What is the irrigation method? What are the sources of irrigation? Irrigation is the process of providing crops with water. Not all crops need the same quantity of water. For instance, millets (Jawar, Bajra, and Ragi) need even less water than millets (wheat), which require more water than rice.
In addition, various crops require water at different stages of development. For instance, wheat needs water before tillage, throughout flowering, and as the grain matures. On the other hand, rice needs water all year long. A good farmer understands when and how much water to use for crop irrigation.
Untimely or excessive irrigation can harm crops in the same way that too little water might. Water-logging is brought on by excessive watering, which prevents the roots from breathing. Salinization of the water is another effect. Let’s see what are the sources of irrigation.
What Is The Irrigation System?
Water is being applied to plants in an unnatural way by irrigation systems, and rainfall is insufficient to maintain crops. It is most frequently used in areas with insufficient rainfall.
Water is essential for plants’ survival and growth because it allows nutrients to enter their structures and participate in photosynthetic processes.
Traditional methods of agricultural irrigation included the construction of canals, the use of a pulley system, and the use of water wheels to transport water from streams to the fields.
Why Is Irrigation Method Important In Farming?
- Without irrigation, agriculture could not be sustained in areas with infrequent or irregular rainfall. Irrigation enhances agricultural growth and quality in regions with erratic precipitation.
- Irrigation is the artificial or manual delivery of water to farmland using canals, wells, and tanks. In locations with little rainfall, irrigation is crucial.
- Irrigation also contributes to more constant food supplies by enabling farmers to plant crops on a regular basis.
- When growing season precipitation is insufficient, irrigation water is used to supplement soil moisture in humid regions and enable crop production in arid climates.
- The agriculture industry is now more productive and profitable thanks to irrigation.
Sources Of Irrigation:
what are the sources of irrigation? Farmers have typically relied on rainwater for irrigation. As a result, crops with high water requirements were planted in regions with average to high rainfall. Additionally, drought-resistant crops were grown in arid regions. With the building of substantial dams across rivers in contemporary times, things have altered somewhat.
However, there are three main irrigation methods used by the farmers in the farming system.
- Canals
- Wells and tubewells
- Tanks
1. Canal Irrigation:
If you want to know what are the sources of irrigation. Well, canal irrigation is the second most important irrigation source in India. Canals are effective sources of irrigation in areas of low-level relief, deep, fertile soils, perennial sources of water and extensive command area.
In places with deep fertile soils, a permanent source of water, and a large command area, canals are an efficient form of irrigation. As a result, the northern plains are where canal irrigation is most prevalent.
The canals are of two types—
- Inundation Canals: These are removed from rivers without any type of control mechanisms, such as weirs or other structures, at the head. These waterways are useful for the recreation of flood water from the rivers and are only practical during the rainy season.
- Perennial Canals: Additionally, these canals are created from enduring rivers by building a barrage to control the water flow. However, the northern Indian plains account for 60% of the canal-irrigated land.
Due to the stony terrain, the canals are essentially nonexistent in the peninsular plateau region. However, there are canals for irrigation in the delta and coastal areas of southern India.
About 60% of the country’s canal irrigation land is spread throughout the states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Bihar.
Benefits Of Canal Irrigation:
- Continual Source
- offers protection from droughts
- provides the fields with fertile sediments
- affordable to cover a huge region
Demerits:
- The earth is saturated by canal water, which causes water logging, increases salinization, and creates marshy conditions that cause malaria and flooding.
- Water wastage.
2. Wells Irrigation:
A well is a borehole created in the ground to collect water from the subsoil. A typical well is between three and five metres deep, however deeper wells up to fifteen metres are also drilled.
Since the beginning of time, India has employed this technique for irrigation. The groundwater is extracted from the well using a variety of techniques. The Iranian wheel, charas or mot, and highly (lever) are a few of the commonly employed techniques.
An electric motor or a diesel engine-powered pumping set is used to pull water from a tube well, which is deeper well that is typically over 15 metres deep.
Benefits Of Well Irrigation:
- Easiest
- least expensive
- When the need arises, a well can be used as a standalone source of irrigation. On the other hand, canal irrigation is governed by several organisations and cannot be employed at will.
- Some salts found in groundwater can benefit crops.
- does not cause difficulties with flooding and salinization
- A well can be drilled anywhere that is convenient, whereas the range of canal irrigation is limited beyond the canal’s tail end.
Demerits:
- Well, Irrigation is only possible in a small area.
- A well typically has an irrigation capacity of 1 to 8 hectares.
- Not appropriate for arid areas
- Overuse might cause the water table to drop.
In regions with ample supplies of sweet ground water, this kind of irrigation is common.
It is especially well suited to places with permeable rock structures where groundwater can accumulate through percolation. Because of this, wells are more prevalent in locations with alluvial soil, regur soil, etc. and less prevalent in areas with rocky terrain or mountains.
A significant portion of the great northern plains, the deltaic areas of the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, and Cauvery, portions of the Narmada and Tapi basins, the weathered layers of the Deccan trap and crystalline rocks, and the sedimentary zones of the peninsula are among these places.
3. Tank Irrigation:
A tank can be used for irrigation in the same way that a small lake or pool is created by damming the valley of a stream to store monsoon rain for later use. It makes up about 3% of India’s net land under irrigation. In the peninsular plateau region, where Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are the two leading states, tank irrigation is common. The largest area of tank irrigation in India (29%) is located in Andhra Pradesh, as observed by Tamil Nadu (23%).
Due to the following factors, it is primarily practised in the peninsular region:
- It is challenging to dig canals and wells due to the undulating relief and rough rocks.
- Due to the hard rock structure and the limited supply of groundwater, there is little percolation of water.
- The only method to utilise this water is to impound it by erecting bunds and tanks because most rivers are seasonal and many streams become torrential during the rainy season.
- In addition, due to the impermeability of the rocks, it is simple to collect rainwater in natural or man-made trenches.
- Agriculture fields are dispersed.
Benefits Of Tank Irrigation:
- Most of the tanks are naturally occurring and didn’t cost anything to build.
- They are a reliable source for a single farmer or a small group of farmers.
- longer lifespan
- used for fishing as well
Demerits:
- Depends on rain
- these tanks may dry up during the dry season
- require a lot of space
- losses from evaporation
- It can occasionally be necessary to elevate the water to transport it to the field.
Conclusion:
We hope you understand what is an irrigation system, what are the sources of irrigation, and why is it so important in farming. Ultimately, we’ll say again that many places that formerly had access to water now receive water from these dams via canals. One illustration is the Indira Gandhi Canal, which in Rajasthan’s desert towns of Ganganagar and Bikaner has completely changed certain areas. However, if you have any queries in this regard then let us know in the comment box.