Abstract

Of late considerable emphasis has come to be laid on augmenting food production by all possible means. In this, the role of irrigation projects needs no emphasis. The irrigation projects, instead of being "saviour' to the farming community, sometimes bring in their wake problems of salinity and alkalinity. The Krishnagiri Reservoir Project in Dharmapuri district is one such, and more than one third of the total ayacut of 5,000 acres under its left main canal have become completely alkaline in the course of six years from the inception of the project. The causes for alkalinity in this area and the remedial measures for reclaiming the affected fields and the prospects of growing high yielding varieties in this area are discussed in this paper.

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