Srinagar, Oct 25: Nearly 58 per cent of Jammu and Kashmir’s net sown area lacked recorded irrigation coverage, exposing a major gap in the Union Territory’s agricultural water infrastructure at a time when climate change is adding uncertainty to the availability and timing of water resources.
Data published in the Jammu and Kashmir Government’s Digest of Statistics puts the Union Territory’s net sown area at approximately 7.38 lakh hectares, while net irrigated area stood at 3.106 lakh hectares.
The figures indicate that approximately 4.27 lakh hectares of net sown land had no recorded irrigation coverage during the reference year.
The proportion of net sown area under irrigation works out to around 42.1 per cent, leaving approximately 57.9 per cent without recorded irrigation coverage.
The calculation is based on official government statistics. It measures the gap in recorded irrigation coverage, not the volume of water available or the extent of water scarcity across the Union Territory.
The challenge takes on added significance in the context of climate change, which is altering temperature patterns, precipitation, snow cover and the seasonal distribution of water in mountain regions.
The government’s Digest of Statistics 2024–25 provides a more recent picture of the area irrigated across Jammu and Kashmir.
According to its irrigation chapter, total gross irrigated area stood at approximately 4.74 lakh hectares in 2024–25, compared with 4.73 lakh hectares in 2023–24.
This represents an increase of around 1,000 hectares, indicating little change in the total area irrigated across crop seasons during the two years.
The same official series records gross irrigated area at 4.45 lakh hectares in 2019–20, 4.64 lakh hectares in 2020–21, 4.83 lakh hectares in 2021–22 and 4.79 lakh hectares in 2022–23.
Although the latest figure is higher than the level recorded in 2019–20, it remains below the 2021–22 peak.
Gross irrigated area measures the total area irrigated across crop seasons, counting the same land more than once when it receives irrigation for multiple crops. Net irrigated area measures the physical area irrigated at least once during the year.
The distinction is important because an increase in gross irrigated area does not necessarily mean that a corresponding amount of additional farmland has received irrigation facilities.
Jammu and Kashmir’s agricultural water challenge cannot be assessed solely through the availability of irrigation infrastructure. The reliability and seasonal distribution of water are also important, particularly in a region where snowmelt, mountain streams, rainfall and canal networks contribute to water availability.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in its Sixth Assessment Report, identifies rising temperatures, changes in precipitation, declining snow cover and glacier mass loss among the major changes affecting the Hindu Kush Himalayan region.
The IPCC also warns that changes in snow and glacier melt can alter the timing of river flows, affecting water availability and agriculture. While increased melting can temporarily raise runoff in some glacier-fed rivers, continued glacier retreat can reduce that contribution over time.
For Jammu and Kashmir, these changes have implications for how water is stored, distributed and made available during critical agricultural periods. However, the precise effect on individual districts and irrigation systems requires local hydrological and agricultural data.
Changing rainfall patterns add another dimension. Rainfall that arrives at the wrong time, falls unevenly or occurs in intense episodes may not provide the same agricultural benefits as water available when crops need it. Heavy rainfall can also generate runoff and erosion rather than ensuring that sufficient water remains available during subsequent dry periods.
These are regional climate-related risks, not proof that climate change has caused the existing 58 per cent irrigation coverage gap. Establishing that relationship would require a separate assessment of historical irrigation expansion, rainfall trends, water flows and agricultural outcomes in Jammu and Kashmir.
The government’s statistical publication identifies canals, locally known as kuls, as the dominant source of irrigation, accounting for about 84 per cent of the reported irrigated area.
This dependence makes the maintenance and modernisation of existing canal systems particularly important. Desilting, repairing damaged channels, improving water distribution and reducing conveyance losses can help make better use of water already available.
Climate variability strengthens the case for assessing whether these systems can deliver water reliably during periods of agricultural demand, rather than measuring progress only through the length of canals or the number of projects completed.
At the same time, the government needs to distinguish between infrastructure that exists on paper and irrigation that is actually delivered to farmers. Project completion, operational capacity, seasonal water availability and the area effectively served should be monitored separately.
The Regional Digest of Statistics 2024–25 provides district-wise figures for net and gross irrigated area by source, including canals, springs, wells and other sources.
For the Jammu division, the publication reports net irrigated area of 57,842 hectares in Jammu district, 21,407 hectares in Kathua, 10,130 hectares in Samba and 4,951 hectares in Udhampur.
The corresponding figures for Ramban, Reasi and Doda were 1,408 hectares, 1,486 hectares and 1,989 hectares, respectively.
These figures demonstrate differences in the recorded area under irrigation. They do not, on their own, establish which districts have the highest percentage of farmland without irrigation. That comparison requires each district’s net sown area as the denominator.
A district-wise assessment combining net sown area, net irrigated area, rainfall trends, crop patterns and the status of irrigation projects would provide a stronger basis for targeting investment.
It would also help distinguish areas where the primary problem is inadequate infrastructure from those where seasonal water availability, terrain or other constraints limit irrigation.
The figures point to two related policy challenges: expanding irrigation coverage and ensuring that available water remains reliable under changing climatic conditions.
Potential measures include rehabilitating existing irrigation networks, improving local water storage where technically and environmentally appropriate, protecting springs and catchments, promoting efficient irrigation methods and strengthening rainfall and stream-flow monitoring.
Water-saving interventions should be assessed against local conditions and crop requirements. Their effectiveness will depend on the availability of water, the type of farming practised and the capacity of farmers to operate and maintain the systems.
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