What are the major challenges faced by Indian irrigation system in recent times? State the measures taken…

Question

What are the major challenges faced by Indian irrigation system in recent times? State the measures taken by the government for efficient irrigation management.

Ghissu Editorial · Accepted Answer

Indian irrigation faces groundwater overdraft, unfinished and underused projects, low canal efficiency, climate stress and inter-state disputes. Government measures centre on PMKSY, under which AIBP added 26.84 lakh hectares in 2016-2025, alongside Atal Bhujal Yojana, micro-irrigation and piped command modernisation.

**Introduction**

Groundwater meets nearly 62% of India's irrigation needs (PIB, 2026), and the record-dry August of 2023 showed how exposed a half-irrigated farm sector remains. The challenge has shifted from building potential to using water efficiently.

**Major Challenges of the Irrigation System**

1. **Groundwater overdraft**: Extraction exceeds 100% of recharge in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan (CGWB, 2024), driven by free farm power.
2. **Unfinished projects**: Only 69 of 99 prioritised AIBP projects were complete by 2025, and potential created remains underused even in minor irrigation.
3. **Low efficiency**: Unlined canals, silted reservoirs and flood irrigation waste water, while salinity hits commands like the Indira Gandhi Canal.
4. **Climate and disputes**: Erratic monsoons, arsenic and fluoride, and Cauvery and Krishna disputes delay supply.

**Government Measures for Efficient Irrigation Management**

SKETCH: tree | PMKSY (2015) Architecture
- PMKSY
  - AIBP: finish projects
  - Har Khet Ko Pani
  - Per Drop More Crop
  - Watershed development

1. **Projects and commands**: AIBP added 26.84 lakh hectares in 2016-2025, and command modernisation (2025) pilots piped delivery.
2. **Groundwater demand**: Atal Bhujal Yojana builds village water budgets in seven states, backed by 43,228 monitoring stations.
3. **Efficient application**: Micro Irrigation Fund and PM-KUSUM solar pumps back drip and sprinklers.
4. **Storage and recharge**: Catch the Rain, Amrit Sarovar ponds and the Ken-Betwa link expand storage and recharge.

**Way Forward**

1. **Signals and crops**: Meter farm power, reward saved units as Punjab's Paani Bachao Paise Kamao pilot did, and steer stressed blocks away from paddy.
2. **Participation**: Hand canal distribution to water user associations.

**Conclusion**

India's irrigation crisis is one of management more than infrastructure; shifting from creating potential to saving water can secure both farmer and aquifer.

What are the major challenges faced by Indian irrigation system in recent times? State the measures taken by the government for efficient irrigation management.

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