Assessment of irrigation requirement and scheduling under canal command area of Upper Ganga Canal using CropWat model

The sustainable water resources utilization in deferent water-based sectors is a prerequisite for any country. Agriculture water demand in the agro-climatic zone of western Uttar Pradesh is accessed in the current study. From last few decades water scarcity is a serious issue for the government and policy makers in the region. Proper water management is crucial to economize not only the water use efficiency in the region, but also improve the crop productivity efficiently. This study determined the optimum irrigation area and its other irrigation requirements in the Upper Ganga Canal command. Irrigation scheduling was also recommended using CropWat 8.0 simulation software. It is estimated that the total crop water requirement in command area is 1763 MCM which seems higher than actual water availability due to poor planning and practice of irrigation. The proposed irrigation requirements based on results are appraised with the presently followed recommendations and are discussed in details in the subsequent sections. The present study is useful for effective planning and management of irrigation water needs in UGC command area.