Impact Of Irrigation On Human Environment

 IMPACT OF IRRIGATION ON HUMAN ENVIRONMENT

The main impact of irrigation is in terms of the increased agricultural yield which, in turn, affects social, cultural, economic, political and other aspects of human environment (Table 1.)

TABLE 1. Impact of storage on human environment

Dhawan (4) has compared average food grain yields from unirrigated and irrigated lands in respect of 4 states of India (Table 2.). This comparison clearly shows the marked increase in the average yield on account of irrigation. Irrigation is responsible for about 55 per cent of food production in India (4). Increased agricultural production, besides adding to the national economy, reduces rural poverty and substitutes for imports and generates exports of food and non-food agricultural products. It generates additional employment within the most agricultural activity and also in related activities like input supply, processing, marketing, etc. Besides the gains in agricultural production, there are significant permanent gains in the livelihood of the agricultural population.

 
(i) Employment and income

(ii) Security against impoverishment

(iii) Migration

(iv) Quality of life

TABLE 2 : Comparison of average food grains yield for unirrigated and irrigated lands (4)

 Reliable and Adequate irrigation is understood to raise the employment. consistent with some field studies, increases in working days per hectare with irrigation compared with rainfed conditions are 61 per cent (on the Dantiwara canal project in Gujarat) to as high as 150 per cent in Ferozepur, Punjab (4). As a result, production also as incomes are generally stable at higher levels.

Due to the assured employment and higher incomes spaced over the entire year, there is added security against impoverishment. Therefore, the necessity for having dependent relationships with moneylenders and employers also as the dangers of having to dispose of assets like land to shop for food or meet debts is much less. Another beneficial aspect of irrigation is that it stops exodus and attracts people to the region. Therefore, hardships related to split families are avoided and a more stable and settled family life results.

 

Irrigation influences the standard of life. One major effect is that the increase in prosperity which must improve the nutrition intake and resistance of the people against disease. The prosperity, in its wake, does bring some evils like dowry, drug habits, etc. But, these evils can be eradicated through education and social welfare programmes. additionally to the abovementioned gains in agricultural production and livelihood of rural population, irrigation also provides protection against famine and increases the standard of agricultural yields. Other secondary benefits of irrigation projects, like hydroelectric power generation, use of canals
for inland navigation, domestic water system , and improvement in communication systems also affect the human environment during a favourable manner.

 There can, however, be adverse effects too. The adverse effects are mainly within the form of waterborne and water-related diseases and waterlogged saline lands.