Previous Year Question

Tube-wells constitute a very important source of irrigation in Uttar Pradesh. The extensive alluvial plains of the Ganga, level topography and availability of groundwater in many regions have favoured the large-scale development of tube-well irrigation.

According to government data around the period of the question, Uttar Pradesh alone accounted for about one-third of the total area irrigated through tube-wells in India. Therefore, its area under tube-well irrigation was higher than that of Bihar, Haryana and Punjab.

An important distinction is that the “total area under tube-well irrigation” and the “percentage of a State's total irrigated area dependent on tube-wells” are different measures. Haryana and Punjab may have a very high dependence on groundwater/tube-wells, but because of their smaller geographical size, their absolute irrigated area remains below that of Uttar Pradesh.

A dense network of tube-well irrigation developed particularly across the western and central Ganga plains of Uttar Pradesh. Along with private tube-wells, government tube-wells have also played an important role in providing assured irrigation in the State.

The current Minor Irrigation Census also demonstrates the large scale of groundwater-based irrigation infrastructure in Uttar Pradesh. In the 6th Minor Irrigation Census, Uttar Pradesh possessed the largest number of Minor Irrigation schemes in India—about 17.2% of the national total and ranked first among the leading States in groundwater schemes.