Conjunctive Use of Groundwater and Surface Water for Buri Teesta Irrigation Project

Buri Teesta is basically a surface water irrigation project presently facing problems with the shortage of water from its surface source. In this study a plan for conjunctive use of surface water and groundwater for this project has been formulated. Based on the questionnaire survey, an improved cropping pattern has been developed. The crop water requirement has been estimated to be 26.3x106 m3 in Rabi season and 18.42x106 m3 in Kharif-1 for the proposed cropping pattern. The groundwater availability in the project area to meet this requirement has been predicted by applying a numerical model. It has been found that the available groundwater is adequate to meet the irrigation requirement in excess to available surface water. Three options for seasonal irrigation water supply from groundwater and surface water conjunctively have been tested. The use of groundwater for different options would have insignificant environmental impacts in the project area