Workshop

on

CHALLENGES IN IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT FOR FOOD SECURIY

(November 25-26, 2016) at
WRD&M, IIT Roorkee

Introduction
INDIA is the second most populous and largest democratic country in the world and is one of
the few countries endowed with abundant land and water resources. A large percentage of the
Indian population is dependent on agriculture for its sustenance. Since independence,
considerable efforts have been made towards attaining food security, to meet the everincreasing demand of food for the ever-growing population, and there has been a remarkable
improvement. Undoubtedly, the Green Revolution technologies of the 1960s addressed this
challenge, enhanced the yield with better irrigation prospects, distribution of high-yielding
seed varieties and successfully increased crop production.
Nearly during the last two decades, there has been practically standstill to augment further
the canal water-irrigated area, and in the last 10 years or so, there has been a declining trend
in the canal water-irrigated area. The contribution from groundwater to the total irrigation
area has increased substantially. An abrupt rise in groundwater utilization is observed since
1980, which illustrates that this water utilization for agricultural purposes in India is above
the international usage trend, which was 87% in 1990, 85% in 2000 to 2010 and would be
80% of the total water use/requirement by 2030.
The reduction in ground water use for agriculture by China indicates the better efforts for
water management by their government agencies. While with respect to food-grain
production, India was showing an increasing trend since 1961 but of late in spite of more
percentage of ground water used by the country, the food grains produced are all the time less
making it imperative for better agronomic practices, proper management of the limited
available groundwater resource and setting the benchmarks commensurate to international
standards.
More urbanization is leading to desertification, water clogging, soil salinity, water born
epidemics etc. setting the cultivated area alarmingly decreasing. As far as increase in food
production is to come, improvement and expansion of agricultural water management by
scientific storage, transport, distribution and useful management is to be brought in.
Todays cropping yield is most vulnerable to climate variability calling for modernisation of
existing irrigation with well designed and incorporated drainage systems. There is need for
increasing water storage (of all sizes) to make agriculture and the large population of farmers
more resilient to climate change impacts.
Rainfed lands account for more than 80% of global crop area & 60 % of global food output
but are especially susceptible to the impacts of climate change, more in the arid and semi-arid
regions. The productivity of rainfed agriculture in developing countries is considerably lower
than the irrigated conditions, where the use of other factor inputs is generally higher and so is

the case in India. One of the main debates on how to feed the growing population here is the
future balance between irrigated and rainfed agriculture.
To provide a plate form for policy and theme oriented deliberation on the subject , this
Workshop is being organized by WMRDM , IIT, Roorkee. This is the right time for the
planners and managers from various disciplines including government, agriculture - industry,
and non-government organizations to come forward for a meaningful debate to workout an
efficient water-management plans and innovative ideas taking into consideration the aspects
outlined above, with involvement and active participation of the water resources
professionals here to ensure Indias self-sufficiency in future food production.
The broad themes of this program are as follows:
(1)Water Resources Scenario of India
(2)National River Linking Project (NRLP) and future of Indian Water Grid
(2)Climate Change Pattern and Forecasting
(3)Irrigation Demand Management By Recycling, Loss Reduction and Advanced Water
transfer Projects.
(4) Delays in completion of Irrigation Projects, Inter-state Water disputes and increasing cost
of irrigation
(6) Climate Change Impact and Food Security
(7)Sustainable Rain Water and Ground Water (Surface and Underground) Management
(8) Irrigation Efficiency Enhancement by Advanced Irrigation Techniques
(9) Reservoirs Command Area Cropping Pattern and Optimization
Key Note Speaker

Er. M. Gopal Krishnan

Er. A.C. Tyagi
Er. R.D. Singh/NIH
GBPUAT Pantnagar
CWC
CSWCRTI
ICAR-Delhi
CSSRI Karnal
B.C. Mal
K.N. Tiwari
D Khare / ML Kansal
H.L.Arora / THDC

Kanwar Singh / SJVNL