Economic and social implications of groundwater irrigation: some evidence from South India
Janakarajan, S.
Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics 48(1): 65-75
1993
Document Number: 216586
The economic and social implications of groundwater irrigation are discussed. Data were collected for the Vaigai basin, Tamil Nadu, India. The first section of the paper examines whether there has been a lowering of the water table in the study area. The consequences of such a phenomenon are discussed in section II. The extent and implications of groundwater markets are analysed in section III. Section IV is devoted to a discussion on the impact of the development of well irrigation on traditional irrigation systems, such as tanks, based on field data for the Palar Anicut System in Tamil Nadu. The development of well irrigation in the tank command areas has been one of the main contributing factors in the disintegration of traditional irrigation institutions. The existing regulatory measures in India are totally ineffective and there is a strong case for government intervention for proper regulation and utilization of traditional irrigation systems.