Ind. in. ofAgri. Econ. Vol. 57, No. 1, Jan.-March 2002

Economic Feasibility of Renovation of Village Ponds for Irrigation in Kandi Area of Punjab

Chawla, S.D. Khepar and Mukesh Siag*

Introduction

The Kandi (semi-hilly) area of Punjab lies in the foothills of lower Shivaliks. This belt is about 250 kilometres (km) in length having width varying from 3 to 11 km. People of the area are economically backward. Their main source of livelihood is agriculture which is difficult and uncertain on account of lack of irrigation facilities. Agriculture, therefore, remains dependent on 'Rain Gods'. Mean annual rainfall of the area is 900 millimetres (mm), of which 80 per cent is received from late June to mid-September. However, the rainfall is erratic and results in frequent failure of crops. The groundwater is also limited and very deep and thus its development cost is prohibitive. Thus the main constraint for development of agriculture in the area is lack of irrigation facilities. Efforts have been made during the recent past to construct water harvesting structures to store the run-off during monsoon to provide life saving irrigation to the rabi crop but these have been insufficient and inadequate. One of the possibilities to further increase the area under irrigation is the renovation of village ponds. for storage of rainfall run-off and waste water from villagers' dwelling units and use the same for providing irrigation to the adjoining cultivable land. Earlier, these ponds used to serve the rural community in more than one way since time immemorial. These ponds were mainly used as a source of drinking and bathing of animals. In some of the villages having water scarcity, these ponds were used even for drinking purposes by human beings. The ponds used to dry up before the monsoons. The silt deposited in the ponds used to be removed by the villagers for plastering their kutcha (poor quality) houses. Thus de-silting of the ponds was an annual phenomenon, which would indirectly cleanse the pond as well as increase its storage capacity. The village pond has thus stood the test of times in the past because it used to perform a number of physical and ecological functions such as regeneration, reuse and recycling. During the last few decades, there has been a significant change in the socio- economic conditions of villages. The government has provided public water supply in most of the villages and at many places, the residents have installed their own pumps (mostly motor-driven) due to which dependence of the villagers on pond water for

* Department of Soil and Water Engineering, Punjab Agricultural University, -141 004. The authors are grateful to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research for providing funds to carry out this study under the National Professorship Project. 92 INDIAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS

their day-to-day water needs has drastically reduced. Mostly pucca (good quality) houses have replaced the old kutcha houses and the ponds have more or less been abandoned for common use. The silt deposited in the pond is no more required now and goes on accumulating thereby decreasing its storage capacity resulting into frequent overflows during rainy season. This results into flooding of nearby streets and becomes a breeding ground for mosquitoes. The following are some of the reasons for inhibiting the use of pond water by the villagers for irrigation. (a) Socio-economic reasons which include lack of motivation of the beneficiaries by the local bodies for use of pond water for irrigation, non-aesthetic state of the ponds, subsidised/free supply of water and electricity for tubewells, users' apprehensions about the quality and suitability of pond water for irrigation and initial investment for the suggested infrastructure. (b) Physical reasons being inadequate storage capacity of pond due to silting, neglect of de-silting and renovation of pond and non-existence of infra-structure for pumping and distribution of water. Thus the village ponds which once used to be very useful institutions have now rather become a source of nuisance. A recent study carried out at the Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana (Khepar et al., 1999) reveals that the quality of pond water is fit for irrigation as well as development of fisheries. In the Kandi area, since the availability of irrigation water is. the main constraint for agriculture production, an effort has been made in this paper to examine the economic feasibility of renovation of village ponds and to test certain hypotheses related to their use for irrigation. The renovation of these 'sick' ponds would solve the water shortage problem during the critical growth period of the crop and also the waste water disposal problem. Simultaneously, it would minimise the health and environmental risks which these otherwise abandoned ponds pose to the residents. Methodology

The data such as physical features of the pond like its location, water spread, average depth, source of inflow, its present and past use and cropping pattern were obtained on the basis of survey conchicted in each of the 11 blocks of by selecting two villages from each block. The list of blocks and number of villages contained therein are given in Table 1. Information on rainfall run-off coefficient, cost of pumpset, pump house and laying out of/ underground pipeline system for irrigation was collected from the Departmentd of Soil Conservation and Waste Land Development. Increase in wheat yield on account of supplemental irrigation during rabi season was taken from the work done in the Department of Soils of Punjab Agricultural University while suitability of water samples collected from the surveyed villages was examined in the ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY OF RENOVATION OF VILLAGE PONDS FOR IRRIGATION 93

TABLE I. BLOCKWISE NUMBER OF VILLAGES IN LUDHIANA DISTRICT

Block Number of villages Block Number of villages (1) (2) (3) (4) Ludhiana 79 Sidhwanbet 92 Mangat 198 66 Pakhowal 64 139 " 77 Doraha - 82 54 Khanna 69 53 Source: Government of Punjab (1998-99).

laboratory and its fitness for irrigation was then decided as per the University's recommendations with regard to irrigation water. The effective pond capacity was determined on the basis of its physical features, run-off volume from the catchment area, dead storage, seepage and evapbration- losses, etc. Based on the effective storage, the command area to be irrigated during rabi season was estimated assuming one pre-sowing or post-sowing supplemental irrigation of 7.5 centimetres (cm) for wheat crop. The following hypotheses were formulated for the study. (i) Is the quality of pond water suitable for irrigating various crops under different soil conditions in the state? (ii) Will the renovation of these water bodies check the overflow of ponds during rainy season and thereby save the inhabitants from the ill-effects of dirty water? (iii) Is the renovation of village ponds technically and economically viable? These hypotheses were then tested with the help of collected and analysed data and suitable recommendations made thereafter. The economic analysis for the development of village ponds was carried out using standard techniques on the basis of annual benefit and annual cost.

Results and Discussion

As per the analysis of water samples collected from various ponds, the quality of water was found fit for irrigation. The quality of water will further improve with increase in inflow to the ponds after renovation/de-silting. As stated earlier, the average physical features (dimensions) of village pond in Kandi area were deter- mined on the basis of preliminary investigations and are as follows: (i) Top surface area (TSA)= 1.5 ha; (ii) Middle surface area (MSA)= 1.3 ha; (iii) Bottom surface area (BSA) = 1.0 ha; and (iv) Average depth = 2.0 m (after de-watering and de- silting). The average rainfall during the monsoons is 650 mm. It is estimated that 40 per cent of the rainfall is diverted as run-off to the village ponds. The cropping pattern mainly comprised wheat during the rabi and maize in kharif. The experiments carried out in the Kandi area (Prihar, 1990) on the use of limited water stored in water harvesting structures for irrigation of wheat have revealed an average increase of more than 7 quintals per hectare with application of one irrigation to wheat crop as 94 INDIAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS

pre-sowing or as early post-sowing supplemental irrigation (Table 2). Information pertaining to the investment on de-watering and de-silting, purchase of pumpset, installation of pipelines for distribution of water, etc., was collected from the State Department of Soil Conservation and Waste Land Development and is reported in the economic analyses.

TABLE 2. EFFECT OF SUPPLEMENTAL IRRIGATION ON WHEAT YIELD (kg per hectare)

Grain yield Treatment Mean 1973- 1974- 1975- 1976- 1977- 1978- 1979- 1980- 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) Control 3,440 2,850 2,300 380 3,920 3,970 1,260 2,950 2,630 , (unirrigated) One irrigation 3,890 3,750 3,680 990 4,160 4,230 2,570 2,530 3,350 LSD (0.05) 190 390 310 N.S. N.S. 260 410 - Rainfall(mm) 141 153 227 48 192 323 101 340

Source: Prihar (1990).

Economic Analyses

Effective storage

Based on average dimensions of the pond reported in the preceding section, the capacity of the pond is worked out as follows:

TSA + 4 x MSA + BSA Capacity of the pond = x Average depth 6

1.5 + 4 x1.3 +1.0 x 2 = 2.60 cubicmetres (cu.m.) 6 Dead storage (at the rate of 20 per cent)= 2.6 x 0.2 = 0.52 cu.m.

It is assumed that the tank would be filled up during the rainy season (July- September) and the stored water would be used for either pre-sowing (rauni) irrigation and/or supplemental irrigation during the months of November-January. Taking an average evaporation rate of 3 mm per day: Evaporation loss during 3 months = 3 x 90 (days)= 270 mm,say, 30 cm Seepage and deep percolation = 30 cm Total losses = 30 + 30 = 60 cm It is further estimated that 50 per cent of these losses are compensated by the inflow from domestic waste water so that: ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY OF RENOVATION OF VILLAGE PONDS FOR IRRIGATION 95

60 50 Actual loss through (evaporation + seepage) = 1.5(ha)x x 100 100 = 0.45 ha-m

Run-off volumefrom the catchment area

Let the average catchment area of the pond = 10 ha (Area of the village and surroundings contributing towards run-off during rainy season) Average rainfall in Kandi area during the monsoon = 650 mm Run-off coefficient (Government of Punjab, 1999) =0.4 650 Volume of run-off =10x x0.4 1000 = 2.6 ha-m This matches with the calculated storage capacity of the pond. Therefore, effective storage = 2.6 — (2.6 x 0.2) — 0.45 = 1.63, say, 1.6 m3 Since the volume of run-off matches with the storage capacity of the pond, no overflow from the pond is expected.

Design ofIrrigation System

The design of irrigation system includes pumpset and the command area. (i) Size ofpumpset The operating head for pumping of water from the pond is assumed as 7.5 m. From the pump performance characteristics chart, it is found that a centrifugal pump directly coupled with a 5 horse power diesel engine/motor (when electric motor connection is not available) can deliver a discharge of around 20 litres per second against a total head of 5-10 m. (ii) Command area Wheat (during rabi season) requires 7.5 cm of water per irrigation. The pond should be able to provide at least one pre-sowing irrigation or one subsequent irrigation (of 7.5 cm. each). Water requirement of one irrigation = 7.5 cm. =1.6x90 Command area of the pond assuming its 0.075x100 effective storage volume as 1.6 m3 and efficiency of underground pipeline system as 90 per cent = 20 ha 96 INDIAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS

Annual income

Increase in yield with one irrigation of 7.5 cm =7.2 quintals per hectare (Prihar, 1990) ...Additional annual income accrued per hectare (at the rate of Rs. 550 per quintal) with one applied irrigation from renovated pond =550 x 7.2 = Rs. 3,960 Total additional annual income (from 20 ha) =3,960 x 20 = Rs. 79,200 Annual costs

The annual costs comprise fixed and operating costs. The fixed costs include capital cost, rate of interest and life of various components of the system. The life of pumpset and accessories and retaining wall is assumed as 20 years while that of underground pipeline as 25 years. The capital costs comprise the following:

(i) De-watering and de-silting (after every 10 years) Rs. 50,000 (ii) Pumpset, engine, pump house, pipe fittings, Rs. 50,000 retaining wall, pipeline, etc. (iii) Underground pipeline at the rate of Rs.10,000 per Rs. 2,00,000 ha of irrigable area of 20 ha Total Rs. 3,00,000 (a) Fixed costs

(3,00,000 — 25,000) (i) Annual interest x12 = Rs. 16,500 2x100

(Assuming a salvage value of items (ii) and (iii) as 10 per cent of fixed costs, i.e., Rs. 25,000 and rate of interest as 12 per cent per annum) (ii) Depreciation

- Pumpset and engine (50,000 — 5000) (including pumphouse, 20 = Rs. 2,250 pipeline, etc.) (1,00,000-10,000) - Underground pipeline 25 = Rs. 3,600

- De-watering and de-silting (50,000 — zero) = Rs. 5,000 (These will have zero salvage value) 10

Total Fixed Costs = Rs. 27,350 ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY OF RENOVATION OF VILLAGE PONDS FOR IRRIGATION 97

(b) Operating costs

(i) Cost of high speed diesel(HSD) for 400 hours of Rs. 6,800 operation of engine and pump during the year at the rate of Rs. 17.00/hour (fuel consumption at the rate of 0.25 litre/BHP hour and price of HSD at the rate of Rs.13.50/litre) (ii) Operator's wages at the rate of Rs.10 per running hourRs.4,000 (i.e., part-time operator) (iii) Repair and maintenance of pump, engine, pump house and fittings, etc.) Rs.4,000

Total Operating Costs Rs. 14,800 Annual Cost = Total Fixed Cost + Total Operating Cost Rs. 42,150

Benefit-cost ratio

The B-C ratio = Annual benefit: Annual cost = 79,200 : 42,150 = 1.9: 1

After the feasibility study, testing of water samples and economic analyses, the formulated hypotheses stand tested as follows: (i) The quality of pond water was suitable for irrigating the prevailing crops in Kandi area including wheat in the rabi season under different soil conditions of the Punjab State. (ii) After de-silting of ponds and other related development work undertaken for the renovation of village ponds, there will not be overflow of ponds. This would save the residents of the village from many a disease like malaria and viral fever, etc., besides maintaining the ecology of surroundings. (iii) As per the economic analysis carried out, it can be concluded that renovation of village ponds is technically feasible and economically viable provided the cost involved on the infrastructure is borne by the State Government. However, for the successful running of such a project, some institutional constraints and policies will have to be looked into, which are as under. The government will have to identify a nodal agency which would be responsible for planning, co-ordinating and implementing the project of renovation of village ponds for irrigation. The nodal agency may arrange grants from the State Government to meet the initial investment on infrastructural development. Since the village pond is a social institution, peoples' involvement in the management of such water bodies is crucial for their long-term sustainability. Many a development project in the countryside has failed to achieve the desired results for want of local peoples' 98 INDIAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS

participation. Water users' associations involving village residents will have to be constituted and registered and these should be entrusted with the management part like the operation and maintenance of the irrigation system. Viewed on long-term basis, the overall socio-economic benefits accrueing to the village community after the execution of such a project will be much more since these institutions, when taken up on sound footing and scientific basis with the active participation of the users, will be of sustainable nature while the government's policy of providing free water and electricity to tubewells is of temporary nature. The above strategy will take care of socio-economic and physical constraints for the successful renovation of village ponds for irrigation. Based upon the feasibility study of the need and scope of renovation of village ponds and the economic analyses given here, the proposal prepared by the Punjab Agricultural University has already been accepted in principle by the State Government. Two such projects have also been completed at village `Karimpur Dhyani' and Thandyani Khurd' of Nawanshahr district by the State Department of Soil Conservation and Waste Land Development. Funds are being provided by the State Government during the current plan to take up pilot projects in different districts of the state.

Conclusions

The study has established that the development of village ponds in Kandi area of Punjab for providing supplemental irrigation to crops during rabi season was technically feasible and economically viable. The irrigation provided from village ponds in water scarcity Kandi area would add to the income of the poor farmers. Though the development of irrigation facilities using pond water was more economical as compared to creating a new source of irrigation, yet the initial cost of the development will have to be met by the State Government to motivate the villagers to take up such activities. However, the operational and maintenance cost could be borne by the beneficiaries.

Received December 1999. Revision accepted December 2001.

REFERENCES

Government of Punjab (1998-99), Agricultural Statistics: LA.D.P. Ludhiana, 1998-99, Department of Agriculture, Punjab, Chandigarh. Government of Punjab (1999), Report on Renovation of Village Ponds, Department of Soil and Water Conservation and Waste Land Development, Punjab, Chandgarh. Khepar, S.D.; J.K. Chawla, and M. Siag (1999), Need and Scope of Renovation of Village Ponds — A Feasibility Study, Department of Soil and Water Engineering, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana (Unpublished). Prihar, S.S. (1990), Technology for Rainfed Cropping in Kandi Area, Department of Soils, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana (Unpublished).