The cruciality of irrigation as a basic input to agricultural production can hardly be denied. Its significance has been evidenced after the advent of green revolution, the basis of agricultural break-through in the 20th Century. Controlled and regular supply of irrigation water is the most essential factor for rejuvenating agricultural production.
Nature has been very generous towards Bihar endowing it with abundance of both surface and ground water. However, the potential of this endowment has not been fully utilized particularly for irrigation purposes. This call for irrigation or water management in the state. So far as irrigation is concerned it has better situation in the south Bihar than north Bihar. The proportion of net irrigated area in South Bihar region is about 61 per cent whereas in the sub-zones of North Bihar namely, North-West and North-East alluvial plains its proportion is 29.7 and 8.8 per cent respectively. So far irrigation level in Jehanabad district is concerned the results presented in table 2.8 indicates that 48.48 per cent of the gross cropped area is irrigated. This means that there is high level of irrigation but in compare to agriculturally developed states like Punjab and Haryana accounting to 95 and 80 per cent, respectively. As such, there is still high scope to increase the irrigation level in the district from agricultural development point of view. One of the most disquieting feature of agricultural development in the district can be noted from its low cropping intensity accounting for only 128.0 per cent and the State is having 143.84 per cent. This is a matter of serious concern which should be looked into.
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