Evaluation of an irrigation water management scheme - A case study

The Integrated Water Management Scheme, which was in operation in the command area of the Paladugu major distributary in the Nagarjunasagar Right Canal Command Area in Andhra Pradesh, India since 1980, was evaluated. This was done in terms of water supply-requirement ratio and other indices such as irrigation intensity, crop productivity and cropping pattern. A comparison with the performance of the system in the year before the scheme was introduced revealed that the scheme effectively led to a sustained increase in the irrigated area and irrigation intensity (by >25%) resulting in increased crop production. Yields of paddy and cotton went up by more than 100%. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.