Odisha to create irrigation potential of two lakh ha more

Odisha has targeted creation of additional irrigation potential for 226,000 hectares (ha) of farm land by the end of 2013-14.

Irrigation potential for 59,000 ha of cultivable land has already been created in this fiscal.

The state government has taken up projects under various schemes that promise to create irrigation potential of 723,000 ha. This includes eight major irrigation projects with 305,000 ha potential, 12 medium irrigation projects with 52,000 ha potential, 28 mega-lift irrigation projects with 36,000 ha potential, 232 minor projects with 48,000 ha potential, 23,027 deep borewells with 239,000 ha potential, 1182 small lift projects with 26,000 ha potential and 3,380 check dams with 17,000 ha of irrigation potential.

A total irrigation potential of 409,000 ha has been created from 2008-09 to 2012-13.

Field feedback shows that borewell scheme has been widely accepted by small and medium farmers.

During the current fiscal, around 3,000 borewells were operationalised and another 10,000 will be energized by the end of March. Drilling has been successful in 25,599 borewell points and yield tests have been completed in 24,332 wells.

It has also been decided to take up 25,000 new borewells by June 2014 out of which drilling has been completed in 280 wells.