GOVERNMENT OF KERALA STATE PLANNING BOARD THIRTEENTH FIVE-YEAR PLAN 2017-2022 WORKING GROUP ON IRRIGATION AND WATER MANAGEMENT REPORT AGRICULTURE DIVISION THIRUVANANTHAPURAM MARCH 2017 PREFACE In Kerala, the process of a Five-Year Plan is an exercise in people’s participation. At the end of September 2016, the Kerala State Planning Board began an effort to conduct the widest possible consultations before formulating the Plan. The Planning Board formed 43 Working Groups, with a total of more than 700 members – scholars, administrators, social and political activists and other experts. Although the Reports do not represent the official position of the Government of Kerala, their content will help in the formulation of the Thirteenth Five-Year Plan document. This document is the report of the Working Group on Irrigation and Water Management. The Chairpersons of the Working Group were Smt. Tinku Biswal IAS and Dr Srikumar Chattopadhyay. The Member of the Planning Board who coordinated the activities of the Working Group was Professor R. Ramakumar. The concerned Chief of Division was Dr P. Rajasekharan. Member Secretary ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This report has been prepared at the behest of State Planning Board, Government of Kerala. We thank Dr V Ramachandran, Vice Chairman, State Planning Board for initiating the discussion and providing a framework for working out this report. We also thank all the members and invitees participated in the sub group meetings and spend their valuable times to provide inputs. The following persons have helped compile this report: 1. Sri K.B.Basant Executive Engineer (NC), Office of the Chief Engineer, Project-1, Kozhikode 2. Dr. E J Joseph, Senior Principal Scientist & Executive Director i/c, CWRDM 3. Sri. V. Kunhambu, Regional Director, CGWB, Govt.of India 4. Dr. K. Madhava Chandran, Senior Principal Scientist, Water Management (Agriculture)Division, CWRDM 5. Shri. Thomas Mathew, Joint Director, IDRB 6. Shri. Maju Balakrishnan, Executive Engineer, I&A 7. Ms. Preetha Sugathan, Water Management Specialist, Command Area Development Authority, Thrissur 8. Sri C T Rajesh,Superintending Engineer General, Ground Water Department 9. Prof (Dr) K K Sathian, Department of land and Water Resource Conservation Engineering, Kerala Agricultural University 10. Dr. E Shaji, Department of Geology, University of Kerala 11. Dr. U. Surendran, Scientist, Water Management (Agriculture) Division, CWRDM We thank all of them. We also take this opportunity to acknowledge all necessary support extended by DrP.Rajasekharan, Chief(Agriculture), State Planning Board and Convenor of this group and Smt. Dhanya.S. Nair, Assistant Director, State Planning Board and Co –Convenor of this group to bring out this report. Ms. Tinku Biswal Srikumar Chattopadhyay Co-Chairperson Co-Chairperson CONTENTS Chapter 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2 Bio- Physical Set Up ................................................................................................................................. 3 Relief and Geology ................................................................................................................................................. 3 Rainfall ...................................................................................................................................................................... 4 Decrease in Rainfall ................................................................................................................................................ 4 Temperature ............................................................................................................................................................. 5 Landform and Soil .................................................................................................................................................. 5 Soil ............................................................................................................................................................................. 6 Spatial Distribution of Soils: Soil Scapes and Mapping Units ......................................................................... 7 Problem Soil Zones ................................................................................................................................................ 8 Human Intervention in Soilscape ......................................................................................................................... 8 Land Use .................................................................................................................................................................. 8 Forest and Wild Life ............................................................................................................................................... 9 Wild Life and Sanctuaries .................................................................................................................................... 10 Bio-Climate ............................................................................................................................................................ 10 Chapter 3 Population ................................................................................................................................................ 12 Population Distribution and Altitudinal Zones ............................................................................................... 13 Chapter 4 Water Resources Availability/Supply ................................................................................................... 15 Surface Water Resources ..................................................................................................................................... 15 Ground Water Resources .................................................................................................................................... 15 Storage of Water ................................................................................................................................................... 16 Chapter 5 Water Demand......................................................................................................................................... 19 Current Utilisation ................................................................................................................................................ 19 Future Demand. .................................................................................................................................................... 20 Water Demand Management .............................................................................................................................. 20 Consumptive Use of water .................................................................................................................................. 21 Chapter 6 Evaluation of Water Resource Projects ............................................................................................... 24 Activities of Irrigation Department ................................................................................................................... 24 Major and Medium Projects ................................................................................................................................ 24 Irrigation Investment during XI and XII Plan Periods .................................................................................. 24 Long Pending Irrigation Projects (Major and Medium) ................................................................................. 26 Kuttanad Package ................................................................................................................................................. 32 Post Facto Evaluation Study of Completed Irrigation Projects in Kerala ................................................... 34 Chapter 7 Challenges of Water Resource Management In Kerala .................................................................... 36 Challenges of Water Conservation in the State of Kerala .............................................................................. 36 Challenges of Water Use Management.............................................................................................................. 38 Challenges of Water Pollution ............................................................................................................................ 39 Action Plans to Solve Water Conservation, Water Use and Water Quality Related Issues ...................... 39 Chapter 8 Challenges For Water Governance ...................................................................................................... 42 National Water Policy .......................................................................................................................................... 42 State Water Policy ................................................................................................................................................. 43 Surface Water Governance .................................................................................................................................. 44 Role of Water User’s Association in Water Governance ............................................................................... 44 Ground Water Governance