Water Management in Horticultural Crops

Total water requirements

• The total annual requirement of water for various sectors has been estimated and its break up is given in Table 2.2.
  
• With the increasing population as well as all round development in the country, the utilization of water has also been increasing at a fast pace.
  
• In 1951, the actual utilization of surface water was about 20 per cent and 10 per cent in the case of groundwater.
  
• The utilizable water in river basins is highly uneven.
  
• For example in the Brahmaputra basin, which contributes 629 billion m³ of surface water of the country’s total flow, only 24 billion m³ is utilizable.
Table 2.2. Annual water requirement for different uses (in km³)


Use	Year 1997-1998	Year 2010			Year 2025			Year 2050
		Low	High	%	Low	High	%	Low	High	%
Surface water
Irrigation	318	330	339	48	325	366	43	375	463	39
Domestic	17	23	24	3	30	36	5	48	65	6
Industries	21	26	26	4	47	47	6	57	57	5
Power	7	14	15	2	25	26	3	50	56	5
Inland navigation		7	7	1	10	10	1	15	15	1
Environment-Ecology		5	5	1	10	10	1	20	20	2
Evaporation losses	36	42	42	6	50	50	6	76	76	6
Total	399	447	458	65	497	545	65	641	752	64
Groundwater
Irrigation	206	213	218	31	236	245	29	253	344	29
Domestic	13	19	19	2	25	26	3	42	46	4
Industries	9	11	11	1	20	20	2	24	24	2
Power	2	4	4	1	6	7	1	13	14	1
Total	230	247	252	35	287	298	35	332	428	36
Grand total	629	694	710	100	784	843	100	973	1180	100
Total water use
Irrigation	524	543	557	78	561	611	72	628	807	68
Domestic	30	42	43	6	55	62	7	90	111	9
Industries	30	37	37	5	67	67	8	81	81	7
Power	9	18	19	3	31	33	4	63	70	6
Inland navigation	0	7	7	1	10	10	1	15	15	1
Environment-Ecology	0	5	5	1	10	10	1	20	20	2
Evaporation losses	36	42	42	6	50	50	6	76	76	7
Total	629	694	710	100	784	843	100	973	1180	100