Feasibility of subsurface drainage for salinity control in the Trans-Gangetic region of India
Datta, K.K. | Jong, C de | Singh, O.P.
The sustainability of irrigated agriculture in India is threatened by waterlogging, soil salinity and alkalinity. To reverse declining agricultural productivity, a combination of surface and subsurface drainage, supplemented by improved irrigation management, has been identified as the most appropriate strategy. But drainage for salinity control is costly. Therefore, the benefits in terms of sustained agricultural production must be thoroughly investigated to establish its techno-economic feasibility. The present study attempts to do this by analysing: (i) the cost of installing subsurface drainage, (ii) the direct on-farm benefits of subsurface drainage, and (iii) the financial feasibility of subsurface drainage. Haryana State was selected as the site of the study. The study shows that, after the installation of drainage, land utilization intensified as a sizeable area of formerly fallow land was brought under cultivation. It also shows that the cropping pattern changed in favour of more remunerative crops and that crop yields increased. This is an indication of the immediate gain from drainage, which helps to increase land productivity, gainful employment of the farmers and, hence, farm income. Recently (1997-98), mechanically installed large-scale drainage development in the framework of the Indo-Dutch Haryana Operational Pilot Project (HOPP) also supported the above findings. Given a sustainable solution for the disposal of the drainage effluent, the financial feasibility of drainage in waterlogged and saline areas looks favourable, provided that sufficient water is available for leaching and irrigation.
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