Drip irrigation needs further push

Why in news?

Israel has presented a drip irrigation system for Children’s Park near India Gate for conservation of water and electricity.

What is drip irrigation?

• Water at slow rate - Drip irrigation involves dripping water onto the soil at very low rates (2-20 liters/hour) from a system of small diameter plastic pipes fitted with outlets called emitters or drippers.
• Directly to root zone - Drip irrigation provides water directly to the root zone of the crop through a network of pipes/emitters.
• Different from traditional methods - Drip irrigation unlike surface and sprinkler irrigation, which involves wetting the whole soil profile.
• Crops suitable - The crop suitable for drip irrigation system are
  • Orchard crops such as grapes, banana, pomegranate and orange.
  • Vegetables such as tomato, chilly, capsicum, cabbage, cauliflower and onion.
  • Cash crops such as sugarcane, cotton, arecanut and strawberry.
  • Flowers such as rose, carnation, gerbera, anthurium, orchids and jasmine.
  • Plantation crops such as tea, rubber, coffee and coconut.
  • Spices such as turmeric, cloves and mint.
  • Oil seed such as sunflower, oil palm and groundnut.
  • Forest crops such as teakwood and bamboo.

What are the advantages of drip irrigation?

• Water loss is completely prevented
• Conserve electricity, time and ground water

Ground water is the largest fresh water resources on the earth.

• Minimize crop failure during summer
• The profit margin of the farmers can be increased
• The crop yield can be increased up to 230%
• Fertilizer use efficiency increases by 30%
• Crop grows consistently, healthier and matures fast
• Helps crops growth during even in periods of water scarcity and load-shedding

World Water Day is an annual United Nations observance day held on 22 March.

What is the need of the hour?

• The lands suitable for drip irrigation which is around 270 lakh is applicable needs to be brought into the ambit.
• Drip irrigation should be made mandatory for water intensive crops to reduce the risk of ground water crisis.
• Measures should be taken to gradually bring sugarcane cultivation entirely under drip with the support of sugarcane mills.
• The government should guarantee interest-free bank loans and immediate electricity connection for pump sets to farmers who agree to cultivate only through drip irrigation.

To achieve the goal of ‘more crop per drop’ the Pradhan Mantri Sinchayee Yojana was launched in 2015 to promote drip irrigation

Quick facts

References

1. The Hindu Business Line │Advantages Of Drip Irrigation
2. The Hindu│ Drip Irrigation In Children’s Park