Irrigation management and its effect on productivity under Parambikulam Aliyar Project in Tamil Nadu

While at the national level, area under surface irrigation has been increasing, in Tamil Nadu, it has been declining. There is an increased reliance on groundwater sources of irrigation. This highlights the need for improving quality and reliability of canal irrigation in order to increase net irrigated area and improve water productivity in agriculture. In surface irrigation systems, where scarcity in supply is experienced, conjunctive use of groundwater helps to achieve better yield. However, in larger surface irrigation, which supplies water to dry crops – there is a need to assess the effect of conjunctive use in different segments of the command taking into account several other factors such as climatic conditions, local rainfall and sub surface geology. This is because not all parts of the command area get adequate supply, which in turn leads to poor recharge of wells. The paper looks at conjunctive use for irrigation management in the Parambikulam Aliyar Project in Tamil Nadu.Length: pp.819-840