ECONOMIC TRENDS

IRRIGATION.

The quotations from the Chanda District Gazetteer of 1909, which arc given below, throw a searching light on the state of irrigation in that period. "In the extent of its irrigated area, Chanda ranks second only to the Bhandara district. According to the agricultural return for 1906-07, the total area under irrigation in the District amounts to 1,23,823 acres, of which 118,400 acres are irrigated from tanks. This area is equal to more than one-fifth of the total area under irrigation in the Central Provinces and Berar. Prior to the famine of 1900, the area irrigated usually amounted to 150.000 or 160,000 acres, but that famine threw a vast quantity of land under insufficiently stable irrigation out of cultivation. Since 1902. however, when the irrigated area stood at under 110.000 acres there has been a fairly steady recovery in the present figures.

The chief sources of irrigation are the large lakes usually known as tanks, and the ponds known as boris. The number of these latter fluctuate considerably from year to year but at a rough estimate it may be said that there are 1,500 large tanks and as a rule some 4.000 boris. In Garbori almost every village has a large high level tank capable of irrigating up to 300 acres, and this pargana is so studded with these reservoirs that it has earned the title of the 'Lake District' of Chanda. If Sironcha be excepted, the District really possesses but few tank sites within village areas of which full use has not been made. For this the present generation of cultivators owes a debt of gratitude to its ancestors, and also to the wise provision of the Gond kings who, under the system of tukum grants, allowed each builder of a tank to hold the land irrigated by that tank rent free for a term of years ". [Chanda District Gazetteer, 1909, pp. 177-78.]

" Many of these tanks are extremely picturesque, and there are few more grateful sights to the official touring in the heavy rice country than the broad clear blue sheet of water which awaits him at the end of the morning march, reflecting perhaps the contour of surrounding hills and rocks and verdurous forests, and at any rate affording in the duck riding on its bosom and the snipe haunting its margin, both a pleasant recreation and a welcome addition to camp fire." [Ibid, p. 179.]

The above description holds good even at present. In fact there has been remarkable progress in the state of irrigation. The area under irrigation increased to a considerable extent, viz., from 1,23,823 acres in 1906-07 to 2,41,796 acres in 1960-61 to2,26,415 acres in 1961-62 and 2,48,841 acres in 1962-63. Of the 2,48,841 acre of gross irrigated area in 1962-63, 2,40,819 acres of land was under rice crop, and the remaining area was under chillis and other food crops. The tahsil-wise gross irrigated area in 1962-63 was as under: 32,019 acres in Warora tahsil, 63,786 acres in Chandrapur tahsil, 83,769 in Brahmapuri tahsil, 63,705 in Gadhchiroli tahsil, 5,294 in Sironcha tahsil and 268 in Rajura tahsil.

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