WE THE PEOPLE
J&K Irri Dept., has caused unfruitful expenditure of Rs. 2.72 crore and failed to provide irrigation facilities to 849 hectares
Hence concerned officials should take action to utilize created irrigation potential and complete all schemes
By: MNS/M.Shirjeel
Srinagar: In our last ten series, we have stated that by ignoring the basic principles, the officials of J&K Irrigation & Flood Control Department caused unfruitful expenditure of Rs. 2.72 crore besides non-extension of irrigation facilities to 849 hectare. It has also been pointed out that twenty three per cent of the 240 tube wells drilled in Jammu Province have remained non-functional during 2004-09. As a result, only 41 per cent of the irrigation potential created was utilized.
It again needs to be reminded to our Readers that the Irrigation and Flood Control Department was created in 1959 by the State government with the objective of providing assured irrigation facilities to cultivable/cultivated land in the State by renovation/modernization of the existing canals and construction of new canals. Out of the total cultivable area of 3.12 lakh hectares, 2.89 lakh hectares of land (93 per cent) is irrigated through gravity canals and the remaining 0.23 lakh hectares (7 per cent) through lift irrigation schemes, tube wells, tanks, etc.
It may also be stated that the irrigation potential utilized at the end of 10th Plan was 83 per cent in case of major/medium irrigation schemes while as it was 87 per cent in case of minor irrigation schemes. However, the overall irrigation potential utilized was encouraging, the irrigation potential created was only 89 per cent and 41 per cent in case of major/medium and minor irrigation schemes respectively.
We have stated earlier that for economic viability of an irrigation scheme, cost benefit ratio (CBR) of the scheme should be more than unity. To ensure that a scheme has actually come up to the desired level in respect of creation of irrigation potential and utilization thereof, it is essential for the Department to work out the cost benefit ratio on actuals after completion of the schemes. It has, however, been seen during detailed scrutiny that no such exercise had ever been conducted by the Department to ascertain the cost benefit ratio actually achieved in respect of completed schemes to identify bottlenecks, if any, for its non-achievement for taking remedial action.
As per the standards of effluents for abatement of pollution under the Environment (Protection) Rules 1986 for avoidance of untreated sewage water for irrigation, the Department was required to prevent he discharge of untreated sewerage water into irrigation canals/khuls/channels, etc. But records have revealed that treatment of sewerage water that flowed through irrigation canals/channels was not available in the State.
Besides the AIBP guidelines stipulate that major/medium irrigation schemes should be monitored at least twice a year and minor schemes monitored periodically on sample basis by Central Water Commission. It was seen that the Commission had been monitoring the major, medium and minor irrigation schemes under AIBP regularly and making recommendations on issues needing attention. The implementing agencies at the scheme level had been implementing the recommendations in varying degrees in respect of major/medium schemes only and not in respect of minor schemes.
Therefore, the concerned Department should take immediate action to utilize the created irrigation potential and steps need to be taken to complete all the ongoing lift irrigation schemes in a time bound manner. Works should be executed in a planned manner to avoid wastages of resources. Monitoring and internal control mechanism should be strengthened for effective implementation of the scheme and accountability should be fixed at various levels for timely completion of schemes.
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