Spatio-temporal analysis of irrigation infrastructure development and long-term changes in irrigated areas in Upper Kharun catchment, Chhattisgarh, India

Abstract

The Upper Kharun Catchment (UKC), which is part of the new State Chhattisgarh formed in 2000, features considerable population growth, expansion of urban areas and dynamic changes in irrigation infrastructure as well as irrigation practices (spatial extension, temporal intensification, increasing use of groundwater as source) for meeting the increasing food demand. Water intensive rice is the major crop of the area. UKC has a comprehensive canal irrigation system which provides the link to water supply from reservoirs fed from areas outside the UKC. However, water provision for irrigation via the canal system for irrigation is restricted to only post-monsoon season. As a consequence, groundwater remains the only source of irrigation water in summer and winter seasons. Improved electricity facilities and subsidy on groundwater pumping have triggered an enormous increase in groundwater withdrawals. Remote sensing satellite images along with ground observed data were used in this study to spatially identify the areas with canal and groundwater irrigation. Results reveal that in 2011, around 50% of the area of the UKC benefits from canal irrigation, whereas 29.8% area is irrigated by groundwater. Around 103 villages in the UKC have no canal infrastructures. 216 villages in UKC are considered as ‘hotspot areas’ because of high groundwater withdrawal (irrigated area exceeding 75 ha per village), There has been threefold increase in groundwater irrigated area in UKC between 1991 and 2011. The upward trend of groundwater use indicates an alarming situation towards over-exploitation and creates the need to provide and analyze data on the use of groundwater resources in the area in order to detect past and to estimate future trends referring to groundwater withdrawals. These data are a prerequisite for enabling careful and foresightful management of groundwater resources especially at spatially identified hotspot areas towards ensuring sustainable management of this resource.