Irrigation facilities reach 1.531 million hectares of land across the country

By Laxman Kafle

Kathmandu, Oct 16 : Irrigation facilities have reached an additional 21,642 hectares of land in the last fiscal year 2021/22.

According to the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, additional approximately 21,642 hectares of land was irrigated in the last fiscal year, and the total irrigated area has reached 1,531,069 hectares across the country.

Similarly, an additional 80 km of embankment has been constructed in the last fiscal year and it has reached 1,288 km. The ministry said that it has been possible to control the flood in many places with the expansion of embankments in various rivers.

With the embankment construction, 547 hectares of land has been developed and a total area of ​​12,552 hectares has been developed so far.

Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Pampha Bhusal said that the Ministry had carried out various programmes to ensure irrigation access to more lands across the country.

Meanwhile, the ministry is also reducing the electricity tariff for irrigation; she said that in the last fiscal year, the government reduced the tariff for irrigation by 75 per cent to about Rs. 2 per unit.

"There is no possible way to make the country prosperous without increment of agricultural productivity. Irrigation facility is a must in this regard. So, the government is developing irrigation projects, including deep tube wells and lift irrigation to provide irrigation facilities," she said.  According to her, the consumption of electricity will increase if used for irrigation and it also can reduce the import of agricultural production by increasing agro products inside the country.

Only 17% cultivatable land has year-round irrigation facilities

Irrigation facilities have covered only 43 per cent of the total 3.5 million hectares of cultivable land, said Director General of the Department of Water Resources of Irrigation Susheel Chandra Acharya.

He said that only 40 per cent (612,000 hectares) of the total irrigated area (1.531 million hectares) has the facility throughout the year.  As per the statistics, only 17 per cent of the total cultivable land is irrigated round the year.

However, he said that out of the estimated 1.766 million hectares of land that can be provided with irrigation facilities technically, irrigation has reached about 86 per cent.

Mahakali irrigation project has started receiving water from Tanakpur dam for the third phase.

In order to improve and expand the irrigated area of ​​Bagmati Irrigation Project and provide an irrigation facility to 122,000 hectares, the necessary study has been agreed and the implementation has started, the Ministry said.

As part of the Bheri Babai Diversion Multi-Purpose Project, civil construction works are being carried out and the contract for the purchase of hydromechanical works has been completed and the contractors have been mobilised.

Similarly, the procurement process for electromechanical works is in the final stage. The modernisation work of the Rani Jamara Kulariya Irrigation Project towards the World Bank, along with the work of 4.7 MW power generation, has also reached its final stage.

The ministry informed that the tunnel construction work of Sunkoshi Marin Diversion Multi-Purpose Project has started. The design and cost estimation of civil and hydro mechanical work of the Sunkoshi Marin Diversion Multi-Purpose Project has been completed.

Two underground water irrigation projects have been approved and started to be implemented in Jhapa, Sarlahi and Rautahat targeting to irrigate 7,000 hectares of land round the year.

The irrigated area has been extended in 15 districts, including Morang, Sunsari, Saptari, Siraha, Dhanusha, Sarlahi, Rautahat, Bara, Parsa, Rupandehi, Dang, Banke, Bardiya, Kailali and Kanchanpur from the Sunsari-Morang, Chandranahar, Koshi Pump, Kamala, Bagmati, Manushmara, Jhanj, Narayani, Gandak, Bhairahawa-Lumbini, Praganna, Sikta, Babai, Rajapur, Rani-Jamara-Kulariya and Mahakali irrigation projects.

Irrigation facilities have been extended to 12,573 hectares of additional land through surface and underground irrigation.