What is water-use efficiency? Describe the role of micro-irrigation in increasing the water-use efficiency.
Approach · directive: “what / describe”
What it asks · Define water-use efficiency and explain how drip and sprinkler systems raise it.
It asks 2 things — answer each
- What is water-use efficiency: define it
- Describe the role of micro-irrigation (drip and sprinkler) in increasing water-use efficiency
Open with · Agriculture uses over 80 per cent of India's available water, yet only about half the net sown area is irrigated; water-use efficiency is crop output per unit of water applied, 'more crop per drop'.
Cover
- Meaning: conveyance efficiency (water surviving seepage and evaporation in canals) and application efficiency (water reaching the root zone instead of runoff and deep percolation).
- Drip: wets only the root zone, cuts evaporation and percolation, suppresses weeds and allows fertigation; sprinklers give controlled rain-like application on undulating land and light soils.
- Gains: the Economic Survey 2020-21 found water savings of 20-48 per cent, energy savings of 10-17 per cent and yield gains of 20-38 per cent.
- Scale and finance: Per Drop More Crop (PMKSY, 2015-16) covers 115 lakh ha by July 2026, about 8.11 per cent of net sown area; the Micro Irrigation Fund (Rs 5,000 crore, 2018-19) was doubled to Rs 10,000 crore in October 2024.
- Constraints: upfront cost for small farmers (assistance limited to 5 ha per beneficiary), clogging, power needs; paddy and wheat hard to cover; saved water must not simply expand area.
- Way forward: canal modernisation, crops matched to water availability, rational power pricing and MIF-backed State top-ups.
Close with · Micro-irrigation is the quickest route to higher water-use efficiency; with canal modernisation, crop choice and power pricing reforms, 'per drop more crop' becomes the norm rather than a scheme.
Add value (verified)
- PMKSY guidelines list improving on-farm water-use efficiency to reduce wastage among the scheme's objectives. ↗“Improve on-farm water use efficiency to reduce wastage and increase availability both in duration and extent”
- PIB (August 2026): Per Drop More Crop has brought 115 lakh hectares under micro-irrigation by July 2026, about 8.11% of net sown area. ↗“PDMC has brought 115 lakh hectares under micro-irrigation, as of July 2026. This accounts for about 8.11% of India’s net sown area”
- PIB (August 2026), citing the Economic Survey 2020-21: micro-irrigation saves 20-48% water, 10-17% energy, 11-19% fertiliser, and raises yields 20-38%. ↗“The survey reported water savings of 20% to 48%, energy savings of 10% to 17%, labour cost reductions of 30% to 40%, and fertilizer savings of 11% to 19%. The crop yield increase of 20% to 38% was also repor”
- PIB (2025): assistance under PDMC is limited to 5 hectares per beneficiary; the Micro Irrigation Fund of Rs 5,000 crore was created with NABARD in 2018-19, and the Cabinet doubled it to Rs 10,000 crore on 3 October 2024. ↗“Further, to encourage micro irrigation for enhancing WUE in agriculture, the Government created a Micro Irrigation Fund (MIF) with initial corpus of Rs. 5000 crores with NABARD in 2018-19”
- PIB (2025): the Union Cabinet on 3 October 2024 approved doubling the MIF corpus to Rs 10,000 crore. ↗“Union Cabinet in its meeting dated 03.10.2024 has approved to double the corpus to Rs.10000 crores”
- PIB: over 80% of India's available water goes to irrigation, but only about 50% of net sown area is irrigated. ↗“More than 80% of India's available water resources are used for agricultural irrigation. However, only about 50% of the net sown area has irrigation facilities”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2016, GS Paper III — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer· 293words · Minimalist IAS
Agriculture uses over 80 per cent of India's available water, yet only about half the net sown area is irrigated (PIB). Water-use efficiency is the crop output obtained per unit of water applied, 'more crop per drop', measured at field, farm or project level.
What water-use efficiency means
- Conveyance efficiency: the share of water surviving seepage and evaporation in canals and field channels.
- Application efficiency: the share reaching the root zone instead of running off or percolating below it under flood irrigation.
Role of micro-irrigation in increasing it
- Drip: emitters wet only the root zone, cutting evaporation and deep percolation, suppressing weeds and allowing fertigation.
- Sprinkler: controlled, rain-like application suited to undulating land, light soils and close-spaced crops.
- Quantified gains: the Economic Survey 2020-21 found water savings of 20-48 per cent, energy savings of 10-17 per cent and yield gains of 20-38 per cent (PIB, 2026).
- Scale: PMKSY's Per Drop More Crop (2015-16) has brought 115 lakh hectares under micro-irrigation by July 2026, about 8.11 per cent of net sown area.
- Finance: the Micro Irrigation Fund with NABARD (Rs 5,000 crore, 2018-19) was doubled to Rs 10,000 crore by the Cabinet on 3 October 2024.
| Method | Where water goes | Main loss |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | whole field surface | runoff, percolation |
| Sprinkler | over the canopy | some evaporation |
| Drip | root zone only | least |
Limits and way forward
- Cost and upkeep: high upfront cost for small farmers (assistance limited to 5 hectares per beneficiary), clogging, power needs; paddy and wheat are hard to cover.
- Way forward: canal modernisation, crops matched to water availability, rational power pricing and MIF-backed State top-ups for small farmers.
Micro-irrigation is the quickest route to higher water-use efficiency; with these reforms, 'per drop more crop' becomes the norm of Indian farming rather than a scheme.
Prepared by Minimalist IAS to the answer standard of Shivam Singh (mentor, 7 years) · facts checked against official sources (how we verify) · updated 3 Oct 2026. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.
