Performance evaluation of a rehabilitated minor irrigation project and augmentation of its water resource through secondary storage reservoir

Performance of a rehabilitated and turned over flow based minor irrigation project with respect to irrigation, agriculture and institutional aspects was assessed. The irrigation system was found performing better. However, inadequacy of irrigation water availability in dry season and spatial inequity of water distribution, even after rehabilitation and irrigation management transfer were the couple of shortcomings which have been observed. In order to augment the water resource of the system, the feasibility of introducing secondary storage reservoir in each outlet command was conceptualized and field tested. Keeping in view the area required for providing secondary reservoirs, the existing water bodies in the command of the study system were surveyed. The utility and functioning of the secondary reservoir was field demonstrated. Utilization of the harvested water in the secondary reservoir for irrigating dry season crop in addition to the irrigation water from the main reservoir have resulted in increasing the yield of sunflower, tomato, brinjal and groundnut by 14.29, 14.95, 16.95 and 20%, respectively. Among the cropping patterns considered, rice–tomato cropping pattern resulted in highest net return (Rs. 29,457 per ha) followed by rice–brinjal cropping pattern (Rs. 22,430 per ha). Highest benefit–cost ratio of 2.09 was obtained for rice–sunflower cropping system. The low input-based scientific fish culture in the secondary storage reservoir has enhanced the fish yield by three fold over traditional practice.