Rajasthan
The majority of the region of Rajasthan consists of desert terrain, and the successful cultivation of crops heavily relies on irrigation.
1. Indira Gandhi Canal.
- The longest canal in India is the Indira Gandhi Canal, formerly known as the Rajasthan Canal.
- It begins at Harike Barrage in Punjab, near the confluence of the Satluj and Beas rivers.
- The canal runs through the Thar Desert in northwest Rajasthan and is used for irrigation purposes.
- On November 2, 1984, it was renamed the Indira Gandhi Canal in honor of the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, after previously being called the Rajasthan Canal.
2. Chambal Project.
- The Chambal Project is a collaborative effort between the states of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
- One of the main components of the project is the Gandhi Sagar Dam, which facilitates irrigation across approximately 5.15 lakh hectares of land in both states through canals.
- Another key aspect of the project is the Rana Pratap Dam, which was built in the second phase and is responsible for irrigating 12 lakh hectares of land.
- The third stage of the project involved the construction of the Jawahar Sagar Dam, which also provides irrigation benefits to the region.
3. The Gang or Bikaner Canal.
- It was taken off from the river Satluj at Husainwala in 1928.
The other canal irrigation projects of Rajasthan include-
Jawal project on the Jawai river, Parbati project near Dhaulpur, Gudha project in Bundi District, Ghaggar canal, Pichuna Canal, Banas Canal, Bharatpur Canal and Urmila Canal. The Bhakra Canal also irrigates about 2.3 lakh hectares in Rajasthan.
Madhya Pradesh
The uneven surface, rocky structure and limited fertile soil have not encouraged the construction of canals and canals irrigation is not much important.
Most of the canal irrigated area is in Gwalior, Bhind and Morena districts.
Some of the Projects are as follows-
- The Chambal project
- The Weinganga canal
- The Barna project across the Barna river (a tributary of the Narmada).
- The Tawa project canals
Chhattisgarh
The geographical conditions of Chhattisgarh are more or less similar to those prevailing in Madhya Pradesh which are not favourable for canal irrigation.
Some of the Canals are as follows
- The Mahanadi canal takes off from Mahanadi river at Rudri in Raipur distric
- The Tandula canal takes off from the confluence of the Tandula an Sakha rivers by building two separate earthen dams.
Odisha
- Canals taken off from the Hirakud dam on the Mahanadi, form a major irrigation network a
- Taldanda Canal irrigates in Mahanadi catchment area.
Karnataka
- The Ghatprabha valley scheme developed on the Ghatprabha river is the most important irrigation project
- Canals of the Tangbhadra project
- The canals of Malprabha project
- The Visveswaraya Canal taken off from the Krishnaraja Sagar Dam on the Cauvery
Tamil Nadu
- The Mettur Canal system of the Mettur dam on the Cauvery river irrigatesin Salem and Tiruchchirapalli districts.
- The Lower Bhawani Project canal system irrigates in Coimbatore district.
- Parambikulam Aliyar and Manimuthar are other projects.
Maharashtra
- The right bank and the left bank canals of the Mutha Project across Mutha river (a tributary of the Bhima river)
- The canals of the Nira project
- The Darana dam diverts water from the Godavari River to two canals that provide irrigation to the Nashik and Ahmednagar districts.
- The Pravara canals take off from Bhandardara masonary dam at Pravara river
- The Tapi canal system is a joint venture of Maharashtra and Gujarat
- The other irrigation canals are those of Mala, Vir, Purna, Girna, Jayakawadi, Warna, etc.
Gujarat
- Canals of Ukai project on the Tapi river irrigate over one lakh hectares.
- The other important irrigation projects of Gujarat are Rudramala, Ozar, Dantiwada, Panam and Kaprapara.
Merits of Canal Irrigation
- Canal irrigation offers year-round irrigation, protecting crops from drought and increasing agricultural output.
- Sediments carried by canals deposit in fields, boosting soil fertility.
- Certain canals are part of multipurpose projects, providing affordable irrigation.
- Despite high initial costs, canal irrigation is cost-effective in the long run.
Demerits of Canal Irrigation
- Canal water seeps into the ground, leading to water-logging along the canal route.
- Excessive water flow in fields causes capillary action and brings alkaline salts to the surface, rendering large areas unsuitable for agriculture. This problem is prevalent in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Nira Valley of Maharashtra due to high salt concentration in soil caused by canal irrigation.
- Mosquito breeding grounds develop in marshy areas near canals, leading to widespread malaria.
- During the rainy season, many canals overflow and flood surrounding areas.
- Canal irrigation is only suitable for plain areas.