Jala Yagnam
Encyclopedia
Jalayagnam or Jala Yagnam, (water worship), is a water management program in India. It has been implemented by Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
, India
, Dr. Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy
as a election promise to the farmers of the state to bring 82 lakh
acres (8.2 million acres) under irrigation
in five years.
The Jala Yagnam program was to complete 32 major and 17 medium irrigation projects at a cost of Rs. 65,000 crore
s to provide irrigation to an extent of 7.1 million acres besides stabilization of an existing ayacut of 2,132,000 acres while providing drinking water to a population of 12 million and generating power to the tune of 1700 MW. Eight of these projects were to be completed before the kharif season of 2006.
The project requires the construction of 78 dams and is expected to displace significant numbers of people whose villages will be submerged. The irrigation development was almost stagnant for the last decade and the previous governments concentrated on hi-tech and neglected the agricultural sector, on which approximately 70% of the population depends. The fact that 26% of the population, mostly in rural areas, was living below the poverty line made Dr. Reddy wonder whether science and technology had made a significant difference in the quality of life in rural areas, compared to towns and cities. Also the suicides of many farmers from the state made Dr. Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy give more significance to the irrigation sector. Having recognized the importance of the agricultural sector for faster economic development, Dr. Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy started concentrating largely on its development and introduced several schemes for the benefit of the farmers, one of which is the Jala Yagnam project.
In the past 50 years, a total ayacut of 6.5 million acres was developed in the state. Jala Yagnam is expected to double the area under irrigation. It would constitute a major component of the Central government programme National Irrigation Mission's (NIM) target of bringing ten million hectares of land (25 million acres) in the country under the plough. The largest allocation of funds, during 2004-09, is for irrigation, as the government considers irrigation an important growth engine.
The most expensive of the projects are the lift irrigation projects intended to irrigate the dry Telangana
region and supply water to the Anantapur - Ongole - Mahabubnagar area which is "turning into a desert". With the land level being 300 metres above the water level, lift irrigation is supposed to be the only way to take water to the dry region. Currently, 3,000 tmc water from Godavari is washed into the sea, as the land is at a higher elevation.
For the first time in the post-independence era, the Congress government took up linking of Godavari and Krishna by constructing the Indira Sagar Project and Rajiv Sagar project across the River Godavari. By executing projects like Rajiv Sagar, Indira Sagar flood flow canal, SRSP Phase-II and so on, 2.1 million acres of parched land in Telangana region would be made fertile.
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Dr. Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy
Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy
Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy , popularly known as YSR, was a two-time Chief Minister of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. He is seen as the most popular chief minister of Andhra pradesh. His popularity is often attributed to various welfare schemes and development programs he championed for the...
as a election promise to the farmers of the state to bring 82 lakh
Lakh
A lakh is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand . It is widely used both in official and other contexts in Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and is often used in Indian English.-Usage:...
acres (8.2 million acres) under irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
in five years.
The Project
This project accords the highest priority for the development of irrigation infrastructure, particularly in backward and drought prone areas by taking up this program in a big way. Jala Yagnam includes a number of irrigation projects by construction of reservoirs and lift irrigation systems for lifting water from major rivers, particularly from Godavari, to provide immediate irrigation benefits.The Jala Yagnam program was to complete 32 major and 17 medium irrigation projects at a cost of Rs. 65,000 crore
Crore
A crore is a unit in the Indian number system equal to ten million , or 100 lakhs. It is widely used in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Pakistan....
s to provide irrigation to an extent of 7.1 million acres besides stabilization of an existing ayacut of 2,132,000 acres while providing drinking water to a population of 12 million and generating power to the tune of 1700 MW. Eight of these projects were to be completed before the kharif season of 2006.
The project requires the construction of 78 dams and is expected to displace significant numbers of people whose villages will be submerged. The irrigation development was almost stagnant for the last decade and the previous governments concentrated on hi-tech and neglected the agricultural sector, on which approximately 70% of the population depends. The fact that 26% of the population, mostly in rural areas, was living below the poverty line made Dr. Reddy wonder whether science and technology had made a significant difference in the quality of life in rural areas, compared to towns and cities. Also the suicides of many farmers from the state made Dr. Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy give more significance to the irrigation sector. Having recognized the importance of the agricultural sector for faster economic development, Dr. Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy started concentrating largely on its development and introduced several schemes for the benefit of the farmers, one of which is the Jala Yagnam project.
In the past 50 years, a total ayacut of 6.5 million acres was developed in the state. Jala Yagnam is expected to double the area under irrigation. It would constitute a major component of the Central government programme National Irrigation Mission's (NIM) target of bringing ten million hectares of land (25 million acres) in the country under the plough. The largest allocation of funds, during 2004-09, is for irrigation, as the government considers irrigation an important growth engine.
The most expensive of the projects are the lift irrigation projects intended to irrigate the dry Telangana
Telangana
Telangana is a region in the present state of Andhra Pradesh, India and formerly was part of Hyderabad state which was ruled by Nizam. It is bordered with the states of Maharashtra on the north and north-west, Karnataka on the west, Chattisgarh on the north-east and Orissa to the east...
region and supply water to the Anantapur - Ongole - Mahabubnagar area which is "turning into a desert". With the land level being 300 metres above the water level, lift irrigation is supposed to be the only way to take water to the dry region. Currently, 3,000 tmc water from Godavari is washed into the sea, as the land is at a higher elevation.
For the first time in the post-independence era, the Congress government took up linking of Godavari and Krishna by constructing the Indira Sagar Project and Rajiv Sagar project across the River Godavari. By executing projects like Rajiv Sagar, Indira Sagar flood flow canal, SRSP Phase-II and so on, 2.1 million acres of parched land in Telangana region would be made fertile.