Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI: Assam’s irrigation scenario has raised serious concerns, with official assessments indicating that despite numerous announcements over the past five years, Irrigation Department Minister Ashok Singhal’s tenure has seen sluggish on-ground progress. While several schemes were unveiled, development within the department has moved at a markedly slow pace, leaving most initiatives stalled at the announcement stage. As a result, the state is now projected to need more than a decade to bring its entire sown area under irrigation coverage — a delay that could severely undermine the government’s push for multiple cropping and higher farm productivity.
The state has 27 lakh hectares of net sown area, yet only 11 lakh hectares are currently irrigated. Irrigation facilities today cover barely 16% of Assam’s 38 lakh hectares of gross sown area, leaving a majority of farmers dependent on rainfall. This year, many cultivators were unable to sow paddy due to inadequate rainfall, highlighting the state’s vulnerability.
An official source told this reporter that the current pace of expansion is far too slow. “At this rate, the department will require around 20 years to cover the entire sown area,” the official said.
Assam has 3,913 irrigation schemes, yet 1,585 — nearly 40% — were non-functional as of December 2024. Most require only minor repairs, but the department claims it cannot afford them due to a shortage of funds.
Officials admit the roots of the problem go deeper. “One major reason behind defunct schemes is the department being contractor-centric in earlier years. Projects were taken up without examining feasibility. Contractors benefited — not the farmers,” an insider revealed.
The department says it has successfully brought 11 lakh hectares under irrigation coverage by 2024. Moving forward, it has laid out a staggered expansion plan:
n 2.30 lakh hectares (2024–2029)
n 3.06 lakh hectares (2029–2034)
n 3.68 lakh hectares (2034–2039)
n 4.25 lakh hectares (2039–2044)
n 2.68 lakh hectares (2044–2047)
If these targets are met on schedule, Assam will achieve full irrigation coverage only by 2047, more than two decades from now.
Experts question feasibility of multiple cropping
Agriculture experts warn that the state’s vision of boosting cropping intensity and increasing yields will remain unattainable without strong irrigation support. “Provisioning of irrigation is a prime necessity. But the required thrust is simply lacking,” an official admitted.
With climate unpredictability and erratic monsoon patterns affecting farmers year after year, the prolonged delay in irrigation expansion poses a significant challenge. As the government pushes forward with its agricultural ambitions, the widening gap between targets and on-ground reality raises a pressing question — can Assam’s farming sector truly progress without urgent reforms in irrigation?
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