Alternatives to mitigate the negative impacts of irrigation projects

Alternatives exist to mitigate adverse effects of irrigation development. Some of them are listed below:

  • locating the irrigation project on the site where negative impacts are minimized;
  • improving the efficiency of existing projects and restoring degraded croplands to use rather than establishing a new irrigation project;
  • developing small-scale, individually-owned irrigation systems as an alternative to large-scale, publicly-owned and managed schemes;
  • using sprinkler irrigation and micro-irrigation systems to decrease the risk of waterlogging, erosion and inefficient water use;
  • using treated wastewater, where appropriate, to make more water available to other users;
  • maintaining flood flows downstream of the dams to ensure that an adequate area is flooded each year, among other reasons, for fishery activities.