Physical and economic water productivity of different crops and cropping systems quantified (ICARDA)

Abstract

The Indira Gandhi Nahar Pariyojana (IGNP) is an enormous multi-purpose irrigation and settlement project, implementation of which started in the late 1960s. The goal was to transport and use over l06 billion cubic meter of water annually withdrawn from the Ravi-Beas River in the north of India for large-scale irrigation in Rajasthan. The aim of project stage I (Hanumangarh), commenced in 1974, was to pro- vide water for irrigation of about 553,000 ha in the north Rajasthan. This had been achieved in 2000. Therefore, water of the Ravi-Beas river system has been diverted from Harike barrage in Punjab through a 204 km long Indira Gandhi Feeder Canal (no off-takes) into the 445 km long Indira Gandhi Main Canal (IGMC) at Masitawali head works (Figure 1). The water allowance is 0.0371 m3/sec, which is equal to 3.2 mm day-1. The intensity of irrigation was envisaged at 110% with 60% in the winter season (November-April) and 50% in the summer, monsoon season (July-October). At farm level, the water is distributed through a warabandi system. The mean annual rainfall is 297 mm and the potential evaporation 1,500-1600 mm, suggesting water deficits during the whole year including the monsoon months