Annual Progress Report 2008-09

CONJUNCTIVE USE PLANNING OF SURFACE AND GROUND WATER IN JAMRANI

DAM COMMAND AREA

INTRODUCTION

India is agriculture based country. Out of the total geographical area 47 per cent of area
falls under agriculture. The population of our country is expected around 1300 to 1500 million by
2025 AD and this would require 330 million tones of food grain. Total agricultural land is about
142 million hectare, which produces more than 200 million metric ton of food grain. Out of this
agricultural land 37 per cent is irrigated which produces 55 per cent of the food grain and 63 per
cent is rain fed, which contributes to 45 per cent of food grain production. As the population of
India is increasing drastically, land available per capita is also decreasing. In 1950 about 0.87
hectare land was available per capita , in 1990 it reduced to 0.37 hectare and in 2020 it seems that
it will fall to 0.19 hectare per capita.

Due to introduction of high yielding variety and improved crop production technology the
crop production in the country is increased. The existing major irrigation projects, designed for
providing life saving irrigation to the crops, are now facing problems in meeting the water
demands of high water requiring new crops. The question of how best to allocate a limited
quantity of water over an irrigation season (time) for a given crop and among a known mix of
cropped area (space) under specified condition of rainfall is central to the problem of irrigation
water management. In an effort to solve the above problem, detailed knowledge about the water
requirement of different crops grown in a command area is necessary for 1) planning of irrigation
projects, 2) selecting cropping pattern, and 3) fixing irrigation scheduling based on the canal and
ground water availability. Considering available land and water resources, crop water requirement
and net return from crops, a more profitable cropping pattern may be evolved using linear
programming models. Keeping above in view the present study was taken up in Jamrani Dam
command area to develop optimal plan for conjunctive use of canal and ground waters in the
study area

Description of the Study Area

Location

The Jamrani dam command consists the parts of the Haldwani block of Nainital district,
and Bajpur, Gadarpur and Rudrapur Blocks of Udham Singh Nagar District of Uttarakhand;
whole of Bilaspur Block and parts of Swar, Said Nagar, Chamraua and Milak Blocks of Rampur
District; and part of Baheri, Shergarh, Fatehganj, and Meerganj Blocks of Bareilly District of
Uttar Pradesh in Ganga basin. This area lies between 28o 28’52’’ -29o8’2’’ North latitude and
79o7’ 52’’ – 79o 32’ 43’’ East longitude. Total geographical area under study is about 199650
hectares of which 46889 hectares falls in Udham Singh Nagar District, 92597 hectares in Rampur
district and the rest (60164 hectare) in the Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh (Fig 3.1). Total
culturable command area of the project is 150301 ha. About 60 % area of Jamrani dam command
falls in Udham Singh Nagar and Nainital districts of Uttarakhabd and 40 % in Rampur and
Bareilly districts of Uttar Pradesh.

Physiography

The area under study slopes gently from north to south. The gradient, which is quite high
in Bhabar, drops suddenly towards Tarai. This sudden change in the gradient results in the
 Annual Progress Report 2008-09

appearance of spring line. Tarai belt has a gentle slope towards south, of 3.18 m/km in Haldwani
– Kichha section. Streams formed by local drainage and those originating in the foot hills have
courses perpendicular to the gentle slope. The streams have been eroded beds in the Tarai
formation to a varying degree depending on the discharge.

The alluvial planes of the command area have flat topography and a gentle slope from
north to south. Being in the upper Ganga plain, this zone has no marked brakes except the river
courses and certain variations.

Climate

The climate of the area is humid sub tropical, marked by extreme winters and hot
summers. According to the data recorded at the meteorological observatory of G.B. Pant
University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar which is located in the command area, the
temperature during winter some times drops below freezing point. A maximum temperature
reaches occasionally beyond 46oC.

Normally 1092 mm out of 1475 mm average annual rainfall occurs during monsoon
period, i.e. July to mid September. The fluctuation in the rainfall from year to year is
considerable and within the range of 1140 mm to 1980 mm.

The mean wind speed during winter season varies from 2.6 km/hr to 5.3 km/hr and during
summer it varies from 5.0 km/hr to 7.6 km/hr, in general. The lowest mean wind speed of about
2.6 to 3.9 km/hr is found during November and December. Wind speed gradually increases in the
later months and it becomes fairly high in summer when the speed is at the maximum of 8 to 10
km/hr. After the peak is reached in May/June, the speed gradually declines to the minimum in the
November/December.

Relative humidity is high in winter (December and January) because of low atmospheric
temperature and in rainy season (July to September) when temperature is more than it is
compensated by heavy rainfall. The Periods of the low relative humidity coincide with the dry
months. The major minima occurs in the dry months of the year (March to May), when high
temperatures coupled with the little rain cause low relative humidity (39 – 56 percent). A second
minima, comparatively less pronounced, occurs in October and November when summer
monsoon is on retreat (63 to 67 percent). The annual mean value of relative humidity based on 25
years data was found to be 64 percent.

Soil
The soil included in the Jamrani dam command area falls under three major groups of the
Uttar Pradesh soils. They are Bhabar, Tarai and alluvial plains of North West Uttar Pradesh.
Immediately adjoining the outer spursh of Himalayas a narrow strip termed as Bhabar runs from
west to east in the foot hill region. In the Jamrani dam command a small area in Haldwani tehsil
of Nainital District comes under this category of Bhabar soils. These soils have developed from
the mechanically transported alluvium from the adjoining Shivalik hills comprising of micaceous
sand stones and conglomerates enter stratified with boulders along with purple shales and clays.
The Tarai soils are alluvial soils occurring as a narrow belt. In the Jamrani dam command these
soils have been observed in Gadarpur, Rudrapur and Sitarganj blocks of Udham Singh Nagar
district of Uttarakhand, upper portion of soil and Bilaspur Blocks of Rampur district and a narrow
belt in upper portion of Baheri Block of Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh.

The northern boundaries of Tarai coincide with the spring line separating the Bhabar
outside the area under study. The southern boundary of Tarai formation is not clearly defined, as
 Annual Progress Report 2008-09

it merges gradually with the alluvial plains, and is generally taken as the section where flowing
conditions sees to exist in artesian wells. Tarai soils have developed under sub humid climate,
high water table conditions and natural vegetation of tall grasses. The parent material is medium
to course textured alluvium. The soils gray to dark gray in colour, varying in texture from clay
loam to sandy loam and higher have high content of organic matter. Water table is high.

FIG 3.1 INDEX MAP OF JAMRANI DAM COMMAND AREA

Alluvial soils are excessively deep soils and have developed from the alluvium deposited
by the tributaries of river Ganga. The alluvial material deposited by the river system of the area is
derived from the soft dolomitic rocks of Himalaya. These soils in the Jamrani dam command have
been observed in Swar, Bilaspur, Saidnagar, Chamraua and Milak blocks of the Rampur District;
and Baheri, Shergarh, Fatehganj and Meerganj blocks of Bareilly district. These soils are neutral
to moderately alkaline calcareous, especially at lower depth. The soils in general are medium
textured moderately well to well drained. According to USDA soil taxonomy these soils have
been classified as Eutrochrepts, Ustochrepts, Haplaquepts and Hapludolls at great group level.
Cropping Pattern

The major crops of the Jamrani dam command area are rice and sugarcane in the kharif
season and wheat in the rabi Season. The other crops grown in the kharif season are barely, gram,
lentil, pea, lahi, potato, tomato and berseem. The percentage area covered by different major
crops in the Bhabar sub region, Tarai sub region and Gangetic plain Sub region are given in
Table 3.1.
 Annual Progress Report 2008-09

Irrigation Water Requirement of Crops

Optimal release of irrigation water from a source depends upon the correct estimation of
crop water requirement. Estimation of water requirement (W R) of crops is one of the basic needs
for crop planning on the farm and for the planning of any irrigation project. Water requirement of
an individual crop includes the consumptive use by the crop, consisting of evapotranspiration and
the water used for building plant tissues, the unavoidable water losses in application, distribution
and conveyance; and the quantity of water required for special operation such as land preparation,
transplanting etc. Considering the above factors the total water requirement can be represented by
the formula:
WR=E+T+B+D+S ..... 3.1
where,
E = Evaporation
T = Transpiration
B = Water required for building up the plant tissues
D = Application, distribution and conveyance losses, and
S = Water required for special operations

Crop evapotranspiration (ETcrop)

According to Doorenbos and Pruitt (1977), consumptive use or ETcrop is calculated by the
following relation:
ETcrop = Ke x ET0 ..... 3.2
where,
Ke = Crop coefficient
and ETo = Reference crop evapotranspiration

Reference crop evapotranspiration

The reference crop evapotranspiration (ET0) was obtained from the relationship given
below.
ET0 = Kp X Epan ..... 3.3
where,
ETo = Reference crop evapotranspiration,
Epan = Pan evaporation in mm/day, represents the mean daily value of the
period considered, and
Kp = Pan coefficient

The pan coefficient for each biweek was estimated corresponding to average wind
velocity, relative humidity and temperature etc. as per the procedure suggested by Doorenbos and
Pruitt (1977). The biweekly values of crop evapotranspiration for the crops grown in the
command area are given in Table 3.2.

Effective Rainfall

The values of effective rainfall were estimated by the procedure suggested by the
Doorenbos and Pruitt (1977).
 Annual Progress Report 2008-09

Net Irrigation Requirement (NIR)

The net irrigation requirement of a crop is calculated using field water balance given as:
NIR = ETcrop - (Pe + Ge + Wb) + S .... 3.4
where,
ETcrop = crop evapotranspiration,
Pe = Rainfall,
Ge = groundwater contribution,
Wb = stored soil water, and
S = Special water requirement.
Table 3.1: Crops grown and area occupied in Jamrani dam command area.

Sl. No. Name of Crop Area occupied in ha

Bhabar Tarai Plain
1 Wheat 8796.3 12805.0 76403.1
2 Potato 23.8 58.8 599.1
3 Lahi/Sarson 974.4 967.8 4170.2
4 Fodder (Rabi) 291.0 10.1 2220.2
5 Onion 0.0 0.0 11.7
6 Pea 112.9 207.0 587.4
7 Lentil 194.4 217.1 2138.0
8 Gram 321.0 30.4 11.7
9 Sugarcane 1274.2 6054.5 21614.7
10 Vegetables (Zaid) 4651.5 235.4 5110.0
11 Paddy (Zaid) 0.0 769.0 3183.5
12 Fodder (Zaid) 130.4 592.5 1210.0
13 Sunflower 0.0 38.6 1362.7
14 Turmeric 1.3 85.2 47.0
15 Urd (Zaid) 0.0 12.2 0.0
16 Moong (Zaid) 0.0 14.2 0.0
17 Rice 4651.5 11912.3 84743.6
18 Jowar 0.0 0.0 105.7
19 Arhar 0.0 10.1 23.5
20 Maize 2165.8 14.2 141.0
21 Fodder (Kharif) 252.1 582.3 2384.7
22 Savan 45.1 0.0 0.0
23 Soyabean 632.1 56.8 11.7
24 Urd (Kharif) 27.6 12.2 364.2
25 Moong (Kharif) 0.0 24.3 23.5
26 Groundnut 2.5 22.3 11.7
27 Til 7.5 2.0 47.0

Considering no change in Wb before and after the crop duration, and considering no
contribution of groundwater.
NIR = ETcrop - Pe + S ..... 3.5
The net irrigation requirement of different crops grown in the command area is calculated. The
gross irrigation requirement of crop is obtained by dividing net irrigation requirement by overall
irrigation efficiency.
 Annual Progress Report 2008-09

Water Resources of the Area

Beside rainfall, water available from different canals of the command area and ground
water are major source of irrigation.

i) Estimation of canal water supply

The biweekly canal water availability from different canals in Jamrani dam command area
was estimated based on canal roster of 5 years period, collected from canal division, Haldwani,
Kashipur and Bareilly.

ii) Estimation of ground water in Jamrani dam command area:

The methodology to estimate ground water recharge and discharge components has
already been discussed in Chapter 1. The estimated ground water recharge in different blocks of
command area is given in Table 3.3.
 Annual Progress Report 2008-09

Table 3.2- Biweekly crop evapo-transpiration (Etcrop) in mm of different crops

S.N. Biweek No. lahi wheat lentil barley potato pea sugarcane berseem paddy maize mentha
1 Jan. 1-14 7.84 12.56 11.66 12.74 20.36 20.8 15.02 19.51 0 0 0
2 Jan. 15-28 0 18.25 17.53 18.51 23.93 20.2 12.18 13.95 0 0 6.16
3 Jan.29-Feb.11 0 23.63 19.85 22.87 27.85 22.32 7.92 21.07 0 0 17.16
4 Feb.12-25 0 26.84 22.96 25.79 30.75 24.64 7.43 24.39 0 0 28.42
5 Feb.26-Mar.11 0 30.87 24.09 30.97 33.71 26.82 16.49 27.78 0 0 37.65
6 Mar.12-Mar.25 0 30.53 17.66 28.13 30.94 30.28 28.97 32.65 0 0 48.62
7 Mar.26-Apr. 8 0 29.11 2.98 15.92 0 10.61 33.42 36.49 0 0 52.29
8 Apr.9-22 0 6.28 0 0 0 0 37.45 42.62 0 0 56.65
9 Apr. 23-May6 0 0 0 0 0 0 48.7 53.67 0 0 60.85
10 May 7-20 0 0 0 0 0 0 50.71 57.96 0 0 61.49
11 May 21-Jun. 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 60.98 58.17 0 0 62.28
12 Jun. 4-17 0 0 0 0 0 0 62.96 0 0 0 63.17
13 Jun.18-Jul.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 62.11 0 32.31 12.92 49.45
14 July 2-15 0 0 0 0 0 0 52.77 0 47.23 15.55 9.27
15 July 16-29 0 0 0 0 0 0 50.97 0 56.06 26.01 0
16 July30-Aug. 12 0 0 0 0 0 0 48.56 0 58.94 46.41 0
17 Aug. 13-26 0 0 0 0 0 0 50.23 0 60.09 52.23 0
18 Aug. 27-Sep. 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 48.16 0 59.91 50.16 0
19 Sep.10-23 0 0 0 0 0 0 46.23 0 53.55 45.01 0
20 Sep. 24-Oct.7 0 0 0 0 0 0 48.18 0 53.29 23.42 0
21 Oct. 8-21 6.21 0 0 0 0 1.39 44.17 0 46.37 0 0
22 Oct. 22-Nov. 4 12.43 0 0 0 0 6.03 40.34 4.96 24.54 0 0
23 Nov.5-18 19.07 0.3 1.57 8.17 8.17 9.93 34.14 20.38 4.64 0 0
24 Nov.19-Dec.2 21.52 3.27 7.88 9.32 9.32 10.79 27.22 24.55 0 0 0
25 Dec.3-16 20.28 5.78 9.88 10.57 8.55 12.48 20.43 19.19 0 0 0
26 Dec.17-31 19.12 9.92 11.17 15.74 14.56 17.44 17.76 15.74 0 0 0
 Annual Progress Report 2008-09

Table 3.3: Ground water recharge in Jamrani dam command area

Sl. Recharge Ground water recharge (ha-m) in Jamrani command area

No. components Tarai sub-region Gangetic Sub region Total
1Rainfall 12850.2 29380.3 42230.5
2Return flow of irrigation water
Canal water 1504.0 12565.8 14069.8
Ground water 1091.9 4115.9 5207.8
3 Canal seepage 1671.0 13962.0 15633
Gross recharge 17117.1 60024.0 77141.1

ii) Estimation of Ground Water Discharge

The estimated ground water draft through different sources in command area is
given in Table 3.4.

Table 3.4 Ground Water Discharge in Jamrani Dam Command.

Sl. Discharge component Ground water discharge in Jamrani Dam ha-m

No. Tarai sub region Gangetic sub region Total
1 Evapotranspiration 1790.2 2377.9 4168.1
2 Pumpage for irrigation 3726.0 13867.5 17593.5
3 Domestic use 1767.3 4469.1 6236.4
4 Livestock consumption 12.1 59.2 71.3
5 Industrial use 2956.8 726.8 3683.6
Gross discharge 10252.4 21500.5 31752.9

iii) Ground Water Balance

Ground water inventary of Jamrani dam command area is shown in Table 3.5. Net
recharge is 75 per cent of the gross recharge. The difference between net recharge and
gross draft would give the ground water balance.

Table 3.5. Ground Water Inventary of Jamrani Dam Command.

Parameter Tarai sub region Gangetic sub region

Recoverable recharge, ha-m 12837.8 45018.0
Gross discharge, ha-m 10252.4 21500.5
Balance, ha-m 2585.4 23517.5

Present Status of Water Resources

Present status of water resources in the Tarai and Gangetic sub regions, under the
Jamrani dam command is shown in Table 3.6. In this table the present status of available
canal water for irrigation, ground water pumpage for irrigation and other uses along with
 Annual Progress Report 2008-09

the quantity of ground water which is going as waste and could be utilized for the
beneficial uses in the sub region itself have been shown in Table 3.6. The annual canal
water available of irrigation from Golapar and Golawar canal system in the Bhabar
region of the Jamrani command area is about 7,16,38,67,352 ha-mm

Table 3.6 Present status of water resources in the Jamrani dam command area

Sl. Parameter Tarai sub Gangetic

No. region sub region
1 Canal water available for irrigation, ha-m 6684.0 55848
2 Ground water pumpage for irrigation, ha-m 3726.0 13867.5
3 Ground water pumpage for other uses, ha-m 4736.2 5255.1
4 Ground water growing as waste through effluent 24730.6 6038.8
seepage to reviers, evapotranspiration losses, out flow
from the area, ha-m

As per the actional plan prepared by Jamrani dam construction organization, the
quantity of water which will be released from the Jamrani dam is 9962 ha-m for Tarai
belt and 15428 ha-m for Gangetic sub region of the command area. Keeping this in view,
a linear programming model has been used to find out the optimal cropping pattern for
the area, considering the additional quantity of water which will be released after the
construction of Jamrani dam.

Mathematical Formulation

After selection of the crop activities the linear programming model has been
formulated to maximize the aggregate net return from different crop activities, subject to
the available land and water resource constraints in the command, with the following
assumptions:

1. The soil of the study area is homogeneous.

2. All the activity levels are within finite limits and non-negative in nature
3. Time and period of crop sown is same in every year.
4. The irrigation water requirement of a crop grown in the command area is same.
5. All the assumptions of linear programming model i.e. divisibility, proportionality,
and linearity hold good.
6. Resources other than land and water are not limiting.
7. Same package and practices are followed in the command area.
8. Market prices considered for the year 2008 have been taken to be effective for
whole the year.

Objective function

The objective is to maximize net return from different crops activities subject to
linear resource constraints
 Annual Progress Report 2008-09

Net return maximization

n
MaxZ = ∑ ( EYi bi − C i ) X i
i =1

…...3.6
where,
Z = Total net return from the command area in Rs.,
= Yield of ith crop in q/ha,
EY i
bi = Sale price of ith crop in Rs./q,
Ci = Cost of cultivation of ith crop in Rs.,
Xi = area under ith crop in ha,
i = 1, 2, .........., N, and
N = Number of crop activities

The crop activity is lahi (X1), wheat (X2), lentil (X3), barely (X4), potato (X5),
pea (X6), sugarcane (X7), berseem (X8), rice (X9) and maize (X10) in tarai and plain sub
region and mentha (X11) in the plain sub region of the command area.

Constraints

(i) Area constraints

Area under various crops in a biweek cannot exceed the total cultivated area in the
command.
n

∑λ X i i ≤ TA
i =1 …..3.7

where λ ij is land use coefficient for ith crop in jth biweek and TA is total area available
for cultivation.

ii) Water availability constraints

Aggregate irrigation water requirements for various crops grown in any biweek in
the command can not exceed the available canal supply and ground water supplies during
that biweek

n l

∑∑ w it X it ≤ Wt + GW t
i =1 t =1 ….3.8
l

∑GW t ≤ GW T
t =1 …..3.9

Where,
Wit = Irrigation water requirement from ith crop activity and tth biweek in mm,
 Annual Progress Report 2008-09

Wt = Total water available from canal in ha-mm in different biweeks, and

GW T = Total ground water available for irrigation in the command area in ha-mm.
(iii) Crop area constraint

Based on the need of local farmers and marketing facilities maximum and
minimum area restriction for different crops were imposed in the model
X i ≤ A max
….3.10
X i ≥ A min
….3.11
where,
Amin = Minimum area under ith crop, and
Amax = Maximum area under ith crop.

Considering the requirement of local consumption of agricultural product and

market restriction, different area constraints were imposed.

(iv) Non-negativity constraints

Xijk ≥ 0
….3.12

The negativity constraints in respect of all the decision variables have been imposed so
that all the decision variables they appear at positive level.

Optimal Cropping Pattern for The Jamrani Dam Command Area

The optimal cropping pattern was obtained for Bhabar, tarai and plain sub region
separately by considering the total water availability in the area, irrigation water
requirement and cost of cultivation of different crops grown in the command area.

For Bhabar sub region

In this plan the canal water availability at 27.3 percent overall irrigation efficiency
after Jamrani dam construction in the Jamrani dam command area with and without crop
area constraints were considered. The different crops appearing in the optimal solution
are summarized in the Table 3.7. It is evident from the table that without crop area
constraints only potato and rice are appearing in the optimal crop plan at a level of 11541
hectares in rabi and kharif season, respectively. The aggregate net return obtained is Rs.
89.893 million and cropping intensity is 200 percent.

When crop area constraints (for lahi ≥ 80 ha, lentil ≥ 95 ha, potato <=125 ha,
sugarcane ≥ 1275 ha and berseem ≥ 75 ha) are introduced the crops appear in the optimal
crop plan were lahi, wheat, lentil, potato, sugarcane, berseem and rice at a level of 85,
10886, 95, 125, 1275, 75 and 11266 hectares, respectively. The crops like lahi, lentil and
 Annual Progress Report 2008-09

berseem crops are appeared in the solution because of minimum area restriction for these
crops. During rabi season, barley and pea do not get any place in optimal crop plan
because of low return as compared to crops like, potato, wheat, and sugarcane which are
profitable crops. It can be observed from these tables that during the kharif and rabi
seasons, the entire area available for cultivation is occupied by the crops.

The aggregate net return obtained is Rs. 72.13 million. It is also observed from
the table that the sufficient canal water is available for irrigation in the Jamrani command
area.

Table 3.7 Optimal crop plan for Tarai sub region in Jamrani dam command area

Sl. Name of the Area under crops in hectares

No. crop Without crop area constraints With crop area constraints
1 Lahi - 85
2 Wheat - 10886
3 Barley - -
4 Lentil - 95
5 Potato 12541 125
6 Pea - -
7 Sugarcane - 1275
8 Berseem - 75
9 Rice 12541 11266
10 Maize - 250
11 Mentha - -
Net returns in 89.893 72.130
million Rupees

For Tarai sub region

In this plan the canal water availability at 27.3 percent overall irrigation efficiency
after Jamrani dam construction along with ground water available for irrigation in the
Jamrani dam command area with and without crop area constraints were considered. The
different crops appearing in the optimal solution are summarized in the Table 3.8. It is
evident from the table that without crop area constraints only wheat and rice are
appearing in the optimal crop plan at a level of 20290 hectares in rabi and kharif season,
respectively. The aggregate net return obtained is Rs. 144.631 million and cropping
intensity is 200 percent.

When crop area constraints (for lahi ≥ 250 ha, lentil ≥ 250 ha, sugarcane ≥ 8000
ha and berseem ≥ 750 ha) are introduced the crops appear in the optimal crop plan were
lahi, wheat, lentil, sugarcane, berseem, rice and maize at a level of 250, 11040, 250,
8000, 750, 12040 and 250 hectares, respectively. The aggregate net return obtained is Rs.
106.467 million. It is also observed from the table that the area under rice crop is
 Annual Progress Report 2008-09

increased from 11912.3 ha to 12040 ha because of additional water available for the
irrigation from the Jamrani dam.

Table 3.8 Optimal crop plan for Tarai sub region in Jamrani dam command area

Sl. Name of the Area under crops in hectares

No. crop Without crop area constraints With crop area constraints
1 Lahi - 250
2 Wheat 20290.0 11040
3 Barley - -
4 Lentil - 250
5 Potato - -
6 Pea - -
7 Sugarcane - 8000
8 Berseem - 750
9 Rice 20290.0 12040
10 Maize - 250
11 Mentha - -
Net returns in 144.631 106.467
million Rupees

Optimal crop plan with crop area constraints shows competition among different
crop activities appears to be the governing factors during rabi season for area allocation
for different crops. The crops like lahi, lentil and berseem crops are appeared in the
solution because of minimum area restriction for these crops. As evident from the above
cited tables that during the kharif season maize crop appears in the optimal crop plan
because of low irrigation water requirement. During rabi season, barley and pea do not
get any place in optimal crop plan because of low return as compared to crops like,
wheat, and sugarcane which are profitable crops. It can be observed from these tables that
during the kharif and rabi seasons, the entire area available for cultivation is occupied by
the crops.

For Gangetic plain sub region

The canal water availability at 27.3 percent overall irrigation efficiency after
Jamrani dam construction along with ground water available for irrigation in the Jamrani
dam command area with and without crop area constraints was considered. Different
crops appearing in the optimal solution have been summarized in the Table 3.9. It is
evident from the table that without crop area constraints only potato, mentha, maize and
rice appeared in the optimal crop plan at a level of 113670.5, 3800.5, 113670.5 and
3800.5 hectares, respectively. The aggregate net return obtained from the command area
was about Rs. 665.010 million and cropping intensity was 200 percent.
 Annual Progress Report 2008-09

When crop area constraints (for lahi ≥750 ha, wheat ≥ 3500, lentil ≥ 900 ha,
potato ≤ 1300, sugarcane ≥ 15000 ha menthe ≤ 950 and berseem ≥050 ha) was introduced
in the optimization model, the crops appeared in the optimal crop plan are lahi, wheat,
lentil, mentha, sugarcane, berseem, rice and maize at a level of 750, 250852.80, 900,
1300, 15000, 1050, 100421.2 and 2050 hectares, respectively. The aggregate net return
obtained is Rs. 475.336 million. It is also observed from the table that the area under rice
crop increased from 84743.6 to 100421.2 ha because of addition water available after
construction of proposed Jamrani dam. Area allocated to maize crop was only because of
having low irrigation water requirement

The competition among different crop activities appeared to be the governing

factors during rabi season for area allocation for different crops. The crops lahi, lentil and
berseem appeared in the solution because of minimum area restriction for these crops.
As evident from the above cited tables that during the kharif season maize crop appear in
the optimal plan due to having low irrigation water requirement in spite of having low net
return as compared to crops like, rice and sugarcane. During rabi season, barley, and pea
did not get any place in optimal crop plan because of low return as compared to crops
like, wheat, potato and sugarcane which are profitable crops. It is observed from these
tables that during the kharif and rabi seasons, the entire area available for cultivation is
occupied by the crops.

Study shows that after construction of proposed Jamrani dam surface water
availability would increase and this will reduce actual net ground water requirement in
the command area.

Table 3.9 Optimal crop plan for Gangetic plain sub region in Jamrani dam
command area

Sl. Name of the crop Area under crops in hectares

No. Without crop area With crop area
constraints constraints
1 Lahi - 750
2 Wheat - 25082.8
3 Barley - -
4 Lentil - 900
5 Potato 113670.5 1300
6 Pea - -
7 Sugarcane - 15000
8 Berseem - 1000
9 Rice 3800.5 100421.2
10 Maize 113670.5 2050
11 Mentha 3800.5 -
Net returns in 665.010 475.336
millions, Rupees