Planning Kerala's irrigation projects: technological prejudice and politics of hope
Santhakumar, V.; Rajagopalan, R.; Ambirajan, S.
Economic and Political Weekly 30(12): A-30-A-38
1995
ISSN/ISBN: 0012-9976 Document Number: 512543
The political objective of achieving self sufficiency in rice production in Kerala, India, supported the planning of major irrigation projects in all the river basins of the state. The paper argues that the irrigation engineers who planned these projects were technologically biased in that they rarely sought alternative methods and scales of irrigation within these basins. This is a serious concern in Kerala since it is a naturally high rainfall region and the provision of dams and canals is costly in comparison to meeting the relatively small requirements for additional water through less expensive means. The objective of achieving self sufficiency in rice and the policy of having major irrigation projects in all river basins seem to be based on disregard for the specific agro-climatological and agro-ecological features of Kerala. The paper provides a history of developments in irrigation in Kerala, and a summary of different studies on irrigation in the state. The planning approach of the irrigation engineers as seen from the proposal of the Vamanapuram project is analysed, and discussed in the context of some of the state's climatological and ecological features.