Discrepancy in irrigation figures under Sardar Sarovar Dam project, say farmers

The latest Socio Economic Review has come in handy for farmers who have alleged discrepancy in irrigation figures under the Sardar Sarovar Dam project. The report contains contradicting figures on how much area has been irrigated as part of the project. However, government authorities claimed that sufficient water was being given to the farmers.

According to table 3.3 on page 15 of the Gujarati edition of the report, total irrigation potential of the scheme is 17.92 lakh hectare, of which the government has created the capacity for providing irrigation for 14.18 lakh hectare, and the maximum utilisation till June 2017 stood at 6.27 lakh hectare.

However, page 21 of the same report states that 12 lakh hectare has been given water for irrigation. It further says that as per the satellite study conducted by BISAG, 13.28 lakh hectare of land was covered under irrigation till January 2018, which includes 4.96 lakh hectare for kharif season and 8.32 lakh hectare for rabi season.

According to the review, farmers have sought more water to irrigate 5.07 lakh hectare, as of December 2017. Khedut Samaj – Gujarat, representing the farmers of the state, said the total area irrigated could not exceed the total area the farmers for which the farmers have sought more water. "If the farmers have requested water to irrigate five lakh hectare, how can the actual irrigated area be more than that?" asked Sagar Rabari, General Secretary of Khedut Samaj – Gujarat. A senior official of Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd told dna that the additional irrigation area mentioned in the report is because farmers pump water from the canals. He did not want to be named in the report.

Rabari also questioned the BISAG study, which claimed that 13.28 lakh hectare of land was irrigated during kharif and rabi seasons. "Based on satellite date, how can one accurately say that the irrigation is from Narmada canal. It is possible that farmers are using water from bore wells to irrigate their land," said Rabari. However, the senior official said the government took data of the electricity utilised for drawing water from the well and subtracted corresponding area from the total irrigated area to arrive at the figure.

Rabari has time and again alleged that the government was hiding the actual area irrigated under the Narmada project. He has accused the current regime of misusing the issue to win the recent Assembly elections in the state. He also critcised the move to ask farmers to stay away from summer crops because of dearth of water.

ARGUMENTS TO AND FRO

• “If the farmers have requested water to irrigate five lakh hectare, how can the actual irrigated area be more than that?" asks Sagar Rabari, General Secretary of Khedut Samaj – Gujarat.
   
• A senior official of Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd, claimed that the additional irrigation area mentioned in the report is because farmers pump water from the canals.