1 . PHENOMENAL GROWTH IN AREA UNDER MICROIRRIGATION – GOVERNMENT
RELEVANCE – GS MAINS I & III
- The Centre is working towards bringing 12 lakh hectares of land under micro-irrigation in the current fiscal.
- Nearly 8 lakh hectares of area in 2016 -17 was microirrigated.
- According to the government it intends to bring additional 12 lakh hectares area under micro-irrigation in the current fiscal. That is, it will be 20 lakh hectares in two years, which was never achieved post-Independence.
- The government planned to complete 99 prioritised irrigation projects across the country by March 2019. These projects, he added, would help irrigate a total area of 76 lakh hectares on their completion.
WHAT IS MICROIRRIGATION ?
- Micro-irrigation, also called localized irrigation, low volume irrigation, low-flow irrigation, or trickle irrigation is an irrigation method with lower pressure and flow than a traditional sprinkler system.
- Low volume irrigation is used in agriculture for row crops, orchards, and vineyards.
- It is also used in horticulture in wholesale nurseries, in landscaping for civic, commercial, and private landscapes and gardens, and in the science and practice of restoration ecology and environmental remediation.