India’s Water Resources: Contemporary Issues on Irrigation

Water resource management since Independence has been, and continues to be, overly preoccupied with augmentation of supply to the neglect of efficiency of use and long-term sustainability. There is a clear gap between the policy formulations, implementations, and the governance and management of India’s water economy. Based on extensive empirical and analytical research, this collection brings together A. Vaidyanathan’s recent work on water resources management in India in a multi-disciplinary perspective. The volume discusses the agro-climatic context, irrigation and agricultural technology, legal-institutional arrangements, and the economic environment. Rejecting the proposal of river interlinking, Vaidyanathan builds a strong case for a major shift towards integrated watershed development in rein-fed areas, reducing waste and over-exploitation of water, and resulting in a more efficient use of irrigation water. The author discusses investment in groundwater development, extension of irrigation facilities, and major disparities between rain-fed and irrigated areas in detail. He strongly advocates reforms at the economic, legal, and institutional level as well as public funding of new research to improve the knowledge base for decision making. As irrigation is the largest user of water, the role of private supply sources is usually not studies. To fill this gap the author undertook a survey, the result of which are presented in the case study of Chennai city. This collection will be useful to policymakers, environmentalists, water activists, NGOs, aid agencies, and researchers in the water management sector.