Kshipra Sub Basin - Asian Development Bank

Support to the National Water Mission NAPCC
Appendix 3 Kshipra Sub Basin
progressive farmers 9 . These three levels of interview methods have been followed to get community,
household and individual perceptions.
2. Kshipra River Sub-basin
63. The primary criterion for selection of the field survey locations has been the diversity in
conjunctive water use pattern and suggestion from state departments. Goal has been to understand if
the stakeholders‘ challenges in diverse locations spread over the sub basin are diverse or not.
Secondary criteria for survey location selection have been crop diversity, followed by ground and
surface water quality and quantity. The site selections have been preceded by investigative field visit 10 ,
consultation with all kinds of broad categories of stakeholders.
3. Community Perceptions
64. The stakeholders of various interest groups shared more or less a common vision on current
water availability, access, distribution and quality in the region. Diverging views are reflected in
quantification of the issues. This is presented below through ranges of values for various variables
and parameters.
65. The perceptions to current issues relating to irrigation water access include:
o Multipurpose irrigation project with canal system from large village ponds (sasakiya talab)
meet only very limited irrigation water demand with very limited command area. It is by gravity
flow. As per rule there are water users association elected by command area residents. WRD
department is in custody of these systems. Warabandi system was tried but failed. Surface
water supply system leaves huge unmet demand in agriculture sector thereby shifting the
demand pressure on unregulated ground water extraction at farmers‘ private initiative and
cost. The traditional crop varieties : gram, cotton, paddy have now ( more than a decade ago)
been replaced by soyabean during rainy season followed by wheat in dry season where
irrigation is available otherwise black gram, vegetables, horticulture. Major driver is level of
certainty in current economic return (due to market support price for soyabeans, short crop
duration, less water need, availability of processing units) from agricultural production to
provide stable income flow to farmers.
o Surface water can meet only 0%-50% of irrigation demand in wheat cultivation.
o Farmers have high dependence (100-50%) on uncontrolled/open access ground water
resources. During consultations it could be assessed that perception of common
property/open access resource and knowledge on possible management practices either at
theoretical level or from practical point of view is almost nil across all stakeholders. But open
to new ideas when discussed. Ground water quality is hard.
o With introduction of tank at farm level in Dewas the conjunctive water use scenario changed.
Lining of canal is costly almost four times than tank cost.
o Next generation is not all moving away from agriculture with increasing level of education
and that itself is good for technology intensive horticulture practice scaling up, introduction of
best practices, modernization etc. Labour is becoming scarce with competing demand in
NREGA which is almost timed with harvesting season. Community feel activities can be timed
differently to benefit both kinds of activities. Chart below show percentage of younger people
interested to staying in agriculture across districts.
o In Chidawad Village 100% village households have agriculture as only primary occupation.
40% households have family members in Indian army. 90% have own land others work in
others‘ lands as labour. Historically they used to grow Jowar and cotton when it was only one
crop but now it is wheat, gram, groundnut. This has been made possible by water and
electricity availability.
o In Khejuria-Rewari it is mostly inhabited by OBC community. It is 300-400 years old village.
Migrants from Rajasthan got settled in the village. Migration was mainly due to drought. 250
households live of which 100% are agricultural farmers with 85% own land others work in
other‘s land. Size varies between 100-150 bighas. 148 households are in BPL category.
9 Omprakash Patel: Chrawat Village, Yogendra Kausik –Ujjain, Rajendra Singh Solanki, village Barkheri-Ujjain.
10 November 2010: Bhopal, Ujjain, Dewas, Indore
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