Micro-irrigation to start in two villages
In Hamirpur and Sardhana village, under Gurugram block, the department is eyeing 100% irrigation through drips and mini sprinklers.
Considering the continuous depletion of groundwater in the district, the horticulture department has adopted two villages to promote micro-irrigation among farmers for better conservation of water.
In Hamirpur and Sardhana village, under Gurugram block, the department is eyeing 100% irrigation through drips and mini sprinklers.
“In the conventional method of flood irrigation, nearly 80% of groundwater is unnecessarily wasted, which ultimately leads to a fall in groundwater level,” said Deen Mohammed Khan, deputy officer, horticulture.
The water level in the two villages has depleted from 18.4m in 2014 to 21.85m in 2018. “Gurugram is already a declared dark zone due to continuous fall in groundwater level. Since agriculture also consumes groundwater for irrigation purpose, the Central government is trying to promote micro-irrigation, under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojna,” said Khan.
A similar exercise was carried out in Uncha Majra in 2018. The water level in the village was at 30.4m which fell to 45.10m in 2016. The speed, however, was controlled in 2017, at 46.3m, which further depleted to 47.55m in 2018. “Since then, the water level is stagnant,” said Khan.
He said, “We experimented with Uncha Majra village in 2018 and irrigated 600 acres through drips and sprinklers. Instead of taking the project in a segregated manner across the district, we decided to go slow by adopting two villages to motivate other nearby villages, so that we create a demand for it.”
Under the scheme, the state and Centre will bear 85% of the subsidy cost for which Gurugram has been allocated Rs. 97.31 lakhs. For all 22 districts the state, Rs. 29.82 crore has been allocated. For one acre of land, the overall equipment costs Rs. 55,000, of which 15% will be borne by the farmer.