Water Resources of Rajasthan and Their Utilisation D N Nagar
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THE ECONOMIC WEEKLY May 9, 1953 Water Resources of Rajasthan and their Utilisation D N Nagar Today, the threat of famine looms large over wide tract a of Bikaner division which fall between Jai pur in the east and Jodhpur in the west. The only district which is immune is Ganganagar, which is irrigated by the canals constructed by the late Maharaja Gangasingh Even in this granary of Rajasthan, two tehsils have been declared scarcity stricken by the Rajasthan Government. rThe following account of the scarce water resources and the possibilities of their fruit fill utilisation will throw light on the causes of recurring scarcity and also indicate the lines on which remedial mea sures should be sought, • HE utilisation of water has Ranges and brings rain to the south, of grain by perennially irrigating T diverse aspects in the different unless it loses its force on the over 7 lakh acres of land. Before natural divisions of Rajasthan ac mountains of Banswara, Dungarpur the construction of the Gang Canal, cording to their physical conditions. and Udaipur. In those yearn when population in this area was very Of the total cultivated area in the ample share of both monsoons is scanty, and it was barely supported State, only 16 per cent is under received, the surface water fills the by keeping herds of camels, cattle, irrigation. Of the total area of ravines, depressions and cuts, and sheep and goats; now the popula Rajasthan, the irrigated area is becomes available for irrigation pur tion is increasing by leaps and naturally much smaller, being only poses. The greatly variable annual bounds. A little rainfall brings 9.9 per cent. The rest is under rainfall is in some years more than crops to maturity. Some of the Barani conditions, depending on double the average. Even when produce of the desert which need the uncertain monsoon. The Gang there' is rain in both the monsoons, the scantiest of rainfall such as canal, with its feeders and tribu it is not as advantageous as it. could millets, pulses and melons can grow taries, in all 600 miles Jong, irrigates be, because the rainfall is not well in this area. the (rang canal colony in Bikancr, distributed through the seasons, and In Jaisalmer. there are no peren covering about 7,00,000 acres. This tines not permit irrigation at suit nial streams, wells are too deep, soil is the major area under perennial able times lot giowing of crops. is sandy and rainfall very scanty, irrigation, the rest of the irrigated There is always the danger of short irrigation from khairnes, the shallow area is served by the rivers Cham- age or of heavy rains for agricul depressions into which the rain water bal and lianas and the wells and tural operations. flows, is only some times possible. tanks. The dry north-western division Conditions of scarcity are, therefore, Eastern Rajasthan lies mainly on covers more than half of Rajasthan. perpetual, on account of shortage a plain and comprises the districts It is a sandy tract and is almost of rainfall and damage done by of Jaipur. Tonk, Sawai Madhopur, rainless. Jodhpur, Bikaner, Jaisal locusts and the only escape is emigra Bharatpur, Alwar, Sikar, Bhihvara mer and Shekhawati form an im tion to more fertile regions. Defi and jhunjhunu. The districts of mense sandy plain traversed by long ciency of rain and scarcity of fod Chittorgarh, Kotah, liundi and lines of sand hills. The annual der have made the people nomadic". Jhalawar, though lying on a plateau, rainfall varies from 3" to 6" in the In Jodhpur, rainfall is scanty and ran he included in it as they have extreme north-west, while in the irregular, varying between 10" and more or less similar characteristics. south-eastern part of the division, 20" annually. It varies consider The western dry area of the State it goes up to 14". Rains in the ably in different districts of the constitutes a division by itselt, com desert regions are absorbed by the division. Of the annual average prising the districts of Ganganagar, sandy soil which has a great absorp of about 12", 4.43" falls in the Bikaner, Churu, Jodhpur, Banner, tive capacity and hence storage of month of August, 3" in July, '2.67" Jalora, Pali, Nagaur and Jaisalmer. water for irrigation purposes is not in September and 2" in June. This The part which gels most of the at all possible. The rainfall here is the vast sandy tract of the desert rain is the southern hilly division, is seldom sufficient to cause any in the north-west and south-west consisting of the districts of Udai- surface flow and the sub-soil water desert of the: Thai' with a narrow- pur, Banswara, Dungarpur and the is found at a depth of 100 to 150 strip of fertile land along the east part of Sirohi which falls in Raja ft. below the surface. In the south ern side. Water is found far below sthan. west and north-west of this dry from the surface, say at a depth of The average rainfall in the south tract, water is found only at a depth 250 ft. Where the sub-soil water ern division is much above that of of 300 ft at places along the border level is not so deep, irrigation is any other natural division. The of Sind and Bahawalpur. Irriga carried on by means of wells and average gradually increases, from a tion by means of wells is. therefore, tanks. The river Luni is filled with minimum of 20" in the north-west, quite impracticable and unecono salty efflorescence and its water can to 30" in the central part and 40" mic. So this sandy region has to do not be used .for irrigation, hut the in the extreme south. Rainfall in without irrigation altogether. When river Jawai in the south has great Rajasthan is precarious, varying the Bhakra Project is completed, possibilities. The construction of a widely from year to year, and from only then will it be possible to bring dam on this river is expected to place to place in the same year. irrigation to these areas, About 7 irrigate 1,10,000 acres in the Pali, Two monsoon currents pass through lakh acres are then expected to be Sirohi and Jalore districts. it, one from the Bay of Bengal, the irrigated and 10 lakh acres of land In parts of the western division, fitful remnants of which bring un benefited by this project. In the water famine is the most severe, be certain rains to the eastern parts, north of Bikaner, where sand gives cause there are no forests and no while the south-west monsoon from place to loam, Gang Canal has turn perennial rivers. Neither of the Arabian Sea crosses the Vindhya ed the land into a flourishing field monsopns reaches these parts, and 543 May 9, 1953 the depth of the sub-soil water jure vegetation. The greater parts western Rajasthan. The annual rules out well irrigation. Famine of Bikaner situated in the north and average rainfall here is between conditions appear whenever rains north-west of Rajasthans is un 30 -40"- Kotah has irrigated black are untimely or unevenly distributed. productive and ill-watered. Except cotton soil in the south but towards People migrate with their cattle or for the south-east, which is fairly south-east, in the Choti Sadri, there are engaged in the relief work of productive when it gets rain, the rest is a wild tract where the land is constructing embankments of tanks of Bikaner is waterless and barren. undulating. The soil being brown, or building roads and railway, etc. The country along Ghaggar is some reddish aloam, the area can be made Here the means of communications what fertile. There the land is fertile with irrigation which is pos are also extremely inadequate. level and sandy. To the north of sible on the river banks. Near When the Kharif crop fails, Rabi Anupgarh, the soil is fertile and Chittor the irrigated black cotton crop cannot be grown and grass protected to some extent by irriga soil is very productive. Bhuri does not grow in sufficient quan tion. Moisture retaining soil is mitti or light sand is on the banks tity, relief measures arc started by found near, Hanumangarh where of the rivers and though the soil is giving loans to agriculturists. irrigation is capable of producing not so rich, water from the rivers jLocusts also frequently cause dam light crops. Only one harvest is have made irrigation possible and age to crops and frosts as well as possible in most parts. Bajra, moth there is good return from cultiva failure of the winter monsoon spoil and jowar, til and some cotton are tion. On the embankments south the Rabi crop. Wells and tanks arc grown as the Kharif crop; and of the gorges and on slopes of hills, therefore as essential as conserva barley, gram, rapeseed and a little there are steps and terraces, which tion of forests and fodder reserves. of wheat is grown as Rabi crop. drain one into another, turning the The vast sandy tract of Bagar is The acreage under irrigation in land swampy during the rains. On covered with undulating sand hills, the area now irrigated by Gang hill sides a kind of terrace cultiva formed by the force of winds blow Canal was only about 6,592 in 1901- tion called ' walra ' is practised by ing in that direction. This is the 1902 and it increased to 9,503 by the Bhils.