Question

The main sources of irrigation are
A. Canals
B. Tanks
C. Wells
D. All of these

Answer 1

Hint: It is estimated that in India around 65 percent of the irrigation is from groundwater. In India, currently, 51 percent of the agricultural area is covered by irrigation in which food grains are cultivated.

Complete answer: The main sources of irrigation include all three - canals, tanks and wells. In India a network of major and minor canals, tanks, groundwater well based systems, rainwater harvesting systems all come under irrigation.
-Currently in India about 51 percent of the agricultural land is covered by irrigation whereas the rest is dependent on rainfall. If we look at irrigation in India we can see that about 70 percent of the total irrigation is covered by tube wells and canals.
-Regions which have large plains, fertile soils and perennial rivers are irrigated by canals, which is the second most important source of irrigation in India after tubewells.
-4 percent of the world’s renewable water resources is present in India. Making use of as much as possible part of the runoff from the rivers is the major challenge in the water budget.
-Tubewells account for 46 percent of the irrigation in India. Whereas canals account for 24 percent of the total irrigation in India and tanks account for only 3 percent of the total irrigation in India.

Therefore the correct answer is option D.

Note: Irrigation can be done in various methods and these can be classified as types of irrigation systems. Some of the types of irrigation systems are - surface irrigation, localized irrigation, drip irrigation, sprinkler irrigation, etc.