Vol 11, Issue 4 , April/ 2020 ISSN NO: 0377-9254

WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN THE IRRIGATION SYSTEM OF AGRICULTURE IN DISTRICT, – AN OVERVIEW

MD MUKHLESUR RAHAMAN

Research Scholar, University Department of Geography, T.M.B.U, Bhagalpur, Bihar

ABSTRACT :

Water is one of the major natural resources of the whole world that are potentially useful. About 97% of the world’s water resources are marine salt water and only 3% are fresh water. This small quantity of water resources are the major sources for agriculture, industries, daily life and also the environment. Fresh water is again one of the main sources of ground water that are constantly circulating in the atmosphere through the hydrological cycle. The decline of agricultural land, wet lands and forests area continuously due to the rapid growth of population. On the other hand, the huge amount of agricultural land is decreasing gradually. As a result , high yield is possible through the application of intensive methods of agriculture through excessive irrigation. As a result , ground water table has dropped. It has become a burning problem for developing countries in the present world. The present discussion focuses on the causes and consequences of depletion of ground water resources in of West Bengal. Such as the urbanization, rapid growth of population, unplanned land use , poor drainage system etc. increasing the demand for ground water. Due to climate change, the rainfall in Murshidabad district has decreased compared to previous record, so irrigation through the wells and tube-wells has increased manifold in agriculture. As a result the soil is being saline and arsenic contamination has taken an extreme form. The problem of excessive use of ground water in irrigation has been addressed here. At the end of the article , more emphasis is given on irrigation planning methods and water resources management in agriculture.

Keywords : Groundwater Depletion, Murshidabad ,Irrigation, Management.

INTRODUCTION :

Groundwater occurs almost every where beneath the land surface and it is an integral part of a complex hydrological cycle that involves continuous movement of water on the Earth. Only a very small proportion of the water that we share on the Earth ( less than 0.1% ) is for drinking and is renewed each and every year by rain and other types of precipitation. Although, the supply of fresh water is renewable and also confined. The widespread occurrence of portable groundwater is a major reason for its use as a source of water supply worldwide. Further more, much of the world’s food is produced by irrigated agriculture which relies on ground water. This water plays a crucial role in sustaining stream flow during dry session and is vital to many lakes and wet lands.

Groundwater is a hidden resource. Information is gained at indivisual wells, tube wells and dip tube wells locations through in direct methods of measurement such as surface geophysics and by measurement flow and water level such as streams, lakes and wet lands.

Water resource systems have benefited both people and their economics for many countries .The survices provided by such systems are multiple .Yet in many regions of the World they are not able to meet even basic drinking water and sanitation needs. Nor can many of these water resource systems support and maintain resilient biodiverse ecosystems. Typical causes include inappropriate, inadequet, degraded infrastructure, excessive with drawals of river flows, pollution from industrial and agricultural activities, salinization from irrigation return flows, infestations of exotic plant and animals, flood plain and changes in water and sediment flow regimes

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More about 85% of population of Murshidabad district are dependent upon ground water for their domestic needs particularly as a source of drinking water both rural and urban areas. Ground water is exploited to fulfill almost 52% of agricultural uses mostly for irrigation. Sweeping exploitation development and unscientific management of the resource has led to multiple problems, one of them decline of ground water table that causes ground depletion. Ground water depletion often defined as long term water level decline caused by continued ground water pumping. It is a crucial issue associated with ground water use. There fore the, uses of ground water resources in the field of agriculture has to be planned in irrigation and proper methods and management for the field of agriculture in the district of Murshidabad.

Continuous decline of ground water levels has been observed in places of the World in the past half- century. It has indicated clearly the depletion of ground water resource in large scales ( Konikow and Kendy, 2005 ). Ground water depletion has been caused either by over exploitation or reduction of ground water recharge. The combination of these two causes has accelerated ground water depletion in the district of Murshidabad, West Bengal.

OBJECTIVES :

• To analysis the causes and consequences of ground water depletion of the study area.

• To identify the problems of water resources in agriculture.

• To determine the water resource management in the field of agriculture.

DATABASE AND METHODOLOGY :

This article is based on the overall observation of the district. The necessary information concerning the study area has been collected from books, articles, annual report, irrigation department and daily newspaper. Map info software is used to prepare a block level map, also there is a several secondary information to help with the overall discussion of the article.

STUDY AREA :

The district of Murshidabad is a part of lower Gangetic plain of central West Bengal. It is stretches in between 24 ̊ ̊ 50′20″ N to 23 ̊ 43′30″ N latitudes and 88 ̊ 46′0″ E to 87 ̊ 49′ 17″ E longitudes, extending over an area 5324 km² and the total population of the district is 71,03,807 (2011) containing 36,27,564 male and 34,76,243 female. The district has a population density of 1334/km². The growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 21.09 % , sex ratio 958 females for every 1000 males and the literacy rate 66.59 % . Annual rainfall of the district is 1400 mm and and temperature ranges between 38.6 ̊ C to 7.8 ̊ C . Average elevation is above MSL 19 m.

The district of Murshidabad is located in the middle-eastern part of the state of West Bengal. It is bounded on the north by Malda district, on the south by Nadia and Burdwan district, on the east by Bangladesh; Birbhum and Pakur ( Jharkhand ) are on the western side of the district. The district comprises of 5 sub-divisions, viz. sadar, Kandi, Jjangipur, Lalbagh and . There are 26 Community Development Blocks , 27 Police station, 7 Municipalities and in the district. Berhampore sadar sub-division consists of 5 C.D. Blocks, namely -1, Beldanga-2, Berhampore, , and Nowda. Kandi sub-division consists of 5 C.D. Blocks- Kandi, , , Bharatpur -1, and Bharatpur- 2 , Jangipur sub-division has got 7 C.D.Blocks namely – , Samserganj, -1, Suti-2, -1, Raghunathganj-2, and Sagardighi. Lalbagh sub-division consists of 5 C.D. Blocks, namely , Bhagawangola-1, Bhagawangola-2, Murshidabad-Jiaganj ( M.J ) and Nabagram. Domkal sub-division consists of 4 C.D. Blocks, namely Domkal, , -1 and Raninagar-2.

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THE PROBLEM :

During the summer season, the volume of ground water decreasing gradually in the most areas of the district of Murshidabad which has raised concern for observation agencies across the country as well as the district. The ground water Directorate of the Govt. of West Bengal is regularly measuring ground water level in this district. About 240 Hydrograph Network Stations observations for the first week of March 2011,have stated clear idea that the water crisis will intensify in the future. During the pre- Monsoon season of March’ 2011, the ground water level has decline manifold compared to the period of May-June’ 2011. The ground water level has decline more than 01 metre in 17 blocks. Surveying different areas of the district, Central Commission of ground water Mid-Eastern Region, Kolkata reports that the ground water level of different blocks of the study area has decline 2-3 metres. Wells have been drying up gradually in the last few years as rainfall has decreased and Tube wells have become increasingly unable to supply water.

Block wise decline of ground water table in Murshidabad ( March 22, 2011 )

Name of Blocks Decline of water table( in metre) Lalgola, Burwan ˃ 03m Berhampore ˃ 01m Beldanga-1, Beldanga-2 ˃ 01m Hariharpara ˃ 01m Bhagwangola-1, Bhagwangola-2 ˃ 02m Khargram ˃ 01m Bharatpur-1, Bharatpur-2 ˃ 01m Farakka ˃ 01m Kandi ˃ 02m Domkal ˃ 03m Suti-1, Suti-2 ˃ 01m Raghunathganj-1, Raghunathganj-2 ˃ 01m Nabogram ˃ 01m Murshidabad-Jiaganj ˃ 01m Nawda ˃ 02m Jalangi ˃ 01m Samserganj ˃ 02m Sagardighi ˃ 02m Raninagar-1, Raninagar-2 ˃ 01m Source : The Telegraph, March 22, 2011

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In the blocks of Lal;gola, Domkal and Burwan, the ground water table has decline more than 3 metres which is terrible. Bhagwangola-1, Bhagwangola-2, Kandi, Nawda, Samserganj and Sagardighi blocks have fallen bellow 2 metres ( The Telegraph, March’22, 2011 ).

Since 1960, ground water extraction has started in the district Murshudabad.The main agent of irrigation in the district are Wells and Tube Wells. During the five years plan , irrigation system was developed to produce more crops. As a result, the quantity of Wells and Tube Wells in the entire area of the district increases manifold more than in the past. About 54% of the irrigation in the district is through Wells and Tube Wells. More than 80% of the irrigation is done by Tube Wells. As a result, ground water level gradually decrease and arsenic contamination levels gradually increase. About 2.5 million and 1.2 million people were drinking arsenic contaminated water with concentrations above 10µg/L and 50µg/L levels respectively in the district ( Rahaman MM.et.al,2005). On the other hand, ground water is being destroyed due to lack of rainfall. Rainfall is the main source of ground water. The climate change in the past few years has reduced the rainfall in the district. As a result, the ground water level has declined.

Sources of water in the field of Agriculture in the district of Murshidabad :

A. Sources of Surface water :

These types include the following-

i. Rivers ( Padma, Bhagirathi, Jalangi, Bhairab, Shialmari, Bansloi, Brahmani, Pagla, Dwarka, Kopai, Mayurakshi etc. )

ii. Streams ( Torrents and Intermittent )

iii. Lakes and Ponds

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iv. Reservoirs

B. Sources of Underground water : These types includes the following sources-

i. Open Wells

ii. Tube Wells

iii. Deep Tube Wells

iv. Infiltration Gallery

v. Infiltration Wells

In the district of Murshidabad, there are two types of hydrological basin found .these are –

a. The alluvial tract and b. Basin of semi-consolidated rocky tract.

a. The alluvial tract :

This tract situated over the entire plain of the district. This region formed by fresh water diposits composed by fine clay and sand and also these are porous. Gravel, Sand and indelicate morsels and their mixtures commit a good quality aquifers capable of imparting good water supply. The good lithological structure formed a number of aquifers which increase north wards of the district as well as the thickness of alluvium increases.This tract divided into three zones. These are- i. High yield zone ii. Moderate yield zone and iii. Low yield zone (Singh,R.P.2002).

b. The semi-consolidated Tract :

This rocky tract is formed by tertiary gravel diposits. It is found in the southern limited area of the district. The resource potential is also low (Singh,R.P.2002).

Problems of over uses of ground water in Murshidabad district :

i. Excessive pumping of ground water causes porous formations to collapse, resulting in subsidence of the above surface.

ii. Heavy pumping can lower the local water table, as a result of which shallower wells go dry or can deplete a whole aquifer.

iii. Rising demand for water for irrigation and industrial use besides domestic use.

iv. Growing pollution of water supplies.

v. The plant growth is retarded along the river bank of Padma and Bhagirathi , mainly the blocks of Lalgola, Burwan, Bhagawangola-1 and2, Domkal, Kandi, Samserganj and Sagardighi are affected due to water table depletion and the district has loss a large amount of wetland and there ecosystem.

vi. Due to the decline of ground water, the production of irrigated rabi crops is reducing gradually.

vii. Due to the excessive upliftment of ground water by tube wells, the contamination of arsenic level is increasing. It is the burning problem of irrigation in Murshidabad district. About 2.5 million and 1.2 million people were

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drinking arsenic contaminated water with concentrations above 10µg/L and 50µg/L level respectively in the district ( Rahaman,M.M,et al,2005 ).

Water resource Management in the field of Agriculture :

Some aspect for water safety, conservation and water resource management are-

i. Helps in Enhancement of water Resources in Project Command :

In certain areas, ground water is available but there is no direct use in that area. In such cases, it can be transferred to other neddy areas by construction of enhancement of canals fed by battery of enhancement tube wells.

ii. It makes use of Saline Water Possible :

In certain areas the surface water is not able to meet full demand of irrigation water. At the same time, ground water being saline, direct utility is not possible. In such cases, conjunctive use can be made by construction of augmentation tube wells and mixing the saline water with canal water to the extent that the quality of mixed water remains within tolerable limits of crops.

iii . Control on Over-Pumping of ground water Reservoirs is made Possible :

In such a situation a serious problem is created resulting in drying of shallow wells and increase pluming head for deeper wells and tube-wells. The remedy lies in proving more surface water irrigation with the help of storage reservoirs, inter-basin transfer, etc.

iv. Control Water-Logging and Salinisation :

In this cases, the development of ground water specially through dug-wells and shallow tube wells lowers water table, provide vertical drainage and thus can prevent water-logging and salinisation. Areas which are already water logged can also be reclaimed.

v. By reducing Waste and use :

Reducing overall population growth, limiting growth of population in areas of water shortage, devising more efficient industrial processes with less use of water, controlling wastage.

vi. By reducing degradation :

Devising methods for reducing evaporation losses in irrigation, using better drainage in irrigated agriculture to reduce soil salinisation.

vii. Ground water may be used for supplementary irrigation in areas, where a surface supply is available to give extra crop-growing flexibility.

viii. Ground water may be used to guard against the insufficient surface water supplies in years of low surface runoff due to low rainfall.

ix. Ground water may be used conjunctively for providing intensive irrigation to the extent possible.

x. Water safety, conservation and management planning and implementation should be strictly follow at village and district levels.

xi. Creation for recharge zones for rain water harvesting.

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xii. Recycling and reuse of waste water for irrigation and industrial uses.

xiii. Environmental education to the farmers. xiv. Use of organic fertilizer by the farmers is encouraged rather than usage of chemical fertilizers which increases

the NO3 concentration in ground water resources.

CONCLUSIONS :

Insufficient ground water safety management and conservations planning is a very real problem in today’s time for Murshidabad district and this will only provoked under future ambiguities. The district condition is not yet very bad if pre-circumspection is instantly performed. The district of Murshidabad still has significant protential for conserving and harvesting water if an integrated water resource management approach is adopted judiciously and proper policies and investment actions are implemented using recent technologies. Many deficiencies exist in the present system including insufficiencies, lack of stakeholders participation and unsustainable water use practices. Participation of the stakeholder is essential in the process of water conservation and it is essential to educate people so that they accept that water is a limited resource. A permanent effort needs to be made to support a very large level of unity and cooperation among present and future water users.

REFERENCES :

1. Loucks,D.P.,and Van Beek,E.(2017).Water resource systems planning and management ,pp.1-49. 2. Ground Water Year Book, West Bengal (1999-2000). 3. Ali, M .H, (2015). Consequences of depletion of ground water table and its management. North Asian International Research Journal of Social Science and Humanities,vol.1,pp.3-11. 4. The Telegraph, March’22,2011. 5.Holzapfel, E.A, Marino, M.A.(2008). Irrigation in agriculture. Human Ecology,pp.2033-2039. 6. Zhou, Y.et al, (2013). Upgrading a regional groundwater level monitoring network for Beijing Plain, China. Geoscience Frontiers,pp.127-138. 7. Alley, W.M., Ground water. Hydrology, pp.684-690. 8. Dube R.S. Agricultural Geography Issues And Application. Gyan Publishing House; 1987. 9.Rao P. Climate Change and Agriculture Over . Prentice Hall India Learning Pvt. Ltd; 2010. 10. Gautam A. Agricultural Geography. Sunshine Book Store; 2016. 11. Husain M. Systematic Agricultural Geography. Rawat Publishing; 2017. 12. Sharma Y.K. Agricultural Geography. Laxmi Narain Agarwal Publishing; 2017. 13. Handbook of Agriculture.published by icar ,new delhi:2019 14. Tiwari,R.C. Bharat ka Bhugol, Prayag Pustak Bhawan, Allahabad,2011. 15. Rahman,M.M.et al., Arsenic contaminated groundwater in West Bengal, India., Bulletin of the World Health Organization, January 2005,83(1),pp.49-57.

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