Water use Efficiency in India -- Current status, factors governing efficiency and how to enhance

1. Measures to increase
Water Use Efficiency
in Agriculture
1
WATER MANAGEMENT FORUM
A Peripheral body of
The Institution of Engineers (India)
http://www.wmf-iei.org

2. Indian Water-Agriculture
Scenario
2

3. 3
Category of
key
Challenges:
Water
Availability
Supporting Facts
50% of precipitation received in 15
days & 90% of river flows in 4 months
of year
Sustains 16.9 % of world's
population on 4% of global water
resources
70% of surface water resources &
ground water reserves are
contaminated
Ground water levels declining at the
rate of 10 cm per year
26 % of waste water treated & 38.2
bln litres of sewerage generated
every day
INDIA FACES SIGNIFICANT WATER CHALLENGE

4. 4
Category of
key
Challenges:
Efficiency
Implementat
ion Issues
Supporting Facts
 Irrigation efficiency barely 35 % &
water productivity of food-grains as low
as 0.48 kg/m3 of consumptive use.
Low storage per capita 36 % of
utilizable resource (252 BCM out of 690
BCM)
Only 16% of farmers aware of
irrigation efficiency technologies
50% water lost to leakage & system
inefficiencies
Unaffordable conditions of farmers to
bear cost of adoption of technology.
INDIA FACES SIGNIFICANT WATER CHALLENGE
Source: Indian Assessment—Planning Commission-World Bank
report

5. Water
Resources
(In Billion Cubic Meter)
Total
rainfall
4000
Total
Water
Availability
1869
(Source: MoWR/Deptt. Of Agri. & Cooperation)
Surface
Water
61%
Ground
Water
39%
BCM
433
690
5
Source: MOWR/ Department of Agriculture & Cooperation

6. Demands of various Sectors
(Source: MoWR/Planning commission report-11th Five year Plan)
Sector Water Demand in BCM
Standing Sub-Committee MoWR NCIWRD*
Year 2010 2025 2050 2010 2025 2050
Irrigation 688 910 1072 557 611 807
Drinking
Water
56 73 102 43 62 111
Industry 12 23 63 37 67 81
Energy 5 15 130 19 33 70
Other 52 72 80 54 70 111
Total 813 1093 1447 710 843 1180
In view of likely improvement in irrigation efficiency, the recommendation of NCIWRD
has been accepted
* The National Commission for Integrated Water Resources Development (NCIWRD) 6

7. 2010
•MOWR 813
•NCIWRD 710
2025
•MOWR 1093
•NCIWRD 843
2050
•MOWR 1447
•NCIWRD 1180
2000
634
Water Demand
(In Billion Cubic Metre)
7

8. conserve every drop of water and improve efficiency
Water demand
Water Supply
Population
Growth
Urbanisation Industrialisation
8

9. Indian
Agriculture
 80-84% of water consumed for agriculture
 Lower productivity of most of the major crops
 Real problem: wastage of water & lack of
Demand management, not shortage
 Wasteful utilisation of water resources diminish
crop productivity
 resulting in lower efficiency.
9

10. • Different definitions by
agriculturists, Hydrologists, Engineers, etc
• Enhancing WUE is an important goal in our water
policy.
• Efficiency is a measure of output, obtained from a
given unit of input.
• Efficient water utilisation reflects
– how efficiently water is stored, distributed and used for crop
production.
• Principle factors influencing WUE :
– Design of the irrigation system,
– Degree of land preparation and
– Skill & care from the irrigator
Water Use Efficiency (WUE)
10

11. • “Handbook for computing the Water Use Efficiency (WUE) for
Irrigation Projects” published by CWC, GOI, New Delhi in April
2010
– narrates Standard Operating Procedure for computing
WUE
– provides information- data required to be
collected, processed and analysed.
– gives insight about what measures should be taken up to
enhance WUE.
• More emphasis laid on agriculture use as it consumes most
of the water.
11

12. Surface
water
Ground
water
Present
Scope
35-
40%
60%
75%65-70%
SURFACE
SPRINKLER
DRIP
0
20
40
60
80
100
SURFACE
SPRINKLER
DRIP
40
70
90
30
30
60
80
60
20
35
12

13. Efficiency implementation Issues: Key Challenges
Key Challenge: Limited technical & managerial capabilities
Description:
•Low levels of water efficiency and productivity
•Low levels of technical awareness and adoptions to improve
irrigation and water use efficiencies
•Limited storage capacity
•High quantum of leakages from poor service delivery network
•Lack of governance & autonomy
•Missing leadership to create enabling environment
•Lack of private & user participation to achieve performance
competencies
•Lack of integrated approach at basin level

14. Key Challenge: Lack of capital & inability to recover costs
Description:
• Lack of capital
– New infrastructure
– Operation and maintenance
– High energy cost of distribution
– Last mile & rehabilitation infrastructure
– For end user adoption of efficiency techniques
• Pricing distortion due to subsidies
– Undervalued water resources & increased wastage
14
Efficiency implementation Issues: Key Challenges

15. Methods to improve
Water use efficiency
15

16. (1)
Storage/
Conservation
System
losses
1. Evaporation
2. Percolation
3. Seepage
4. Leakages(Gates,Outlet works,
hydraulic structures etc)
16

17. Prevention
of water
losses
through
gates
Regular
inspection &
timely &
proper O&M
& repairs
Evaporation
retardants
Selection of
optimum
cropping
pattern
Reservoir
bed soil
treatment
Optimum
reservoir
operation
through rule
levels
Reservoir
Operation
Plan for
various uses
Regular
sedimentation
surveys &
restoration of
capacities.
Enhancing
storage
capacity by
measures
like fuse gate
Measures
to
Increase
Reservoir
Efficiency
HIGHMEDIUMLOW
17

18. (2)
Conveyance
System
losses
1. Evaporation
2. Percolation
3. Seepage
4. Vegetative growth
18

19. Measures to Increase Conveyance Efficiency
• Evaporation losses
• Deep percolation to soil layers
underneath the canals
• Seepage through canal bunds
Prevention
of losses
• Stabilisation of Embankments
• Removal of vegetation
• Retrofitting of canal/pipes
• Prevention of Rat holes/animal
burrow in canal bunds
Maintenance
19

20. • Lining of canals,Use of PVC Pipeline
• Hydraulically & geometrically efficient system
layout
• Canal Escapes & tail channels with outfall
• CR planning considering concept of storage
pool
Canal
System
• Optimum O & M through automation
, regulation & prevention of overtopping
• Adoption of Rotational Water Supply &
irrigation scheduling
• Climatic crop water requirement to be
factored in operation plan
• Appropriate functioning of canal hierarchy
Operation
20

21. (3) Field
Application
Losses
Uneven field surfaces & slopes
Water-logging during flood watering
Evaporation from fields (Root zone
moisture)
Evaporation from field channels
& network
Loss from field channels
How to improve
onfarm
efficiency?
21

22. Enhancing
Water
Use Efficiency
Performance
evaluation
Best irrigation
management
practices
Integrated River
Basin planning
Bench marking
Water Audit
PIM
Legal &
institutional
framework
Appropriate
Maintenance
Less water
intensive
crops
Optimum
drainage
network
OFD ,LL
Micro
Irrigation
22

23. Flood
Irrigation
high water consumption &
low yields
Furrow
Irrigation
reduces water consumption
and increases in crop yields.
23

24. Lining of
canals
Adequate
drainage
Improvement
in water
management
CAD
Conjunctive
use
Measures to
Mitigate
Water logging
24

25. Best Practices in Agriculture
Drip irrigation
Green House Technology
Hydroponics -- A soilless plant growing
technology
Mulching
– Covers open ground surface around
plant root with dry grass/hay/leaves
for conservation of underneath
moisture.
– Reduces evaporation significantly and
increases water use efficiency.
Waste Water Treatment & Recycling
• Use of Semi-treated sewage water as
source of irrigation and plant nutrients
• Recycling of drainage from farms
containing water with unused fertilisers
25

26. ANTICIPATED INCREASE IN IRRIGATION
EFFICIENCY
YEAR 2025
 Surface Irrigation 35%  50%
 Ground Water Irrigation 65%  72%
YEAR 2050
 Surface Irrigation 35%  60%
 Ground Water Irrigation 65%  75%
26

27. THANK YOU
27