The data released by the Lumbini Province Government states that 55 percent of the area has irrigation facilities. Irrigation facilities are available in 33 percent of the total irrigable land throughout the year.
Secretary of the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, Bishnu Bhandari, informed that irrigation facilities have been provided in the province through various means and processes. Irrigation facilities have been provided to 21,055 hectares of land in Lumbini, while irrigation infrastructure has been strengthened in 73,768 hectares of land. 211 kilometers of embankments have been constructed for river control, through which 2,632 hectares of land have been raised and 14,119 hectares of land and 17,498 households have been protected.
According to the ministry, 403 irrigation dams and springs have been constructed and 832 kilometers of concrete canals have been constructed so far. There are 107 projects under the lift irrigation system, to which two new projects have been added in the current fiscal year. The installation of shallow and deep tubes has also been accelerated to expand irrigation access. 759 shallow tubes and 232 deep tubes have been installed. The number of pump houses has reached 386, while 82 projects have been electrified for irrigation purposes. 747 kilometers of pipeline have been laid under the pipeline expansion work.
Secretary Bhandari said that the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation of the provincial government has given priority to the expansion of irrigation infrastructure in line with the long-term vision of increasing agricultural production and maintaining economic, social and environmental balance. Various programs related to the construction of irrigation infrastructure, conservation of water resources and disaster management are being operated through the ministry.
Under the major projects, the Praganna Irrigation Scheme for Dang district and the Banganga Irrigation System of Kapilvastu are being operated. Separate irrigation management offices have been established for their management and maintenance. Minister Sita Sharma Chaudhary said that the provincial government has set a goal of increasing agricultural productivity, stabilizing food security and environmental sustainability through strengthening irrigation infrastructure.
Irrigation Day was celebrated in the province on Monday. The Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Lumbini Province, organized a program on the occasion of Irrigation Day. Addressing the program, Lumbini Province Chief Minister Chet Narayan Acharya said that alternative measures can be put into practice to solve the water crisis arising in irrigation.
Chief Minister Acharya said that the water problem can be solved by building ponds and collecting rainwater and using it for both irrigation and drinking water. “If irrigation can be provided to barren land, it can also attract tourists. The water problem can be solved by building water reservoirs in the Tarai and hills. Rainwater can be collected and used for irrigation in winter,” he said.
Chief Minister Acharya, mentioning the need to focus on the conservation and economical use of water resources, expressed concern over the gradual depletion of both underground and surface water resources, which has led to the deterioration of irrigation projects. “The federal government has not been able to transfer those irrigation projects to the provinces. Due to this, farmers are not able to irrigate easily. The provincial government has taken this problem seriously.” He said that a solution to the irrigation problem would be found through coordination and cooperation, and that the problem had become more complicated when the groundwater irrigation projects operated by the federal government were not effective.
