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Table 1: Region-wise Potential And Development Of Surface Water
In Gujarat
Details
South
Gujarat
North
Gujarat
Saurashtra Kachchh Total
the state during 1984, 1991, and 1997 is
evident in figure 1. Figure 1 shows that the
potential has declined from 20 thousand
mcm per year in 1984 to 16 thousand mcm
Regional Details
per year in 1997, implying about 21 percent
No. Of Districts 7 5 6 1 19
decline. Though there has been a small
increase during 1991-97 (11.16 percent increase)
due to the consecutive good sea-
Area sq. kms 47557 38478 64337 45612 195984
% Area Of State (24%) (20%) (33%) (23%) (100%)
sons, the potential is still much less than
No. Of Rivers 11 6 71 97 185
the same in 1984. The same trend is observed
among the districts also; also the
Surface Water Potential
Available Mm3 17510 7940 4550 2430 32430
districts show a decline in the time period
(%) (54%) (25%) (14%) (7%) (100%)
1984-97 (except Amreli, which shows marginal
Utilisable Mm3 13900 2000 1500 400 17800
increase) (Please do refer Figure-2).
(%) (78%) (12%) (8%) (2%) (100%) All except four districts show some increase
Source: NWRD, 1991
in the potential during 1991-97,
jarat, there are 17 rivers and most of them
are perennial. Irrigation increases productivity,
stability and sustainability (Vaidyanathan
(1999); Dhawan (1995). The foremost
issue is the availability of irrigation
potential, its creation and utilization. Ultimate
Irrigation Potential (UIP) corresponds
to the gross area that could theoretically
be irrigated in a year on the basis
of the assumed cropping pattern and the
given probability of rainfall. Pushing the
irrigation potential to the ultimate level
resources in the state. This along with second
committee on Estimation of Groundwater
Resources and Irrigation Potential
in 1991 and the third Committee in 1997
throws light on the changing status of
groundwater in the state.
About 90 percent of the groundwater is
used for irrigation in agriculture. There
are two types of groundwater schemes:
government tubewells and private tubewells.
The total groundwater potential in
thanks to good rainfall (GoG 1999).
Government of Gujarat (1999) in their
study showed the ranges of increase and
decline in groundwater potential across
the different talukas of districts in the
state. They stated that talukas that experienced
the highest declines in groundwater
potential are from North Gujarat
as well as Saurashtra and Kachchh
regions.
Utilisable groundwater resource is equal
to the total groundwater resources
available may be unsustainable in some
cases. Gujarat has utilized its created potential
with almost full utilization (Table-
Table 2: Ultimate Irrigation Potential and
Utilisation (‘000 ha)
minus the provision
for domestic, industrial and
other uses (15 percent of the
2). In as much as most of the available
water resources have been almost fully
exploited, special attention needs to be
paid to management and maximization of
utilization of the available resources.
Details
Utilised Irrigation Potential
Potential created (97-98)
Potential utilised (97-98)
% of potential created to
utilised irrigation potential
Gujarat
6103
3379
3097
55.37
India
139893
92742
82740
66.29
total resources). As seen from
Figure-3, that the total utilisable
groundwater resources
for the state is also declining.
The total utilisable water resources
in fact follow a similar
b. Groundwater Resources
Government of Gujarat has started estimating
groundwater resources systematically
since 1984 when the first technical
group was set up to estimate the resources
% of potential utilised to
potential created
Potential used to Utilised
irrigation potential
Gross irrigated area (98-99)
91.65
50.75
3379
89.19
59.13
73007
trend as that of total water resources.
Government of Gujarat
(1999) shows that 76 percent
of the total talukas in the
state register a decrease in utilisable
as well as the irrigation potential of the Source: Department of Agriculture, Government of Gujarat
groundwater resources
THE INDIA ECONOMY REVIEW
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