PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT OF ARANIAR MEDIUM IRRIGATION PROJECT IN CHITTOOR DISTRICT ACCORDING TO VARIOUS PERFORMANCE INDICES

Enhancing the irrigation systems performance is crucial for making significant progress in addressing India's food security challenges.In this regard, the current study was carried out to evaluate the performance of the Araniar medium irrigation project in the Chittoor district.using various performance indicators.According to the Indian National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage (INCID 2002) New Delhi guidelines.The study found that the Water delivery capacity index of the Araniar project was 0.35.Irrigation intensities in the area varied significantly, with a high intensity of 83.51% obtained in the year 2016-17 and low intensity of 20.39% is obtained in 2010-11.Groundnut exhibited the highest output per hectare at Rs. 48129.84,followed by Paddy and Sugarcane crops with Rs. 38434.93 and Rs.34671.08 respectively, while Bajra had the lowest output per ha of Rs. 3225.16.A socio-economic survey was conducted in the command area, involving 515 randomly selected farmers.The survey revealed that 57.29% of farmers reported having irrigation water available when needed, while 42.71% reported water scarcity during crucial times.Based on the findings, the study concluded that the Araniar irrigation project faces water scarcity during dry periods.To alleviate this issue, a proposed solution involves implementing a lift irrigation project to transfer water from the Mallemadugu dam to the Araniar project.This would help alleviate the water crisis and ensure water availability during dry spells.