Bhubaneswar: In a major push to the irrigation potential of the state, the government has decided to spend around Rs 990 crore through two schemes, sources said Tuesday.
The state Cabinet had approved outlay for the two schemes during its last meeting.
The first scheme aims at the exploitation of groundwater resources through deep borewells with solar pumping system in remote areas of the state under Biju Krushak Vikash Yojana (BKVY)-Deep Borewell Secha Karyakrama (DBSK) while the second one is Command Area Development and Water Management (CAD&WM) activities in irrigated commands.
For execution of the first scheme, the state government has decided to spend Rs 493 crore during a period of five years starting from the current financial year. The expenditure will be met from state’s own resources, sources said.
Similarly, an amount of Rs 497.10 crore will be spent under the CAD&WM scheme during three years (2021-22 to 2023-24). The expenditure will be met from state’s own fund and MGNREGA component.
The deep borewell projects under BKVY-DBSK scheme was launched in 2010-11 fiscal. From the financial year 2010-11 to 2019-20, Odisha Lift Irrigation Corporation (OLIC) has installed and energised 74,470 deep borewells by utilising funds to the tune of Rs 2317.66 crore.
Irrigation potential for 4,41,755 hectares in Kharif and 1,48,940 hectares in Rabi season has been created, official sources said. Deep borewells with solar pumping system have been started under the BKVY-DBSK scheme in the year 2015-16.
Since then, a total of 1,861 deep borewell proposals have been submitted to OREDA, out of which 1,184 have been energised, sources added. Under the scheme, deep borewells with solar pumping system will be installed in hard rock and remote areas where conventional grid power supply is not available or remotely available (beyond 0.3 km).
The government has set a target to create irrigation potential for 25,000 hectares in Rabi and 62,500 hectares in Kharif by installing 12,500 (2,500 per year) deep borewells with solar pumping system in five years.
It will be implemented in 256 blocks of 26 districts in highly groundwater-rich areas preferably in western, southern Odisha and in suitable districts of coastal area those are not prone to cyclone.
Similarly, the CAD&WM programme will be taken up to strengthen the distribution network in irrigated areas so that water will be available for the agricultural field.
The Water Resources department has set a target to construct field level channels for 1,37,000 hectares and micro irrigation projects for 1,500 hectares. The field drain work will be taken up in convergence with MGNREGA.
PNN
