Question

What are the various methods of irrigation in India?

Answer 1

Irrigation involves the supply of water to the land or crops to grow. It is mainly practised in areas by farmers where precipitation is irregular.

Complete step by step answer: Most of the agriculture in India is rain-dependent; the different kinds of traditional systems are adopted to supply water to the agricultural lands. The resources are the wells, canals, rivers and the tanks.
i. Well: A well is dug and then the water is collected from the bearing strata.
ii. Tube wells: It is a type of water well which is long, 100–200 millimetres. It traps water from the deeper strata.
iii. Canals: It is the most extensive irrigation system. Canals receive water from the reservoirs or rivers. Mainly canals are divided into branches of canal having further distributaries to irrigate the fields.
iv. River lift system: In this system, the water is directly drawn from the river for the supplementing irrigation in the areas close to the river.
v. Tanks: These are the small storage reservoirs, which intercept and store the run-off water into smaller catchment areas.

Additional information: Irrigation is the artificial application of the water to the soil through the various systems of tubes, pumps, and sprays. Irrigation is usually used in the areas where rainfall is irregular or drought is expected. There are many types of irrigation systems, in which water is supplied to the entire field uniformly. In areas where irregular precipitation occurs, the irrigation improves crop growth and quality.

Note: The irrigation also has many applications in the crop production, includes:
i. It protects plants against frost.
ii. It suppresses weed growth in grain fields.
iii. It helps to prevent soil consolidation for dust suppression.