Water Management in Horticultural Crops

History of irrigation development in India

• Irrigation is a very ancient science. Irrigation has been practiced in India from time immemorial and so has been the construction of canals.
  
• The Vedas are replete with references to wells, tanks, canals and dams. Samritis too contain evidence of early irrigation works.
  
• The ancient rulers of India took keen interest in the provision of irrigation facilities. The early irrigation works were not primitive but had scientific basis. The most outstanding example of engineering talent in ancient time is manifest in the bold conception and construction of grand anicut across river Cauvery in the second century A.D.
  
• The British started irrigation development in the nineteenth century. They constructed dams such as Periyar and Mettur; the Nizamsagar and Krishnarajasagar were constructed by the princes in their native states.
  
• Further, the British introduced a definite irrigation policy in 1854 with the setting up of Public Works Department and instituting a separate fund for irrigation works.
  
• Two categories of irrigation works, namely Minor works and Major works came into existence. Minor works which were undertaken in principle more for the sake of protecting the existing cultivation and revenue from retrogression than as revenue producing works continued to be financed out of the general revenues. Later minor irrigation works generally included private works (particularly their renovation) and private irrigation works formed a major constituent of Grow More Food Campaign.
  
• Public tube wells were also included in the category of minor irrigation works when the department of agriculture was constituted in 1845. Major works were henceforth financed by raising public loans. Each major work was required to satisfy the productivity criterion.
  
• Later the Famine Commission (1880) and the First Irrigation Commission (1928) laid great stress on encouraging private works (wells, tanks, etc.,) to overcome recurrent famines.
  
• During the last 150 years, eight severe famines have occurred; the last one was in Bengal as late as in 1943. In tropical and subtropical countries like India, famines occurred due to drought conditions.