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The key objectives of the development strategies are stated as
poverty alleviation, creation of income generation opportunities
to empowering the people with education and employable skills and
building of necessary infrastructure.
Irrigation development in the State was traditionally addressed by
the Rural Works Department. Ultimately, the Department of
Irrigation & Flood Control had been entrusted the responsibilities
as per allocation of Business, Rules 1994, with the objective to
shoulder responsibilities as under:-
(i) Development of Water Resources
(ii) Construction of Irrigation Works
(iii) Maintenance of Government Irrigation Works
(iv) Water management and Water Conservation as the nodal
Department for clearance of schemes relating, river or reservoir.
(v) Assessment of Irrigation and Irrigation Development.
(vi) Flood Control and Anti-Erosion Works, including management
and control of drainage and Jhora Training Works.
It is also planned to enhance the potential by
constructing channels by adopting appropriate technology to suit
the hilly terrain and make them sustainable in the long run. As
the principal occupation of the rural population of the State is
agriculture and itself contributes the major share in the total
income generated out of the Agriculture and Horticulture as per
the database available. Irrigation Department plays a key role to
generate employment at the time of execution of works and
infrastructures are created to field maximum crops during the
Kharif and Rabi and even mixed cropping all through the seasons.
Benefit in this direction is diverted down to the poorest of poor
to have sustainable livelihood. The level of poverty is also
decreased to a greater extend with the services rendered by the
Department to agriculture by way of potential creation. Every year
target is fixed to create additional potential though utilization
is marginally less due to the features of the land pattern and
soil composition.
To ensure the Department of Irrigation has a positive and
beneficial linkages for the marginalized communities living in the
rural areas. To protect and enhance their economic interests and
their social and economic integrity by promoting self -reliant
rural base development initiatives that are totally sustainable
through irrigation facilities.
Statutory rules for public services with which the Department is
concerned. The criteria for identification of initiatives is
clubbed together focusing on all aspects in write-up.
In any planned economy irrigation plays on important role to make
agriculture sustainable.
Agriculture is the main occupation and important land use.
Agricultural holdings are well spread over from an elevation of
300 to 3000 meters but most of the cultivable lands are terraced
and farmers have settled on these holdings with established
regular cropping system. Marginal holdings and small holdings club
together comprises about 50% of all operational holdings but
occupy 41% of the total area.
The State has a cultivable area of about 1,02,000 hectares. The
Department with innovative technologies backup, taking up minor
irrigation schemes through gravity such that incentive is created
to harness agricultural inputs annually .With a view to ameliorate
the State’s economy and living standard of the people, optimum
development of agriculture through effective utilization of its
land and abundant water resources is imperative. Appropriate level
of planning process is devolved for optimizing agricultural
production through irrigation in Sikkim. Till 1999 -2000 , the
potential created is 28864 Ha and potential utilized is 20,376 Ha.
Every year, schemes are undertaken to enhance the potential to
provide maximum boost to Agriculture sector .
The Department has diversified activities to control anti-erosion,
flood and provide catch water drain. Such multidimensional works
are the major initiative entail by Department. In order to
implement and monitor flood protection works, there is a Flood
control Board with the Hon’ble Chief Minister as the Chairperson.
To assist the Board there is also a Technical Advisory Committee
drawn from various technical & financial Institutions.
To mitigate the problem encounter due to excess surface run off in
and around Gangtok, the Department has envisaged to design the
Storm Water in scientific manner .This work is entrusted to WAPCOS,
New Delhi and submit the proposal within a span of one year .Study
in this direction is already in progress. The Department has taken
up many schemes for Jhora Training in and around Gangtok. Such
works are extended in crisscross of Sikkim. The major works are
done at Namchi ( Goskhan Jhora ), Legship Bazar Jhora, Rafung
Jhora at Mangan and many more. To contain the flood, flood
protection works are carried out at Singtam, Rangpo, Legship,
Reshi, 1st Km Nayabazar Sombaria Road, Jorethang and Rorathang.
In future also the Department will continue to provide the same
services as per Rules of Business.
The major challenge, therefore is to devise suitable location
specific solutions so as to reverse the process and ensure
sustainable development of the growing population and ecology of
hill areas in Sikkim.
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