Report on Minor Irrigation Works (Gujarat State)

Abstract

Gujarat is the Western most State in the Indian Union. It extends from longitude 68.4 to 74.4 degrees east and latitude 20.1 to 24.7 degrees north. It is bounded on the west by Arabian Sea, in the north by the deserts of Pakistan and Rajasthan, in the east by the States of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and in the south by Maharashtra. Physically the Slate can be divided into four distinct regions viz.,— (i) Stretch of alluvial land extending from Abu hills to river Daman Ganga in the South. (ii) Semi-arid tract of Kutch. (iii) Peninsular region of Saurashtra. (iv) Hilly tract in the North-east, comprising parts of Satpura, Vindhya and Gujarat-Malwa hill ranges. These regions have varying physical features. The northeastern region consists of irregularly shaped hills including valleys, which form upper drainage area of the major rivers flowing towards the Gulf of Cambay, including rivers Tapi and Narbada, which flow through valleys formed by rifts along two flanks of Satpura hill range; the area lying between hilly ranges of Saurashtra peninsula is fairly alluvial. In the Central and Northern parts of Saurashtra and in the interior of Kutch there is a cover of Deccan trap. The marginal belts of the Saurashtra peninsula and Kutch are, however, marked by rocks of sedimentary origin. A special tract of Gujarat is Rann of Kutch, which is very peculiar in its natural features. It is an old arm of the sea, which has receded leaving behind a saline, sandy and barren plain, wholly unproductive. Geologically, therefore, Gujarat is a complex formation and has accordingly a varied pattern of agrarian practices, including its irrigational requirements. The soil classifications of the State are illustrated in Figure 1.1.