History of Irrigation 2
Running out
Agriculture and groundwater
Groundwater in Agriculture
 Expansion of food production over the last 3040 years driven by irrigation
 Much of this using groundwater
 Advantage of increased productivity due to
timely irrigation and secure application
 In India: surface irrigated land doubled from
1950 to 1985; groundwater irrigated land
increased 113 times. By 1990 more than half
 In the US with 3rd highest irrigated area in the
world, 43% irrigated by groundwater
Groundwater depletion
Withdrawing ground-water may
cause the land to subside
 Under the North China
Plain, which produces
more than half of
China's wheat and a
third of its corn, the
annual drop in the
water table has
increased from 1.5
meters a decade ago
to up to 3 meters
today
 under the Punjab and
Haryana, water tables
are falling by up to 1
meter per year.
Aquifer depletion
could reduce India's
grain harvest by one
fifth.
Consequences of GW Overdraft:
1925 Land Subsidence
Eloy, Arizona
1952
1955
1977
1975
San Joaquin Valley, CA
1985
Groundwater depletion
 Last two decades spread from isolated
pockets to large areas of irrigated cropland
 Widespread in: Central and northern China,
Northwest and Southern India, parts of
Pakistan, much of western US, North Africa,
the Middle East and the Arabian Peninsular
 May now be the single biggest threat to
irrigated agriculture, exceeding the buildup of
salt in the soil
Ogallala Aquifer
 37% of the water used for
irrigation in the US
 175,000 sqmiles of 8 states
 More than 5 trillion gallons
per year pumped
 95% used for irrigation
 Caused dramatic decline in
water table (average 13 feet
since the 1950s
 Recharge so low that it is
considered non-renewable
The Edward Aquifer
The Edward Aquifer
 Originally groundwater under absolute
ownership. That is
 Owners of overlaying land can pump as
much as they can put to beneficial use
 Supply the city of San Antonio plus irrigation
 Aquifer was mined resulting in declining
water tables
 In 1993 Texas introduced new legislation
introducing property based approach met
with opposition therefore not implemented
The Edward Aquifer
 Act revised in 1995 severing ownership of
water from land
 Mandatory metering
 Groundwater rights based on proven recent
water use
 Declining target level of total water right by
11% before 2008
 Allow sale of water right by owners
installing water conservation equipment
 Allow leasing of water right limited to 50%
Running Out
Area pr capita peaked in 1978 and fallen by
5% since. By 2020 17-28% below 1978
Global water use has tripled since 1950
In Most Years the Rivers
Don’t Make it to the Ocean
 Among the rivers
running dry part
of the year are:
 Colorado River
 Amu Darya
 Yellow River
 Yangze River
 Indus River
Aral Sea has lost 50%
of surface and 75%
of volume
 Lake Chad has
shrunk by some
95%
Running out of options
 1950 to mid 70s about 1000 new dams every
year
 Selected the best and cheapest sites first
 New projects became more complex and
expensive
 1980s to concern over higher cost were
added increased concern over social and
environmental impacts
 By early 1990s only 260 large dams per year
Irrigation running out of steam
 Expansion rate decreasing the last 20 years
 Next 25 years unlikely to grow with more than 0.6%
pa less than population growth
 Best sites have been used, new irrigation more
expensive
 In India and Indonesia cost of new development has
more than doubled since 1970
 Government unwilling or unable to take on new
projects
 50-70% of irrigation systems are in badly need of
repair, cost about 1/5 of new projects
 World Bank worried about countries not willing to pay
because money not well spend
Running out of options
 Pace of dam building will slow even further
 The anti-dam movement is growing in strength
 International debate over where, when and
under which conditions should dams be build
 The Sardar Sarovar Dam in Western India one
of the most protracted and controversial
 The Narmada River, now has 30 large, 135
medium and 3000 small dams
DAMMING THE NARMADAOne of the Eight Modern Wonders Abuilding
TIME, January 24, 1994
Damming the Narmada
Conceived in 1946 and begun in 1961, the
Narmada Valley Development Project is
awesome in scope. Thirty large and more than
3,000 smaller dams will divert India’s Narmada
River and 40 tributaries into irrigation canals
and generate nearly 3,000 MW of electricity…..
DAMMING NARMADA
CONCEIVED
FOUNDATION
REFERRED TO
TRIBUNAL
AWARD
CONST. STARTED
SUPREME COURT STAY (80 m)
JUDGEMENT
RESUMED
100 METERS
110.64 METERS
1946
1962
1969
1979
1985
1995
2000
2000
2003
2004
Construction at the Dam Site
Dam reaches 110.64 m
93% concrete completed
But the problems are still there
Daily drudgery of women for fetching
water from many kilometers
Struggle for water
Women’s struggle for water
in rural areas
Water Supply through
Tankers and Trains
Long Queues for
Domestic Water
Migration of human
and cattle population
in search of water
Police preventing a selfimmolation bid by two activist
of Sankalp Seva Samiti at the
east zone office compound of
Ahmedabad municipal
corporation in Rakhiyal area on
Thursday over water supply
problem
Newsline Photo
And they have not given up!!
KALPASAR - Availability of Fresh Water
Average 870 MCM
Maximum 3307 MCM
Average 4807 MCM
Maximum 15907 MCM
Average 512 MCM
Maximum 746 MCM
Water Availability
KALPASAR
Average 12,317 MCM
Maximum 56858 MCM
SARDAR SAROVAR
Average 11,101 MCM
Average
6016 MCM
Maximum
36786 MCM
The Old Paradigm
 From the dawn of the first irrigation
initiative up to the 1970-80’s
 the emphasis has been on increasing
supply of water:




More canals
More dams
Bigger pipes and pumps
Water delivered for free
 Centralized management
Consequences of the Old Paradigm






Users put low value on water
Inefficient use
No local responsibility
Lack of maintenance
Low payment of fees
Environmental impact
Conflict over water use
 Conflicts and water users:
 Agriculture vs industry and urban
 Transboundary issues both between
jurisdictions within same nations and
between nations
 Conflict between neighbors