ABSTRACT

Water is an important natural resource, a basic human need and of vital requirement for all developmental activities. The demand of water is increasing with increase in population and economic activities. Irrigation has been practiced in India since long ago. It is considered as a very important input for agriculture and hence, continuous development has been taking in this field through the centuries. It is a means to mitigate the impact of irregular, uneven and inadequate or wide fluctuations in rainfall from year to year. India’s annual rainfall is 117 cm and most of it occurs during monsoon. The irrigation potential in India has risen from 19.5 m-ha in 1950 to 67.89 m-ha in 1985.