Sources of irrigation
Sources of Irrigation Irrigation is an important need. For this, a very large amount of water is needed. To water the crops, there are used different means, the important ones being the following. Hand Pump Perisan wheel Well A well is a hole dug in the ground to obtain the subsoil water. An ordinary well is about 3-5 metres deep but deeper wells up-to 15 metres are also dug. If we dig a hole in the ground near a water body we may find that the soil is moist. The upper level of this layer is called the water table. In several areas, the “persian wheel” earlier used for lifting water has been replaced by tube wells. Tamil Nadu with 11 lakh tube wells has the largest number in the country followed by Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Punjab and Haryana Thus more than three-fourths of India’s tube wells are functioning in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karanataka and Punjab.
However, the greater part of the Peninsular India is not suitable for well irrigation due to rocky structure, uneven surface and lack of underground water. Large dry tracts of Rajasthan, the adjoining parts of Punjab, Haryana, and Gujarat and some parts of Uttar Pradesh have brackish ground water which is not fit for irrigation and human consumption and hence unsuitable for well irrigation.