Geo-Eye

Abstract

Water is one of the most crucial and essential natural resources for sustaining life. In the coming decades it is likely become critically scarce due to rapid increase in population, increase in its demands for agriculture, industries, commercial development and expanding economy of the country. The use of various measures to reduce the demand or water use likely to conserve the existing limited water supply through the practices which require less water and reduces the wastage and misuse of water. Irrigation is perhaps the most important input in the agriculture production process and plays a key role. The other key inputs namely, seed and fertilizer cease to realize their full benefit unless combined with irrigation. Also, in an economy where the supply of land is highly inelastic and the net sown area growth has leveled off, the future growth of agriculture is heavily dependent on intensive cultivation of the existing land. Irrigation greatly facilitates this by enabling farmers to grow multiple crops on the same plot of land across different agricultural seasons. As four rivers Varada, Dharma, Kumudwati and Tungabhadra flow in the district, comprehensive projects can be taken up to tap the irrigation potential. One major irrigation project i.e. Upper Tunga Project (UTP) is coming up in the district which will help to bring an additional of 73239 ha area under irrigation distributed in Ranebennur (30,530ha), Haveri (27908ha), Hangal (2158 ha) and Hirekerur (9468 ha) and Byadagi (3175 ha.), So far 22724 ha area in Ranebennur taluka and 9468 ha in Hirekerur taluka has been brought under irrigation. Under Dharma project an area of 5426 ha has been brought under canal irrigation in Hangal taluka. Malaprabha right canal bank project is being implemented in Savanur and Shiggaon talukas which will cover an additional area19600 ha under irrigation.