Potteru Irrigation Project,Balimela – Water Resources Department, Govt. of Odisha

Facilitating Irrigation through Canal System

Problem

• Odisha is an agriculture-centric state, so the majority of its population depends on agriculture for their livelihood. 
• Malkangiri District is one of the major producers of Ground nut and Rice in the state, but the scarcity of water has affected agricultural production in the past.

• Poor living standards of the refugees from the erstwhile East Pakistan settled in the Dandakaranya area.
• Need for sustainable livelihood opportunities for refugees.
• Need for crop diversification and better utilization of water.

Solution

• Construction of Balimela Dam, Surlikonda Barrage and the canal systems for smooth water supply during Khariff and Rabi season.
• Aware the farmers of the Mobile App “Secha Samadhan” for intimating water issues in the field for quick action.
• Conducted an awareness program at the entire Block headquarters to inform the farmers about the project and the optimal water use for irrigation.
• “MO SARKAR CELL” and ” Jana Sunani Portal” is functioning to receive grievances related to canal water supply and other issues related to the water resource department.
• Promoting crop diversification with the help of the Water Users Association and engaging staff as nodal officers and creating different touch points as well for easy access of farmers.

Outcomes

• Satiguda Medium Irrigation Project, under this organization, has been providing irrigation to an ayacut area of 9065 Ha
• Provided irrigation facility to 61034 Hectares of Cultivable Command Area through Potteru Irrigation Project.
• Nearly 65 re-settled villages and 133 tribal villages involving 25072 numbers of families benefited from this irrigation scheme 
• A new ayacut area of around 70099 Hectares has been created after the completion of the work.
• Enhanced the economic well-being of the local populace and better flood management and water storage by Balimela Dam.

Challenges

• This project has been conceptualized and executed when this area had no communication and transportation facility.
• This project is an old one and has been constructed at a time period when there were very few resources, manpower, etc., available in the area. 
• The canal system runs over hilly terrain, and severe excavation of hard rocks was done during execution.
• Construction of Balimela Dam (2nd largest in Odisha), spillway, underground tunneling, Barrage, canal systems, etc., was a mammoth task.
• A continuous awareness generation programme was required to promote the cultivation of cash crops and adopt crop diversification.

Innovation

• The Balimela Dam and the under tunnels can rightly be said to be engineering marvels considering the time when these were constructed.
• It is a multi-purpose project which involves Irrigation, Power generation and fulfilling Drinking water requirements.
• The approach roads along the service bank of the canal are also being used by the villagers to commute on a daily basis.
• The dam has an Automatic Water level recorder, rainfall recorder, V-notch for seepage measurement, etc.
• Apart from providing water for irrigation in the canal, it is a great boon for the nearby villages for providing water for their daily needs and cattle.

Video

See Presentation

Gallery

Case Study

Facilitating Irrigation through Canal System 

Summary 

Potteru Irrigation Project is a centrally funded project, which was taken up for execution by Govt. of Odisha as part of irrigation-cum-resettlement scheme in the remote area of Malkangiri District to provide irrigation to 61034 Hectare of Cultivable Command Area and to rehabilitate the refugees from erstwhile East Pakistan settled in the Dandakaranya area. Potteru Irrigation Project can rightly be said as the lifeline of Malkangiri District. The Potteru Irrigation Project has been able to eliminate the problem of water scarcity in the Malkangiri District. The economic standards of the people have increased significantly due to better irrigation facilities and hikes in agricultural activities.

Problems

Odisha is an agriculture-centric state, so the majority of its population depends on agriculture for their livelihood.  Malkangiri District is one of the major producers of Groundnut and Rice in the state, but the scarcity of water has affected agricultural production in the past. Poor living standards of the refugees from erstwhile East Pakistan settled in the Dandakaranya area were at alarming condition. There was a need for crop diversification and better utilization of water.

Solutions

The department facilitated the construction of the Balimela Dam, Surlikonda Barrage and the canal systems. A smooth water supply is ensured during both the Kharif and Rabi seasons and cultivation of more cash crops is promoted. The farmers are made aware of Mobile App “Secha Samadhan” for intimating water issues in the field for quick action and an awareness program is conducted at the entire Block headquarters to aware the farmers about the project and optimal use of water for irrigation. “MO SARKAR CELL” and ” Jana Sunani Portal” is functioning to receive grievances related to canal water supply and other issues related to the water resource department. The department engaged a staff as a nodal officer and created different touch points for easy access to farmers. The right to Information Cell is also functioning very well.

Outcomes

This project came into the limelight after the 1971 Bangladesh liberation war when large-scale migration happened and the refugees were rehabilitated in this area. This project provided a sustainable livelihood to the refugees by providing irrigation water and promoting agricultural activities. The majority of the command area under this project falls under the Naxalite-affected area, infamously known as the Red Corridor. This project helped a lot in enhancing the living standards of the people of this district by promoting agriculture, fishery, livestock farming, etc. This project increased the irrigation potential of the District and thus helped in enhancing the farmers’ income. Farmer’s participation is ensured in better water management practices through the formation of “Water Users Associations” or “Pani Panchayats.” Not only irrigation but Hydro-power generation and drinking water needs are also taken care of, apart from providing water for irrigation in the canal. It is a great boon for the nearby villages for providing water for their daily needs and cattle. The villagers are also using the service bank of the canal to commute on a daily basis.

Challenges

The inception of this project started during the 1960s when no proper communication/transportation facility was available. Construction of Balimela Dam (2^nd largest in Odisha), spillway, underground tunneling, Barrage, canal systems, etc., was a mammoth task. There were very few resources and manpower etc., available in the area.  The canal system runs over hilly terrain and severe excavation of hard rocks was done during the execution

Innovation

The Balimela Dam and the under tunnels can rightly be said to be engineering marvels considering the time when these were constructed. It is a multi-purpose project which involves Irrigation, Power generation and fulfilling Drinking water requirements. Satiguda Medium Irrigation Project, under this organization, has been providing irrigation to an ayacut area of 9065 Ha. Irrigation to 61034 Hectares of Cultivable Command Area through the Potteru Irrigation Project was provided, which re-settled nearly 65 villages and 133 tribal villages involving 25072 numbers of families. This project enhanced the economic well-being of the local populace, better flood management and water storage by Balimela Dam. A new ayacut area of around 70099 Hectares has been created after the completion of the work.

Opportunities

The department is now promoting the execution of new Mega-lift irrigation projects under their jurisdiction to irrigate highlands. As such, one mega-lift project has already been executed by drawl of water from Surlikonda Barrage.

For more information, please contact:
Mr Chandra Sekhar Mishra, Chief Construction Engineer, Potteru Irrigation Project,Balimela at ccepotteru123@gmail.com

(The content on the page is provided by the Exhibitor)