Adopt drip irrigation or face consequences of water problems

Nagpur: Orange is to Vidarbha what sugarcane is to Marathwada. Both are water guzzlers. Even as the government has tightened the screws on sugar cane farmers, the Central Citrus Research Institute (CCRI) has issued a warning that unless orange growers too shift to conservative forms of irrigation, the fruit crop might take a hit as depleting water table will only reduce the precious resource.
Excessive drawing of water to irrigate sugarcane is being cited as one of the reasons for the current drought in Marathwada. The government is now insisting that even sugarcane be watered using drip irrigation methods as it requires ten times less water than flood irrigation.
Even though a vast majority of the orange growers have shifted from flood irrigation to drip irrigation in past few years, uneven, erratic and scanty rains over the last two-three years has led to a big fall in the groundwater table.
The water levels in wells have gone so low that farmers are finding it difficult to maintain their orchards alive as most of them don’t have enough water for even drip irrigation.
Farmers planning for ambia bahar orange crop, which bring fruits to the market from October to January, are worried at present as less rains in July last year and high temperatures in March and April this year are bound to reduce the production by at least 20-25%. Hence, the CCRI is suggesting both immediate as well as long term water conservation techniques to orange farmers.
CCRI director MS Ladaniya says that due the ever-increasing demand for irrigation, water table depletion is bound to continue even if there is a good monsoon. “Orange growers need to be more judicious with water use. Even for drip irrigation, the water requirement is huge. Hence, unless farmers adopt water conservation methods, the problem is going to worsen,” he said.
Principal scientist from the soil and water conservation division of CCRI, Rajeev Marathe stressed that orange growers must water their orchards depending on its soil quality.
“Several farmers still use flood irrigation technique for orchards. They fail to understand that keeping the roots moist is enough and there is no need for more water,” he said.
Meanwhile, farmers continue to insist that the government needs to support them with better policies. “Farmers have been switching to drip. But government doesn’t pay the subsidy amount in time. The majority of farmers haven’t got it in the last two years,” said Manoj Jawanjal, a director with Mahaorange (orange growers’ association).
Raju Kotewar from Ladgaon village in Katol tehsil, Suresh Tatode from Narkhed tehsil in Nagpur district, Rahul Choudhari from Warud tehsil in Amravati districts too told TOI that despite drip irrigation the water tables in their areas had gone down substantially. “Orchards of 80% farmers in my neighbourhood are dying. Either there is too much rain or there is untimely rains. Too much rains doesn’t get converted into groundwater as it gets washed away. Discontinued rain too is harmful,” said Kotewar.
Senior geologist in Groundwater Surveys Development Agency (GSDA), Shivaji Padmane too agreed that the groundwater levels were depleting. But he said that the levels varied from place to place.
The latest survey conducted by the agency in March showed a fall in the water table in eight out of the eleven wells in Narkhed tehsil and two out of the five wells being monitored in Katol tehsil. “But there was a rise in levels in three wells in each tehsil too,” he said.
CCRI’S WATER CONSERVATION TECHNIQUES
Long term:
1. Watersheds
2. Check dams
3. Rainwater harvesting
Short term:
1. Light harrowing of the soil. It maintains moisture in the soil and saves water
2. Mulching — paddy, wheat straw or dry grass to be used around the tree
3. Polythene mulch to cover the soil directly around the circumference of the tree
4. ‘Kaolins’ powder as foliar spray once in May to prevent transpiration losses
5. Polymers/hydromels to be applied to soil to increase the water retaining ability of the soil