Assam Irrigates Just 30% of Farmland as 60% of Minor Irrigation Schemes Lie Defunct

STAFF REPORTER

Guwahati: Even as the impact of climate change is increasingly being felt across the region, including Assam, abysmally poor irrigation coverage of agricultural land is only adding to the woes of the farmers.

Several studies have shown that due to erratic rain, rising temperature and prolonged dry spell - attributed to climate change - the agriculture sector of the state has been severely affected. Under such circumstances, irrigation remains an effective bulwark against the vagaries of climate change, and the only way to ensure productivity of farmland.

However, due to various factors, the irrigation cover of Assam's total agricultural land is barely around 30%.

The poor irrigation coverage of farmlands has been primarily attributed to inefficiency and negligence of the irrigation department over the past many years.

Recent government data reveals that only 6.52 lakh hectare (ha) agricultural land has been covered under various irrigation schemes, while 21.06 lakh ha land is still out of irrigation coverage.

Minor irrigation schemes play an important role in Assam. But interestingly, 60% of such schemes are either defunct or partially defunct.

There are altogether 3,492 minor irrigation schemes in the state, out of which only 1,444 are partially functioning, while 936 are defunct.

Only 879 minor irrigation schemes are fully functional, while 233 are under various stages of implementation.

Sources cite river changing course, unfeasible spot selection, lack of fund for maintenance, and erratic power supply, among others, as the primary reasons for the failure of the irrigation schemes in various parts of the state.

As Assam is primarily agrarian, farmers have been largely at the receiving end of climate change.

However, now, even some tea gardens are facing the consequences of less rain in recent times. This could deal a huge blow to the state's 200-year-old tea industry.

Meanwhile, the state government has started focusing on irrigation schemes using solar power.

But given the current pace of implementation of irrigation schemes, it has been estimated that it will take at least another 20 to 25 years to bring Assam entire farmland under total irrigation cover.

However, experts contend that by that time, the impact of climate change could be far more severe, and the schemes that are being implemented now would have little effect.

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