This document discusses the history and development of irrigation in India. It notes that irrigation has been used in India for thousands of years, with references found in ancient scriptures and the Indus Valley Civilization utilizing wells and canals. A major early irrigation work was the Grand Anicut constructed in the 2nd century CE in South India. During the medieval period, irrigation expanded through construction of canals, dams, and bunds. Under British rule, major irrigation systems were built including the Upper Ganga and Godavari Delta canals. Since independence, the government has undertaken programs and projects to expand irrigation coverage and modernize systems using techniques like drip irrigation.

1. HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF
IRRIGATION IN INDIA

2. IRRIGATION
▪ Irrigation is the artificial application of water to the soil
usually for assisting in growing crops.
▪ Mainly used to replace missing rainfall in periods of
drought.
▪ To supply essential moisture for plant growth, which
includes transport of essential nutrients
▪ To leach or dilute salts in soil.
▪ Helps in cooling the soil and atmosphere to create more
favourable environment for crop growth
▪ Supplements the supply of water received from
precipitation and other types of atmospheric water,
flood waters and ground water.

3. History of Irrigation in India
GRAND ANICUT
IRRIGATION
TANK
• Vedas, Ancient Indian writers and ancient Indian
scriptures have references of wells, canals, tanks and
dams.
• In the south, perennial irrigation had begun with
construction of the Grand Anicut by the Cholas as early as
second century to provide irrigation from the Cauvery
River.
• The central and southern India is studded with numerous
irrigation tanks which have been traced back to many
centuries before the beginning of the Christian era
• Indus Civilization flourished on the banks of rivers and the
water was harnessed for sustenance of life
• Irrigation technologies during the Indus Valley Civilization
were in the form of small and minor works like digging
wells

4. Irrigation during Medieval India
▪ Rapid advances took place in the construction of canals.
▪ Water was blocked by constructing bunds across steams
▪ Ghiyasuddin Tughluq is credited to be the first ruler who
encouraged digging canals. Fruz Tughlug is considered to be the
greatest canal builder.
▪ Irrigation is said to be one of the major reasons for the growth
and expansion of the Vijayanagar Empire in southern India in the
fifteenth century.
▪ As agricultural income was the pillar of the economy, irrigation
systems were paid special attention during this period.
BUND FORMATION

5. WALLS OF GABAR BUNDS
• Babur, in his memoirs called ‘Baburnamah’
gave a vivid description of prevalent modes of
irrigation practices in India at that time.
• The Gabar Bunds, presently in Sindh, Pakistan,
captured and stored annual runoff from
surrounding mountains and river Sindhu (Indus)
to be made available to tracts under
cultivation.

6. Irrigation in British India
 Renovation, improvement and
extension of existing works.
▪ New projects, like the Upper Ganga
Canal, the Upper Bari Doab Canal and
Krishna and Godavari Delta Systems.
▪ Major canal works like the Sirhind, the
Lower Ganga, the Agra and the Mutha
Canals, and the Periyar Dam and
canals.
UPPER GANGA CANAL
PERIYAR CANAL SYSTEM
PERIYAR DAM GODAVARI DELTA SYSTEM

7. • During this period India witnessed
few major famines of her entire life
so better irrigation system became
mandatory.
• Significant protective works
constructed during the period were
the Betwa Canal (MP), the Nira Left
Bank Canal (Maharashtra), the
Gokak Canal (Karnataka) and the
Rushikulya Canal (Odisha).
BETWA CANAL
RUSHIKULYA RIVER
GOKAK FALL

8. Irrigation development after Independence
▪ To achieve set targets of economic development, the responsibility of
irrigation development was given to the Union Ministry of Water Resources
▪ It took initiatives from time to time on water resources development and for
technical assistance to the states on irrigation, multipurpose projects, ground
water exploration and exploitation, drainage, flood control, water logging,
sea erosion problems, dam safety and hydraulic structures for navigation and
hydropower
▪ Also oversees the regulation and development of inter-State rivers

9. Irrigation development programs undertaken
▪ Command Area Development & Water Management (CADWM):
To provide central assistance for development of infrastructure to facilitate use
of sprinkler / drip irrigation systems as an alternative to construction of field channels.
The assistance is limited to construction of stilling tank, pump house and laying of
conveyance pipes up to farmer’s fields.
▪ Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Program (AIBP):
The AIBP was conceived in the year 1996 by the Government of India in order to provide
financial assistance to States to complete various ongoing projects in the country so
that envisaged irrigation potential of the project could be created and thereby extend
irrigation to more areas

10. Future possibilities of Irrigation Development
▪ Technological Options (Drip Irrigation, sprinkler etc) - Micro-irrigation methods need to be
adopted wherever possible.
▪ Revival of Diverse and Community - Based Irrigation Systems
▪ Inter basin transfer of water (Interlinking of Rivers)
▪ Special measures needed to revitalize the tank irrigation
▪ Gap between potential created and utilized needs to be reduced (Completion of Canal
Networks)
▪ Use of Sewage Water for Irrigation
▪ Drainage Improvements
▪ Scope for Improving Crop Yields
▪ Options for Equitable and efficient water distribution need to be evolved.
▪ Choosing appropriate cropping pattern for sustainable development

11. Source wise development of
Irrigated Area in India (Mha)
Source: http://wrmin.nic.in
Year Canal Tank
Ground
Water
Others
Net
Irrigated
Area (NIA)
Gross
Irrigated
Area (GIA)
1950-1 8.30 3.61 5.98 2.97 20.58 22.56
1960-1 10.37 4.56 7.29 2.44 24.66 27.98
1970-1 12.84 4.11 11.89 2.27 31.10 38.20
1980-1 15.29 3.18 17.70 2.55 37.72 49.78
1990-1 17.45 2.94 24.70 2.93 48.02 63.20
2002-3 16.34 2.26 34.50 2.73 55.85 78.33

12. Some older
methods of
irrigation
PERSIAN WHEEL PULLEY SYSTEM
BULLOCK DRAWN WELL IRRIGATION CHAIN PUMP

13. Some modern
methods of
irrigation
BUNDS
RAIN GUN

14. DRIP IRRIGATION SPRINKLER IRRIGATION
BORE WELL/ OPEN WELL PUMP IRRIGATION
Some modern
methods of
irrigation

15. THANK YOU