ABSTRACT
4Hirakud command of Odisha is one of the biggest and oldest multipurpose irrigation projects in India. It caters the irrigation demand to 1.59 lakh hain kharif and 1.12 lakh ha in rabi. The average groundwater table in the irrigated areas has come up by more than 6.0 m since commensurate of the project. Commensuration of the project has caused about 20% of the total cultivated area waterlogged in the command where crop diversification is impossible. The present paper discusses the causes of rising groundwater table that creates drainage congestion and waterlogging in the Hirakud command. The study reveals that in the head reach, the rise of groundwater table is more as compared to the lower reach. The main factors that contribute to the drainage congestion are (1) faulty irrigation and water management practice, (2) intensive rice-rice cultivation, (3) plot to plot irrigation in rice field instead of using field channel, (4) continuous canal flow, (5) excessive seepage losses in the canal systems, etc. Opportunities to improve the drainage system and reclaim the waterlogged areas and thereby decreasing the groundwater table are also mentioned in this paper. Construction of parallel field surface drain at 10 m drain spacing is recommended in the command to decline the rising groundwater table which may facilitate the farmers to grow non-rice crops in the command and increase crop production and productivity.
