The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Protect water bodies to sustain agriculture

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Dec 15, 2007
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Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Protect water bodies to sustain agriculture

Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A two-day national workshop on Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) which concluded here on Wednesday urged the government to introduce a graded tariff system for the water supplied through irrigation systems.

A resolution adopted by the workshop proposed that the water used for drinking, domestic use and livelihood activities be provided to consumers at an affordable cost that will help meet the operational and maintenance costs.

For commercial and marketable surplus water, it recommends a higher tariff to recover the capital investment, as well as operation and maintenance costs.

Most irrigation networks in the country are multi-purpose systems, doubling up as sources of drinking water.

The workshop appealed to the government to promote group farming and protect water bodies to make agriculture sustainable in the long run. Group farming is the only option to overcome the problems caused by increasing fragmentation and sub-division of agricultural land, the resolution says.

Government aid

The meeting stressed the need for the government to extend financial assistance for water user associations for operation and maintenance of canal systems.

It called for enhancing the role of agriculture departments in irrigation.

Another major recommendation is to bring wells in the command area of irrigation systems under the jurisdiction of water users associations.

The resolution proposed taxing the water drawn from wells. It, however, sought exemption for the water used for drinking and domestic use.

Executive vice-president of the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment E.P. Yesodharan inaugurated the valedictory function of the workshop on Monday. R.K. Jain, Senior Joint Commissioner, Ministry of Water Resources, Nandeshwar, Executive Director of the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM), and coordinator George Chackacherry were present.

The PIM is conceived as a strategic intervention to improve the irrigation sector and mitigate the problems of farmers, water managers and the government.

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