Evaluation of benchmarking indicators of Sanjay Sarovar Irrigation Project, India

Water is most limiting factor in crop production especially in the areas where agriculture sustains on irrigation. The rapid urbanization and industrialization have greatly affected the overall water demand scenario. As a result, the gap between water demand and availability has been progressively increasing. The benchmarking results for the Sanjay Sarovar Irrigation Project reflect a low level of water delivery service and irrigation performance. In Sanjay Sarovar Irrigation Project, the annual project irrigation efficiency of 41% and annual field irrigation efficiency of 51% of irrigation requirement cannot fully meets the needs of sustainable development. Most of the key internal indicators covering operations and service are low. External indicators, such as irrigation efficiency, cost recovery ratio, and productivity, were also relatively low. Study suggests the immediate need to improve the service delivery of the surface water systems. This requirement to improve the surface water delivery systems is critical and should be the priority for projects.