Jharkhand govt focuses on solar-based irrigation projects

     Ranchi, Oct 25 (PTI) The Jharkhand government on Monday said it is focusing on adopting renewable energy to boost income of farmers and curb their migration to other states. <br>           With this, over 6,000 families have already benefitted in the state. <br>            "With farmers at the centre of the development process, ...Jharkhand is working tirelessly to ensure availability of year-round irrigation facilities across the state. Given this, the state government is installing solar-based lift irrigation facilities in the districts,” a statement issued by the state government said. <br>          Initially, the government is installing this facility in those parts of the state where water is not available throughout the year for irrigation due to inhospitable terrain, the statement said.  <br>           The examples of Bokaro, Latehar, and Simdega districts were cited in the statement. <br>        The Bokaro district administration has brought 500 acres of land under the solar lift irrigation facility, benefitting about 480 farming households. <br>          The statement said apart from employment at the local steel plant as daily wage labourers, a substantial part of the population in Bokaro district is dependent on agriculture for their livelihood. <br>           Since a major part of farmland is used only during the rainy season for paddy cultivation, the administration has installed many solar lift irrigation pumps in the district, therefore, ensuring year-round availability of water for irrigation, it said.<br>         Forty-eight pump sets, with a capacity of 5HP each, are being installed to cover 500 acres of land.<br>             Deputy Commissioner, Bokaro, Kuldeep Chowdhary said it is a mineral-rich area and one of the most industrialised districts of Jharkhand, but with a substantial part of the population also dependent on agriculture, the land yields only one crop a year due to the unavailability of modern irrigation facilities. <br>            The official said to ensure multi-crop farming in the district, the administration is installing 48 solar pump units for the lift irrigation facility out of which over 20 units are functional, and work for the remaining part will be done in due course.<br>            "Also, we are working on the implementation of solar-based mobile irrigation units across different parts of the district. This will help marginal farmers, farmers who work in small clusters or hilly terrain.    <br>            “Apart from this, we are also working on the utilisation of abandoned mines for irrigation purposes," the Bokaro deputy commissioner was quoted as saying in the statement. <br>             Latehar and Simdega districts have also adopted the same technique to benefit farmers and promote multiple crop cultivation. <br>        In Latehar, more than 1.000 acres of land have been covered under a solar lift irrigation facility with 100 units whereas over 105 solar-based lift irrigation systems have been installed in Simdega helping almost 5,000 families, the statement said. PTI NAM<br>MM   MM

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