Can irrigation mega projects transform agricultural productivity?

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Editor's note: At the heart of Indian agriculture’s perennial problems lies one commodity: water. Since irrigation infrastructure doesn’t exist in a large section of the crop-growing area, most Indian farmers are completely dependent on the monsoon rains. But rain patterns have started to change over the last decade or so with global warming. And it is not just about deficient or excessive rains. Even in the years when we have a normal monsoon, the gap between rainfall in different regions is so big that it is often counterproductive to agriculture. It, therefore, makes complete sense to ramp up the irrigation infrastructure. It is in this light that the Indian government’s approval for the Rs 44,600 crore Ken-Betwa interlinking project, which intends to move “surplus” water from one of the tributaries of the Yamuna to the other via a 121-km long link canal, should be seen. Apart from providing water for irrigation in this extremely dry region of Bundelkhand, which spans the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, the project is also expected to help generate electricity and meet the drinking water …