Impact of Deep Tube Well Irrigation on Cropping Intensity–A Case Study of Cooch Behar District, West Bengal

The district of Cooch Behar basically has an agrarian economy facilitated by several types of irrigation system. In the present attempt the role of Deep Tube Well (DTW) has been dealt with an objective of assessing its role on cropping intensity. Its number was 73 in 1993-94 which increased to 78 in 2006-07 with irrigation potential of 4715 hectare (ha) and 5051 ha of agricultural land respectively. In 2006-07 its average density was 0.32 compared to state-average of 1.0 per 1000 hectare. Irrigation utilization ratio has increased from 0.38 to 0.53 out of 1.0 created. The dependency of crop intensity and irrigation intensity found to be decreased from 0.26 to -0.206 to -0.105 within 14 years. The figures in totality revealed that the role of DTW as a mean of irrigation in this district to be temporally reduced.