Improving Water Efficiency Through Channel Lining - A Case Study of the Birinchiguri Runoff Irrigation Project in Assam, India

Abstract

Water is the most essential commodity for human beings to be alive and so it is very necessary to make proper use of water without wasting it. Irrigation sector is the biggest consumer of water as more than 80% of available water resources in India is being presently utilized for irrigation purposes. However, the average water use efficiency of irrigation projects in the country is assessed to be only of the order of 30 to 35%. In the north eastern region also, performance of the existing irrigation schemes suffer from low water use efficiency due to distribution losses and poor operational maintenance and management and results in non - availability of water in the tail ends. Again, water demand for various purposes namely irrigation, drinking, domestic, power, industrial and other uses is increasing day by day leading to severe seasonal stress on water resources in the region. Its scarcity is more pronounced with increasing population and needs. In the present study, the water use efficiency of the Birinchiguri Flow Irrigation Project is determined as per methodology given in the guidelines for computing the Water Use Efficiency of the Irrigation Projects, Central Water Commission (CWC), February, 2014. It has also been attempted to analyze the scope of improvement of water use efficiency of the same.