Bhopal: An ambitious workplan of increasing irrigation capacity from 40 lakh hectare till the year 2018 to 60 lakh hectare in 2025 in the state from all government sources has been prepared. Drinking water is being supplied in nearby cities and villages through the dams of the Department of Water Resources apart from the Irrigation Department. A sum of Rs 25,000 crore will be invested in irrigation projects in the state in the next three years. About 28.90 lakh hectare area in fields was irrigated in the state in the year 2016-17 through the irrigation projects of the Water Resources Department. This year 26.39 lakh hectare area in the Rabi season and 2.51 lakh hectare are in the Kharif season was irrigated.
Madhya Pradesh is the second state after Andhra Pradesh where the Participation Act-1999 of farmers in irrigation management has been implemented. Agriculture organisations have been authorised to freely and legally work under the Act. Madhya Pradesh has abundant water resources. The state is the origin of Narmada, Chambal, Betwa, Kane, Sone, Tapti, Pench, Banganga and Mahi rivers. Rivers are flowing in all directions in the state. The state’s average surface water-flow is 81,500 cubic metre on 75 per cent dependability. Out of this 56,000, 800 million cubic metre is allotted to Madhya Pradesh. The remaining 24,700 cubic metre water is allotted to neighbouring states under the Inter State Pact. The state has a estimated 34,500 million cubic metre groundwater.
Madhya Pradesh has nearly 155.25 lakh hectare agriculture land. The total irrigation capacity of the Water Resources Department in the year 2015-16 was 28.60 lakh hectare. The state has total 4,871 irrigation schemes including 15 large, 85 medium and 4,771 small schemes. Nearly one and half lakh hectare irrigation capacity is being developed every year in the state. The state is also receiving economic assistance from NABARD, Prime Minister’s Agriculture Irrigation Scheme and Asian Development Bank.