BHUBANESWAR: The state government has extended its command area development and water management scheme for five years from 2024-25 to 2028-29.
Approved in the last cabinet, the scheme with an outlay of Rs 763.47 crore will support construction of a field channel network of 2,400 km on 80,000 hectare of command area. Once constructed, the field channel network will ensure equitable distribution of available irrigation water up to the tail end to reduce the gap between irrigation potential created and utilised.
The channel network will increase production and productivity by way of on-farm water management with crop diversification. Under the scheme, as many as 266 awareness training programmes will be conducted for farmers on scientific water management practices for enhancing agricultural production and productivity. Besides the topographical survey and planning for alignment of field channels and field drains on over 1.5 lakh hectare in different commands, 12 pilot studies for advanced on-farm water management will be taken up.
It has been decided to construct 360 km of field channel at a cost of Rs 117.56 crore in 2024-25, 600 km at Rs 189.32 crore each in 2025-26, 2026-27 and 2027-28 and 240 km for Rs 77.95 crore in 2028-29. Similarly, the scheme for re-construction of old field channel works in irrigated commands has been extended up to 2028-29 with an outlay of Rs 574.74 crore to bridge the gap between irrigation potential created and utilised. Under the scheme, old, dilapidated and non-functional field channel network with the concrete field channel of 1,860 km covering 62,000 ha command area will be reconstructed. It will help reduce wastage of available water and increase water use efficiency and crop coverage area.
An official of the Water Resources department said the total outlay of Rs 763.47 crore included around Rs 108 crore of MGNREGA component for the command area development and water management scheme. The outlay for re-construction of the old field channel included Rs 83.7 crore of MGNREGA component, he added.