fall in ground water level It is therefore necessary that a regulatory mechanism is brought into practice by which undesirable or unsuitable crops are discouraged and tendency to over use of irrigation water is c~ecked Similarly in areas where ground water is being used for irrigation a regulatory mechanism should be in place to deter over exploitation of ground water beyond allOvable limit

Sometimes apprehension of scarcity of water and non availability of water when needed also lead to over withdrawal by head end users Since extra tion of ground water is costly farmers tend to take water more than their requirements when that is available through canals Higher cost of ground water is primarily because of cost of power required for lifting of water In case source of solar power is created for lifting of water the cost of ground water will get substantially reduced This may facilitate and give farmers option to use surface water and ground water thom any extra cost Once this option is available and known to farmers that they are aware that use of more water than the optimal requirement is likely to reduce the yield certainly there would be reductionin

overdraw of water by head enders Thus there is a need to extend u~er friendly system and increase awareness and cooperation among farmers through Participatory Irrigation Management Water Users Associatiortsneed to be empowered to look into these aspects Further the piped distribution system and micro irrigation should be adopted as far as possible

In India night imgation is not practiced in general As a result waters flowing in canals during night hours either pass unutilized or wasted on account of uncontrolled flooding It is desirable that the night irrigation is introduced in policy and practice

47 Flood Management

In regard to flood management the strategies recommended are given here under

(a) Undertake construction of dams and reservoir schemes with adequate flood cushion for long term solution of flood problems Efforts should also be made for utilizing the existing reservoirs in the country for flood moderation to the extent

30

possible Even in Reservoirs constructed for power other purposes the rule curves may be framed in such way that effective flood moderation is achieved

(b) Flood Forecasting and flood warning network of ewe be extended and integrated with similar networks of the state governments so as to get real time information at a central point say in central flood control room under FMO ewe This activity should be extended to cover rivers originating from or flowing to the neighbouring countries

( c) To take up development of digital elevation model of flood prone areas for taking up schemes for inundation forecast preparation of flood risk maps planning of flood management schemes etc

(d) Identification of appropriate location for breaching spiling sections in the flood embankment for the controlled flooding of the protected areas for restoring fertility recharge of soil moisture and ground water

( e) Integrating flood management schemes with other infrastructural development programmes in the sectors of roads railways inland waterways and canal command area development works as well as recently declared Rural Employment Guarantee Programme

(f) Watershed management in the hilly catchmentgs of the rivers ongmating in Nepal Bhutan and hilly areas of India should be selectively chosen and funded fully Implementation should be done through a joint mechanism Ministry of Agriculture who is the nodal Ministry for the watershed management works should work out a detailed program in consultation with the Ministry of Water Resources

(g) To give adequate emphasis on the operation and maintenance (OampM) of the flood protection measures already created a percentage of outlay of the flood sector should be earmarked for this purpose

(h) Raising and strengthening of the existing embankments if required after detailed studies of hydrological morphological topographical and developmental aspects to stabilize the benefits of these measures

(i) Natural swamps and lakes to be developed into detention basins and capacity of existing depressions be improved for absorbing flood waters Special drives for development of Tal and Diara areas

G) Erosion of land either by sea or rivers to be minimized through suitable cost effective measures

(k) Flood proofing program such as raised platform and quick drainage facilities to be taken up in a)l the flood prone states

31

(1) Drainage improvement in critical areas in the country to be given priority

(m) Dredging at selective locations ie outfalls etc in the rivers and the tributaries as a way to reduce flood levels in low-lying areas and help in quick drainage

(n) Encourage RampD activities for improved flood management

(0) To encourage peoples participation

(p) To expedite projects peaks

on interlinking of rivers for helping in attenuating flood

(q) Steps to ensure implementation of action plan prepared by NDMA for flood management should be taken

(r) On-going schemes of earlier plans be completed expeditiously All the on going schemes spilling over to the XI Plan in which at least 50 execution has taken place should get first priority on fund allocation during the XI Plan

(s) The cost for flood component in a multi-purpose water resources development projects as a long-term solution to flood problem should be funded by Government of India

(t) Maintenance of existing flood management works to optimize its benefits

32

48 Achievement in irrigation during the two years of the Bharat Nirman Plan

The statewise achievement in two years ending on September 2006 is given below It shows that 2183776 thousand hectare has been added to the irrigation potential A daunting task still left to be achieved in coming two years

thF19ures are III ousand h ec ares t

I

i rOo

rarget bull Major amp Aebievements upSI No

States UrsName MinorMedium Total to September

Irrigation Irrigation 2006 r i

1 Andhra Pradesh 44127 112523 156649 302065

2 Arunachal Pradesh 00 2239 2239 4 777 3 Assam 303 4275 7306 3314

4 Bihar 41399 12858 169979 279451 5 Chhattisgarh 4435 14668 19103 65661

6 Goa 2442 26 2702 1224 7 Gujarat 94573 00 945 73 255224

8 Haryana 3373 241 5783 33301 9 Himachal Pradesh 3091 4691 7788 8842

10 lharkhand 8122 25314 33436 15 701 11 Jammu amp Kashmir 1801 9254 11055 14847

12 Karnataka 26282 124 38682 11131 13 Kerala 1609 2168 3777 15856

14 Madhya Pradesh 61172 162 77372 8138 15 Maharashtra 465 31 35651 82181 9313

16 Manipur 5195 155 6745 0 17 Meghalaya 00 1493 1493 2073

18 Mizoram 00 1096 1096 0628 19 Nagaland 00 1612 1612 259

20 Orissa 19899 13295 33194 3266 21 Punjab 4034 2056 609 68755

22 Rajasthan 37974 401 41984 26459 23 Sikkim 00 703 703 08

24 Tamil Nadu 00 2355 23 55 16461 25 Tripura 2689 5429 8118 6327 26 Uttar Pradesh 82516 15208 977 24 464 372 27 Uttranchal 00 3829 3829 34 967

28 West Bengal 13567 56384 69951 346

29 Andman amp Nicobar Island 00 033 033 0

30 Pondicherry 00 275 275 0 ~-

Total 2183766507867 479958 987826

I

L 33

------------------~------

The achievements are up to March 2006 only The progressachievement of 2006-07 was under compilationscrutiny in ewe at the time of preparation of this document

The figures for states ofKerala and Rajasthan pertain to the achievement of whole year 2006-07 and for the State of Uttar Pradesh the achievement is up to December2006

49 Conclusions

Water sector development encompasses multidisciplinary considerations There is no scope of overlooking any sector while giving priority to any sector or sectors The integrated planning is the only possible way to tackle the water resources development The participatory approach is the key for its sustainability Bharat middot Nirman Plan of Government of India by setting up goals for the period of four years is a boost to the already existing schemes in different ministries Irrigation and public water supply is the basic components of development have been rightly considered in the Bharat Nirman Plan The ambitious project has already traveled through a span of two years and has achieved some part of the goals The balance part has to be done with equal fervor The recent modification in AlBP norms is the evidence of the governmental zeal in achieving the goals For the continuance of the food sufficiency the irrigation development is the feasible quick solution The component of Irrigation in Bharat Nirman is thus a huge help for the required development in the water sector

34

Page 23: ROLE OF WRD&M IN BHARAT NIRMAN DURING WRD 2007

Creation of potential of 1 Mha through ground water development in areas with unutilized ground water potential would primarily benefit small and marginal farmers who are mostly tribals dalits and weaker sections of society The scheme envisages full involvement of Panchayati Raj Institutions in implementation of the schemes

36 Housing

Goal 60 lakh houses to be constructed for the rural poor by 2009

The Ministry of Rural Development through the IndiraAwaas Yojana undertakes this activity as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme where the cost is shared between the Centre and States on 7525 basis

The 2001 Census places the rural housing shortage figure ~n India at around 1491akhs Construction of 60 lakh houses over the next four years across the country is envisaged starting from 2005-06 to address a significant portion of this backlog

The criteria adopted for allocation of financial resources between the StatesUTs give greater emphasis to the states with higher incidence or shelterlessness 75 weightage is given to housing shortage and 25 to the poverty ratios prescribed by the Planning Commission for State-level allocations For district-level allocations 75 weightage is given again to housing shortage and 25 to SCST population of the districts concerned Grant assistance is provided to the extent of Rs 25000 per house for normal middot areas and Rs 27500 for hilly areas Funds are released to the DRDAs in two installments

Implementation guidelines of the scheme specifically target the rural below poverty line (BPL) households The respective Gram Sabha does the selection of beneficiaries from the BPL list and no higher approval is required The guidelines also clearlY Specify that the house allotment should be in the name of the female member of the family as a first priority While seeking to empower the rural women the scheme also provides priority to physically and mentally challenged persons exservicemen widows and freed bonded labourers It is stipulated that at least 60 of the beneficiaries should belong to the SCST communities TheIAY scheme also lays emphasis on sanitation and health by incorporating the cost of a sanitary latrine and smokeless chulah into the per unit grant provided to the beneficiary for constructionlupgradation of the dwelling unit

21

CHAPTER IV

WATER SECTOR ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN BHARAT NIRMAN PLAN

Water resource is a vital input in the development endeavours of the country Its finite availability and ever increasing demand in every sector have aggravated the problem manifold in case of India The requirement of faster development in irrigation water supply industrial use flood protection is evident assuming the future scenario Bharat Nirman Plan has rightly stressed on the irrigation and water supply where as the other sectors requirement is to be redressed with equal priority for the sustainable development of India

The water sector is grappled with the following Issues

Irrigation development Command area development amp Catchment area treatment Creation of storages Conunctive use of surface and ground water Efficiency improvement in distribution system Bridging the gap between irrigation potential created and potential utilised Flood Management

41 Irrigation Development

In India with the constitution of the Planning commission in 1950 and the advent of planning process in the first five year plan (1951-56) the country launched a major irrigation programme A number of multipurpose and major projects such as Bhakra Nangal Nagarjunasagar Kosi Chambal Hirakund Kakrapar and Tungbhadra were taken up Simultaneously minor irrigation schemes including ground water were given emphasis under the Agricultural Sector along with financial assistance from the Centre

During the period of Second Five Year Plan (1956-61) Third Five Year Plan (1961-66) and the Three Annual Plans (1966-69) irrigation programmes continued with addition of new projects During the Fourth Five Year Plan (1969-74) the emphasis was shifted to the completion of ongoing projects integrated use of surface and ground water adoption of efficient management techniques and modernization of existing schemes However new projects continued to be added

During the fifth Plan (1974-79) command Area Development Programme Was launched as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with the objective of reducing the lag between potential created and optimum utilization of available land and water Initially 60 major and medium proj ects were covered with a CCA of 15 Mha

22

During the Annual Plans of 1978-80 and the Sixth Five Year Plan ( 1980-85) new starts continued and at the end of Seventh Plan there were as many as 182 major and 312 medium ongoing proj ects requiring an estimated amount of Rs 39044 crore at the 1990shy91 price level for their completion New starts were therefore restricted considerably and greater emphasis was laid on completion of projects which were in the advanced stages of completion (those with an expenditure of 75 per cent or more) This was continued during 1990-91 and 1991-92 Annual Plans VIII Plan (1992-97) and IX Plan (1997 -2000)

For speedy completion of ongoing projects in advance stage of construction Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) was launched in 1996-97 During VIII Plan period irrigation potential of 22 Mha was created under major and medium sector at an annual rate of 044 Mha per annum During IX plan period this increased to 412 Mha out of which 165 Mha (nearly 40) was through AIBP Renovation Modernisation and Rehabilitation of old irrigation schemes gained momentum Users participation in major and medium irrigation schemes received greater attention Repairs and improvemen to the minor irrigation projects as a part of integrated micro-development also received encouragement Similarly sprinkler and drip irrigation programmes and the conjunctive use of surface and ground water gained momentum The project completed along with minor irrigation and ground water development have created an estimated potential of about 10277 Mha by the end of the X Plan

Although plan expenditure on irrigation has increased from Rs44l 8 crore in the 1st Plan to Rs 9574342 crore (outlay) in the X plan the share in total plan expenditure has decreased from 23 in the 1st Plan to 63 in the X Plan

The created irrigation potential increased from 226 Mha (97 Mha through major amp medium and 129 Mha through minor irrigation) in preplan period to 102Mha (4235 Mha through major and medium and 6042 1Tha through minor including ground water schemes) upto the end of X Plan with an annual average growth of 14 Mha In the corresponding period the potential utilistion has been from 226 Mha period to 8100 Mha

411 Central Assistance under AIBP

During IX Plan period irrigation potential of 165 Mha was created through AIBP at an average rate of 033 Mha per annum During the first three years of X plan the potential creation in major and medium irrigation sector through AIBP is around 14 Mha 047 Mha per annum In spite of rationalizing completion schedule of projects under AIBP several projects are lying behind schedule It is desirable to work out realistic time frame and cost to completion for projects to be considered under AIBP It is pertinent to mention that the spirit of the programme ie completion of last mile projects should not get diluted in the enthusiasm of inclusion of large number of projects under this programme As reported by the state governments but of total 200 projects presently under AIBP 95 projects would be completed by the end of X plan

23

The Central Assistance under AIBP as loan and grant provided up to March 2006 is Rs 1943790 crore out of which Rs 1883010 crore has been provided in Major and Medium irrigation sector

Impact ofAIBP

Plan Potential Created (Mha) Contribution of AIBP(Mha) IX 410 165 ( 402) X 530 300 ( 566)

Keeping an eye over the future requirement the Working Group on Water Resources for the XI Five Year Plan has brought out several suggestions in order to expedite completion of the projects which is very very essential Some other issues relating irrigation sector were also addressed in addition to this The strategies adopted for XI Plan proposal are swnmarized as below

1 Ongoing projects which have already achieved 90 or more of the ultimate potential should be considered as completed~ Critically review all such projects which are having only marginal benefit left or are near impossible to complete because of various problems and declare them completed or curtailed or deleted The balance cost of the remaining projects should be updated realistically for consideration under XI plan

2 Inter-Se priority should be decided considering various aspects such as externally aided proj ects interstate proj ects proj ects benefiting drought prone or tribal areas etc as per the guidelines prepared by National Commission for integrated Water Resources Development Plan

3 High priority should be accorded to the Pre-seventh and Seventh Plan Projects for funding under AIBP with emphasis to complete these projects during XI Plan List of such projects is appended as Annex31 Fund allocation under AIBP should be enhanced for this purpose ifnecessary

4 Foremost priority should be given for completion of ongoing projects and new projects should be taken up very selectively keeping in view the necessity for removal of regional imbalances and development of drought prone and tribal areas

5 Since the fund requirement for mediumminor irrigation projects are less adequate fund may be made available for completion of these projects without jeopardizing programme for important major projects ERM Projects should be given due priority where the eroded potential can be restored with ~oderate expenditure

24

6 A separate budget head upto 15 of Plan fund may be provided as Irrigation Maintenance Fund (IMF) and full amount of irrigation revenue as collectged should be credited to IMF

7 In addition to liabilities of completed projects and provision for ongoing and new projects the State plan proposals should incorporate provisions for special repairs of existing irrigation systems dam safety measures improved water management and water development aspect encompassing survey and investigation research and development training and National Hydrology Project

8 Substantial higher outlay should be provided in Central Plan to bring out effective role in plan activities of the Central Institutions by way of suitably strengthening them and provide adequate funds for taking new initiatives under Central Plan

9 The existing regionalstate level institutions such as W ALMIs should be strengthened and brought into mainstream activities for irrigation management improvement

10 Dam safety measures should be taken up all over country which is very essential in the context of disaster Prevention and Management

11 The performance evaluation of completed projects needs to be continued for benchmarking and improvement in irrigation efficiency

In addition to above recommendations on Minor Irrigation Sector are gIven as follows

1 Renovation Restoration of old tanks as well as old diversion channels in hilly regions along with improving efficiency of the projects Besides surface lift schemes may also be given due consideration particularly in hilly regions for irrigating high terraces

2 Expansion of irrigation facilities through a time bound programme for exploiting the huge ground water potential in the Eastern Region

3 Promotion of Micro Irrigation system in Water deficit areas 4 Promotion of Ground Water Development in areas haaving untapped unutilized

potential 5 National rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) may be linked with minor

irrigation Ground Water Development 6 A comprehensive act for regulation and development of ground water on

sustainable basis both in public and private sector

42 Command Area Development

In respect of command area development works for performance improvement-of the projects the working group has recommended the following recommendations for consideration

25

(a) Central funding for CAD works may be enhanced from present level of 5050 to 7525 for all the States while for states of North eastern Region and Hilly Special Category States the funding may be 90 from Government of India For software activities like trainings adaptive trials demonstrations monitoring and evaluation etc 100 Central funding may be considered in place of the existing pattern of 75 25 between the Centre and the States Funds can be directly given to W ALMIs and other State Central agencies for carrying out such activities

(b) It is proposed to increase the functional grant from Rs 600 per ha to Rs 1000 per ha which is to be shared in the ratio ofRs 675225100 between the centre State and the farmers while keeping all cost norms unchanged The State Governments may also be allowed to raise fund for its share through institutional funding or public borrowings through bonds on the pattern of Krishna Bhagya Nigam of Karnataka Government

(c) As per the existing system of release of Central Assistance the funds are transferred to the pool of State Finance Department which in tum releases funds to the implementing departments This procedure is not amenable for timely availability of the funds to the CADAs Therefore direct funding to CADAs from the Ministry in a mission mode can be considered to alleviate this problem For instance the Ministry of rural Development has a system of direct release of Central share of funds to the District Rural Development Authorities (DRDA) Jilla Parishads for implementing the schemes of the Central Ministry

(d) To ensure optimum utilization of created irrigation potential the CADWM should be made a part of the new major and medium projects

(e) Formation of WUAs under PTh1 Act is mandatory for implementation of CADWM programme Transition time of 2 years (upto the end of financial year 2008-09) may be allowed to those States which have not enact~d their PIM Acts so far Further relaxation may be only be allowed with the approval of CCEA

(f) WUAs should be involved in planning budgeting implementation and management of irrigation systems to be transferred to them There is a need to enforce a regime whereby farmers pay the water rates to meet the OampM expenditure rates Conditions of reforms should be imposed before handing over the projects to WUAs

(g) Volumetric supply of irrigation water to WUAs should be introduced

(h) Reputed NGOs with requisite skills may be involved for promotion of WUAs Rehabilitation of Canal Systems and Water Management for at least 2-3 years The estimated expenditure of Rs 600-800 per ha on account of this may be provided by the central government in the form of grant

(i) Autonomy of WUAs should be maintained in regard to Water Management However there may be linkages with Panchayati Raj Institutions through cross representation It may be considered to provide support to W ALMIs Agriculture Universities and reputed NGOs for improved water management at micro level It may also be considered to provide incentives for activities ofWUAs

26

(j) The WUAs should include women members from the land owning holding house holds in the Command Area irrespective of their ownership of the land

(k) Periodic evaluation of CAD Projects should be undertaken and suitable corrective measures may be taken if necessary

(1) Components for reclamation of waterlogged areas as well as correction of conveyance deficiencies with enhanced scope may be implemented to cover all the projects in the country details of which could be approved in consultation with expert organizations such as CWC CSSRI CGWB etc

(m) Water Resources Irrigation Departments need to undertake assessment periodically (at least once in 5 years) to determine the training needs at different levels of personnel deployed in water resources development and management Facilities available for capacity building are to be considered instead of establishing new training centres There has to be networking of existing training facilities so that training will be effective and economical It is desirable to have a separate scheme for training and capacity building for State Governments as well as central Government

43 Creation of Storage

Creation of storages is of prime importance in order to avoid severe domestic crisis on water issues As per the estimates given in the working group report there is a need of approximately live storage of around 450 km3

Major amp Medium Projects (Existing) -213 KJ13

Major amp Medium Projects (Under construction) -76 KM3 Minor Storages (Existing amp Under construction) -70 KM3 Total Live Storages in projects existing and under construction - 359 Km3

Likely loss in Live storage due to sedimentation upto 2050 which has to be compensated for -53 Km3 (say) Balance available live storage from the above in 2050 - 306 Km3 say 300 Km3

Therefore further new live storage to be created to have a live storage of 450 Km3 by 2050 is 150Km3

For creation the needed storage in addition to the present way of envisaging attention has to be paid to changing popUlation dynamics changing pattern of human settlements climatic change causing change in pattern of spatial and temporal variation in rainfall deterioration in water quality etc

44 Conjunctive Use of surface and ground water

Conjunctive use of surface and ground water can address the situation in two ways by decreasing the dependence on a single source and the quality of the available waterThis will reduce the chance of desalination as well Working group has suggested for the conjunctive use of middotgood quality water and saline seawater which will be helpful in reducing the cost of water requirement for irrigation

27

45 Efficiency improvement in the distribution system as well as in field

Deficiencies of the irrigated agriculture in India have been a cause of concern and a huge amount of thinking and analysis ha been done to devise ways and means to improve it The Working Group has recommended some important recommendations in this matter

1 Standardized definitions of irrigation efficiencies need to be evolved for use in India after reviewing available material All water resources of a basin form a unified resource and hence the basin efficiency concept which integrates all surface water and ground water uses as well as reuse and recirculation is important The basin efficiency also needs to be estimated along with project related efficiencies

2 Conjunctive use of water to be given higher priority particularly in alluvial areas as a very effective means of improving water use amp basin efficiency and of saving possible water logging and salination For givin an encouragement to conjunctive use irrigation Act may be amended if req ired The policy of favoring selective lining of canals should be continued LD ater allowances and somewhat inadequate conveyance capacities lead to be r efficiencies and less water loggingrelated problems These need to be encouraged

3 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Water Csers Associations (WUAs) should include a standard clause which binds the users to effective conjunctive use of surface and ground water On rising of gro nd water table the MOW should allow the department to cut the surface water supply

4 Where there are minor irrigation tanks minor urface lifts etc middotin the command these should be integrated with major project works and not be treated as separate entity Such tanks should be filled with cfulals water as per requirement Also such works will allow reuse of the seeped wateT

5 Each major irrigation system authorities should annually prepare the water budget accruing for all water stored or diverted all losses all reuse of lost waters estimated evaporation etc

6 Sufficient funds for operation and maintenance work to be provided Creation of Irrigation Maintenance Corporation as provided in the irrigation management policy is considered so that a linkage between revenues from water and OampM funds is established Water rates may accordingly be increased in a phased manner

7 Priority may be assigned toERM schemes for projects where water distribution systems are to be handed over to WUAs Where total ERM scheme is not contemplated one time maintenance deferred maintenance of a project may be allowed as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance of a project may be allowed

28

as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance budget to be decided in consultation with the farmers and walk through survey to assess what is appropriate and achievable within the available fund

8 All the schemes more than 25 years old should be studied in details to bring out the status of schemes in respect of structural safety and performance and ERM schemes may be formulated and taken up based on such studies

9 Drip sprinklers are mostly for horticulture vegetable crops (and surgarcane) in the present major and medium surface irrigation system These may be encouraged for other crops also Any compulsion for a particular cropping pattern needs to be removed whenever WUAs are formed amp volumetric water rates come into practice Use of sprinkler or drips or rotational surface supplies requires additional on farm storage (either as dug out ponds or elevatged storage with pump) This becomes essential since supply rotates are 10 daily or fortnightly whereas drips amp sprinkler require daily or 1 in 2 days operation Such storage creation needs to be within the ambit of subsidies for drips and sprinklers

10 As automation is a costly affair it is to be adopted for pilot schemes and not for larger area However preferably this should be introduced for conjunctive use of ground water and not always for surface water

The group has also recommended the concept of Target Efficiency of the water delivery system timely and equitable distribution ohvater increasing production per unit area and per unit volume of water used and financial sustainability of the water delivery infrastructure

46 Bridging the gap between the Potential created and potential utilised

There may be various reasons for increase in the gap between potential creation and potential utilized Some ofthese are

a likely over estimation and double counting of potential creation and inaccuracies discrepancies in reporting of potential utilized

b Loss of potential due to siltation in reservoirs ponds etc and deterioration of water distribution system

c Time gap between potential creation and command area development

d Assumption of optimistic cropping pattern in economic analysis and deviation in cropping pattern as compared to that envisaged during planning

e Over-drawl of water in head reaches depriving potential utilization by tail enders

f Unused canal flow during night hours

29

l

It is desirable to introduce more reliable and accurate system of assessment for potential created and utilized There should be a coordinating statistical organization in each State for reporting the figures of potential created and utilized The Remote Sensing Technique can also be effectively utilized for counter verification of figures reported The loss in potential due to siltation ageing of various distribution systems etc needs to be periodically assessed and accounted

The productivity of irrigated crop as assumed in economic analysis often seem to be optimistic and are not based on experience of nearby irrigation projects Use of water for irrigation and selection of crops have been left to the discretion of users farmers The adverse consequences of such freedom have been manifested as water logging in some commands Somewhere overexploitation of ground -vater has been leading to progressive fall in ground water level It is therefore necessary that a regulatory mechanism is brought into practice by which undesirable or unsuitable crops are discouraged and tendency to over use of irrigation water is c~ecked Similarly in areas where ground water is being used for irrigation a regulatory mechanism should be in place to deter over exploitation of ground water beyond allOvable limit

Sometimes apprehension of scarcity of water and non availability of water when needed also lead to over withdrawal by head end users Since extra tion of ground water is costly farmers tend to take water more than their requirements when that is available through canals Higher cost of ground water is primarily because of cost of power required for lifting of water In case source of solar power is created for lifting of water the cost of ground water will get substantially reduced This may facilitate and give farmers option to use surface water and ground water thom any extra cost Once this option is available and known to farmers that they are aware that use of more water than the optimal requirement is likely to reduce the yield certainly there would be reductionin

overdraw of water by head enders Thus there is a need to extend u~er friendly system and increase awareness and cooperation among farmers through Participatory Irrigation Management Water Users Associatiortsneed to be empowered to look into these aspects Further the piped distribution system and micro irrigation should be adopted as far as possible

In India night imgation is not practiced in general As a result waters flowing in canals during night hours either pass unutilized or wasted on account of uncontrolled flooding It is desirable that the night irrigation is introduced in policy and practice

47 Flood Management

In regard to flood management the strategies recommended are given here under

(a) Undertake construction of dams and reservoir schemes with adequate flood cushion for long term solution of flood problems Efforts should also be made for utilizing the existing reservoirs in the country for flood moderation to the extent

30

possible Even in Reservoirs constructed for power other purposes the rule curves may be framed in such way that effective flood moderation is achieved

(b) Flood Forecasting and flood warning network of ewe be extended and integrated with similar networks of the state governments so as to get real time information at a central point say in central flood control room under FMO ewe This activity should be extended to cover rivers originating from or flowing to the neighbouring countries

( c) To take up development of digital elevation model of flood prone areas for taking up schemes for inundation forecast preparation of flood risk maps planning of flood management schemes etc

(d) Identification of appropriate location for breaching spiling sections in the flood embankment for the controlled flooding of the protected areas for restoring fertility recharge of soil moisture and ground water

( e) Integrating flood management schemes with other infrastructural development programmes in the sectors of roads railways inland waterways and canal command area development works as well as recently declared Rural Employment Guarantee Programme

(f) Watershed management in the hilly catchmentgs of the rivers ongmating in Nepal Bhutan and hilly areas of India should be selectively chosen and funded fully Implementation should be done through a joint mechanism Ministry of Agriculture who is the nodal Ministry for the watershed management works should work out a detailed program in consultation with the Ministry of Water Resources

(g) To give adequate emphasis on the operation and maintenance (OampM) of the flood protection measures already created a percentage of outlay of the flood sector should be earmarked for this purpose

(h) Raising and strengthening of the existing embankments if required after detailed studies of hydrological morphological topographical and developmental aspects to stabilize the benefits of these measures

(i) Natural swamps and lakes to be developed into detention basins and capacity of existing depressions be improved for absorbing flood waters Special drives for development of Tal and Diara areas

G) Erosion of land either by sea or rivers to be minimized through suitable cost effective measures

(k) Flood proofing program such as raised platform and quick drainage facilities to be taken up in a)l the flood prone states

31

(1) Drainage improvement in critical areas in the country to be given priority

(m) Dredging at selective locations ie outfalls etc in the rivers and the tributaries as a way to reduce flood levels in low-lying areas and help in quick drainage

(n) Encourage RampD activities for improved flood management

(0) To encourage peoples participation

(p) To expedite projects peaks

on interlinking of rivers for helping in attenuating flood

(q) Steps to ensure implementation of action plan prepared by NDMA for flood management should be taken

(r) On-going schemes of earlier plans be completed expeditiously All the on going schemes spilling over to the XI Plan in which at least 50 execution has taken place should get first priority on fund allocation during the XI Plan

(s) The cost for flood component in a multi-purpose water resources development projects as a long-term solution to flood problem should be funded by Government of India

(t) Maintenance of existing flood management works to optimize its benefits

32

48 Achievement in irrigation during the two years of the Bharat Nirman Plan

The statewise achievement in two years ending on September 2006 is given below It shows that 2183776 thousand hectare has been added to the irrigation potential A daunting task still left to be achieved in coming two years

thF19ures are III ousand h ec ares t

I

i rOo

rarget bull Major amp Aebievements upSI No

States UrsName MinorMedium Total to September

Irrigation Irrigation 2006 r i

1 Andhra Pradesh 44127 112523 156649 302065

2 Arunachal Pradesh 00 2239 2239 4 777 3 Assam 303 4275 7306 3314

4 Bihar 41399 12858 169979 279451 5 Chhattisgarh 4435 14668 19103 65661

6 Goa 2442 26 2702 1224 7 Gujarat 94573 00 945 73 255224

8 Haryana 3373 241 5783 33301 9 Himachal Pradesh 3091 4691 7788 8842

10 lharkhand 8122 25314 33436 15 701 11 Jammu amp Kashmir 1801 9254 11055 14847

12 Karnataka 26282 124 38682 11131 13 Kerala 1609 2168 3777 15856

14 Madhya Pradesh 61172 162 77372 8138 15 Maharashtra 465 31 35651 82181 9313

16 Manipur 5195 155 6745 0 17 Meghalaya 00 1493 1493 2073

18 Mizoram 00 1096 1096 0628 19 Nagaland 00 1612 1612 259

20 Orissa 19899 13295 33194 3266 21 Punjab 4034 2056 609 68755

22 Rajasthan 37974 401 41984 26459 23 Sikkim 00 703 703 08

24 Tamil Nadu 00 2355 23 55 16461 25 Tripura 2689 5429 8118 6327 26 Uttar Pradesh 82516 15208 977 24 464 372 27 Uttranchal 00 3829 3829 34 967

28 West Bengal 13567 56384 69951 346

29 Andman amp Nicobar Island 00 033 033 0

30 Pondicherry 00 275 275 0 ~-

Total 2183766507867 479958 987826

I

L 33

------------------~------

The achievements are up to March 2006 only The progressachievement of 2006-07 was under compilationscrutiny in ewe at the time of preparation of this document

The figures for states ofKerala and Rajasthan pertain to the achievement of whole year 2006-07 and for the State of Uttar Pradesh the achievement is up to December2006

49 Conclusions

Water sector development encompasses multidisciplinary considerations There is no scope of overlooking any sector while giving priority to any sector or sectors The integrated planning is the only possible way to tackle the water resources development The participatory approach is the key for its sustainability Bharat middot Nirman Plan of Government of India by setting up goals for the period of four years is a boost to the already existing schemes in different ministries Irrigation and public water supply is the basic components of development have been rightly considered in the Bharat Nirman Plan The ambitious project has already traveled through a span of two years and has achieved some part of the goals The balance part has to be done with equal fervor The recent modification in AlBP norms is the evidence of the governmental zeal in achieving the goals For the continuance of the food sufficiency the irrigation development is the feasible quick solution The component of Irrigation in Bharat Nirman is thus a huge help for the required development in the water sector

34

Page 24: ROLE OF WRD&M IN BHARAT NIRMAN DURING WRD 2007

CHAPTER IV

WATER SECTOR ISSUES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN BHARAT NIRMAN PLAN

Water resource is a vital input in the development endeavours of the country Its finite availability and ever increasing demand in every sector have aggravated the problem manifold in case of India The requirement of faster development in irrigation water supply industrial use flood protection is evident assuming the future scenario Bharat Nirman Plan has rightly stressed on the irrigation and water supply where as the other sectors requirement is to be redressed with equal priority for the sustainable development of India

The water sector is grappled with the following Issues

Irrigation development Command area development amp Catchment area treatment Creation of storages Conunctive use of surface and ground water Efficiency improvement in distribution system Bridging the gap between irrigation potential created and potential utilised Flood Management

41 Irrigation Development

In India with the constitution of the Planning commission in 1950 and the advent of planning process in the first five year plan (1951-56) the country launched a major irrigation programme A number of multipurpose and major projects such as Bhakra Nangal Nagarjunasagar Kosi Chambal Hirakund Kakrapar and Tungbhadra were taken up Simultaneously minor irrigation schemes including ground water were given emphasis under the Agricultural Sector along with financial assistance from the Centre

During the period of Second Five Year Plan (1956-61) Third Five Year Plan (1961-66) and the Three Annual Plans (1966-69) irrigation programmes continued with addition of new projects During the Fourth Five Year Plan (1969-74) the emphasis was shifted to the completion of ongoing projects integrated use of surface and ground water adoption of efficient management techniques and modernization of existing schemes However new projects continued to be added

During the fifth Plan (1974-79) command Area Development Programme Was launched as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with the objective of reducing the lag between potential created and optimum utilization of available land and water Initially 60 major and medium proj ects were covered with a CCA of 15 Mha

22

During the Annual Plans of 1978-80 and the Sixth Five Year Plan ( 1980-85) new starts continued and at the end of Seventh Plan there were as many as 182 major and 312 medium ongoing proj ects requiring an estimated amount of Rs 39044 crore at the 1990shy91 price level for their completion New starts were therefore restricted considerably and greater emphasis was laid on completion of projects which were in the advanced stages of completion (those with an expenditure of 75 per cent or more) This was continued during 1990-91 and 1991-92 Annual Plans VIII Plan (1992-97) and IX Plan (1997 -2000)

For speedy completion of ongoing projects in advance stage of construction Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) was launched in 1996-97 During VIII Plan period irrigation potential of 22 Mha was created under major and medium sector at an annual rate of 044 Mha per annum During IX plan period this increased to 412 Mha out of which 165 Mha (nearly 40) was through AIBP Renovation Modernisation and Rehabilitation of old irrigation schemes gained momentum Users participation in major and medium irrigation schemes received greater attention Repairs and improvemen to the minor irrigation projects as a part of integrated micro-development also received encouragement Similarly sprinkler and drip irrigation programmes and the conjunctive use of surface and ground water gained momentum The project completed along with minor irrigation and ground water development have created an estimated potential of about 10277 Mha by the end of the X Plan

Although plan expenditure on irrigation has increased from Rs44l 8 crore in the 1st Plan to Rs 9574342 crore (outlay) in the X plan the share in total plan expenditure has decreased from 23 in the 1st Plan to 63 in the X Plan

The created irrigation potential increased from 226 Mha (97 Mha through major amp medium and 129 Mha through minor irrigation) in preplan period to 102Mha (4235 Mha through major and medium and 6042 1Tha through minor including ground water schemes) upto the end of X Plan with an annual average growth of 14 Mha In the corresponding period the potential utilistion has been from 226 Mha period to 8100 Mha

411 Central Assistance under AIBP

During IX Plan period irrigation potential of 165 Mha was created through AIBP at an average rate of 033 Mha per annum During the first three years of X plan the potential creation in major and medium irrigation sector through AIBP is around 14 Mha 047 Mha per annum In spite of rationalizing completion schedule of projects under AIBP several projects are lying behind schedule It is desirable to work out realistic time frame and cost to completion for projects to be considered under AIBP It is pertinent to mention that the spirit of the programme ie completion of last mile projects should not get diluted in the enthusiasm of inclusion of large number of projects under this programme As reported by the state governments but of total 200 projects presently under AIBP 95 projects would be completed by the end of X plan

23

The Central Assistance under AIBP as loan and grant provided up to March 2006 is Rs 1943790 crore out of which Rs 1883010 crore has been provided in Major and Medium irrigation sector

Impact ofAIBP

Plan Potential Created (Mha) Contribution of AIBP(Mha) IX 410 165 ( 402) X 530 300 ( 566)

Keeping an eye over the future requirement the Working Group on Water Resources for the XI Five Year Plan has brought out several suggestions in order to expedite completion of the projects which is very very essential Some other issues relating irrigation sector were also addressed in addition to this The strategies adopted for XI Plan proposal are swnmarized as below

1 Ongoing projects which have already achieved 90 or more of the ultimate potential should be considered as completed~ Critically review all such projects which are having only marginal benefit left or are near impossible to complete because of various problems and declare them completed or curtailed or deleted The balance cost of the remaining projects should be updated realistically for consideration under XI plan

2 Inter-Se priority should be decided considering various aspects such as externally aided proj ects interstate proj ects proj ects benefiting drought prone or tribal areas etc as per the guidelines prepared by National Commission for integrated Water Resources Development Plan

3 High priority should be accorded to the Pre-seventh and Seventh Plan Projects for funding under AIBP with emphasis to complete these projects during XI Plan List of such projects is appended as Annex31 Fund allocation under AIBP should be enhanced for this purpose ifnecessary

4 Foremost priority should be given for completion of ongoing projects and new projects should be taken up very selectively keeping in view the necessity for removal of regional imbalances and development of drought prone and tribal areas

5 Since the fund requirement for mediumminor irrigation projects are less adequate fund may be made available for completion of these projects without jeopardizing programme for important major projects ERM Projects should be given due priority where the eroded potential can be restored with ~oderate expenditure

24

6 A separate budget head upto 15 of Plan fund may be provided as Irrigation Maintenance Fund (IMF) and full amount of irrigation revenue as collectged should be credited to IMF

7 In addition to liabilities of completed projects and provision for ongoing and new projects the State plan proposals should incorporate provisions for special repairs of existing irrigation systems dam safety measures improved water management and water development aspect encompassing survey and investigation research and development training and National Hydrology Project

8 Substantial higher outlay should be provided in Central Plan to bring out effective role in plan activities of the Central Institutions by way of suitably strengthening them and provide adequate funds for taking new initiatives under Central Plan

9 The existing regionalstate level institutions such as W ALMIs should be strengthened and brought into mainstream activities for irrigation management improvement

10 Dam safety measures should be taken up all over country which is very essential in the context of disaster Prevention and Management

11 The performance evaluation of completed projects needs to be continued for benchmarking and improvement in irrigation efficiency

In addition to above recommendations on Minor Irrigation Sector are gIven as follows

1 Renovation Restoration of old tanks as well as old diversion channels in hilly regions along with improving efficiency of the projects Besides surface lift schemes may also be given due consideration particularly in hilly regions for irrigating high terraces

2 Expansion of irrigation facilities through a time bound programme for exploiting the huge ground water potential in the Eastern Region

3 Promotion of Micro Irrigation system in Water deficit areas 4 Promotion of Ground Water Development in areas haaving untapped unutilized

potential 5 National rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) may be linked with minor

irrigation Ground Water Development 6 A comprehensive act for regulation and development of ground water on

sustainable basis both in public and private sector

42 Command Area Development

In respect of command area development works for performance improvement-of the projects the working group has recommended the following recommendations for consideration

25

(a) Central funding for CAD works may be enhanced from present level of 5050 to 7525 for all the States while for states of North eastern Region and Hilly Special Category States the funding may be 90 from Government of India For software activities like trainings adaptive trials demonstrations monitoring and evaluation etc 100 Central funding may be considered in place of the existing pattern of 75 25 between the Centre and the States Funds can be directly given to W ALMIs and other State Central agencies for carrying out such activities

(b) It is proposed to increase the functional grant from Rs 600 per ha to Rs 1000 per ha which is to be shared in the ratio ofRs 675225100 between the centre State and the farmers while keeping all cost norms unchanged The State Governments may also be allowed to raise fund for its share through institutional funding or public borrowings through bonds on the pattern of Krishna Bhagya Nigam of Karnataka Government

(c) As per the existing system of release of Central Assistance the funds are transferred to the pool of State Finance Department which in tum releases funds to the implementing departments This procedure is not amenable for timely availability of the funds to the CADAs Therefore direct funding to CADAs from the Ministry in a mission mode can be considered to alleviate this problem For instance the Ministry of rural Development has a system of direct release of Central share of funds to the District Rural Development Authorities (DRDA) Jilla Parishads for implementing the schemes of the Central Ministry

(d) To ensure optimum utilization of created irrigation potential the CADWM should be made a part of the new major and medium projects

(e) Formation of WUAs under PTh1 Act is mandatory for implementation of CADWM programme Transition time of 2 years (upto the end of financial year 2008-09) may be allowed to those States which have not enact~d their PIM Acts so far Further relaxation may be only be allowed with the approval of CCEA

(f) WUAs should be involved in planning budgeting implementation and management of irrigation systems to be transferred to them There is a need to enforce a regime whereby farmers pay the water rates to meet the OampM expenditure rates Conditions of reforms should be imposed before handing over the projects to WUAs

(g) Volumetric supply of irrigation water to WUAs should be introduced

(h) Reputed NGOs with requisite skills may be involved for promotion of WUAs Rehabilitation of Canal Systems and Water Management for at least 2-3 years The estimated expenditure of Rs 600-800 per ha on account of this may be provided by the central government in the form of grant

(i) Autonomy of WUAs should be maintained in regard to Water Management However there may be linkages with Panchayati Raj Institutions through cross representation It may be considered to provide support to W ALMIs Agriculture Universities and reputed NGOs for improved water management at micro level It may also be considered to provide incentives for activities ofWUAs

26

(j) The WUAs should include women members from the land owning holding house holds in the Command Area irrespective of their ownership of the land

(k) Periodic evaluation of CAD Projects should be undertaken and suitable corrective measures may be taken if necessary

(1) Components for reclamation of waterlogged areas as well as correction of conveyance deficiencies with enhanced scope may be implemented to cover all the projects in the country details of which could be approved in consultation with expert organizations such as CWC CSSRI CGWB etc

(m) Water Resources Irrigation Departments need to undertake assessment periodically (at least once in 5 years) to determine the training needs at different levels of personnel deployed in water resources development and management Facilities available for capacity building are to be considered instead of establishing new training centres There has to be networking of existing training facilities so that training will be effective and economical It is desirable to have a separate scheme for training and capacity building for State Governments as well as central Government

43 Creation of Storage

Creation of storages is of prime importance in order to avoid severe domestic crisis on water issues As per the estimates given in the working group report there is a need of approximately live storage of around 450 km3

Major amp Medium Projects (Existing) -213 KJ13

Major amp Medium Projects (Under construction) -76 KM3 Minor Storages (Existing amp Under construction) -70 KM3 Total Live Storages in projects existing and under construction - 359 Km3

Likely loss in Live storage due to sedimentation upto 2050 which has to be compensated for -53 Km3 (say) Balance available live storage from the above in 2050 - 306 Km3 say 300 Km3

Therefore further new live storage to be created to have a live storage of 450 Km3 by 2050 is 150Km3

For creation the needed storage in addition to the present way of envisaging attention has to be paid to changing popUlation dynamics changing pattern of human settlements climatic change causing change in pattern of spatial and temporal variation in rainfall deterioration in water quality etc

44 Conjunctive Use of surface and ground water

Conjunctive use of surface and ground water can address the situation in two ways by decreasing the dependence on a single source and the quality of the available waterThis will reduce the chance of desalination as well Working group has suggested for the conjunctive use of middotgood quality water and saline seawater which will be helpful in reducing the cost of water requirement for irrigation

27

45 Efficiency improvement in the distribution system as well as in field

Deficiencies of the irrigated agriculture in India have been a cause of concern and a huge amount of thinking and analysis ha been done to devise ways and means to improve it The Working Group has recommended some important recommendations in this matter

1 Standardized definitions of irrigation efficiencies need to be evolved for use in India after reviewing available material All water resources of a basin form a unified resource and hence the basin efficiency concept which integrates all surface water and ground water uses as well as reuse and recirculation is important The basin efficiency also needs to be estimated along with project related efficiencies

2 Conjunctive use of water to be given higher priority particularly in alluvial areas as a very effective means of improving water use amp basin efficiency and of saving possible water logging and salination For givin an encouragement to conjunctive use irrigation Act may be amended if req ired The policy of favoring selective lining of canals should be continued LD ater allowances and somewhat inadequate conveyance capacities lead to be r efficiencies and less water loggingrelated problems These need to be encouraged

3 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Water Csers Associations (WUAs) should include a standard clause which binds the users to effective conjunctive use of surface and ground water On rising of gro nd water table the MOW should allow the department to cut the surface water supply

4 Where there are minor irrigation tanks minor urface lifts etc middotin the command these should be integrated with major project works and not be treated as separate entity Such tanks should be filled with cfulals water as per requirement Also such works will allow reuse of the seeped wateT

5 Each major irrigation system authorities should annually prepare the water budget accruing for all water stored or diverted all losses all reuse of lost waters estimated evaporation etc

6 Sufficient funds for operation and maintenance work to be provided Creation of Irrigation Maintenance Corporation as provided in the irrigation management policy is considered so that a linkage between revenues from water and OampM funds is established Water rates may accordingly be increased in a phased manner

7 Priority may be assigned toERM schemes for projects where water distribution systems are to be handed over to WUAs Where total ERM scheme is not contemplated one time maintenance deferred maintenance of a project may be allowed as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance of a project may be allowed

28

as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance budget to be decided in consultation with the farmers and walk through survey to assess what is appropriate and achievable within the available fund

8 All the schemes more than 25 years old should be studied in details to bring out the status of schemes in respect of structural safety and performance and ERM schemes may be formulated and taken up based on such studies

9 Drip sprinklers are mostly for horticulture vegetable crops (and surgarcane) in the present major and medium surface irrigation system These may be encouraged for other crops also Any compulsion for a particular cropping pattern needs to be removed whenever WUAs are formed amp volumetric water rates come into practice Use of sprinkler or drips or rotational surface supplies requires additional on farm storage (either as dug out ponds or elevatged storage with pump) This becomes essential since supply rotates are 10 daily or fortnightly whereas drips amp sprinkler require daily or 1 in 2 days operation Such storage creation needs to be within the ambit of subsidies for drips and sprinklers

10 As automation is a costly affair it is to be adopted for pilot schemes and not for larger area However preferably this should be introduced for conjunctive use of ground water and not always for surface water

The group has also recommended the concept of Target Efficiency of the water delivery system timely and equitable distribution ohvater increasing production per unit area and per unit volume of water used and financial sustainability of the water delivery infrastructure

46 Bridging the gap between the Potential created and potential utilised

There may be various reasons for increase in the gap between potential creation and potential utilized Some ofthese are

a likely over estimation and double counting of potential creation and inaccuracies discrepancies in reporting of potential utilized

b Loss of potential due to siltation in reservoirs ponds etc and deterioration of water distribution system

c Time gap between potential creation and command area development

d Assumption of optimistic cropping pattern in economic analysis and deviation in cropping pattern as compared to that envisaged during planning

e Over-drawl of water in head reaches depriving potential utilization by tail enders

f Unused canal flow during night hours

29

l

It is desirable to introduce more reliable and accurate system of assessment for potential created and utilized There should be a coordinating statistical organization in each State for reporting the figures of potential created and utilized The Remote Sensing Technique can also be effectively utilized for counter verification of figures reported The loss in potential due to siltation ageing of various distribution systems etc needs to be periodically assessed and accounted

The productivity of irrigated crop as assumed in economic analysis often seem to be optimistic and are not based on experience of nearby irrigation projects Use of water for irrigation and selection of crops have been left to the discretion of users farmers The adverse consequences of such freedom have been manifested as water logging in some commands Somewhere overexploitation of ground -vater has been leading to progressive fall in ground water level It is therefore necessary that a regulatory mechanism is brought into practice by which undesirable or unsuitable crops are discouraged and tendency to over use of irrigation water is c~ecked Similarly in areas where ground water is being used for irrigation a regulatory mechanism should be in place to deter over exploitation of ground water beyond allOvable limit

Sometimes apprehension of scarcity of water and non availability of water when needed also lead to over withdrawal by head end users Since extra tion of ground water is costly farmers tend to take water more than their requirements when that is available through canals Higher cost of ground water is primarily because of cost of power required for lifting of water In case source of solar power is created for lifting of water the cost of ground water will get substantially reduced This may facilitate and give farmers option to use surface water and ground water thom any extra cost Once this option is available and known to farmers that they are aware that use of more water than the optimal requirement is likely to reduce the yield certainly there would be reductionin

overdraw of water by head enders Thus there is a need to extend u~er friendly system and increase awareness and cooperation among farmers through Participatory Irrigation Management Water Users Associatiortsneed to be empowered to look into these aspects Further the piped distribution system and micro irrigation should be adopted as far as possible

In India night imgation is not practiced in general As a result waters flowing in canals during night hours either pass unutilized or wasted on account of uncontrolled flooding It is desirable that the night irrigation is introduced in policy and practice

47 Flood Management

In regard to flood management the strategies recommended are given here under

(a) Undertake construction of dams and reservoir schemes with adequate flood cushion for long term solution of flood problems Efforts should also be made for utilizing the existing reservoirs in the country for flood moderation to the extent

30

possible Even in Reservoirs constructed for power other purposes the rule curves may be framed in such way that effective flood moderation is achieved

(b) Flood Forecasting and flood warning network of ewe be extended and integrated with similar networks of the state governments so as to get real time information at a central point say in central flood control room under FMO ewe This activity should be extended to cover rivers originating from or flowing to the neighbouring countries

( c) To take up development of digital elevation model of flood prone areas for taking up schemes for inundation forecast preparation of flood risk maps planning of flood management schemes etc

(d) Identification of appropriate location for breaching spiling sections in the flood embankment for the controlled flooding of the protected areas for restoring fertility recharge of soil moisture and ground water

( e) Integrating flood management schemes with other infrastructural development programmes in the sectors of roads railways inland waterways and canal command area development works as well as recently declared Rural Employment Guarantee Programme

(f) Watershed management in the hilly catchmentgs of the rivers ongmating in Nepal Bhutan and hilly areas of India should be selectively chosen and funded fully Implementation should be done through a joint mechanism Ministry of Agriculture who is the nodal Ministry for the watershed management works should work out a detailed program in consultation with the Ministry of Water Resources

(g) To give adequate emphasis on the operation and maintenance (OampM) of the flood protection measures already created a percentage of outlay of the flood sector should be earmarked for this purpose

(h) Raising and strengthening of the existing embankments if required after detailed studies of hydrological morphological topographical and developmental aspects to stabilize the benefits of these measures

(i) Natural swamps and lakes to be developed into detention basins and capacity of existing depressions be improved for absorbing flood waters Special drives for development of Tal and Diara areas

G) Erosion of land either by sea or rivers to be minimized through suitable cost effective measures

(k) Flood proofing program such as raised platform and quick drainage facilities to be taken up in a)l the flood prone states

31

(1) Drainage improvement in critical areas in the country to be given priority

(m) Dredging at selective locations ie outfalls etc in the rivers and the tributaries as a way to reduce flood levels in low-lying areas and help in quick drainage

(n) Encourage RampD activities for improved flood management

(0) To encourage peoples participation

(p) To expedite projects peaks

on interlinking of rivers for helping in attenuating flood

(q) Steps to ensure implementation of action plan prepared by NDMA for flood management should be taken

(r) On-going schemes of earlier plans be completed expeditiously All the on going schemes spilling over to the XI Plan in which at least 50 execution has taken place should get first priority on fund allocation during the XI Plan

(s) The cost for flood component in a multi-purpose water resources development projects as a long-term solution to flood problem should be funded by Government of India

(t) Maintenance of existing flood management works to optimize its benefits

32

48 Achievement in irrigation during the two years of the Bharat Nirman Plan

The statewise achievement in two years ending on September 2006 is given below It shows that 2183776 thousand hectare has been added to the irrigation potential A daunting task still left to be achieved in coming two years

thF19ures are III ousand h ec ares t

I

i rOo

rarget bull Major amp Aebievements upSI No

States UrsName MinorMedium Total to September

Irrigation Irrigation 2006 r i

1 Andhra Pradesh 44127 112523 156649 302065

2 Arunachal Pradesh 00 2239 2239 4 777 3 Assam 303 4275 7306 3314

4 Bihar 41399 12858 169979 279451 5 Chhattisgarh 4435 14668 19103 65661

6 Goa 2442 26 2702 1224 7 Gujarat 94573 00 945 73 255224

8 Haryana 3373 241 5783 33301 9 Himachal Pradesh 3091 4691 7788 8842

10 lharkhand 8122 25314 33436 15 701 11 Jammu amp Kashmir 1801 9254 11055 14847

12 Karnataka 26282 124 38682 11131 13 Kerala 1609 2168 3777 15856

14 Madhya Pradesh 61172 162 77372 8138 15 Maharashtra 465 31 35651 82181 9313

16 Manipur 5195 155 6745 0 17 Meghalaya 00 1493 1493 2073

18 Mizoram 00 1096 1096 0628 19 Nagaland 00 1612 1612 259

20 Orissa 19899 13295 33194 3266 21 Punjab 4034 2056 609 68755

22 Rajasthan 37974 401 41984 26459 23 Sikkim 00 703 703 08

24 Tamil Nadu 00 2355 23 55 16461 25 Tripura 2689 5429 8118 6327 26 Uttar Pradesh 82516 15208 977 24 464 372 27 Uttranchal 00 3829 3829 34 967

28 West Bengal 13567 56384 69951 346

29 Andman amp Nicobar Island 00 033 033 0

30 Pondicherry 00 275 275 0 ~-

Total 2183766507867 479958 987826

I

L 33

------------------~------

The achievements are up to March 2006 only The progressachievement of 2006-07 was under compilationscrutiny in ewe at the time of preparation of this document

The figures for states ofKerala and Rajasthan pertain to the achievement of whole year 2006-07 and for the State of Uttar Pradesh the achievement is up to December2006

49 Conclusions

Water sector development encompasses multidisciplinary considerations There is no scope of overlooking any sector while giving priority to any sector or sectors The integrated planning is the only possible way to tackle the water resources development The participatory approach is the key for its sustainability Bharat middot Nirman Plan of Government of India by setting up goals for the period of four years is a boost to the already existing schemes in different ministries Irrigation and public water supply is the basic components of development have been rightly considered in the Bharat Nirman Plan The ambitious project has already traveled through a span of two years and has achieved some part of the goals The balance part has to be done with equal fervor The recent modification in AlBP norms is the evidence of the governmental zeal in achieving the goals For the continuance of the food sufficiency the irrigation development is the feasible quick solution The component of Irrigation in Bharat Nirman is thus a huge help for the required development in the water sector

34

Page 25: ROLE OF WRD&M IN BHARAT NIRMAN DURING WRD 2007

During the Annual Plans of 1978-80 and the Sixth Five Year Plan ( 1980-85) new starts continued and at the end of Seventh Plan there were as many as 182 major and 312 medium ongoing proj ects requiring an estimated amount of Rs 39044 crore at the 1990shy91 price level for their completion New starts were therefore restricted considerably and greater emphasis was laid on completion of projects which were in the advanced stages of completion (those with an expenditure of 75 per cent or more) This was continued during 1990-91 and 1991-92 Annual Plans VIII Plan (1992-97) and IX Plan (1997 -2000)

For speedy completion of ongoing projects in advance stage of construction Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) was launched in 1996-97 During VIII Plan period irrigation potential of 22 Mha was created under major and medium sector at an annual rate of 044 Mha per annum During IX plan period this increased to 412 Mha out of which 165 Mha (nearly 40) was through AIBP Renovation Modernisation and Rehabilitation of old irrigation schemes gained momentum Users participation in major and medium irrigation schemes received greater attention Repairs and improvemen to the minor irrigation projects as a part of integrated micro-development also received encouragement Similarly sprinkler and drip irrigation programmes and the conjunctive use of surface and ground water gained momentum The project completed along with minor irrigation and ground water development have created an estimated potential of about 10277 Mha by the end of the X Plan

Although plan expenditure on irrigation has increased from Rs44l 8 crore in the 1st Plan to Rs 9574342 crore (outlay) in the X plan the share in total plan expenditure has decreased from 23 in the 1st Plan to 63 in the X Plan

The created irrigation potential increased from 226 Mha (97 Mha through major amp medium and 129 Mha through minor irrigation) in preplan period to 102Mha (4235 Mha through major and medium and 6042 1Tha through minor including ground water schemes) upto the end of X Plan with an annual average growth of 14 Mha In the corresponding period the potential utilistion has been from 226 Mha period to 8100 Mha

411 Central Assistance under AIBP

During IX Plan period irrigation potential of 165 Mha was created through AIBP at an average rate of 033 Mha per annum During the first three years of X plan the potential creation in major and medium irrigation sector through AIBP is around 14 Mha 047 Mha per annum In spite of rationalizing completion schedule of projects under AIBP several projects are lying behind schedule It is desirable to work out realistic time frame and cost to completion for projects to be considered under AIBP It is pertinent to mention that the spirit of the programme ie completion of last mile projects should not get diluted in the enthusiasm of inclusion of large number of projects under this programme As reported by the state governments but of total 200 projects presently under AIBP 95 projects would be completed by the end of X plan

23

The Central Assistance under AIBP as loan and grant provided up to March 2006 is Rs 1943790 crore out of which Rs 1883010 crore has been provided in Major and Medium irrigation sector

Impact ofAIBP

Plan Potential Created (Mha) Contribution of AIBP(Mha) IX 410 165 ( 402) X 530 300 ( 566)

Keeping an eye over the future requirement the Working Group on Water Resources for the XI Five Year Plan has brought out several suggestions in order to expedite completion of the projects which is very very essential Some other issues relating irrigation sector were also addressed in addition to this The strategies adopted for XI Plan proposal are swnmarized as below

1 Ongoing projects which have already achieved 90 or more of the ultimate potential should be considered as completed~ Critically review all such projects which are having only marginal benefit left or are near impossible to complete because of various problems and declare them completed or curtailed or deleted The balance cost of the remaining projects should be updated realistically for consideration under XI plan

2 Inter-Se priority should be decided considering various aspects such as externally aided proj ects interstate proj ects proj ects benefiting drought prone or tribal areas etc as per the guidelines prepared by National Commission for integrated Water Resources Development Plan

3 High priority should be accorded to the Pre-seventh and Seventh Plan Projects for funding under AIBP with emphasis to complete these projects during XI Plan List of such projects is appended as Annex31 Fund allocation under AIBP should be enhanced for this purpose ifnecessary

4 Foremost priority should be given for completion of ongoing projects and new projects should be taken up very selectively keeping in view the necessity for removal of regional imbalances and development of drought prone and tribal areas

5 Since the fund requirement for mediumminor irrigation projects are less adequate fund may be made available for completion of these projects without jeopardizing programme for important major projects ERM Projects should be given due priority where the eroded potential can be restored with ~oderate expenditure

24

6 A separate budget head upto 15 of Plan fund may be provided as Irrigation Maintenance Fund (IMF) and full amount of irrigation revenue as collectged should be credited to IMF

7 In addition to liabilities of completed projects and provision for ongoing and new projects the State plan proposals should incorporate provisions for special repairs of existing irrigation systems dam safety measures improved water management and water development aspect encompassing survey and investigation research and development training and National Hydrology Project

8 Substantial higher outlay should be provided in Central Plan to bring out effective role in plan activities of the Central Institutions by way of suitably strengthening them and provide adequate funds for taking new initiatives under Central Plan

9 The existing regionalstate level institutions such as W ALMIs should be strengthened and brought into mainstream activities for irrigation management improvement

10 Dam safety measures should be taken up all over country which is very essential in the context of disaster Prevention and Management

11 The performance evaluation of completed projects needs to be continued for benchmarking and improvement in irrigation efficiency

In addition to above recommendations on Minor Irrigation Sector are gIven as follows

1 Renovation Restoration of old tanks as well as old diversion channels in hilly regions along with improving efficiency of the projects Besides surface lift schemes may also be given due consideration particularly in hilly regions for irrigating high terraces

2 Expansion of irrigation facilities through a time bound programme for exploiting the huge ground water potential in the Eastern Region

3 Promotion of Micro Irrigation system in Water deficit areas 4 Promotion of Ground Water Development in areas haaving untapped unutilized

potential 5 National rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) may be linked with minor

irrigation Ground Water Development 6 A comprehensive act for regulation and development of ground water on

sustainable basis both in public and private sector

42 Command Area Development

In respect of command area development works for performance improvement-of the projects the working group has recommended the following recommendations for consideration

25

(a) Central funding for CAD works may be enhanced from present level of 5050 to 7525 for all the States while for states of North eastern Region and Hilly Special Category States the funding may be 90 from Government of India For software activities like trainings adaptive trials demonstrations monitoring and evaluation etc 100 Central funding may be considered in place of the existing pattern of 75 25 between the Centre and the States Funds can be directly given to W ALMIs and other State Central agencies for carrying out such activities

(b) It is proposed to increase the functional grant from Rs 600 per ha to Rs 1000 per ha which is to be shared in the ratio ofRs 675225100 between the centre State and the farmers while keeping all cost norms unchanged The State Governments may also be allowed to raise fund for its share through institutional funding or public borrowings through bonds on the pattern of Krishna Bhagya Nigam of Karnataka Government

(c) As per the existing system of release of Central Assistance the funds are transferred to the pool of State Finance Department which in tum releases funds to the implementing departments This procedure is not amenable for timely availability of the funds to the CADAs Therefore direct funding to CADAs from the Ministry in a mission mode can be considered to alleviate this problem For instance the Ministry of rural Development has a system of direct release of Central share of funds to the District Rural Development Authorities (DRDA) Jilla Parishads for implementing the schemes of the Central Ministry

(d) To ensure optimum utilization of created irrigation potential the CADWM should be made a part of the new major and medium projects

(e) Formation of WUAs under PTh1 Act is mandatory for implementation of CADWM programme Transition time of 2 years (upto the end of financial year 2008-09) may be allowed to those States which have not enact~d their PIM Acts so far Further relaxation may be only be allowed with the approval of CCEA

(f) WUAs should be involved in planning budgeting implementation and management of irrigation systems to be transferred to them There is a need to enforce a regime whereby farmers pay the water rates to meet the OampM expenditure rates Conditions of reforms should be imposed before handing over the projects to WUAs

(g) Volumetric supply of irrigation water to WUAs should be introduced

(h) Reputed NGOs with requisite skills may be involved for promotion of WUAs Rehabilitation of Canal Systems and Water Management for at least 2-3 years The estimated expenditure of Rs 600-800 per ha on account of this may be provided by the central government in the form of grant

(i) Autonomy of WUAs should be maintained in regard to Water Management However there may be linkages with Panchayati Raj Institutions through cross representation It may be considered to provide support to W ALMIs Agriculture Universities and reputed NGOs for improved water management at micro level It may also be considered to provide incentives for activities ofWUAs

26

(j) The WUAs should include women members from the land owning holding house holds in the Command Area irrespective of their ownership of the land

(k) Periodic evaluation of CAD Projects should be undertaken and suitable corrective measures may be taken if necessary

(1) Components for reclamation of waterlogged areas as well as correction of conveyance deficiencies with enhanced scope may be implemented to cover all the projects in the country details of which could be approved in consultation with expert organizations such as CWC CSSRI CGWB etc

(m) Water Resources Irrigation Departments need to undertake assessment periodically (at least once in 5 years) to determine the training needs at different levels of personnel deployed in water resources development and management Facilities available for capacity building are to be considered instead of establishing new training centres There has to be networking of existing training facilities so that training will be effective and economical It is desirable to have a separate scheme for training and capacity building for State Governments as well as central Government

43 Creation of Storage

Creation of storages is of prime importance in order to avoid severe domestic crisis on water issues As per the estimates given in the working group report there is a need of approximately live storage of around 450 km3

Major amp Medium Projects (Existing) -213 KJ13

Major amp Medium Projects (Under construction) -76 KM3 Minor Storages (Existing amp Under construction) -70 KM3 Total Live Storages in projects existing and under construction - 359 Km3

Likely loss in Live storage due to sedimentation upto 2050 which has to be compensated for -53 Km3 (say) Balance available live storage from the above in 2050 - 306 Km3 say 300 Km3

Therefore further new live storage to be created to have a live storage of 450 Km3 by 2050 is 150Km3

For creation the needed storage in addition to the present way of envisaging attention has to be paid to changing popUlation dynamics changing pattern of human settlements climatic change causing change in pattern of spatial and temporal variation in rainfall deterioration in water quality etc

44 Conjunctive Use of surface and ground water

Conjunctive use of surface and ground water can address the situation in two ways by decreasing the dependence on a single source and the quality of the available waterThis will reduce the chance of desalination as well Working group has suggested for the conjunctive use of middotgood quality water and saline seawater which will be helpful in reducing the cost of water requirement for irrigation

27

45 Efficiency improvement in the distribution system as well as in field

Deficiencies of the irrigated agriculture in India have been a cause of concern and a huge amount of thinking and analysis ha been done to devise ways and means to improve it The Working Group has recommended some important recommendations in this matter

1 Standardized definitions of irrigation efficiencies need to be evolved for use in India after reviewing available material All water resources of a basin form a unified resource and hence the basin efficiency concept which integrates all surface water and ground water uses as well as reuse and recirculation is important The basin efficiency also needs to be estimated along with project related efficiencies

2 Conjunctive use of water to be given higher priority particularly in alluvial areas as a very effective means of improving water use amp basin efficiency and of saving possible water logging and salination For givin an encouragement to conjunctive use irrigation Act may be amended if req ired The policy of favoring selective lining of canals should be continued LD ater allowances and somewhat inadequate conveyance capacities lead to be r efficiencies and less water loggingrelated problems These need to be encouraged

3 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Water Csers Associations (WUAs) should include a standard clause which binds the users to effective conjunctive use of surface and ground water On rising of gro nd water table the MOW should allow the department to cut the surface water supply

4 Where there are minor irrigation tanks minor urface lifts etc middotin the command these should be integrated with major project works and not be treated as separate entity Such tanks should be filled with cfulals water as per requirement Also such works will allow reuse of the seeped wateT

5 Each major irrigation system authorities should annually prepare the water budget accruing for all water stored or diverted all losses all reuse of lost waters estimated evaporation etc

6 Sufficient funds for operation and maintenance work to be provided Creation of Irrigation Maintenance Corporation as provided in the irrigation management policy is considered so that a linkage between revenues from water and OampM funds is established Water rates may accordingly be increased in a phased manner

7 Priority may be assigned toERM schemes for projects where water distribution systems are to be handed over to WUAs Where total ERM scheme is not contemplated one time maintenance deferred maintenance of a project may be allowed as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance of a project may be allowed

28

as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance budget to be decided in consultation with the farmers and walk through survey to assess what is appropriate and achievable within the available fund

8 All the schemes more than 25 years old should be studied in details to bring out the status of schemes in respect of structural safety and performance and ERM schemes may be formulated and taken up based on such studies

9 Drip sprinklers are mostly for horticulture vegetable crops (and surgarcane) in the present major and medium surface irrigation system These may be encouraged for other crops also Any compulsion for a particular cropping pattern needs to be removed whenever WUAs are formed amp volumetric water rates come into practice Use of sprinkler or drips or rotational surface supplies requires additional on farm storage (either as dug out ponds or elevatged storage with pump) This becomes essential since supply rotates are 10 daily or fortnightly whereas drips amp sprinkler require daily or 1 in 2 days operation Such storage creation needs to be within the ambit of subsidies for drips and sprinklers

10 As automation is a costly affair it is to be adopted for pilot schemes and not for larger area However preferably this should be introduced for conjunctive use of ground water and not always for surface water

The group has also recommended the concept of Target Efficiency of the water delivery system timely and equitable distribution ohvater increasing production per unit area and per unit volume of water used and financial sustainability of the water delivery infrastructure

46 Bridging the gap between the Potential created and potential utilised

There may be various reasons for increase in the gap between potential creation and potential utilized Some ofthese are

a likely over estimation and double counting of potential creation and inaccuracies discrepancies in reporting of potential utilized

b Loss of potential due to siltation in reservoirs ponds etc and deterioration of water distribution system

c Time gap between potential creation and command area development

d Assumption of optimistic cropping pattern in economic analysis and deviation in cropping pattern as compared to that envisaged during planning

e Over-drawl of water in head reaches depriving potential utilization by tail enders

f Unused canal flow during night hours

29

l

It is desirable to introduce more reliable and accurate system of assessment for potential created and utilized There should be a coordinating statistical organization in each State for reporting the figures of potential created and utilized The Remote Sensing Technique can also be effectively utilized for counter verification of figures reported The loss in potential due to siltation ageing of various distribution systems etc needs to be periodically assessed and accounted

The productivity of irrigated crop as assumed in economic analysis often seem to be optimistic and are not based on experience of nearby irrigation projects Use of water for irrigation and selection of crops have been left to the discretion of users farmers The adverse consequences of such freedom have been manifested as water logging in some commands Somewhere overexploitation of ground -vater has been leading to progressive fall in ground water level It is therefore necessary that a regulatory mechanism is brought into practice by which undesirable or unsuitable crops are discouraged and tendency to over use of irrigation water is c~ecked Similarly in areas where ground water is being used for irrigation a regulatory mechanism should be in place to deter over exploitation of ground water beyond allOvable limit

Sometimes apprehension of scarcity of water and non availability of water when needed also lead to over withdrawal by head end users Since extra tion of ground water is costly farmers tend to take water more than their requirements when that is available through canals Higher cost of ground water is primarily because of cost of power required for lifting of water In case source of solar power is created for lifting of water the cost of ground water will get substantially reduced This may facilitate and give farmers option to use surface water and ground water thom any extra cost Once this option is available and known to farmers that they are aware that use of more water than the optimal requirement is likely to reduce the yield certainly there would be reductionin

overdraw of water by head enders Thus there is a need to extend u~er friendly system and increase awareness and cooperation among farmers through Participatory Irrigation Management Water Users Associatiortsneed to be empowered to look into these aspects Further the piped distribution system and micro irrigation should be adopted as far as possible

In India night imgation is not practiced in general As a result waters flowing in canals during night hours either pass unutilized or wasted on account of uncontrolled flooding It is desirable that the night irrigation is introduced in policy and practice

47 Flood Management

In regard to flood management the strategies recommended are given here under

(a) Undertake construction of dams and reservoir schemes with adequate flood cushion for long term solution of flood problems Efforts should also be made for utilizing the existing reservoirs in the country for flood moderation to the extent

30

possible Even in Reservoirs constructed for power other purposes the rule curves may be framed in such way that effective flood moderation is achieved

(b) Flood Forecasting and flood warning network of ewe be extended and integrated with similar networks of the state governments so as to get real time information at a central point say in central flood control room under FMO ewe This activity should be extended to cover rivers originating from or flowing to the neighbouring countries

( c) To take up development of digital elevation model of flood prone areas for taking up schemes for inundation forecast preparation of flood risk maps planning of flood management schemes etc

(d) Identification of appropriate location for breaching spiling sections in the flood embankment for the controlled flooding of the protected areas for restoring fertility recharge of soil moisture and ground water

( e) Integrating flood management schemes with other infrastructural development programmes in the sectors of roads railways inland waterways and canal command area development works as well as recently declared Rural Employment Guarantee Programme

(f) Watershed management in the hilly catchmentgs of the rivers ongmating in Nepal Bhutan and hilly areas of India should be selectively chosen and funded fully Implementation should be done through a joint mechanism Ministry of Agriculture who is the nodal Ministry for the watershed management works should work out a detailed program in consultation with the Ministry of Water Resources

(g) To give adequate emphasis on the operation and maintenance (OampM) of the flood protection measures already created a percentage of outlay of the flood sector should be earmarked for this purpose

(h) Raising and strengthening of the existing embankments if required after detailed studies of hydrological morphological topographical and developmental aspects to stabilize the benefits of these measures

(i) Natural swamps and lakes to be developed into detention basins and capacity of existing depressions be improved for absorbing flood waters Special drives for development of Tal and Diara areas

G) Erosion of land either by sea or rivers to be minimized through suitable cost effective measures

(k) Flood proofing program such as raised platform and quick drainage facilities to be taken up in a)l the flood prone states

31

(1) Drainage improvement in critical areas in the country to be given priority

(m) Dredging at selective locations ie outfalls etc in the rivers and the tributaries as a way to reduce flood levels in low-lying areas and help in quick drainage

(n) Encourage RampD activities for improved flood management

(0) To encourage peoples participation

(p) To expedite projects peaks

on interlinking of rivers for helping in attenuating flood

(q) Steps to ensure implementation of action plan prepared by NDMA for flood management should be taken

(r) On-going schemes of earlier plans be completed expeditiously All the on going schemes spilling over to the XI Plan in which at least 50 execution has taken place should get first priority on fund allocation during the XI Plan

(s) The cost for flood component in a multi-purpose water resources development projects as a long-term solution to flood problem should be funded by Government of India

(t) Maintenance of existing flood management works to optimize its benefits

32

48 Achievement in irrigation during the two years of the Bharat Nirman Plan

The statewise achievement in two years ending on September 2006 is given below It shows that 2183776 thousand hectare has been added to the irrigation potential A daunting task still left to be achieved in coming two years

thF19ures are III ousand h ec ares t

I

i rOo

rarget bull Major amp Aebievements upSI No

States UrsName MinorMedium Total to September

Irrigation Irrigation 2006 r i

1 Andhra Pradesh 44127 112523 156649 302065

2 Arunachal Pradesh 00 2239 2239 4 777 3 Assam 303 4275 7306 3314

4 Bihar 41399 12858 169979 279451 5 Chhattisgarh 4435 14668 19103 65661

6 Goa 2442 26 2702 1224 7 Gujarat 94573 00 945 73 255224

8 Haryana 3373 241 5783 33301 9 Himachal Pradesh 3091 4691 7788 8842

10 lharkhand 8122 25314 33436 15 701 11 Jammu amp Kashmir 1801 9254 11055 14847

12 Karnataka 26282 124 38682 11131 13 Kerala 1609 2168 3777 15856

14 Madhya Pradesh 61172 162 77372 8138 15 Maharashtra 465 31 35651 82181 9313

16 Manipur 5195 155 6745 0 17 Meghalaya 00 1493 1493 2073

18 Mizoram 00 1096 1096 0628 19 Nagaland 00 1612 1612 259

20 Orissa 19899 13295 33194 3266 21 Punjab 4034 2056 609 68755

22 Rajasthan 37974 401 41984 26459 23 Sikkim 00 703 703 08

24 Tamil Nadu 00 2355 23 55 16461 25 Tripura 2689 5429 8118 6327 26 Uttar Pradesh 82516 15208 977 24 464 372 27 Uttranchal 00 3829 3829 34 967

28 West Bengal 13567 56384 69951 346

29 Andman amp Nicobar Island 00 033 033 0

30 Pondicherry 00 275 275 0 ~-

Total 2183766507867 479958 987826

I

L 33

------------------~------

The achievements are up to March 2006 only The progressachievement of 2006-07 was under compilationscrutiny in ewe at the time of preparation of this document

The figures for states ofKerala and Rajasthan pertain to the achievement of whole year 2006-07 and for the State of Uttar Pradesh the achievement is up to December2006

49 Conclusions

Water sector development encompasses multidisciplinary considerations There is no scope of overlooking any sector while giving priority to any sector or sectors The integrated planning is the only possible way to tackle the water resources development The participatory approach is the key for its sustainability Bharat middot Nirman Plan of Government of India by setting up goals for the period of four years is a boost to the already existing schemes in different ministries Irrigation and public water supply is the basic components of development have been rightly considered in the Bharat Nirman Plan The ambitious project has already traveled through a span of two years and has achieved some part of the goals The balance part has to be done with equal fervor The recent modification in AlBP norms is the evidence of the governmental zeal in achieving the goals For the continuance of the food sufficiency the irrigation development is the feasible quick solution The component of Irrigation in Bharat Nirman is thus a huge help for the required development in the water sector

34

Page 26: ROLE OF WRD&M IN BHARAT NIRMAN DURING WRD 2007

The Central Assistance under AIBP as loan and grant provided up to March 2006 is Rs 1943790 crore out of which Rs 1883010 crore has been provided in Major and Medium irrigation sector

Impact ofAIBP

Plan Potential Created (Mha) Contribution of AIBP(Mha) IX 410 165 ( 402) X 530 300 ( 566)

Keeping an eye over the future requirement the Working Group on Water Resources for the XI Five Year Plan has brought out several suggestions in order to expedite completion of the projects which is very very essential Some other issues relating irrigation sector were also addressed in addition to this The strategies adopted for XI Plan proposal are swnmarized as below

1 Ongoing projects which have already achieved 90 or more of the ultimate potential should be considered as completed~ Critically review all such projects which are having only marginal benefit left or are near impossible to complete because of various problems and declare them completed or curtailed or deleted The balance cost of the remaining projects should be updated realistically for consideration under XI plan

2 Inter-Se priority should be decided considering various aspects such as externally aided proj ects interstate proj ects proj ects benefiting drought prone or tribal areas etc as per the guidelines prepared by National Commission for integrated Water Resources Development Plan

3 High priority should be accorded to the Pre-seventh and Seventh Plan Projects for funding under AIBP with emphasis to complete these projects during XI Plan List of such projects is appended as Annex31 Fund allocation under AIBP should be enhanced for this purpose ifnecessary

4 Foremost priority should be given for completion of ongoing projects and new projects should be taken up very selectively keeping in view the necessity for removal of regional imbalances and development of drought prone and tribal areas

5 Since the fund requirement for mediumminor irrigation projects are less adequate fund may be made available for completion of these projects without jeopardizing programme for important major projects ERM Projects should be given due priority where the eroded potential can be restored with ~oderate expenditure

24

6 A separate budget head upto 15 of Plan fund may be provided as Irrigation Maintenance Fund (IMF) and full amount of irrigation revenue as collectged should be credited to IMF

7 In addition to liabilities of completed projects and provision for ongoing and new projects the State plan proposals should incorporate provisions for special repairs of existing irrigation systems dam safety measures improved water management and water development aspect encompassing survey and investigation research and development training and National Hydrology Project

8 Substantial higher outlay should be provided in Central Plan to bring out effective role in plan activities of the Central Institutions by way of suitably strengthening them and provide adequate funds for taking new initiatives under Central Plan

9 The existing regionalstate level institutions such as W ALMIs should be strengthened and brought into mainstream activities for irrigation management improvement

10 Dam safety measures should be taken up all over country which is very essential in the context of disaster Prevention and Management

11 The performance evaluation of completed projects needs to be continued for benchmarking and improvement in irrigation efficiency

In addition to above recommendations on Minor Irrigation Sector are gIven as follows

1 Renovation Restoration of old tanks as well as old diversion channels in hilly regions along with improving efficiency of the projects Besides surface lift schemes may also be given due consideration particularly in hilly regions for irrigating high terraces

2 Expansion of irrigation facilities through a time bound programme for exploiting the huge ground water potential in the Eastern Region

3 Promotion of Micro Irrigation system in Water deficit areas 4 Promotion of Ground Water Development in areas haaving untapped unutilized

potential 5 National rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) may be linked with minor

irrigation Ground Water Development 6 A comprehensive act for regulation and development of ground water on

sustainable basis both in public and private sector

42 Command Area Development

In respect of command area development works for performance improvement-of the projects the working group has recommended the following recommendations for consideration

25

(a) Central funding for CAD works may be enhanced from present level of 5050 to 7525 for all the States while for states of North eastern Region and Hilly Special Category States the funding may be 90 from Government of India For software activities like trainings adaptive trials demonstrations monitoring and evaluation etc 100 Central funding may be considered in place of the existing pattern of 75 25 between the Centre and the States Funds can be directly given to W ALMIs and other State Central agencies for carrying out such activities

(b) It is proposed to increase the functional grant from Rs 600 per ha to Rs 1000 per ha which is to be shared in the ratio ofRs 675225100 between the centre State and the farmers while keeping all cost norms unchanged The State Governments may also be allowed to raise fund for its share through institutional funding or public borrowings through bonds on the pattern of Krishna Bhagya Nigam of Karnataka Government

(c) As per the existing system of release of Central Assistance the funds are transferred to the pool of State Finance Department which in tum releases funds to the implementing departments This procedure is not amenable for timely availability of the funds to the CADAs Therefore direct funding to CADAs from the Ministry in a mission mode can be considered to alleviate this problem For instance the Ministry of rural Development has a system of direct release of Central share of funds to the District Rural Development Authorities (DRDA) Jilla Parishads for implementing the schemes of the Central Ministry

(d) To ensure optimum utilization of created irrigation potential the CADWM should be made a part of the new major and medium projects

(e) Formation of WUAs under PTh1 Act is mandatory for implementation of CADWM programme Transition time of 2 years (upto the end of financial year 2008-09) may be allowed to those States which have not enact~d their PIM Acts so far Further relaxation may be only be allowed with the approval of CCEA

(f) WUAs should be involved in planning budgeting implementation and management of irrigation systems to be transferred to them There is a need to enforce a regime whereby farmers pay the water rates to meet the OampM expenditure rates Conditions of reforms should be imposed before handing over the projects to WUAs

(g) Volumetric supply of irrigation water to WUAs should be introduced

(h) Reputed NGOs with requisite skills may be involved for promotion of WUAs Rehabilitation of Canal Systems and Water Management for at least 2-3 years The estimated expenditure of Rs 600-800 per ha on account of this may be provided by the central government in the form of grant

(i) Autonomy of WUAs should be maintained in regard to Water Management However there may be linkages with Panchayati Raj Institutions through cross representation It may be considered to provide support to W ALMIs Agriculture Universities and reputed NGOs for improved water management at micro level It may also be considered to provide incentives for activities ofWUAs

26

(j) The WUAs should include women members from the land owning holding house holds in the Command Area irrespective of their ownership of the land

(k) Periodic evaluation of CAD Projects should be undertaken and suitable corrective measures may be taken if necessary

(1) Components for reclamation of waterlogged areas as well as correction of conveyance deficiencies with enhanced scope may be implemented to cover all the projects in the country details of which could be approved in consultation with expert organizations such as CWC CSSRI CGWB etc

(m) Water Resources Irrigation Departments need to undertake assessment periodically (at least once in 5 years) to determine the training needs at different levels of personnel deployed in water resources development and management Facilities available for capacity building are to be considered instead of establishing new training centres There has to be networking of existing training facilities so that training will be effective and economical It is desirable to have a separate scheme for training and capacity building for State Governments as well as central Government

43 Creation of Storage

Creation of storages is of prime importance in order to avoid severe domestic crisis on water issues As per the estimates given in the working group report there is a need of approximately live storage of around 450 km3

Major amp Medium Projects (Existing) -213 KJ13

Major amp Medium Projects (Under construction) -76 KM3 Minor Storages (Existing amp Under construction) -70 KM3 Total Live Storages in projects existing and under construction - 359 Km3

Likely loss in Live storage due to sedimentation upto 2050 which has to be compensated for -53 Km3 (say) Balance available live storage from the above in 2050 - 306 Km3 say 300 Km3

Therefore further new live storage to be created to have a live storage of 450 Km3 by 2050 is 150Km3

For creation the needed storage in addition to the present way of envisaging attention has to be paid to changing popUlation dynamics changing pattern of human settlements climatic change causing change in pattern of spatial and temporal variation in rainfall deterioration in water quality etc

44 Conjunctive Use of surface and ground water

Conjunctive use of surface and ground water can address the situation in two ways by decreasing the dependence on a single source and the quality of the available waterThis will reduce the chance of desalination as well Working group has suggested for the conjunctive use of middotgood quality water and saline seawater which will be helpful in reducing the cost of water requirement for irrigation

27

45 Efficiency improvement in the distribution system as well as in field

Deficiencies of the irrigated agriculture in India have been a cause of concern and a huge amount of thinking and analysis ha been done to devise ways and means to improve it The Working Group has recommended some important recommendations in this matter

1 Standardized definitions of irrigation efficiencies need to be evolved for use in India after reviewing available material All water resources of a basin form a unified resource and hence the basin efficiency concept which integrates all surface water and ground water uses as well as reuse and recirculation is important The basin efficiency also needs to be estimated along with project related efficiencies

2 Conjunctive use of water to be given higher priority particularly in alluvial areas as a very effective means of improving water use amp basin efficiency and of saving possible water logging and salination For givin an encouragement to conjunctive use irrigation Act may be amended if req ired The policy of favoring selective lining of canals should be continued LD ater allowances and somewhat inadequate conveyance capacities lead to be r efficiencies and less water loggingrelated problems These need to be encouraged

3 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Water Csers Associations (WUAs) should include a standard clause which binds the users to effective conjunctive use of surface and ground water On rising of gro nd water table the MOW should allow the department to cut the surface water supply

4 Where there are minor irrigation tanks minor urface lifts etc middotin the command these should be integrated with major project works and not be treated as separate entity Such tanks should be filled with cfulals water as per requirement Also such works will allow reuse of the seeped wateT

5 Each major irrigation system authorities should annually prepare the water budget accruing for all water stored or diverted all losses all reuse of lost waters estimated evaporation etc

6 Sufficient funds for operation and maintenance work to be provided Creation of Irrigation Maintenance Corporation as provided in the irrigation management policy is considered so that a linkage between revenues from water and OampM funds is established Water rates may accordingly be increased in a phased manner

7 Priority may be assigned toERM schemes for projects where water distribution systems are to be handed over to WUAs Where total ERM scheme is not contemplated one time maintenance deferred maintenance of a project may be allowed as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance of a project may be allowed

28

as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance budget to be decided in consultation with the farmers and walk through survey to assess what is appropriate and achievable within the available fund

8 All the schemes more than 25 years old should be studied in details to bring out the status of schemes in respect of structural safety and performance and ERM schemes may be formulated and taken up based on such studies

9 Drip sprinklers are mostly for horticulture vegetable crops (and surgarcane) in the present major and medium surface irrigation system These may be encouraged for other crops also Any compulsion for a particular cropping pattern needs to be removed whenever WUAs are formed amp volumetric water rates come into practice Use of sprinkler or drips or rotational surface supplies requires additional on farm storage (either as dug out ponds or elevatged storage with pump) This becomes essential since supply rotates are 10 daily or fortnightly whereas drips amp sprinkler require daily or 1 in 2 days operation Such storage creation needs to be within the ambit of subsidies for drips and sprinklers

10 As automation is a costly affair it is to be adopted for pilot schemes and not for larger area However preferably this should be introduced for conjunctive use of ground water and not always for surface water

The group has also recommended the concept of Target Efficiency of the water delivery system timely and equitable distribution ohvater increasing production per unit area and per unit volume of water used and financial sustainability of the water delivery infrastructure

46 Bridging the gap between the Potential created and potential utilised

There may be various reasons for increase in the gap between potential creation and potential utilized Some ofthese are

a likely over estimation and double counting of potential creation and inaccuracies discrepancies in reporting of potential utilized

b Loss of potential due to siltation in reservoirs ponds etc and deterioration of water distribution system

c Time gap between potential creation and command area development

d Assumption of optimistic cropping pattern in economic analysis and deviation in cropping pattern as compared to that envisaged during planning

e Over-drawl of water in head reaches depriving potential utilization by tail enders

f Unused canal flow during night hours

29

l

It is desirable to introduce more reliable and accurate system of assessment for potential created and utilized There should be a coordinating statistical organization in each State for reporting the figures of potential created and utilized The Remote Sensing Technique can also be effectively utilized for counter verification of figures reported The loss in potential due to siltation ageing of various distribution systems etc needs to be periodically assessed and accounted

The productivity of irrigated crop as assumed in economic analysis often seem to be optimistic and are not based on experience of nearby irrigation projects Use of water for irrigation and selection of crops have been left to the discretion of users farmers The adverse consequences of such freedom have been manifested as water logging in some commands Somewhere overexploitation of ground -vater has been leading to progressive fall in ground water level It is therefore necessary that a regulatory mechanism is brought into practice by which undesirable or unsuitable crops are discouraged and tendency to over use of irrigation water is c~ecked Similarly in areas where ground water is being used for irrigation a regulatory mechanism should be in place to deter over exploitation of ground water beyond allOvable limit

Sometimes apprehension of scarcity of water and non availability of water when needed also lead to over withdrawal by head end users Since extra tion of ground water is costly farmers tend to take water more than their requirements when that is available through canals Higher cost of ground water is primarily because of cost of power required for lifting of water In case source of solar power is created for lifting of water the cost of ground water will get substantially reduced This may facilitate and give farmers option to use surface water and ground water thom any extra cost Once this option is available and known to farmers that they are aware that use of more water than the optimal requirement is likely to reduce the yield certainly there would be reductionin

overdraw of water by head enders Thus there is a need to extend u~er friendly system and increase awareness and cooperation among farmers through Participatory Irrigation Management Water Users Associatiortsneed to be empowered to look into these aspects Further the piped distribution system and micro irrigation should be adopted as far as possible

In India night imgation is not practiced in general As a result waters flowing in canals during night hours either pass unutilized or wasted on account of uncontrolled flooding It is desirable that the night irrigation is introduced in policy and practice

47 Flood Management

In regard to flood management the strategies recommended are given here under

(a) Undertake construction of dams and reservoir schemes with adequate flood cushion for long term solution of flood problems Efforts should also be made for utilizing the existing reservoirs in the country for flood moderation to the extent

30

possible Even in Reservoirs constructed for power other purposes the rule curves may be framed in such way that effective flood moderation is achieved

(b) Flood Forecasting and flood warning network of ewe be extended and integrated with similar networks of the state governments so as to get real time information at a central point say in central flood control room under FMO ewe This activity should be extended to cover rivers originating from or flowing to the neighbouring countries

( c) To take up development of digital elevation model of flood prone areas for taking up schemes for inundation forecast preparation of flood risk maps planning of flood management schemes etc

(d) Identification of appropriate location for breaching spiling sections in the flood embankment for the controlled flooding of the protected areas for restoring fertility recharge of soil moisture and ground water

( e) Integrating flood management schemes with other infrastructural development programmes in the sectors of roads railways inland waterways and canal command area development works as well as recently declared Rural Employment Guarantee Programme

(f) Watershed management in the hilly catchmentgs of the rivers ongmating in Nepal Bhutan and hilly areas of India should be selectively chosen and funded fully Implementation should be done through a joint mechanism Ministry of Agriculture who is the nodal Ministry for the watershed management works should work out a detailed program in consultation with the Ministry of Water Resources

(g) To give adequate emphasis on the operation and maintenance (OampM) of the flood protection measures already created a percentage of outlay of the flood sector should be earmarked for this purpose

(h) Raising and strengthening of the existing embankments if required after detailed studies of hydrological morphological topographical and developmental aspects to stabilize the benefits of these measures

(i) Natural swamps and lakes to be developed into detention basins and capacity of existing depressions be improved for absorbing flood waters Special drives for development of Tal and Diara areas

G) Erosion of land either by sea or rivers to be minimized through suitable cost effective measures

(k) Flood proofing program such as raised platform and quick drainage facilities to be taken up in a)l the flood prone states

31

(1) Drainage improvement in critical areas in the country to be given priority

(m) Dredging at selective locations ie outfalls etc in the rivers and the tributaries as a way to reduce flood levels in low-lying areas and help in quick drainage

(n) Encourage RampD activities for improved flood management

(0) To encourage peoples participation

(p) To expedite projects peaks

on interlinking of rivers for helping in attenuating flood

(q) Steps to ensure implementation of action plan prepared by NDMA for flood management should be taken

(r) On-going schemes of earlier plans be completed expeditiously All the on going schemes spilling over to the XI Plan in which at least 50 execution has taken place should get first priority on fund allocation during the XI Plan

(s) The cost for flood component in a multi-purpose water resources development projects as a long-term solution to flood problem should be funded by Government of India

(t) Maintenance of existing flood management works to optimize its benefits

32

48 Achievement in irrigation during the two years of the Bharat Nirman Plan

The statewise achievement in two years ending on September 2006 is given below It shows that 2183776 thousand hectare has been added to the irrigation potential A daunting task still left to be achieved in coming two years

thF19ures are III ousand h ec ares t

I

i rOo

rarget bull Major amp Aebievements upSI No

States UrsName MinorMedium Total to September

Irrigation Irrigation 2006 r i

1 Andhra Pradesh 44127 112523 156649 302065

2 Arunachal Pradesh 00 2239 2239 4 777 3 Assam 303 4275 7306 3314

4 Bihar 41399 12858 169979 279451 5 Chhattisgarh 4435 14668 19103 65661

6 Goa 2442 26 2702 1224 7 Gujarat 94573 00 945 73 255224

8 Haryana 3373 241 5783 33301 9 Himachal Pradesh 3091 4691 7788 8842

10 lharkhand 8122 25314 33436 15 701 11 Jammu amp Kashmir 1801 9254 11055 14847

12 Karnataka 26282 124 38682 11131 13 Kerala 1609 2168 3777 15856

14 Madhya Pradesh 61172 162 77372 8138 15 Maharashtra 465 31 35651 82181 9313

16 Manipur 5195 155 6745 0 17 Meghalaya 00 1493 1493 2073

18 Mizoram 00 1096 1096 0628 19 Nagaland 00 1612 1612 259

20 Orissa 19899 13295 33194 3266 21 Punjab 4034 2056 609 68755

22 Rajasthan 37974 401 41984 26459 23 Sikkim 00 703 703 08

24 Tamil Nadu 00 2355 23 55 16461 25 Tripura 2689 5429 8118 6327 26 Uttar Pradesh 82516 15208 977 24 464 372 27 Uttranchal 00 3829 3829 34 967

28 West Bengal 13567 56384 69951 346

29 Andman amp Nicobar Island 00 033 033 0

30 Pondicherry 00 275 275 0 ~-

Total 2183766507867 479958 987826

I

L 33

------------------~------

The achievements are up to March 2006 only The progressachievement of 2006-07 was under compilationscrutiny in ewe at the time of preparation of this document

The figures for states ofKerala and Rajasthan pertain to the achievement of whole year 2006-07 and for the State of Uttar Pradesh the achievement is up to December2006

49 Conclusions

Water sector development encompasses multidisciplinary considerations There is no scope of overlooking any sector while giving priority to any sector or sectors The integrated planning is the only possible way to tackle the water resources development The participatory approach is the key for its sustainability Bharat middot Nirman Plan of Government of India by setting up goals for the period of four years is a boost to the already existing schemes in different ministries Irrigation and public water supply is the basic components of development have been rightly considered in the Bharat Nirman Plan The ambitious project has already traveled through a span of two years and has achieved some part of the goals The balance part has to be done with equal fervor The recent modification in AlBP norms is the evidence of the governmental zeal in achieving the goals For the continuance of the food sufficiency the irrigation development is the feasible quick solution The component of Irrigation in Bharat Nirman is thus a huge help for the required development in the water sector

34

Page 27: ROLE OF WRD&M IN BHARAT NIRMAN DURING WRD 2007

6 A separate budget head upto 15 of Plan fund may be provided as Irrigation Maintenance Fund (IMF) and full amount of irrigation revenue as collectged should be credited to IMF

7 In addition to liabilities of completed projects and provision for ongoing and new projects the State plan proposals should incorporate provisions for special repairs of existing irrigation systems dam safety measures improved water management and water development aspect encompassing survey and investigation research and development training and National Hydrology Project

8 Substantial higher outlay should be provided in Central Plan to bring out effective role in plan activities of the Central Institutions by way of suitably strengthening them and provide adequate funds for taking new initiatives under Central Plan

9 The existing regionalstate level institutions such as W ALMIs should be strengthened and brought into mainstream activities for irrigation management improvement

10 Dam safety measures should be taken up all over country which is very essential in the context of disaster Prevention and Management

11 The performance evaluation of completed projects needs to be continued for benchmarking and improvement in irrigation efficiency

In addition to above recommendations on Minor Irrigation Sector are gIven as follows

1 Renovation Restoration of old tanks as well as old diversion channels in hilly regions along with improving efficiency of the projects Besides surface lift schemes may also be given due consideration particularly in hilly regions for irrigating high terraces

2 Expansion of irrigation facilities through a time bound programme for exploiting the huge ground water potential in the Eastern Region

3 Promotion of Micro Irrigation system in Water deficit areas 4 Promotion of Ground Water Development in areas haaving untapped unutilized

potential 5 National rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) may be linked with minor

irrigation Ground Water Development 6 A comprehensive act for regulation and development of ground water on

sustainable basis both in public and private sector

42 Command Area Development

In respect of command area development works for performance improvement-of the projects the working group has recommended the following recommendations for consideration

25

(a) Central funding for CAD works may be enhanced from present level of 5050 to 7525 for all the States while for states of North eastern Region and Hilly Special Category States the funding may be 90 from Government of India For software activities like trainings adaptive trials demonstrations monitoring and evaluation etc 100 Central funding may be considered in place of the existing pattern of 75 25 between the Centre and the States Funds can be directly given to W ALMIs and other State Central agencies for carrying out such activities

(b) It is proposed to increase the functional grant from Rs 600 per ha to Rs 1000 per ha which is to be shared in the ratio ofRs 675225100 between the centre State and the farmers while keeping all cost norms unchanged The State Governments may also be allowed to raise fund for its share through institutional funding or public borrowings through bonds on the pattern of Krishna Bhagya Nigam of Karnataka Government

(c) As per the existing system of release of Central Assistance the funds are transferred to the pool of State Finance Department which in tum releases funds to the implementing departments This procedure is not amenable for timely availability of the funds to the CADAs Therefore direct funding to CADAs from the Ministry in a mission mode can be considered to alleviate this problem For instance the Ministry of rural Development has a system of direct release of Central share of funds to the District Rural Development Authorities (DRDA) Jilla Parishads for implementing the schemes of the Central Ministry

(d) To ensure optimum utilization of created irrigation potential the CADWM should be made a part of the new major and medium projects

(e) Formation of WUAs under PTh1 Act is mandatory for implementation of CADWM programme Transition time of 2 years (upto the end of financial year 2008-09) may be allowed to those States which have not enact~d their PIM Acts so far Further relaxation may be only be allowed with the approval of CCEA

(f) WUAs should be involved in planning budgeting implementation and management of irrigation systems to be transferred to them There is a need to enforce a regime whereby farmers pay the water rates to meet the OampM expenditure rates Conditions of reforms should be imposed before handing over the projects to WUAs

(g) Volumetric supply of irrigation water to WUAs should be introduced

(h) Reputed NGOs with requisite skills may be involved for promotion of WUAs Rehabilitation of Canal Systems and Water Management for at least 2-3 years The estimated expenditure of Rs 600-800 per ha on account of this may be provided by the central government in the form of grant

(i) Autonomy of WUAs should be maintained in regard to Water Management However there may be linkages with Panchayati Raj Institutions through cross representation It may be considered to provide support to W ALMIs Agriculture Universities and reputed NGOs for improved water management at micro level It may also be considered to provide incentives for activities ofWUAs

26

(j) The WUAs should include women members from the land owning holding house holds in the Command Area irrespective of their ownership of the land

(k) Periodic evaluation of CAD Projects should be undertaken and suitable corrective measures may be taken if necessary

(1) Components for reclamation of waterlogged areas as well as correction of conveyance deficiencies with enhanced scope may be implemented to cover all the projects in the country details of which could be approved in consultation with expert organizations such as CWC CSSRI CGWB etc

(m) Water Resources Irrigation Departments need to undertake assessment periodically (at least once in 5 years) to determine the training needs at different levels of personnel deployed in water resources development and management Facilities available for capacity building are to be considered instead of establishing new training centres There has to be networking of existing training facilities so that training will be effective and economical It is desirable to have a separate scheme for training and capacity building for State Governments as well as central Government

43 Creation of Storage

Creation of storages is of prime importance in order to avoid severe domestic crisis on water issues As per the estimates given in the working group report there is a need of approximately live storage of around 450 km3

Major amp Medium Projects (Existing) -213 KJ13

Major amp Medium Projects (Under construction) -76 KM3 Minor Storages (Existing amp Under construction) -70 KM3 Total Live Storages in projects existing and under construction - 359 Km3

Likely loss in Live storage due to sedimentation upto 2050 which has to be compensated for -53 Km3 (say) Balance available live storage from the above in 2050 - 306 Km3 say 300 Km3

Therefore further new live storage to be created to have a live storage of 450 Km3 by 2050 is 150Km3

For creation the needed storage in addition to the present way of envisaging attention has to be paid to changing popUlation dynamics changing pattern of human settlements climatic change causing change in pattern of spatial and temporal variation in rainfall deterioration in water quality etc

44 Conjunctive Use of surface and ground water

Conjunctive use of surface and ground water can address the situation in two ways by decreasing the dependence on a single source and the quality of the available waterThis will reduce the chance of desalination as well Working group has suggested for the conjunctive use of middotgood quality water and saline seawater which will be helpful in reducing the cost of water requirement for irrigation

27

45 Efficiency improvement in the distribution system as well as in field

Deficiencies of the irrigated agriculture in India have been a cause of concern and a huge amount of thinking and analysis ha been done to devise ways and means to improve it The Working Group has recommended some important recommendations in this matter

1 Standardized definitions of irrigation efficiencies need to be evolved for use in India after reviewing available material All water resources of a basin form a unified resource and hence the basin efficiency concept which integrates all surface water and ground water uses as well as reuse and recirculation is important The basin efficiency also needs to be estimated along with project related efficiencies

2 Conjunctive use of water to be given higher priority particularly in alluvial areas as a very effective means of improving water use amp basin efficiency and of saving possible water logging and salination For givin an encouragement to conjunctive use irrigation Act may be amended if req ired The policy of favoring selective lining of canals should be continued LD ater allowances and somewhat inadequate conveyance capacities lead to be r efficiencies and less water loggingrelated problems These need to be encouraged

3 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Water Csers Associations (WUAs) should include a standard clause which binds the users to effective conjunctive use of surface and ground water On rising of gro nd water table the MOW should allow the department to cut the surface water supply

4 Where there are minor irrigation tanks minor urface lifts etc middotin the command these should be integrated with major project works and not be treated as separate entity Such tanks should be filled with cfulals water as per requirement Also such works will allow reuse of the seeped wateT

5 Each major irrigation system authorities should annually prepare the water budget accruing for all water stored or diverted all losses all reuse of lost waters estimated evaporation etc

6 Sufficient funds for operation and maintenance work to be provided Creation of Irrigation Maintenance Corporation as provided in the irrigation management policy is considered so that a linkage between revenues from water and OampM funds is established Water rates may accordingly be increased in a phased manner

7 Priority may be assigned toERM schemes for projects where water distribution systems are to be handed over to WUAs Where total ERM scheme is not contemplated one time maintenance deferred maintenance of a project may be allowed as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance of a project may be allowed

28

as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance budget to be decided in consultation with the farmers and walk through survey to assess what is appropriate and achievable within the available fund

8 All the schemes more than 25 years old should be studied in details to bring out the status of schemes in respect of structural safety and performance and ERM schemes may be formulated and taken up based on such studies

9 Drip sprinklers are mostly for horticulture vegetable crops (and surgarcane) in the present major and medium surface irrigation system These may be encouraged for other crops also Any compulsion for a particular cropping pattern needs to be removed whenever WUAs are formed amp volumetric water rates come into practice Use of sprinkler or drips or rotational surface supplies requires additional on farm storage (either as dug out ponds or elevatged storage with pump) This becomes essential since supply rotates are 10 daily or fortnightly whereas drips amp sprinkler require daily or 1 in 2 days operation Such storage creation needs to be within the ambit of subsidies for drips and sprinklers

10 As automation is a costly affair it is to be adopted for pilot schemes and not for larger area However preferably this should be introduced for conjunctive use of ground water and not always for surface water

The group has also recommended the concept of Target Efficiency of the water delivery system timely and equitable distribution ohvater increasing production per unit area and per unit volume of water used and financial sustainability of the water delivery infrastructure

46 Bridging the gap between the Potential created and potential utilised

There may be various reasons for increase in the gap between potential creation and potential utilized Some ofthese are

a likely over estimation and double counting of potential creation and inaccuracies discrepancies in reporting of potential utilized

b Loss of potential due to siltation in reservoirs ponds etc and deterioration of water distribution system

c Time gap between potential creation and command area development

d Assumption of optimistic cropping pattern in economic analysis and deviation in cropping pattern as compared to that envisaged during planning

e Over-drawl of water in head reaches depriving potential utilization by tail enders

f Unused canal flow during night hours

29

l

It is desirable to introduce more reliable and accurate system of assessment for potential created and utilized There should be a coordinating statistical organization in each State for reporting the figures of potential created and utilized The Remote Sensing Technique can also be effectively utilized for counter verification of figures reported The loss in potential due to siltation ageing of various distribution systems etc needs to be periodically assessed and accounted

The productivity of irrigated crop as assumed in economic analysis often seem to be optimistic and are not based on experience of nearby irrigation projects Use of water for irrigation and selection of crops have been left to the discretion of users farmers The adverse consequences of such freedom have been manifested as water logging in some commands Somewhere overexploitation of ground -vater has been leading to progressive fall in ground water level It is therefore necessary that a regulatory mechanism is brought into practice by which undesirable or unsuitable crops are discouraged and tendency to over use of irrigation water is c~ecked Similarly in areas where ground water is being used for irrigation a regulatory mechanism should be in place to deter over exploitation of ground water beyond allOvable limit

Sometimes apprehension of scarcity of water and non availability of water when needed also lead to over withdrawal by head end users Since extra tion of ground water is costly farmers tend to take water more than their requirements when that is available through canals Higher cost of ground water is primarily because of cost of power required for lifting of water In case source of solar power is created for lifting of water the cost of ground water will get substantially reduced This may facilitate and give farmers option to use surface water and ground water thom any extra cost Once this option is available and known to farmers that they are aware that use of more water than the optimal requirement is likely to reduce the yield certainly there would be reductionin

overdraw of water by head enders Thus there is a need to extend u~er friendly system and increase awareness and cooperation among farmers through Participatory Irrigation Management Water Users Associatiortsneed to be empowered to look into these aspects Further the piped distribution system and micro irrigation should be adopted as far as possible

In India night imgation is not practiced in general As a result waters flowing in canals during night hours either pass unutilized or wasted on account of uncontrolled flooding It is desirable that the night irrigation is introduced in policy and practice

47 Flood Management

In regard to flood management the strategies recommended are given here under

(a) Undertake construction of dams and reservoir schemes with adequate flood cushion for long term solution of flood problems Efforts should also be made for utilizing the existing reservoirs in the country for flood moderation to the extent

30

possible Even in Reservoirs constructed for power other purposes the rule curves may be framed in such way that effective flood moderation is achieved

(b) Flood Forecasting and flood warning network of ewe be extended and integrated with similar networks of the state governments so as to get real time information at a central point say in central flood control room under FMO ewe This activity should be extended to cover rivers originating from or flowing to the neighbouring countries

( c) To take up development of digital elevation model of flood prone areas for taking up schemes for inundation forecast preparation of flood risk maps planning of flood management schemes etc

(d) Identification of appropriate location for breaching spiling sections in the flood embankment for the controlled flooding of the protected areas for restoring fertility recharge of soil moisture and ground water

( e) Integrating flood management schemes with other infrastructural development programmes in the sectors of roads railways inland waterways and canal command area development works as well as recently declared Rural Employment Guarantee Programme

(f) Watershed management in the hilly catchmentgs of the rivers ongmating in Nepal Bhutan and hilly areas of India should be selectively chosen and funded fully Implementation should be done through a joint mechanism Ministry of Agriculture who is the nodal Ministry for the watershed management works should work out a detailed program in consultation with the Ministry of Water Resources

(g) To give adequate emphasis on the operation and maintenance (OampM) of the flood protection measures already created a percentage of outlay of the flood sector should be earmarked for this purpose

(h) Raising and strengthening of the existing embankments if required after detailed studies of hydrological morphological topographical and developmental aspects to stabilize the benefits of these measures

(i) Natural swamps and lakes to be developed into detention basins and capacity of existing depressions be improved for absorbing flood waters Special drives for development of Tal and Diara areas

G) Erosion of land either by sea or rivers to be minimized through suitable cost effective measures

(k) Flood proofing program such as raised platform and quick drainage facilities to be taken up in a)l the flood prone states

31

(1) Drainage improvement in critical areas in the country to be given priority

(m) Dredging at selective locations ie outfalls etc in the rivers and the tributaries as a way to reduce flood levels in low-lying areas and help in quick drainage

(n) Encourage RampD activities for improved flood management

(0) To encourage peoples participation

(p) To expedite projects peaks

on interlinking of rivers for helping in attenuating flood

(q) Steps to ensure implementation of action plan prepared by NDMA for flood management should be taken

(r) On-going schemes of earlier plans be completed expeditiously All the on going schemes spilling over to the XI Plan in which at least 50 execution has taken place should get first priority on fund allocation during the XI Plan

(s) The cost for flood component in a multi-purpose water resources development projects as a long-term solution to flood problem should be funded by Government of India

(t) Maintenance of existing flood management works to optimize its benefits

32

48 Achievement in irrigation during the two years of the Bharat Nirman Plan

The statewise achievement in two years ending on September 2006 is given below It shows that 2183776 thousand hectare has been added to the irrigation potential A daunting task still left to be achieved in coming two years

thF19ures are III ousand h ec ares t

I

i rOo

rarget bull Major amp Aebievements upSI No

States UrsName MinorMedium Total to September

Irrigation Irrigation 2006 r i

1 Andhra Pradesh 44127 112523 156649 302065

2 Arunachal Pradesh 00 2239 2239 4 777 3 Assam 303 4275 7306 3314

4 Bihar 41399 12858 169979 279451 5 Chhattisgarh 4435 14668 19103 65661

6 Goa 2442 26 2702 1224 7 Gujarat 94573 00 945 73 255224

8 Haryana 3373 241 5783 33301 9 Himachal Pradesh 3091 4691 7788 8842

10 lharkhand 8122 25314 33436 15 701 11 Jammu amp Kashmir 1801 9254 11055 14847

12 Karnataka 26282 124 38682 11131 13 Kerala 1609 2168 3777 15856

14 Madhya Pradesh 61172 162 77372 8138 15 Maharashtra 465 31 35651 82181 9313

16 Manipur 5195 155 6745 0 17 Meghalaya 00 1493 1493 2073

18 Mizoram 00 1096 1096 0628 19 Nagaland 00 1612 1612 259

20 Orissa 19899 13295 33194 3266 21 Punjab 4034 2056 609 68755

22 Rajasthan 37974 401 41984 26459 23 Sikkim 00 703 703 08

24 Tamil Nadu 00 2355 23 55 16461 25 Tripura 2689 5429 8118 6327 26 Uttar Pradesh 82516 15208 977 24 464 372 27 Uttranchal 00 3829 3829 34 967

28 West Bengal 13567 56384 69951 346

29 Andman amp Nicobar Island 00 033 033 0

30 Pondicherry 00 275 275 0 ~-

Total 2183766507867 479958 987826

I

L 33

------------------~------

The achievements are up to March 2006 only The progressachievement of 2006-07 was under compilationscrutiny in ewe at the time of preparation of this document

The figures for states ofKerala and Rajasthan pertain to the achievement of whole year 2006-07 and for the State of Uttar Pradesh the achievement is up to December2006

49 Conclusions

Water sector development encompasses multidisciplinary considerations There is no scope of overlooking any sector while giving priority to any sector or sectors The integrated planning is the only possible way to tackle the water resources development The participatory approach is the key for its sustainability Bharat middot Nirman Plan of Government of India by setting up goals for the period of four years is a boost to the already existing schemes in different ministries Irrigation and public water supply is the basic components of development have been rightly considered in the Bharat Nirman Plan The ambitious project has already traveled through a span of two years and has achieved some part of the goals The balance part has to be done with equal fervor The recent modification in AlBP norms is the evidence of the governmental zeal in achieving the goals For the continuance of the food sufficiency the irrigation development is the feasible quick solution The component of Irrigation in Bharat Nirman is thus a huge help for the required development in the water sector

34

Page 28: ROLE OF WRD&M IN BHARAT NIRMAN DURING WRD 2007

(a) Central funding for CAD works may be enhanced from present level of 5050 to 7525 for all the States while for states of North eastern Region and Hilly Special Category States the funding may be 90 from Government of India For software activities like trainings adaptive trials demonstrations monitoring and evaluation etc 100 Central funding may be considered in place of the existing pattern of 75 25 between the Centre and the States Funds can be directly given to W ALMIs and other State Central agencies for carrying out such activities

(b) It is proposed to increase the functional grant from Rs 600 per ha to Rs 1000 per ha which is to be shared in the ratio ofRs 675225100 between the centre State and the farmers while keeping all cost norms unchanged The State Governments may also be allowed to raise fund for its share through institutional funding or public borrowings through bonds on the pattern of Krishna Bhagya Nigam of Karnataka Government

(c) As per the existing system of release of Central Assistance the funds are transferred to the pool of State Finance Department which in tum releases funds to the implementing departments This procedure is not amenable for timely availability of the funds to the CADAs Therefore direct funding to CADAs from the Ministry in a mission mode can be considered to alleviate this problem For instance the Ministry of rural Development has a system of direct release of Central share of funds to the District Rural Development Authorities (DRDA) Jilla Parishads for implementing the schemes of the Central Ministry

(d) To ensure optimum utilization of created irrigation potential the CADWM should be made a part of the new major and medium projects

(e) Formation of WUAs under PTh1 Act is mandatory for implementation of CADWM programme Transition time of 2 years (upto the end of financial year 2008-09) may be allowed to those States which have not enact~d their PIM Acts so far Further relaxation may be only be allowed with the approval of CCEA

(f) WUAs should be involved in planning budgeting implementation and management of irrigation systems to be transferred to them There is a need to enforce a regime whereby farmers pay the water rates to meet the OampM expenditure rates Conditions of reforms should be imposed before handing over the projects to WUAs

(g) Volumetric supply of irrigation water to WUAs should be introduced

(h) Reputed NGOs with requisite skills may be involved for promotion of WUAs Rehabilitation of Canal Systems and Water Management for at least 2-3 years The estimated expenditure of Rs 600-800 per ha on account of this may be provided by the central government in the form of grant

(i) Autonomy of WUAs should be maintained in regard to Water Management However there may be linkages with Panchayati Raj Institutions through cross representation It may be considered to provide support to W ALMIs Agriculture Universities and reputed NGOs for improved water management at micro level It may also be considered to provide incentives for activities ofWUAs

26

(j) The WUAs should include women members from the land owning holding house holds in the Command Area irrespective of their ownership of the land

(k) Periodic evaluation of CAD Projects should be undertaken and suitable corrective measures may be taken if necessary

(1) Components for reclamation of waterlogged areas as well as correction of conveyance deficiencies with enhanced scope may be implemented to cover all the projects in the country details of which could be approved in consultation with expert organizations such as CWC CSSRI CGWB etc

(m) Water Resources Irrigation Departments need to undertake assessment periodically (at least once in 5 years) to determine the training needs at different levels of personnel deployed in water resources development and management Facilities available for capacity building are to be considered instead of establishing new training centres There has to be networking of existing training facilities so that training will be effective and economical It is desirable to have a separate scheme for training and capacity building for State Governments as well as central Government

43 Creation of Storage

Creation of storages is of prime importance in order to avoid severe domestic crisis on water issues As per the estimates given in the working group report there is a need of approximately live storage of around 450 km3

Major amp Medium Projects (Existing) -213 KJ13

Major amp Medium Projects (Under construction) -76 KM3 Minor Storages (Existing amp Under construction) -70 KM3 Total Live Storages in projects existing and under construction - 359 Km3

Likely loss in Live storage due to sedimentation upto 2050 which has to be compensated for -53 Km3 (say) Balance available live storage from the above in 2050 - 306 Km3 say 300 Km3

Therefore further new live storage to be created to have a live storage of 450 Km3 by 2050 is 150Km3

For creation the needed storage in addition to the present way of envisaging attention has to be paid to changing popUlation dynamics changing pattern of human settlements climatic change causing change in pattern of spatial and temporal variation in rainfall deterioration in water quality etc

44 Conjunctive Use of surface and ground water

Conjunctive use of surface and ground water can address the situation in two ways by decreasing the dependence on a single source and the quality of the available waterThis will reduce the chance of desalination as well Working group has suggested for the conjunctive use of middotgood quality water and saline seawater which will be helpful in reducing the cost of water requirement for irrigation

27

45 Efficiency improvement in the distribution system as well as in field

Deficiencies of the irrigated agriculture in India have been a cause of concern and a huge amount of thinking and analysis ha been done to devise ways and means to improve it The Working Group has recommended some important recommendations in this matter

1 Standardized definitions of irrigation efficiencies need to be evolved for use in India after reviewing available material All water resources of a basin form a unified resource and hence the basin efficiency concept which integrates all surface water and ground water uses as well as reuse and recirculation is important The basin efficiency also needs to be estimated along with project related efficiencies

2 Conjunctive use of water to be given higher priority particularly in alluvial areas as a very effective means of improving water use amp basin efficiency and of saving possible water logging and salination For givin an encouragement to conjunctive use irrigation Act may be amended if req ired The policy of favoring selective lining of canals should be continued LD ater allowances and somewhat inadequate conveyance capacities lead to be r efficiencies and less water loggingrelated problems These need to be encouraged

3 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Water Csers Associations (WUAs) should include a standard clause which binds the users to effective conjunctive use of surface and ground water On rising of gro nd water table the MOW should allow the department to cut the surface water supply

4 Where there are minor irrigation tanks minor urface lifts etc middotin the command these should be integrated with major project works and not be treated as separate entity Such tanks should be filled with cfulals water as per requirement Also such works will allow reuse of the seeped wateT

5 Each major irrigation system authorities should annually prepare the water budget accruing for all water stored or diverted all losses all reuse of lost waters estimated evaporation etc

6 Sufficient funds for operation and maintenance work to be provided Creation of Irrigation Maintenance Corporation as provided in the irrigation management policy is considered so that a linkage between revenues from water and OampM funds is established Water rates may accordingly be increased in a phased manner

7 Priority may be assigned toERM schemes for projects where water distribution systems are to be handed over to WUAs Where total ERM scheme is not contemplated one time maintenance deferred maintenance of a project may be allowed as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance of a project may be allowed

28

as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance budget to be decided in consultation with the farmers and walk through survey to assess what is appropriate and achievable within the available fund

8 All the schemes more than 25 years old should be studied in details to bring out the status of schemes in respect of structural safety and performance and ERM schemes may be formulated and taken up based on such studies

9 Drip sprinklers are mostly for horticulture vegetable crops (and surgarcane) in the present major and medium surface irrigation system These may be encouraged for other crops also Any compulsion for a particular cropping pattern needs to be removed whenever WUAs are formed amp volumetric water rates come into practice Use of sprinkler or drips or rotational surface supplies requires additional on farm storage (either as dug out ponds or elevatged storage with pump) This becomes essential since supply rotates are 10 daily or fortnightly whereas drips amp sprinkler require daily or 1 in 2 days operation Such storage creation needs to be within the ambit of subsidies for drips and sprinklers

10 As automation is a costly affair it is to be adopted for pilot schemes and not for larger area However preferably this should be introduced for conjunctive use of ground water and not always for surface water

The group has also recommended the concept of Target Efficiency of the water delivery system timely and equitable distribution ohvater increasing production per unit area and per unit volume of water used and financial sustainability of the water delivery infrastructure

46 Bridging the gap between the Potential created and potential utilised

There may be various reasons for increase in the gap between potential creation and potential utilized Some ofthese are

a likely over estimation and double counting of potential creation and inaccuracies discrepancies in reporting of potential utilized

b Loss of potential due to siltation in reservoirs ponds etc and deterioration of water distribution system

c Time gap between potential creation and command area development

d Assumption of optimistic cropping pattern in economic analysis and deviation in cropping pattern as compared to that envisaged during planning

e Over-drawl of water in head reaches depriving potential utilization by tail enders

f Unused canal flow during night hours

29

l

It is desirable to introduce more reliable and accurate system of assessment for potential created and utilized There should be a coordinating statistical organization in each State for reporting the figures of potential created and utilized The Remote Sensing Technique can also be effectively utilized for counter verification of figures reported The loss in potential due to siltation ageing of various distribution systems etc needs to be periodically assessed and accounted

The productivity of irrigated crop as assumed in economic analysis often seem to be optimistic and are not based on experience of nearby irrigation projects Use of water for irrigation and selection of crops have been left to the discretion of users farmers The adverse consequences of such freedom have been manifested as water logging in some commands Somewhere overexploitation of ground -vater has been leading to progressive fall in ground water level It is therefore necessary that a regulatory mechanism is brought into practice by which undesirable or unsuitable crops are discouraged and tendency to over use of irrigation water is c~ecked Similarly in areas where ground water is being used for irrigation a regulatory mechanism should be in place to deter over exploitation of ground water beyond allOvable limit

Sometimes apprehension of scarcity of water and non availability of water when needed also lead to over withdrawal by head end users Since extra tion of ground water is costly farmers tend to take water more than their requirements when that is available through canals Higher cost of ground water is primarily because of cost of power required for lifting of water In case source of solar power is created for lifting of water the cost of ground water will get substantially reduced This may facilitate and give farmers option to use surface water and ground water thom any extra cost Once this option is available and known to farmers that they are aware that use of more water than the optimal requirement is likely to reduce the yield certainly there would be reductionin

overdraw of water by head enders Thus there is a need to extend u~er friendly system and increase awareness and cooperation among farmers through Participatory Irrigation Management Water Users Associatiortsneed to be empowered to look into these aspects Further the piped distribution system and micro irrigation should be adopted as far as possible

In India night imgation is not practiced in general As a result waters flowing in canals during night hours either pass unutilized or wasted on account of uncontrolled flooding It is desirable that the night irrigation is introduced in policy and practice

47 Flood Management

In regard to flood management the strategies recommended are given here under

(a) Undertake construction of dams and reservoir schemes with adequate flood cushion for long term solution of flood problems Efforts should also be made for utilizing the existing reservoirs in the country for flood moderation to the extent

30

possible Even in Reservoirs constructed for power other purposes the rule curves may be framed in such way that effective flood moderation is achieved

(b) Flood Forecasting and flood warning network of ewe be extended and integrated with similar networks of the state governments so as to get real time information at a central point say in central flood control room under FMO ewe This activity should be extended to cover rivers originating from or flowing to the neighbouring countries

( c) To take up development of digital elevation model of flood prone areas for taking up schemes for inundation forecast preparation of flood risk maps planning of flood management schemes etc

(d) Identification of appropriate location for breaching spiling sections in the flood embankment for the controlled flooding of the protected areas for restoring fertility recharge of soil moisture and ground water

( e) Integrating flood management schemes with other infrastructural development programmes in the sectors of roads railways inland waterways and canal command area development works as well as recently declared Rural Employment Guarantee Programme

(f) Watershed management in the hilly catchmentgs of the rivers ongmating in Nepal Bhutan and hilly areas of India should be selectively chosen and funded fully Implementation should be done through a joint mechanism Ministry of Agriculture who is the nodal Ministry for the watershed management works should work out a detailed program in consultation with the Ministry of Water Resources

(g) To give adequate emphasis on the operation and maintenance (OampM) of the flood protection measures already created a percentage of outlay of the flood sector should be earmarked for this purpose

(h) Raising and strengthening of the existing embankments if required after detailed studies of hydrological morphological topographical and developmental aspects to stabilize the benefits of these measures

(i) Natural swamps and lakes to be developed into detention basins and capacity of existing depressions be improved for absorbing flood waters Special drives for development of Tal and Diara areas

G) Erosion of land either by sea or rivers to be minimized through suitable cost effective measures

(k) Flood proofing program such as raised platform and quick drainage facilities to be taken up in a)l the flood prone states

31

(1) Drainage improvement in critical areas in the country to be given priority

(m) Dredging at selective locations ie outfalls etc in the rivers and the tributaries as a way to reduce flood levels in low-lying areas and help in quick drainage

(n) Encourage RampD activities for improved flood management

(0) To encourage peoples participation

(p) To expedite projects peaks

on interlinking of rivers for helping in attenuating flood

(q) Steps to ensure implementation of action plan prepared by NDMA for flood management should be taken

(r) On-going schemes of earlier plans be completed expeditiously All the on going schemes spilling over to the XI Plan in which at least 50 execution has taken place should get first priority on fund allocation during the XI Plan

(s) The cost for flood component in a multi-purpose water resources development projects as a long-term solution to flood problem should be funded by Government of India

(t) Maintenance of existing flood management works to optimize its benefits

32

48 Achievement in irrigation during the two years of the Bharat Nirman Plan

The statewise achievement in two years ending on September 2006 is given below It shows that 2183776 thousand hectare has been added to the irrigation potential A daunting task still left to be achieved in coming two years

thF19ures are III ousand h ec ares t

I

i rOo

rarget bull Major amp Aebievements upSI No

States UrsName MinorMedium Total to September

Irrigation Irrigation 2006 r i

1 Andhra Pradesh 44127 112523 156649 302065

2 Arunachal Pradesh 00 2239 2239 4 777 3 Assam 303 4275 7306 3314

4 Bihar 41399 12858 169979 279451 5 Chhattisgarh 4435 14668 19103 65661

6 Goa 2442 26 2702 1224 7 Gujarat 94573 00 945 73 255224

8 Haryana 3373 241 5783 33301 9 Himachal Pradesh 3091 4691 7788 8842

10 lharkhand 8122 25314 33436 15 701 11 Jammu amp Kashmir 1801 9254 11055 14847

12 Karnataka 26282 124 38682 11131 13 Kerala 1609 2168 3777 15856

14 Madhya Pradesh 61172 162 77372 8138 15 Maharashtra 465 31 35651 82181 9313

16 Manipur 5195 155 6745 0 17 Meghalaya 00 1493 1493 2073

18 Mizoram 00 1096 1096 0628 19 Nagaland 00 1612 1612 259

20 Orissa 19899 13295 33194 3266 21 Punjab 4034 2056 609 68755

22 Rajasthan 37974 401 41984 26459 23 Sikkim 00 703 703 08

24 Tamil Nadu 00 2355 23 55 16461 25 Tripura 2689 5429 8118 6327 26 Uttar Pradesh 82516 15208 977 24 464 372 27 Uttranchal 00 3829 3829 34 967

28 West Bengal 13567 56384 69951 346

29 Andman amp Nicobar Island 00 033 033 0

30 Pondicherry 00 275 275 0 ~-

Total 2183766507867 479958 987826

I

L 33

------------------~------

The achievements are up to March 2006 only The progressachievement of 2006-07 was under compilationscrutiny in ewe at the time of preparation of this document

The figures for states ofKerala and Rajasthan pertain to the achievement of whole year 2006-07 and for the State of Uttar Pradesh the achievement is up to December2006

49 Conclusions

Water sector development encompasses multidisciplinary considerations There is no scope of overlooking any sector while giving priority to any sector or sectors The integrated planning is the only possible way to tackle the water resources development The participatory approach is the key for its sustainability Bharat middot Nirman Plan of Government of India by setting up goals for the period of four years is a boost to the already existing schemes in different ministries Irrigation and public water supply is the basic components of development have been rightly considered in the Bharat Nirman Plan The ambitious project has already traveled through a span of two years and has achieved some part of the goals The balance part has to be done with equal fervor The recent modification in AlBP norms is the evidence of the governmental zeal in achieving the goals For the continuance of the food sufficiency the irrigation development is the feasible quick solution The component of Irrigation in Bharat Nirman is thus a huge help for the required development in the water sector

34

Page 29: ROLE OF WRD&M IN BHARAT NIRMAN DURING WRD 2007

(j) The WUAs should include women members from the land owning holding house holds in the Command Area irrespective of their ownership of the land

(k) Periodic evaluation of CAD Projects should be undertaken and suitable corrective measures may be taken if necessary

(1) Components for reclamation of waterlogged areas as well as correction of conveyance deficiencies with enhanced scope may be implemented to cover all the projects in the country details of which could be approved in consultation with expert organizations such as CWC CSSRI CGWB etc

(m) Water Resources Irrigation Departments need to undertake assessment periodically (at least once in 5 years) to determine the training needs at different levels of personnel deployed in water resources development and management Facilities available for capacity building are to be considered instead of establishing new training centres There has to be networking of existing training facilities so that training will be effective and economical It is desirable to have a separate scheme for training and capacity building for State Governments as well as central Government

43 Creation of Storage

Creation of storages is of prime importance in order to avoid severe domestic crisis on water issues As per the estimates given in the working group report there is a need of approximately live storage of around 450 km3

Major amp Medium Projects (Existing) -213 KJ13

Major amp Medium Projects (Under construction) -76 KM3 Minor Storages (Existing amp Under construction) -70 KM3 Total Live Storages in projects existing and under construction - 359 Km3

Likely loss in Live storage due to sedimentation upto 2050 which has to be compensated for -53 Km3 (say) Balance available live storage from the above in 2050 - 306 Km3 say 300 Km3

Therefore further new live storage to be created to have a live storage of 450 Km3 by 2050 is 150Km3

For creation the needed storage in addition to the present way of envisaging attention has to be paid to changing popUlation dynamics changing pattern of human settlements climatic change causing change in pattern of spatial and temporal variation in rainfall deterioration in water quality etc

44 Conjunctive Use of surface and ground water

Conjunctive use of surface and ground water can address the situation in two ways by decreasing the dependence on a single source and the quality of the available waterThis will reduce the chance of desalination as well Working group has suggested for the conjunctive use of middotgood quality water and saline seawater which will be helpful in reducing the cost of water requirement for irrigation

27

45 Efficiency improvement in the distribution system as well as in field

Deficiencies of the irrigated agriculture in India have been a cause of concern and a huge amount of thinking and analysis ha been done to devise ways and means to improve it The Working Group has recommended some important recommendations in this matter

1 Standardized definitions of irrigation efficiencies need to be evolved for use in India after reviewing available material All water resources of a basin form a unified resource and hence the basin efficiency concept which integrates all surface water and ground water uses as well as reuse and recirculation is important The basin efficiency also needs to be estimated along with project related efficiencies

2 Conjunctive use of water to be given higher priority particularly in alluvial areas as a very effective means of improving water use amp basin efficiency and of saving possible water logging and salination For givin an encouragement to conjunctive use irrigation Act may be amended if req ired The policy of favoring selective lining of canals should be continued LD ater allowances and somewhat inadequate conveyance capacities lead to be r efficiencies and less water loggingrelated problems These need to be encouraged

3 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Water Csers Associations (WUAs) should include a standard clause which binds the users to effective conjunctive use of surface and ground water On rising of gro nd water table the MOW should allow the department to cut the surface water supply

4 Where there are minor irrigation tanks minor urface lifts etc middotin the command these should be integrated with major project works and not be treated as separate entity Such tanks should be filled with cfulals water as per requirement Also such works will allow reuse of the seeped wateT

5 Each major irrigation system authorities should annually prepare the water budget accruing for all water stored or diverted all losses all reuse of lost waters estimated evaporation etc

6 Sufficient funds for operation and maintenance work to be provided Creation of Irrigation Maintenance Corporation as provided in the irrigation management policy is considered so that a linkage between revenues from water and OampM funds is established Water rates may accordingly be increased in a phased manner

7 Priority may be assigned toERM schemes for projects where water distribution systems are to be handed over to WUAs Where total ERM scheme is not contemplated one time maintenance deferred maintenance of a project may be allowed as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance of a project may be allowed

28

as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance budget to be decided in consultation with the farmers and walk through survey to assess what is appropriate and achievable within the available fund

8 All the schemes more than 25 years old should be studied in details to bring out the status of schemes in respect of structural safety and performance and ERM schemes may be formulated and taken up based on such studies

9 Drip sprinklers are mostly for horticulture vegetable crops (and surgarcane) in the present major and medium surface irrigation system These may be encouraged for other crops also Any compulsion for a particular cropping pattern needs to be removed whenever WUAs are formed amp volumetric water rates come into practice Use of sprinkler or drips or rotational surface supplies requires additional on farm storage (either as dug out ponds or elevatged storage with pump) This becomes essential since supply rotates are 10 daily or fortnightly whereas drips amp sprinkler require daily or 1 in 2 days operation Such storage creation needs to be within the ambit of subsidies for drips and sprinklers

10 As automation is a costly affair it is to be adopted for pilot schemes and not for larger area However preferably this should be introduced for conjunctive use of ground water and not always for surface water

The group has also recommended the concept of Target Efficiency of the water delivery system timely and equitable distribution ohvater increasing production per unit area and per unit volume of water used and financial sustainability of the water delivery infrastructure

46 Bridging the gap between the Potential created and potential utilised

There may be various reasons for increase in the gap between potential creation and potential utilized Some ofthese are

a likely over estimation and double counting of potential creation and inaccuracies discrepancies in reporting of potential utilized

b Loss of potential due to siltation in reservoirs ponds etc and deterioration of water distribution system

c Time gap between potential creation and command area development

d Assumption of optimistic cropping pattern in economic analysis and deviation in cropping pattern as compared to that envisaged during planning

e Over-drawl of water in head reaches depriving potential utilization by tail enders

f Unused canal flow during night hours

29

l

It is desirable to introduce more reliable and accurate system of assessment for potential created and utilized There should be a coordinating statistical organization in each State for reporting the figures of potential created and utilized The Remote Sensing Technique can also be effectively utilized for counter verification of figures reported The loss in potential due to siltation ageing of various distribution systems etc needs to be periodically assessed and accounted

The productivity of irrigated crop as assumed in economic analysis often seem to be optimistic and are not based on experience of nearby irrigation projects Use of water for irrigation and selection of crops have been left to the discretion of users farmers The adverse consequences of such freedom have been manifested as water logging in some commands Somewhere overexploitation of ground -vater has been leading to progressive fall in ground water level It is therefore necessary that a regulatory mechanism is brought into practice by which undesirable or unsuitable crops are discouraged and tendency to over use of irrigation water is c~ecked Similarly in areas where ground water is being used for irrigation a regulatory mechanism should be in place to deter over exploitation of ground water beyond allOvable limit

Sometimes apprehension of scarcity of water and non availability of water when needed also lead to over withdrawal by head end users Since extra tion of ground water is costly farmers tend to take water more than their requirements when that is available through canals Higher cost of ground water is primarily because of cost of power required for lifting of water In case source of solar power is created for lifting of water the cost of ground water will get substantially reduced This may facilitate and give farmers option to use surface water and ground water thom any extra cost Once this option is available and known to farmers that they are aware that use of more water than the optimal requirement is likely to reduce the yield certainly there would be reductionin

overdraw of water by head enders Thus there is a need to extend u~er friendly system and increase awareness and cooperation among farmers through Participatory Irrigation Management Water Users Associatiortsneed to be empowered to look into these aspects Further the piped distribution system and micro irrigation should be adopted as far as possible

In India night imgation is not practiced in general As a result waters flowing in canals during night hours either pass unutilized or wasted on account of uncontrolled flooding It is desirable that the night irrigation is introduced in policy and practice

47 Flood Management

In regard to flood management the strategies recommended are given here under

(a) Undertake construction of dams and reservoir schemes with adequate flood cushion for long term solution of flood problems Efforts should also be made for utilizing the existing reservoirs in the country for flood moderation to the extent

30

possible Even in Reservoirs constructed for power other purposes the rule curves may be framed in such way that effective flood moderation is achieved

(b) Flood Forecasting and flood warning network of ewe be extended and integrated with similar networks of the state governments so as to get real time information at a central point say in central flood control room under FMO ewe This activity should be extended to cover rivers originating from or flowing to the neighbouring countries

( c) To take up development of digital elevation model of flood prone areas for taking up schemes for inundation forecast preparation of flood risk maps planning of flood management schemes etc

(d) Identification of appropriate location for breaching spiling sections in the flood embankment for the controlled flooding of the protected areas for restoring fertility recharge of soil moisture and ground water

( e) Integrating flood management schemes with other infrastructural development programmes in the sectors of roads railways inland waterways and canal command area development works as well as recently declared Rural Employment Guarantee Programme

(f) Watershed management in the hilly catchmentgs of the rivers ongmating in Nepal Bhutan and hilly areas of India should be selectively chosen and funded fully Implementation should be done through a joint mechanism Ministry of Agriculture who is the nodal Ministry for the watershed management works should work out a detailed program in consultation with the Ministry of Water Resources

(g) To give adequate emphasis on the operation and maintenance (OampM) of the flood protection measures already created a percentage of outlay of the flood sector should be earmarked for this purpose

(h) Raising and strengthening of the existing embankments if required after detailed studies of hydrological morphological topographical and developmental aspects to stabilize the benefits of these measures

(i) Natural swamps and lakes to be developed into detention basins and capacity of existing depressions be improved for absorbing flood waters Special drives for development of Tal and Diara areas

G) Erosion of land either by sea or rivers to be minimized through suitable cost effective measures

(k) Flood proofing program such as raised platform and quick drainage facilities to be taken up in a)l the flood prone states

31

(1) Drainage improvement in critical areas in the country to be given priority

(m) Dredging at selective locations ie outfalls etc in the rivers and the tributaries as a way to reduce flood levels in low-lying areas and help in quick drainage

(n) Encourage RampD activities for improved flood management

(0) To encourage peoples participation

(p) To expedite projects peaks

on interlinking of rivers for helping in attenuating flood

(q) Steps to ensure implementation of action plan prepared by NDMA for flood management should be taken

(r) On-going schemes of earlier plans be completed expeditiously All the on going schemes spilling over to the XI Plan in which at least 50 execution has taken place should get first priority on fund allocation during the XI Plan

(s) The cost for flood component in a multi-purpose water resources development projects as a long-term solution to flood problem should be funded by Government of India

(t) Maintenance of existing flood management works to optimize its benefits

32

48 Achievement in irrigation during the two years of the Bharat Nirman Plan

The statewise achievement in two years ending on September 2006 is given below It shows that 2183776 thousand hectare has been added to the irrigation potential A daunting task still left to be achieved in coming two years

thF19ures are III ousand h ec ares t

I

i rOo

rarget bull Major amp Aebievements upSI No

States UrsName MinorMedium Total to September

Irrigation Irrigation 2006 r i

1 Andhra Pradesh 44127 112523 156649 302065

2 Arunachal Pradesh 00 2239 2239 4 777 3 Assam 303 4275 7306 3314

4 Bihar 41399 12858 169979 279451 5 Chhattisgarh 4435 14668 19103 65661

6 Goa 2442 26 2702 1224 7 Gujarat 94573 00 945 73 255224

8 Haryana 3373 241 5783 33301 9 Himachal Pradesh 3091 4691 7788 8842

10 lharkhand 8122 25314 33436 15 701 11 Jammu amp Kashmir 1801 9254 11055 14847

12 Karnataka 26282 124 38682 11131 13 Kerala 1609 2168 3777 15856

14 Madhya Pradesh 61172 162 77372 8138 15 Maharashtra 465 31 35651 82181 9313

16 Manipur 5195 155 6745 0 17 Meghalaya 00 1493 1493 2073

18 Mizoram 00 1096 1096 0628 19 Nagaland 00 1612 1612 259

20 Orissa 19899 13295 33194 3266 21 Punjab 4034 2056 609 68755

22 Rajasthan 37974 401 41984 26459 23 Sikkim 00 703 703 08

24 Tamil Nadu 00 2355 23 55 16461 25 Tripura 2689 5429 8118 6327 26 Uttar Pradesh 82516 15208 977 24 464 372 27 Uttranchal 00 3829 3829 34 967

28 West Bengal 13567 56384 69951 346

29 Andman amp Nicobar Island 00 033 033 0

30 Pondicherry 00 275 275 0 ~-

Total 2183766507867 479958 987826

I

L 33

------------------~------

The achievements are up to March 2006 only The progressachievement of 2006-07 was under compilationscrutiny in ewe at the time of preparation of this document

The figures for states ofKerala and Rajasthan pertain to the achievement of whole year 2006-07 and for the State of Uttar Pradesh the achievement is up to December2006

49 Conclusions

Water sector development encompasses multidisciplinary considerations There is no scope of overlooking any sector while giving priority to any sector or sectors The integrated planning is the only possible way to tackle the water resources development The participatory approach is the key for its sustainability Bharat middot Nirman Plan of Government of India by setting up goals for the period of four years is a boost to the already existing schemes in different ministries Irrigation and public water supply is the basic components of development have been rightly considered in the Bharat Nirman Plan The ambitious project has already traveled through a span of two years and has achieved some part of the goals The balance part has to be done with equal fervor The recent modification in AlBP norms is the evidence of the governmental zeal in achieving the goals For the continuance of the food sufficiency the irrigation development is the feasible quick solution The component of Irrigation in Bharat Nirman is thus a huge help for the required development in the water sector

34

Page 30: ROLE OF WRD&M IN BHARAT NIRMAN DURING WRD 2007

45 Efficiency improvement in the distribution system as well as in field

Deficiencies of the irrigated agriculture in India have been a cause of concern and a huge amount of thinking and analysis ha been done to devise ways and means to improve it The Working Group has recommended some important recommendations in this matter

1 Standardized definitions of irrigation efficiencies need to be evolved for use in India after reviewing available material All water resources of a basin form a unified resource and hence the basin efficiency concept which integrates all surface water and ground water uses as well as reuse and recirculation is important The basin efficiency also needs to be estimated along with project related efficiencies

2 Conjunctive use of water to be given higher priority particularly in alluvial areas as a very effective means of improving water use amp basin efficiency and of saving possible water logging and salination For givin an encouragement to conjunctive use irrigation Act may be amended if req ired The policy of favoring selective lining of canals should be continued LD ater allowances and somewhat inadequate conveyance capacities lead to be r efficiencies and less water loggingrelated problems These need to be encouraged

3 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Water Csers Associations (WUAs) should include a standard clause which binds the users to effective conjunctive use of surface and ground water On rising of gro nd water table the MOW should allow the department to cut the surface water supply

4 Where there are minor irrigation tanks minor urface lifts etc middotin the command these should be integrated with major project works and not be treated as separate entity Such tanks should be filled with cfulals water as per requirement Also such works will allow reuse of the seeped wateT

5 Each major irrigation system authorities should annually prepare the water budget accruing for all water stored or diverted all losses all reuse of lost waters estimated evaporation etc

6 Sufficient funds for operation and maintenance work to be provided Creation of Irrigation Maintenance Corporation as provided in the irrigation management policy is considered so that a linkage between revenues from water and OampM funds is established Water rates may accordingly be increased in a phased manner

7 Priority may be assigned toERM schemes for projects where water distribution systems are to be handed over to WUAs Where total ERM scheme is not contemplated one time maintenance deferred maintenance of a project may be allowed as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance of a project may be allowed

28

as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance budget to be decided in consultation with the farmers and walk through survey to assess what is appropriate and achievable within the available fund

8 All the schemes more than 25 years old should be studied in details to bring out the status of schemes in respect of structural safety and performance and ERM schemes may be formulated and taken up based on such studies

9 Drip sprinklers are mostly for horticulture vegetable crops (and surgarcane) in the present major and medium surface irrigation system These may be encouraged for other crops also Any compulsion for a particular cropping pattern needs to be removed whenever WUAs are formed amp volumetric water rates come into practice Use of sprinkler or drips or rotational surface supplies requires additional on farm storage (either as dug out ponds or elevatged storage with pump) This becomes essential since supply rotates are 10 daily or fortnightly whereas drips amp sprinkler require daily or 1 in 2 days operation Such storage creation needs to be within the ambit of subsidies for drips and sprinklers

10 As automation is a costly affair it is to be adopted for pilot schemes and not for larger area However preferably this should be introduced for conjunctive use of ground water and not always for surface water

The group has also recommended the concept of Target Efficiency of the water delivery system timely and equitable distribution ohvater increasing production per unit area and per unit volume of water used and financial sustainability of the water delivery infrastructure

46 Bridging the gap between the Potential created and potential utilised

There may be various reasons for increase in the gap between potential creation and potential utilized Some ofthese are

a likely over estimation and double counting of potential creation and inaccuracies discrepancies in reporting of potential utilized

b Loss of potential due to siltation in reservoirs ponds etc and deterioration of water distribution system

c Time gap between potential creation and command area development

d Assumption of optimistic cropping pattern in economic analysis and deviation in cropping pattern as compared to that envisaged during planning

e Over-drawl of water in head reaches depriving potential utilization by tail enders

f Unused canal flow during night hours

29

l

It is desirable to introduce more reliable and accurate system of assessment for potential created and utilized There should be a coordinating statistical organization in each State for reporting the figures of potential created and utilized The Remote Sensing Technique can also be effectively utilized for counter verification of figures reported The loss in potential due to siltation ageing of various distribution systems etc needs to be periodically assessed and accounted

The productivity of irrigated crop as assumed in economic analysis often seem to be optimistic and are not based on experience of nearby irrigation projects Use of water for irrigation and selection of crops have been left to the discretion of users farmers The adverse consequences of such freedom have been manifested as water logging in some commands Somewhere overexploitation of ground -vater has been leading to progressive fall in ground water level It is therefore necessary that a regulatory mechanism is brought into practice by which undesirable or unsuitable crops are discouraged and tendency to over use of irrigation water is c~ecked Similarly in areas where ground water is being used for irrigation a regulatory mechanism should be in place to deter over exploitation of ground water beyond allOvable limit

Sometimes apprehension of scarcity of water and non availability of water when needed also lead to over withdrawal by head end users Since extra tion of ground water is costly farmers tend to take water more than their requirements when that is available through canals Higher cost of ground water is primarily because of cost of power required for lifting of water In case source of solar power is created for lifting of water the cost of ground water will get substantially reduced This may facilitate and give farmers option to use surface water and ground water thom any extra cost Once this option is available and known to farmers that they are aware that use of more water than the optimal requirement is likely to reduce the yield certainly there would be reductionin

overdraw of water by head enders Thus there is a need to extend u~er friendly system and increase awareness and cooperation among farmers through Participatory Irrigation Management Water Users Associatiortsneed to be empowered to look into these aspects Further the piped distribution system and micro irrigation should be adopted as far as possible

In India night imgation is not practiced in general As a result waters flowing in canals during night hours either pass unutilized or wasted on account of uncontrolled flooding It is desirable that the night irrigation is introduced in policy and practice

47 Flood Management

In regard to flood management the strategies recommended are given here under

(a) Undertake construction of dams and reservoir schemes with adequate flood cushion for long term solution of flood problems Efforts should also be made for utilizing the existing reservoirs in the country for flood moderation to the extent

30

possible Even in Reservoirs constructed for power other purposes the rule curves may be framed in such way that effective flood moderation is achieved

(b) Flood Forecasting and flood warning network of ewe be extended and integrated with similar networks of the state governments so as to get real time information at a central point say in central flood control room under FMO ewe This activity should be extended to cover rivers originating from or flowing to the neighbouring countries

( c) To take up development of digital elevation model of flood prone areas for taking up schemes for inundation forecast preparation of flood risk maps planning of flood management schemes etc

(d) Identification of appropriate location for breaching spiling sections in the flood embankment for the controlled flooding of the protected areas for restoring fertility recharge of soil moisture and ground water

( e) Integrating flood management schemes with other infrastructural development programmes in the sectors of roads railways inland waterways and canal command area development works as well as recently declared Rural Employment Guarantee Programme

(f) Watershed management in the hilly catchmentgs of the rivers ongmating in Nepal Bhutan and hilly areas of India should be selectively chosen and funded fully Implementation should be done through a joint mechanism Ministry of Agriculture who is the nodal Ministry for the watershed management works should work out a detailed program in consultation with the Ministry of Water Resources

(g) To give adequate emphasis on the operation and maintenance (OampM) of the flood protection measures already created a percentage of outlay of the flood sector should be earmarked for this purpose

(h) Raising and strengthening of the existing embankments if required after detailed studies of hydrological morphological topographical and developmental aspects to stabilize the benefits of these measures

(i) Natural swamps and lakes to be developed into detention basins and capacity of existing depressions be improved for absorbing flood waters Special drives for development of Tal and Diara areas

G) Erosion of land either by sea or rivers to be minimized through suitable cost effective measures

(k) Flood proofing program such as raised platform and quick drainage facilities to be taken up in a)l the flood prone states

31

(1) Drainage improvement in critical areas in the country to be given priority

(m) Dredging at selective locations ie outfalls etc in the rivers and the tributaries as a way to reduce flood levels in low-lying areas and help in quick drainage

(n) Encourage RampD activities for improved flood management

(0) To encourage peoples participation

(p) To expedite projects peaks

on interlinking of rivers for helping in attenuating flood

(q) Steps to ensure implementation of action plan prepared by NDMA for flood management should be taken

(r) On-going schemes of earlier plans be completed expeditiously All the on going schemes spilling over to the XI Plan in which at least 50 execution has taken place should get first priority on fund allocation during the XI Plan

(s) The cost for flood component in a multi-purpose water resources development projects as a long-term solution to flood problem should be funded by Government of India

(t) Maintenance of existing flood management works to optimize its benefits

32

48 Achievement in irrigation during the two years of the Bharat Nirman Plan

The statewise achievement in two years ending on September 2006 is given below It shows that 2183776 thousand hectare has been added to the irrigation potential A daunting task still left to be achieved in coming two years

thF19ures are III ousand h ec ares t

I

i rOo

rarget bull Major amp Aebievements upSI No

States UrsName MinorMedium Total to September

Irrigation Irrigation 2006 r i

1 Andhra Pradesh 44127 112523 156649 302065

2 Arunachal Pradesh 00 2239 2239 4 777 3 Assam 303 4275 7306 3314

4 Bihar 41399 12858 169979 279451 5 Chhattisgarh 4435 14668 19103 65661

6 Goa 2442 26 2702 1224 7 Gujarat 94573 00 945 73 255224

8 Haryana 3373 241 5783 33301 9 Himachal Pradesh 3091 4691 7788 8842

10 lharkhand 8122 25314 33436 15 701 11 Jammu amp Kashmir 1801 9254 11055 14847

12 Karnataka 26282 124 38682 11131 13 Kerala 1609 2168 3777 15856

14 Madhya Pradesh 61172 162 77372 8138 15 Maharashtra 465 31 35651 82181 9313

16 Manipur 5195 155 6745 0 17 Meghalaya 00 1493 1493 2073

18 Mizoram 00 1096 1096 0628 19 Nagaland 00 1612 1612 259

20 Orissa 19899 13295 33194 3266 21 Punjab 4034 2056 609 68755

22 Rajasthan 37974 401 41984 26459 23 Sikkim 00 703 703 08

24 Tamil Nadu 00 2355 23 55 16461 25 Tripura 2689 5429 8118 6327 26 Uttar Pradesh 82516 15208 977 24 464 372 27 Uttranchal 00 3829 3829 34 967

28 West Bengal 13567 56384 69951 346

29 Andman amp Nicobar Island 00 033 033 0

30 Pondicherry 00 275 275 0 ~-

Total 2183766507867 479958 987826

I

L 33

------------------~------

The achievements are up to March 2006 only The progressachievement of 2006-07 was under compilationscrutiny in ewe at the time of preparation of this document

The figures for states ofKerala and Rajasthan pertain to the achievement of whole year 2006-07 and for the State of Uttar Pradesh the achievement is up to December2006

49 Conclusions

Water sector development encompasses multidisciplinary considerations There is no scope of overlooking any sector while giving priority to any sector or sectors The integrated planning is the only possible way to tackle the water resources development The participatory approach is the key for its sustainability Bharat middot Nirman Plan of Government of India by setting up goals for the period of four years is a boost to the already existing schemes in different ministries Irrigation and public water supply is the basic components of development have been rightly considered in the Bharat Nirman Plan The ambitious project has already traveled through a span of two years and has achieved some part of the goals The balance part has to be done with equal fervor The recent modification in AlBP norms is the evidence of the governmental zeal in achieving the goals For the continuance of the food sufficiency the irrigation development is the feasible quick solution The component of Irrigation in Bharat Nirman is thus a huge help for the required development in the water sector

34

Page 31: ROLE OF WRD&M IN BHARAT NIRMAN DURING WRD 2007

as a plan scheme Operation amp Maintenance budget to be decided in consultation with the farmers and walk through survey to assess what is appropriate and achievable within the available fund

8 All the schemes more than 25 years old should be studied in details to bring out the status of schemes in respect of structural safety and performance and ERM schemes may be formulated and taken up based on such studies

9 Drip sprinklers are mostly for horticulture vegetable crops (and surgarcane) in the present major and medium surface irrigation system These may be encouraged for other crops also Any compulsion for a particular cropping pattern needs to be removed whenever WUAs are formed amp volumetric water rates come into practice Use of sprinkler or drips or rotational surface supplies requires additional on farm storage (either as dug out ponds or elevatged storage with pump) This becomes essential since supply rotates are 10 daily or fortnightly whereas drips amp sprinkler require daily or 1 in 2 days operation Such storage creation needs to be within the ambit of subsidies for drips and sprinklers

10 As automation is a costly affair it is to be adopted for pilot schemes and not for larger area However preferably this should be introduced for conjunctive use of ground water and not always for surface water

The group has also recommended the concept of Target Efficiency of the water delivery system timely and equitable distribution ohvater increasing production per unit area and per unit volume of water used and financial sustainability of the water delivery infrastructure

46 Bridging the gap between the Potential created and potential utilised

There may be various reasons for increase in the gap between potential creation and potential utilized Some ofthese are

a likely over estimation and double counting of potential creation and inaccuracies discrepancies in reporting of potential utilized

b Loss of potential due to siltation in reservoirs ponds etc and deterioration of water distribution system

c Time gap between potential creation and command area development

d Assumption of optimistic cropping pattern in economic analysis and deviation in cropping pattern as compared to that envisaged during planning

e Over-drawl of water in head reaches depriving potential utilization by tail enders

f Unused canal flow during night hours

29

l

It is desirable to introduce more reliable and accurate system of assessment for potential created and utilized There should be a coordinating statistical organization in each State for reporting the figures of potential created and utilized The Remote Sensing Technique can also be effectively utilized for counter verification of figures reported The loss in potential due to siltation ageing of various distribution systems etc needs to be periodically assessed and accounted

The productivity of irrigated crop as assumed in economic analysis often seem to be optimistic and are not based on experience of nearby irrigation projects Use of water for irrigation and selection of crops have been left to the discretion of users farmers The adverse consequences of such freedom have been manifested as water logging in some commands Somewhere overexploitation of ground -vater has been leading to progressive fall in ground water level It is therefore necessary that a regulatory mechanism is brought into practice by which undesirable or unsuitable crops are discouraged and tendency to over use of irrigation water is c~ecked Similarly in areas where ground water is being used for irrigation a regulatory mechanism should be in place to deter over exploitation of ground water beyond allOvable limit

Sometimes apprehension of scarcity of water and non availability of water when needed also lead to over withdrawal by head end users Since extra tion of ground water is costly farmers tend to take water more than their requirements when that is available through canals Higher cost of ground water is primarily because of cost of power required for lifting of water In case source of solar power is created for lifting of water the cost of ground water will get substantially reduced This may facilitate and give farmers option to use surface water and ground water thom any extra cost Once this option is available and known to farmers that they are aware that use of more water than the optimal requirement is likely to reduce the yield certainly there would be reductionin

overdraw of water by head enders Thus there is a need to extend u~er friendly system and increase awareness and cooperation among farmers through Participatory Irrigation Management Water Users Associatiortsneed to be empowered to look into these aspects Further the piped distribution system and micro irrigation should be adopted as far as possible

In India night imgation is not practiced in general As a result waters flowing in canals during night hours either pass unutilized or wasted on account of uncontrolled flooding It is desirable that the night irrigation is introduced in policy and practice

47 Flood Management

In regard to flood management the strategies recommended are given here under

(a) Undertake construction of dams and reservoir schemes with adequate flood cushion for long term solution of flood problems Efforts should also be made for utilizing the existing reservoirs in the country for flood moderation to the extent

30

possible Even in Reservoirs constructed for power other purposes the rule curves may be framed in such way that effective flood moderation is achieved

(b) Flood Forecasting and flood warning network of ewe be extended and integrated with similar networks of the state governments so as to get real time information at a central point say in central flood control room under FMO ewe This activity should be extended to cover rivers originating from or flowing to the neighbouring countries

( c) To take up development of digital elevation model of flood prone areas for taking up schemes for inundation forecast preparation of flood risk maps planning of flood management schemes etc

(d) Identification of appropriate location for breaching spiling sections in the flood embankment for the controlled flooding of the protected areas for restoring fertility recharge of soil moisture and ground water

( e) Integrating flood management schemes with other infrastructural development programmes in the sectors of roads railways inland waterways and canal command area development works as well as recently declared Rural Employment Guarantee Programme

(f) Watershed management in the hilly catchmentgs of the rivers ongmating in Nepal Bhutan and hilly areas of India should be selectively chosen and funded fully Implementation should be done through a joint mechanism Ministry of Agriculture who is the nodal Ministry for the watershed management works should work out a detailed program in consultation with the Ministry of Water Resources

(g) To give adequate emphasis on the operation and maintenance (OampM) of the flood protection measures already created a percentage of outlay of the flood sector should be earmarked for this purpose

(h) Raising and strengthening of the existing embankments if required after detailed studies of hydrological morphological topographical and developmental aspects to stabilize the benefits of these measures

(i) Natural swamps and lakes to be developed into detention basins and capacity of existing depressions be improved for absorbing flood waters Special drives for development of Tal and Diara areas

G) Erosion of land either by sea or rivers to be minimized through suitable cost effective measures

(k) Flood proofing program such as raised platform and quick drainage facilities to be taken up in a)l the flood prone states

31

(1) Drainage improvement in critical areas in the country to be given priority

(m) Dredging at selective locations ie outfalls etc in the rivers and the tributaries as a way to reduce flood levels in low-lying areas and help in quick drainage

(n) Encourage RampD activities for improved flood management

(0) To encourage peoples participation

(p) To expedite projects peaks

on interlinking of rivers for helping in attenuating flood

(q) Steps to ensure implementation of action plan prepared by NDMA for flood management should be taken

(r) On-going schemes of earlier plans be completed expeditiously All the on going schemes spilling over to the XI Plan in which at least 50 execution has taken place should get first priority on fund allocation during the XI Plan

(s) The cost for flood component in a multi-purpose water resources development projects as a long-term solution to flood problem should be funded by Government of India

(t) Maintenance of existing flood management works to optimize its benefits

32

48 Achievement in irrigation during the two years of the Bharat Nirman Plan

The statewise achievement in two years ending on September 2006 is given below It shows that 2183776 thousand hectare has been added to the irrigation potential A daunting task still left to be achieved in coming two years

thF19ures are III ousand h ec ares t

I

i rOo

rarget bull Major amp Aebievements upSI No

States UrsName MinorMedium Total to September

Irrigation Irrigation 2006 r i

1 Andhra Pradesh 44127 112523 156649 302065

2 Arunachal Pradesh 00 2239 2239 4 777 3 Assam 303 4275 7306 3314

4 Bihar 41399 12858 169979 279451 5 Chhattisgarh 4435 14668 19103 65661

6 Goa 2442 26 2702 1224 7 Gujarat 94573 00 945 73 255224

8 Haryana 3373 241 5783 33301 9 Himachal Pradesh 3091 4691 7788 8842

10 lharkhand 8122 25314 33436 15 701 11 Jammu amp Kashmir 1801 9254 11055 14847

12 Karnataka 26282 124 38682 11131 13 Kerala 1609 2168 3777 15856

14 Madhya Pradesh 61172 162 77372 8138 15 Maharashtra 465 31 35651 82181 9313

16 Manipur 5195 155 6745 0 17 Meghalaya 00 1493 1493 2073

18 Mizoram 00 1096 1096 0628 19 Nagaland 00 1612 1612 259

20 Orissa 19899 13295 33194 3266 21 Punjab 4034 2056 609 68755

22 Rajasthan 37974 401 41984 26459 23 Sikkim 00 703 703 08

24 Tamil Nadu 00 2355 23 55 16461 25 Tripura 2689 5429 8118 6327 26 Uttar Pradesh 82516 15208 977 24 464 372 27 Uttranchal 00 3829 3829 34 967

28 West Bengal 13567 56384 69951 346

29 Andman amp Nicobar Island 00 033 033 0

30 Pondicherry 00 275 275 0 ~-

Total 2183766507867 479958 987826

I

L 33

------------------~------

The achievements are up to March 2006 only The progressachievement of 2006-07 was under compilationscrutiny in ewe at the time of preparation of this document

The figures for states ofKerala and Rajasthan pertain to the achievement of whole year 2006-07 and for the State of Uttar Pradesh the achievement is up to December2006

49 Conclusions

Water sector development encompasses multidisciplinary considerations There is no scope of overlooking any sector while giving priority to any sector or sectors The integrated planning is the only possible way to tackle the water resources development The participatory approach is the key for its sustainability Bharat middot Nirman Plan of Government of India by setting up goals for the period of four years is a boost to the already existing schemes in different ministries Irrigation and public water supply is the basic components of development have been rightly considered in the Bharat Nirman Plan The ambitious project has already traveled through a span of two years and has achieved some part of the goals The balance part has to be done with equal fervor The recent modification in AlBP norms is the evidence of the governmental zeal in achieving the goals For the continuance of the food sufficiency the irrigation development is the feasible quick solution The component of Irrigation in Bharat Nirman is thus a huge help for the required development in the water sector

34

Page 32: ROLE OF WRD&M IN BHARAT NIRMAN DURING WRD 2007

l

It is desirable to introduce more reliable and accurate system of assessment for potential created and utilized There should be a coordinating statistical organization in each State for reporting the figures of potential created and utilized The Remote Sensing Technique can also be effectively utilized for counter verification of figures reported The loss in potential due to siltation ageing of various distribution systems etc needs to be periodically assessed and accounted

The productivity of irrigated crop as assumed in economic analysis often seem to be optimistic and are not based on experience of nearby irrigation projects Use of water for irrigation and selection of crops have been left to the discretion of users farmers The adverse consequences of such freedom have been manifested as water logging in some commands Somewhere overexploitation of ground -vater has been leading to progressive fall in ground water level It is therefore necessary that a regulatory mechanism is brought into practice by which undesirable or unsuitable crops are discouraged and tendency to over use of irrigation water is c~ecked Similarly in areas where ground water is being used for irrigation a regulatory mechanism should be in place to deter over exploitation of ground water beyond allOvable limit

Sometimes apprehension of scarcity of water and non availability of water when needed also lead to over withdrawal by head end users Since extra tion of ground water is costly farmers tend to take water more than their requirements when that is available through canals Higher cost of ground water is primarily because of cost of power required for lifting of water In case source of solar power is created for lifting of water the cost of ground water will get substantially reduced This may facilitate and give farmers option to use surface water and ground water thom any extra cost Once this option is available and known to farmers that they are aware that use of more water than the optimal requirement is likely to reduce the yield certainly there would be reductionin

overdraw of water by head enders Thus there is a need to extend u~er friendly system and increase awareness and cooperation among farmers through Participatory Irrigation Management Water Users Associatiortsneed to be empowered to look into these aspects Further the piped distribution system and micro irrigation should be adopted as far as possible

In India night imgation is not practiced in general As a result waters flowing in canals during night hours either pass unutilized or wasted on account of uncontrolled flooding It is desirable that the night irrigation is introduced in policy and practice

47 Flood Management

In regard to flood management the strategies recommended are given here under

(a) Undertake construction of dams and reservoir schemes with adequate flood cushion for long term solution of flood problems Efforts should also be made for utilizing the existing reservoirs in the country for flood moderation to the extent

30

possible Even in Reservoirs constructed for power other purposes the rule curves may be framed in such way that effective flood moderation is achieved

(b) Flood Forecasting and flood warning network of ewe be extended and integrated with similar networks of the state governments so as to get real time information at a central point say in central flood control room under FMO ewe This activity should be extended to cover rivers originating from or flowing to the neighbouring countries

( c) To take up development of digital elevation model of flood prone areas for taking up schemes for inundation forecast preparation of flood risk maps planning of flood management schemes etc

(d) Identification of appropriate location for breaching spiling sections in the flood embankment for the controlled flooding of the protected areas for restoring fertility recharge of soil moisture and ground water

( e) Integrating flood management schemes with other infrastructural development programmes in the sectors of roads railways inland waterways and canal command area development works as well as recently declared Rural Employment Guarantee Programme

(f) Watershed management in the hilly catchmentgs of the rivers ongmating in Nepal Bhutan and hilly areas of India should be selectively chosen and funded fully Implementation should be done through a joint mechanism Ministry of Agriculture who is the nodal Ministry for the watershed management works should work out a detailed program in consultation with the Ministry of Water Resources

(g) To give adequate emphasis on the operation and maintenance (OampM) of the flood protection measures already created a percentage of outlay of the flood sector should be earmarked for this purpose

(h) Raising and strengthening of the existing embankments if required after detailed studies of hydrological morphological topographical and developmental aspects to stabilize the benefits of these measures

(i) Natural swamps and lakes to be developed into detention basins and capacity of existing depressions be improved for absorbing flood waters Special drives for development of Tal and Diara areas

G) Erosion of land either by sea or rivers to be minimized through suitable cost effective measures

(k) Flood proofing program such as raised platform and quick drainage facilities to be taken up in a)l the flood prone states

31

(1) Drainage improvement in critical areas in the country to be given priority

(m) Dredging at selective locations ie outfalls etc in the rivers and the tributaries as a way to reduce flood levels in low-lying areas and help in quick drainage

(n) Encourage RampD activities for improved flood management

(0) To encourage peoples participation

(p) To expedite projects peaks

on interlinking of rivers for helping in attenuating flood

(q) Steps to ensure implementation of action plan prepared by NDMA for flood management should be taken

(r) On-going schemes of earlier plans be completed expeditiously All the on going schemes spilling over to the XI Plan in which at least 50 execution has taken place should get first priority on fund allocation during the XI Plan

(s) The cost for flood component in a multi-purpose water resources development projects as a long-term solution to flood problem should be funded by Government of India

(t) Maintenance of existing flood management works to optimize its benefits

32

48 Achievement in irrigation during the two years of the Bharat Nirman Plan

The statewise achievement in two years ending on September 2006 is given below It shows that 2183776 thousand hectare has been added to the irrigation potential A daunting task still left to be achieved in coming two years

thF19ures are III ousand h ec ares t

I

i rOo

rarget bull Major amp Aebievements upSI No

States UrsName MinorMedium Total to September

Irrigation Irrigation 2006 r i

1 Andhra Pradesh 44127 112523 156649 302065

2 Arunachal Pradesh 00 2239 2239 4 777 3 Assam 303 4275 7306 3314

4 Bihar 41399 12858 169979 279451 5 Chhattisgarh 4435 14668 19103 65661

6 Goa 2442 26 2702 1224 7 Gujarat 94573 00 945 73 255224

8 Haryana 3373 241 5783 33301 9 Himachal Pradesh 3091 4691 7788 8842

10 lharkhand 8122 25314 33436 15 701 11 Jammu amp Kashmir 1801 9254 11055 14847

12 Karnataka 26282 124 38682 11131 13 Kerala 1609 2168 3777 15856

14 Madhya Pradesh 61172 162 77372 8138 15 Maharashtra 465 31 35651 82181 9313

16 Manipur 5195 155 6745 0 17 Meghalaya 00 1493 1493 2073

18 Mizoram 00 1096 1096 0628 19 Nagaland 00 1612 1612 259

20 Orissa 19899 13295 33194 3266 21 Punjab 4034 2056 609 68755

22 Rajasthan 37974 401 41984 26459 23 Sikkim 00 703 703 08

24 Tamil Nadu 00 2355 23 55 16461 25 Tripura 2689 5429 8118 6327 26 Uttar Pradesh 82516 15208 977 24 464 372 27 Uttranchal 00 3829 3829 34 967

28 West Bengal 13567 56384 69951 346

29 Andman amp Nicobar Island 00 033 033 0

30 Pondicherry 00 275 275 0 ~-

Total 2183766507867 479958 987826

I

L 33

------------------~------

The achievements are up to March 2006 only The progressachievement of 2006-07 was under compilationscrutiny in ewe at the time of preparation of this document

The figures for states ofKerala and Rajasthan pertain to the achievement of whole year 2006-07 and for the State of Uttar Pradesh the achievement is up to December2006

49 Conclusions

Water sector development encompasses multidisciplinary considerations There is no scope of overlooking any sector while giving priority to any sector or sectors The integrated planning is the only possible way to tackle the water resources development The participatory approach is the key for its sustainability Bharat middot Nirman Plan of Government of India by setting up goals for the period of four years is a boost to the already existing schemes in different ministries Irrigation and public water supply is the basic components of development have been rightly considered in the Bharat Nirman Plan The ambitious project has already traveled through a span of two years and has achieved some part of the goals The balance part has to be done with equal fervor The recent modification in AlBP norms is the evidence of the governmental zeal in achieving the goals For the continuance of the food sufficiency the irrigation development is the feasible quick solution The component of Irrigation in Bharat Nirman is thus a huge help for the required development in the water sector

34

Page 33: ROLE OF WRD&M IN BHARAT NIRMAN DURING WRD 2007

possible Even in Reservoirs constructed for power other purposes the rule curves may be framed in such way that effective flood moderation is achieved

(b) Flood Forecasting and flood warning network of ewe be extended and integrated with similar networks of the state governments so as to get real time information at a central point say in central flood control room under FMO ewe This activity should be extended to cover rivers originating from or flowing to the neighbouring countries

( c) To take up development of digital elevation model of flood prone areas for taking up schemes for inundation forecast preparation of flood risk maps planning of flood management schemes etc

(d) Identification of appropriate location for breaching spiling sections in the flood embankment for the controlled flooding of the protected areas for restoring fertility recharge of soil moisture and ground water

( e) Integrating flood management schemes with other infrastructural development programmes in the sectors of roads railways inland waterways and canal command area development works as well as recently declared Rural Employment Guarantee Programme

(f) Watershed management in the hilly catchmentgs of the rivers ongmating in Nepal Bhutan and hilly areas of India should be selectively chosen and funded fully Implementation should be done through a joint mechanism Ministry of Agriculture who is the nodal Ministry for the watershed management works should work out a detailed program in consultation with the Ministry of Water Resources

(g) To give adequate emphasis on the operation and maintenance (OampM) of the flood protection measures already created a percentage of outlay of the flood sector should be earmarked for this purpose

(h) Raising and strengthening of the existing embankments if required after detailed studies of hydrological morphological topographical and developmental aspects to stabilize the benefits of these measures

(i) Natural swamps and lakes to be developed into detention basins and capacity of existing depressions be improved for absorbing flood waters Special drives for development of Tal and Diara areas

G) Erosion of land either by sea or rivers to be minimized through suitable cost effective measures

(k) Flood proofing program such as raised platform and quick drainage facilities to be taken up in a)l the flood prone states

31

(1) Drainage improvement in critical areas in the country to be given priority

(m) Dredging at selective locations ie outfalls etc in the rivers and the tributaries as a way to reduce flood levels in low-lying areas and help in quick drainage

(n) Encourage RampD activities for improved flood management

(0) To encourage peoples participation

(p) To expedite projects peaks

on interlinking of rivers for helping in attenuating flood

(q) Steps to ensure implementation of action plan prepared by NDMA for flood management should be taken

(r) On-going schemes of earlier plans be completed expeditiously All the on going schemes spilling over to the XI Plan in which at least 50 execution has taken place should get first priority on fund allocation during the XI Plan

(s) The cost for flood component in a multi-purpose water resources development projects as a long-term solution to flood problem should be funded by Government of India

(t) Maintenance of existing flood management works to optimize its benefits

32

48 Achievement in irrigation during the two years of the Bharat Nirman Plan

The statewise achievement in two years ending on September 2006 is given below It shows that 2183776 thousand hectare has been added to the irrigation potential A daunting task still left to be achieved in coming two years

thF19ures are III ousand h ec ares t

I

i rOo

rarget bull Major amp Aebievements upSI No

States UrsName MinorMedium Total to September

Irrigation Irrigation 2006 r i

1 Andhra Pradesh 44127 112523 156649 302065

2 Arunachal Pradesh 00 2239 2239 4 777 3 Assam 303 4275 7306 3314

4 Bihar 41399 12858 169979 279451 5 Chhattisgarh 4435 14668 19103 65661

6 Goa 2442 26 2702 1224 7 Gujarat 94573 00 945 73 255224

8 Haryana 3373 241 5783 33301 9 Himachal Pradesh 3091 4691 7788 8842

10 lharkhand 8122 25314 33436 15 701 11 Jammu amp Kashmir 1801 9254 11055 14847

12 Karnataka 26282 124 38682 11131 13 Kerala 1609 2168 3777 15856

14 Madhya Pradesh 61172 162 77372 8138 15 Maharashtra 465 31 35651 82181 9313

16 Manipur 5195 155 6745 0 17 Meghalaya 00 1493 1493 2073

18 Mizoram 00 1096 1096 0628 19 Nagaland 00 1612 1612 259

20 Orissa 19899 13295 33194 3266 21 Punjab 4034 2056 609 68755

22 Rajasthan 37974 401 41984 26459 23 Sikkim 00 703 703 08

24 Tamil Nadu 00 2355 23 55 16461 25 Tripura 2689 5429 8118 6327 26 Uttar Pradesh 82516 15208 977 24 464 372 27 Uttranchal 00 3829 3829 34 967

28 West Bengal 13567 56384 69951 346

29 Andman amp Nicobar Island 00 033 033 0

30 Pondicherry 00 275 275 0 ~-

Total 2183766507867 479958 987826

I

L 33

------------------~------

The achievements are up to March 2006 only The progressachievement of 2006-07 was under compilationscrutiny in ewe at the time of preparation of this document

The figures for states ofKerala and Rajasthan pertain to the achievement of whole year 2006-07 and for the State of Uttar Pradesh the achievement is up to December2006

49 Conclusions

Water sector development encompasses multidisciplinary considerations There is no scope of overlooking any sector while giving priority to any sector or sectors The integrated planning is the only possible way to tackle the water resources development The participatory approach is the key for its sustainability Bharat middot Nirman Plan of Government of India by setting up goals for the period of four years is a boost to the already existing schemes in different ministries Irrigation and public water supply is the basic components of development have been rightly considered in the Bharat Nirman Plan The ambitious project has already traveled through a span of two years and has achieved some part of the goals The balance part has to be done with equal fervor The recent modification in AlBP norms is the evidence of the governmental zeal in achieving the goals For the continuance of the food sufficiency the irrigation development is the feasible quick solution The component of Irrigation in Bharat Nirman is thus a huge help for the required development in the water sector

34

Page 34: ROLE OF WRD&M IN BHARAT NIRMAN DURING WRD 2007

(1) Drainage improvement in critical areas in the country to be given priority

(m) Dredging at selective locations ie outfalls etc in the rivers and the tributaries as a way to reduce flood levels in low-lying areas and help in quick drainage

(n) Encourage RampD activities for improved flood management

(0) To encourage peoples participation

(p) To expedite projects peaks

on interlinking of rivers for helping in attenuating flood

(q) Steps to ensure implementation of action plan prepared by NDMA for flood management should be taken

(r) On-going schemes of earlier plans be completed expeditiously All the on going schemes spilling over to the XI Plan in which at least 50 execution has taken place should get first priority on fund allocation during the XI Plan

(s) The cost for flood component in a multi-purpose water resources development projects as a long-term solution to flood problem should be funded by Government of India

(t) Maintenance of existing flood management works to optimize its benefits

32

48 Achievement in irrigation during the two years of the Bharat Nirman Plan

The statewise achievement in two years ending on September 2006 is given below It shows that 2183776 thousand hectare has been added to the irrigation potential A daunting task still left to be achieved in coming two years

thF19ures are III ousand h ec ares t

I

i rOo

rarget bull Major amp Aebievements upSI No

States UrsName MinorMedium Total to September

Irrigation Irrigation 2006 r i

1 Andhra Pradesh 44127 112523 156649 302065

2 Arunachal Pradesh 00 2239 2239 4 777 3 Assam 303 4275 7306 3314

4 Bihar 41399 12858 169979 279451 5 Chhattisgarh 4435 14668 19103 65661

6 Goa 2442 26 2702 1224 7 Gujarat 94573 00 945 73 255224

8 Haryana 3373 241 5783 33301 9 Himachal Pradesh 3091 4691 7788 8842

10 lharkhand 8122 25314 33436 15 701 11 Jammu amp Kashmir 1801 9254 11055 14847

12 Karnataka 26282 124 38682 11131 13 Kerala 1609 2168 3777 15856

14 Madhya Pradesh 61172 162 77372 8138 15 Maharashtra 465 31 35651 82181 9313

16 Manipur 5195 155 6745 0 17 Meghalaya 00 1493 1493 2073

18 Mizoram 00 1096 1096 0628 19 Nagaland 00 1612 1612 259

20 Orissa 19899 13295 33194 3266 21 Punjab 4034 2056 609 68755

22 Rajasthan 37974 401 41984 26459 23 Sikkim 00 703 703 08

24 Tamil Nadu 00 2355 23 55 16461 25 Tripura 2689 5429 8118 6327 26 Uttar Pradesh 82516 15208 977 24 464 372 27 Uttranchal 00 3829 3829 34 967

28 West Bengal 13567 56384 69951 346

29 Andman amp Nicobar Island 00 033 033 0

30 Pondicherry 00 275 275 0 ~-

Total 2183766507867 479958 987826

I

L 33

------------------~------

The achievements are up to March 2006 only The progressachievement of 2006-07 was under compilationscrutiny in ewe at the time of preparation of this document

The figures for states ofKerala and Rajasthan pertain to the achievement of whole year 2006-07 and for the State of Uttar Pradesh the achievement is up to December2006

49 Conclusions

Water sector development encompasses multidisciplinary considerations There is no scope of overlooking any sector while giving priority to any sector or sectors The integrated planning is the only possible way to tackle the water resources development The participatory approach is the key for its sustainability Bharat middot Nirman Plan of Government of India by setting up goals for the period of four years is a boost to the already existing schemes in different ministries Irrigation and public water supply is the basic components of development have been rightly considered in the Bharat Nirman Plan The ambitious project has already traveled through a span of two years and has achieved some part of the goals The balance part has to be done with equal fervor The recent modification in AlBP norms is the evidence of the governmental zeal in achieving the goals For the continuance of the food sufficiency the irrigation development is the feasible quick solution The component of Irrigation in Bharat Nirman is thus a huge help for the required development in the water sector

34

Page 35: ROLE OF WRD&M IN BHARAT NIRMAN DURING WRD 2007

48 Achievement in irrigation during the two years of the Bharat Nirman Plan

The statewise achievement in two years ending on September 2006 is given below It shows that 2183776 thousand hectare has been added to the irrigation potential A daunting task still left to be achieved in coming two years

thF19ures are III ousand h ec ares t

I

i rOo

rarget bull Major amp Aebievements upSI No

States UrsName MinorMedium Total to September

Irrigation Irrigation 2006 r i

1 Andhra Pradesh 44127 112523 156649 302065

2 Arunachal Pradesh 00 2239 2239 4 777 3 Assam 303 4275 7306 3314

4 Bihar 41399 12858 169979 279451 5 Chhattisgarh 4435 14668 19103 65661

6 Goa 2442 26 2702 1224 7 Gujarat 94573 00 945 73 255224

8 Haryana 3373 241 5783 33301 9 Himachal Pradesh 3091 4691 7788 8842

10 lharkhand 8122 25314 33436 15 701 11 Jammu amp Kashmir 1801 9254 11055 14847

12 Karnataka 26282 124 38682 11131 13 Kerala 1609 2168 3777 15856

14 Madhya Pradesh 61172 162 77372 8138 15 Maharashtra 465 31 35651 82181 9313

16 Manipur 5195 155 6745 0 17 Meghalaya 00 1493 1493 2073

18 Mizoram 00 1096 1096 0628 19 Nagaland 00 1612 1612 259

20 Orissa 19899 13295 33194 3266 21 Punjab 4034 2056 609 68755

22 Rajasthan 37974 401 41984 26459 23 Sikkim 00 703 703 08

24 Tamil Nadu 00 2355 23 55 16461 25 Tripura 2689 5429 8118 6327 26 Uttar Pradesh 82516 15208 977 24 464 372 27 Uttranchal 00 3829 3829 34 967

28 West Bengal 13567 56384 69951 346

29 Andman amp Nicobar Island 00 033 033 0

30 Pondicherry 00 275 275 0 ~-

Total 2183766507867 479958 987826

I

L 33

------------------~------

The achievements are up to March 2006 only The progressachievement of 2006-07 was under compilationscrutiny in ewe at the time of preparation of this document

The figures for states ofKerala and Rajasthan pertain to the achievement of whole year 2006-07 and for the State of Uttar Pradesh the achievement is up to December2006

49 Conclusions

Water sector development encompasses multidisciplinary considerations There is no scope of overlooking any sector while giving priority to any sector or sectors The integrated planning is the only possible way to tackle the water resources development The participatory approach is the key for its sustainability Bharat middot Nirman Plan of Government of India by setting up goals for the period of four years is a boost to the already existing schemes in different ministries Irrigation and public water supply is the basic components of development have been rightly considered in the Bharat Nirman Plan The ambitious project has already traveled through a span of two years and has achieved some part of the goals The balance part has to be done with equal fervor The recent modification in AlBP norms is the evidence of the governmental zeal in achieving the goals For the continuance of the food sufficiency the irrigation development is the feasible quick solution The component of Irrigation in Bharat Nirman is thus a huge help for the required development in the water sector

34

Page 36: ROLE OF WRD&M IN BHARAT NIRMAN DURING WRD 2007

The achievements are up to March 2006 only The progressachievement of 2006-07 was under compilationscrutiny in ewe at the time of preparation of this document

The figures for states ofKerala and Rajasthan pertain to the achievement of whole year 2006-07 and for the State of Uttar Pradesh the achievement is up to December2006

49 Conclusions

Water sector development encompasses multidisciplinary considerations There is no scope of overlooking any sector while giving priority to any sector or sectors The integrated planning is the only possible way to tackle the water resources development The participatory approach is the key for its sustainability Bharat middot Nirman Plan of Government of India by setting up goals for the period of four years is a boost to the already existing schemes in different ministries Irrigation and public water supply is the basic components of development have been rightly considered in the Bharat Nirman Plan The ambitious project has already traveled through a span of two years and has achieved some part of the goals The balance part has to be done with equal fervor The recent modification in AlBP norms is the evidence of the governmental zeal in achieving the goals For the continuance of the food sufficiency the irrigation development is the feasible quick solution The component of Irrigation in Bharat Nirman is thus a huge help for the required development in the water sector

34