Note on Kaleshwaram Project Package No.

27 & 28 of Nirmal District

The kaleshwaram project of package no.27 and 28 are planned for irrigating
about 1,00,000 acres of Cultivable Command Area (CCA) in Nirmal district .
by lifting water from the foreshore of Srirama sagar Project. There are four
pump houses and total length of main canal is 151.700 Km and 151 number
of Distributeries are involved in this packages. By this project we are going to
provide irrigation facilities to 11 mandals and 156 villages of nirmal district.

Most of the command area is in drought prone area. Many mandals are
declared to be covered under DPAP. This indicates that agriculture support
services and infrastructure are relatively well developed in these areas.

The greatest potential for groundwater development rests in

conjunctive use with surface-supply to alleviate the problems associated with
hydrological uncertainty. In the present study, the conjunctive use model has
been used for optimization of cropping pattern in the command. Planning of
Integrated development of Surface and Groundwater resources, with a view
to enhance the use of water resources optimally and to avoid problems such
as water loggings, soil salinity, which is now being increasingly realized in
irrigated command, is need of present day water resources development
requirement. In fact, National Water Policy, enunciates that integrated and
coordinated development of surface water and ground water resources
through conjunctive use should be envisaged right from the project planning
for such projects.

The selection of an optimum cropping pattern is governed by a number

of complex factors viz., characteristics of soil, drainage requirements, general
topography, climatic conditions, size and type of farms, traditional crop
practices, net return to the farmer and other factors that determine market
demand and prices. For a given project, the relative influence of these agro-
climatic, agro-economic and sociological conditions must be considered for
arriving at the most suitable cropping system i.e., crops and cropping
pattern. The constraints of land and water availability are of course, to be
taken into account. While projecting a cropping pattern and irrigation
intensity, other factors as relevant to optimal design of an irrigation system.

Accordingly, this project is contemplated duly considering all the above aspects.