Page 331 - New Medley 4 Semester 1

The farmers need enough and timely supply of water for growing crops.

To meet this need of the farmers, we must develop a proper irrigation
system.

A major part of rain water flows into rivers. Some of it is collected in
tanks and lakes. Some water seeps through the surface and gets collected

under the ground. A very large part of the rain water flows into the seas
or oceans.

It is difficult to take water from the rivers directly to the fields. Thus
small channels are dug and the river water is diverted in them. These

are called canals. The canals help in irrigation of the fields. The canal
irrigation system is mostly found in the Northern Plains of India and

the delta region in the coastal areas.

Dams have been built across some rivers in India. They can create an
artificial lake behind the dam. Water is stored in such reservoirs or

artificial lakes. Canals are built to take the water from the reservoirs to

the fields. The dams also help in generating electricity. These projects
are called multipurpose river valley projects.

A well is a small hole dug in the ground.
The underground water is taken out with
the help of a Persian Wheel pulled by

the bullocks. This water is widely used

for domestic purposes and for irrigating
the fields.

Uttar Pradesh has the largest area under

well irrigation. The other states are
Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Persian Wheel

Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and
Bihar.

Sometimes, the underground water is more than 15 metres deep. It can
be lifted with the help of a pumping set. These are called tubewells.

Today, tubewell is the most popular source of irrigation in India. Uttar
Pradesh has the largest number of tubewells in India.

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