Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Irrigation Development in Southwestern Haryana, India

Abstract

Haryana is an agricultural developed state in India and agriculture here plays a significant role in the economic development of the state. However, the state is heterogeneous in terms of physiography and such difference in topography clearly distinguishes Southwestern Haryana from the rest of state. Southwestern Haryana is less developed than Rest of Haryana from agricultural point of view. There are various factors behind such a difference in the agricultural development of this region and irrigation is one of the most important one. In the Southwestern Haryana development of canals and, tubewells is different from Rest of Haryana. In this background, the present study aims to examine the development of irrigation in Southwestern Haryana from spatial and temporal prospectives using secondary sources of data. In particular, the methodology was based on trends analysis, least squares technique and cartographic representation. The finding of the study reveals that development of canals irrigation in Southwestern Haryana is in infancy stage. Out of all districts of this region Bhiwani & Charkhi Dadri district shows a measurable growth in canals irrigation with negative trends. Due to its rugged topography, Southwestern Haryana mainly depends on tubewell irrigation. Such a dependency can be justified with the positive trends of tubewell irrigation in this region. The trends of tubewells irrigation in Southwestern Haryana are ahead of Rest of Haryana. The study also reveals that except for Gurugram & Nuh district, irrigation intensity is increasing in the study area. Bhiwani has the highest per unit change in irrigation intensity over a particular period of time, while Gurugram & Nuh shows negative change from 1990-91 to 2020-21.