- Irrigation is the controlled application of water through man-made systems to meet the water requirements of agriculture. Irrigation is an artificial application of water to crops or plants, especially when an agricultural field does not get enough water through rains.
- Having perhaps the largest irrigated area in the world, India faces acute water scarcity. We need to adopt irrigation methods that help not only in saving freshwater, but also provide sufficient water to plants for growth.
- Thus the process of supplying water to crops by artificial means such as canals, wells, tube-wells, tanks, etc. from the sources of water such as rivers, tanks, ponds or underground water is called irrigation.
Need for Irrigation:
- Enhance Productivity
- Tap the Productive potential of soil
- Reduce dependence upon Monsoon and rainfed agriculture
- Enhance Production by having multiple crops within a year
- Sources of Irrigation
- Irrigation Types
- Modes of Irrigation
- Developments with respect to irrigation
- Problems and challenges associated with Irrigation
- Potential environmental impacts of irrigation development
- Alternatives to mitigate the negative impacts of irrigation projects
- Growing gap in irrigation potential and usage major challenge
- Irrigation Schemes in India
PRACTICE QUESTIONS