Meghalaya has only 16 pc land covered under irrigation

Shillong, Mar 26 : Meghalaya has only 16 per cent of its land covered under irrigation, prompting government to give irrigation a thrust in the coming years to improve the area covered, officials said today. "The irrigation potential covered till the December 2011 is only about 16 per cent of the full irrigation potential and steps will be taken to increase the coverage," an official in the agriculture department said. They said the irrigation potential of the state identified by the department is about 2.18 lakh hectares. "In the current year, 81 ongoing minor irrigation schemes estimated to cost Rs 10,523 lakh and covering a total area of 8,318 hectares have been taken up," the official said, adding, "of these, 64 schemes are under the Centre's Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) estimated at Rs 9,073 lakh for an area coverage of 6,843 hectares". According to the agriculture department official, "Further, proposal for 65 new minor irrigation projects with a total command area of 6,141 hectares and an estimated cost of Rs 8,864 lakh have been proposed under AIBP for the year 2011-12." He said that for ensuring better utilisation of the existing irrigated area, Command Area and Water Management Programme is also being implemented in the state.