The
following systems of irrigation are suitable for the Indian topography
1.Tank
irrigation
2.Canal
irrigation
3.Well
and tube-well irrigation
TANK
IRRIGATION:
A
tank is nothing but a depression formed on the surface of the earth by
naturally or artificially to store the water by building a bund around or a
side of the depression. If the tank is nearer or on the way of the stream of
the river it is easy to store the water.
CONDITIONS
FOR TANK IRRIGATION:
1.Land
should have an undulating relief feature so that depression could be available
2.
should have a hard layered rock and little percolation of water so that water
can be retained for a long period
AREAS
FULLFILLING THE ABOVE CONDITIONS:
Most
parts of peninsular india especially most areas of Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh, eastern parts of karnataka,
eastern Madhya Pradesh, eastern Maharashtra and a few parts in north india.
ADVANTAGES
OF TANK IRRIGATION:
1.Most
of the tanks are natural and do not involve heavy cost for their construction.
2.even
an individual farmer can have his own tank.
3.tanks
are generally constructed on rocky bed and have longer life span.
4.in
many tanks fishing is also carried on. This supplements both the food resources
and income of the farmer.
DISADVANTAGES
OF TANK IRRIGATION:
1.many
tanks dry up during the dry season and fail to provide irrigation when it is
needed the most.
2.silting
of the tank bed is a serious problem and it requires desilting in regular
intervals.
3.evaporation
loss is very high.
4.some
times it is difficult to take water from tank to the irrigation field because
of the hard rock.
CANAL
IRRIGATION
Canals
are man-made channels for flow of water.
CONDITIONS
FOR CANAL IRRIGATION:
1.areas
of low and level relief so that water flow would be by the gravitation force
2.deep
soft rock layer so that canal excavation would be easy
3.perennial
source of water
AREAS
FULFILLING THE CONDITIONS:
North
plains of india especially the areas comprising Punjab; Haryana and uttar
Pradesh and the coastal and delta
regions of the south india.
ADVANTAGES
OF CANAL IRRIGATION:
1.most
of the canals provide perennial irrigation and supply water as and when needed.
2.canals
carry a lot of sediment brought down by the rivers. This sediment is deposited
in the agricultural fields which adds to the fertility of soil.
3.some
of the canals are parts of multipurpose projects and, therefore, provide cheap
source of irrigation.
4.although
the initial cost involved in canal irrigation is much higher, it is quite cheap
in the long run.
DISADVANTAGES
OF CANAL IRRIGATION:
1.the
canal water soaks into the ground and leads to the problem of water-logging
along the canal route
2.the
marshy areas near the canals act as breeding grounds of mosquitoes which result
in widespread diseases
3.many
canals over flow during rainy season and flood the surrounding areas.
4.canal
irrigation is suitable in plain areas only.
WELL&TUBE-WELL
IRRIGATION
A
well is a hole dug in the ground to obtain the subsoil water.
A
tube well is a deeper well with a tube surrounding the peripheral from which
water is lifted with the help of a pump set.
CONDITIONS
FOR WELL AND TUBE-WELL IRRIGATION:
1.sufficient
sweet ground water should be available
2.soft
rock
AREAS
FULFILLING THE CONDITIONS:
Large
part of great plain, the deltaic regions of the Mahanadi, the godhavari, the
Krishna, and the Cauvery, parts of the narmada and the tapi valleys and the
weathered layers of the deccan trap.
ADVANTAGES
OF WELL AND TUBE-WELL IRRIGATION:
1.simplest
and cheapest source of irrigation and the poor Indian farmer can easily afford
it
2.well
is an independent source of irrigation and can be used as and when the
necessity arises
3.several
chemicals such as nitrate, chloride, sulphate, etc. Are mixed in well water.
They add to the fertility of soil when they reach the agricultural field along
with well water
4.there
is a limit to the extent of canal irrigation while a well can be dug at any
convenient place
DISADVANTAGES
OF WELL AND TUBE-WELL IRRIGATION:
1.only
limited areas can be irrigated
2.the
well may dry up and may be rendered useless for irrigation if excessive water
is taken out of it
3.tubewells
can draw a lot of ground water from its neighbouring areas and make the ground
dry and unfit for agriculture
4.
for tube-wells electricity or diesel needed.
