BALASORE: Experts have expressed concern over depletion of ground water level in Balasore district due to excessive use for agriculture purpose.
At a workshop held here recently by Indian Institute of Water Management (IIWM) of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), agro-scientist Dillip Panda said excess pumping of ground water and use of more than 10,000 private bore wells to irrigate paddy has led to decline in ground water level.
It is estimated that ground water exploitation is above 60 per cent of the total assessed sources, which is higher than any other region of the State. Paddy as a major crop is cultivated in 75,000 acres in Jaleswar, Bhogarai, Basta and Baliapal blocks of the district.
Panda suggested to adopt alternative dry and wet method of irrigation in paddy, besides establishing recharge pit and using tensiometers for proper irrigation. He said tensiometers are most useful when a crop's water requirement is high and when any stress due to water shortage is likely to damage crop potential. Tensiometer is partly buried in the soil to a suitable depth and when used properly, will enable improved irrigation management by accurately determining how much water should be applied to avoid over-irrigation.