Water Resources
Lagoons and the demand for water
Explain why irrigation dominates water demand.
India's indented coasts, in Kerala, Odisha and West Bengal, have lagoons and backwaters. Their water is used for fishing and for irrigating some paddy and coconut, though it is often brackish.
Since about two-thirds of people depended on agriculture, irrigation got high priority in India's Five Year Plans. Big multipurpose projects were built: Bhakra-Nangal, Hirakud, Damodar Valley, Nagarjuna Sagar, and the Indira Gandhi Canal.
Today, agriculture uses about 89 per cent of the surface water used, and 92 per cent of the groundwater used.
As the country develops, the shares used by industry and for domestic needs (homes, cities) will rise. But for now, the fields use most of the water.
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