Farmers’ protest brings water to Chambal canals after 2 decades

Subject: Geography

Section: mapping

Context:

Following a fortnight-long stay by farmers in front of the Chambal Command Area Development office in Kota, water was released after two decades into the dried-up irrigation canals between Gandhi Sagar Dam and Kota Barrage earlier this week.
Hadoti Kisan Union led the protest.
The Hadoti region, comprising Kota, Baran, Bundi and Jhalawar districts.

Details:

Irrigation water from the Chambal river will facilitate sowing of traditional kharif crops, including rice, soybean, and sugarcane, in Kota and Bundi districts.
Agricultural production in the command area, measuring 2.29 lakh hectares, was earlier valued at an estimated ₹10,000 crore annually, when water was supplied through the canals during the two main rabi and kharif crop seasons.
The water supply was stopped in 2001 due to technical reasons.
Rajasthan’s only agriculture-based cooperative sugar mill, set up in 1970 and situated at Keshoraipatan in Kota district, also went defunct in 2004 because of financial losses, affecting the livelihood of sugarcane farmers and agricultural labourers.
Rivers like Banganga, Gambhir and Ruparel in eastern Rajasthan were gradually drying up, while Chambal river water was flowing into the sea.

Kota Barrage:

The Kota Barrage is situated upstream of Kota city. Water released after power generation at Gandhi Sagar Dam, Rana Pratap Sagar Dam and Jawahar Sagar Dam was earlier diverted by the Kota Barrage for irrigation in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh through canals on the left and the right sides of the Chambal river.

Garlic cultivation:

Farmers in the region began the cultivation of garlic, a labour-intensive crop, after 2012. It gave profits in the initial years, but its uncontrolled production has led to a price crash during the recent years.

About the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project:

It aims to harvest surplus water available during rainy season in rivers in Southern Rajasthan such as Chambal and its tributaries, including Kunnu, Parvati, Kalisindh, and use this water in south-eastern districts of the state, where there is scarcity of water for drinking and irrigation.
ERCP is planned to meet drinking and industrial water needs of the southern and south eastern Rajasthan, for humans and Livestock till the year 2051.
It proposes to provide drinking water to 13 districts of Rajasthan and provide irrigation water for 2.8 lakh hectares of land through 26 different large and medium projects.
13 districts: Jhalawar, Baran, Kota, Bundi, Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer, Tonk, Jaipur, Karauli, Alwar, Bharatpur, Dausa and Dholpur.

Benefits:

A significant area of land will get irrigation facilities.
It intends to improve the ground water table in the rural areas of the state.
Positively influencing the socio-economic conditions of the people.
It adds special emphasis on the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) and envisages that sustainable water sources will enhance and help industries grow in these areas.
Resulting in investment and revenue.

Chambal River:

It is one of the most pollution-free rivers of India.
It originates at the Singar Chouri peak in the northern slopes of the Vindhya mountains (Indore, Madhya Pradesh). From there, it flows in the North direction in Madhya Pradesh for a length of about 346 km and then follows a north-easterly direction for a length of 225 km through Rajasthan.
It enters U.P. and flows for about 32 km before joining the Yamuna River in Etawah District.
It is a rainfed river and its basin is bounded by the Vindhyan mountain ranges and the Aravallis. The Chambal and its tributaries drain the Malwa region of northwestern Madhya Pradesh.
The Hadauti plateau in Rajasthan occurs in the upper catchment of the Chambal River to the southeast of the Mewar Plains.
Tributaries: Banas, Kali Sindh, Sipra, Parbati, etc.
Main Power Projects/ Dam: Gandhi Sagar Dam, Rana Pratap Sagar Dam, Jawahar Sagar Dam, and Kota Barrage.
The National Chambal Sanctuary is located along river Chambal on the tri-junction of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. It is known for critically endangered gharial, the red-crowned roof turtle, and the endangered Ganges river dolphin.