(a) whether due to insufficient monsoon over the years, the land area under irrigated
cultivation is declining and if so, the details thereof;
(b) whether excessive withdrawal of ground water for irrigation has caused ground water
levels to go down; and
(c) if so, whether the Union Government will consider providing adequate support to Kerala
for promoting drip irrigation system to sustain its plantations and horticultural crop production
and if so, the details thereof?
THE MINISTER OF WATER RESOURCES (SHRI HARISH RAWAT)
(a) As per the publication “Agricultural Statistics at a Glance 2012†of Directorate of
Economics & Statistics, Department of Agriculture & Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture, the
land area under irrigated cultivation is as under:
(Million Ha.) Year Net Irrigated Area Gross Irrigated Area
2007-08 (P) 63.29 87.98
2008-09 (P) 63.74 88.87
2009-10 (P) 63.26 86.42
P - provisional
(b) The dynamic ground water resources of Kerala are being assessed periodically, jointly by the State Ground Water Department and the Central Ground Water Board as per norms of the Groundwater Estimation Committee, with block as the basic administrative unit. The latest assessment of dynamic ground water resources of Kerala was done in 2009. As per the computation, the ground water extraction for irrigation uses in the State is of the order of 1305 Million Cubic Meter (MCM) as in March 2009, which is about 46 percent of the ground water extraction for all uses. A comparison of the ground water extraction for irrigation in the assessments carried out in 2004 & 2009 indicate a decrease in extraction of about 3.8 percent during the period.
The long-term behavior of ground water levels in the observation wells of State Ground Water Department and Central Ground Water Board have also been analyzed as part of the assessment of dynamic ground water resources. The analysis of water levels does not indicate any significant long-term decline in the State.
(c) As per the information received from Ministry of Agriculture, a Centrally Sponsored Scheme on Micro Irrigation was launched in the country including Kerala, in January, 2006. It has been upscaled as “National Mission on Micro Irrigation†(NMMI) in June, 2010. This scheme is designed for implementation of drip and sprinkler irrigation system, its demonstration, training and awareness programmes for both horticulture and agriculture crops. Details of Funds provided so far under the scheme to Kerala are as under:
(Rs. In Crore )
Year Funds Provided
2005-06 32.00
2006-07 6.36
2007-08 0.00 to 2010- 11
2011-12 2-00
2012-13 2.75
Total 43.11