ISSN (Print) - 0012-9976 | ISSN (Online) - 2349-8846

Articles by Aditi MukherjiSubscribe to Aditi Mukherji

Evolution of Irrigation Sector

Charting the historical evolution of irrigation in India, this article looks into the nature of shifts that have occurred over the years, and the major challenges it faces now. While the Mihir Shah Committee’s recommendation of creating a National Water Commission is welcome, it suggests that the new body operate on the lines of an independent think tank. 

Major Insights from India's Minor Irrigation Censuses: 1986-87 to 2006-07

Based on data from the four minor irrigation censuses conducted by the Ministry of Water Resources between 1986-87 and 2006-07, this paper points out that India's groundwater sector has slowed down since 2000-01, most markedly in eastern India. It examines the reasons for this and also looks into how farmers have been responding to lowered groundwater tables. Besides identifying some factors that have not changed since the mid-1980s, it emphasises that there are wide regional variations in the country's groundwater economy and management strategies need to be crafted accordingly.

Kick-starting a Second Green Revolution in Bengal

Two decisions taken by the Government of West Bengal, one, to facilitate easier extraction of groundwater, and the other, the application of a fi xed connection fee for an electricity connection to farmers could well lead to a quantum leap in agricultural production.

Implications of Alternative Institutional Arrangements in Groundwater Sharing

Informal groundwater based pump irrigation services markets are an all-pervasive agrarian institution in south Asia but have been criticised for bringing about less than equitable outcomes and causing groundwater over-exploitation. In view of these drawbacks of private water markets, many scholars have advocated "alternative institutional arrangements" in water sharing. The alternatives refer to those water sharing arrangements that violate either of the three basic conditions of private water market transactions, viz, private, individual ownership of irrigation assets and rights of the owners of means of irrigation to decide the terms and conditions of water sale. In this paper two alternative institutional arrangements in water sharing from West Bengal have been compared from the perspective of the impact they have on the water buyers - in most cases small and marginal farmers.

Groundwater Markets in Ganga-Meghna-Brahmaputra Basin

Groundwater markets have emerged as an important rural institution in the GMB basin. This article reviews 13 papers (from 1974 to 2003) on groundwater markets in the region. First, various aspects of this market such as its evolution, spread, mode of functioning and impact are analysed. On the basis of these studies, it is concluded that groundwater markets have a beneficial impact in regions of abundant recharge, such as the GMB basin. Next, two broad strands of methodology used in groundwater market study are compared. Finally, the research gap in the way these markets have been studied are identified.

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