Sirohi, Rajasthan - Solar Pumps Tool Sirohi, Rajasthan | Solar Pumps Tool Humane ClubMade in Humane Club

Sirohi, Rajasthan

Overall, the water availability for irrigation in the district (based on ground water development and long-term trends of water level decline) is critical since the resource is overexploited, jeopardizing the long-term sustainability of solar pumps. The district has a relatively high penetration of banks in rural and semi-rural areas, facilitating higher access to institutional credit for farmers. The district appears in the group of districts, which are (very) highly vulnerable towards climate change, as per an index constructed by CRIDA.

Deployment Approaches

Approaches Feasibility
Individually owned off-grid solar pumps Limited Suitability
Solarisation of feeders Limited Suitability
Solar based water as a service Not Suitable
Promote 1 HP and sub-HP pumps Limited Suitability
Solarisation of individual grid-connected pumps Limited suitability

Individually owned off-grid solar pumps

Limited Suitability

The district has a relatively high disbursement of institutional credit and a comparatively high concentration of diesel pump users. However, ground water availability is below the safe limit, and crop revenue per holding is low, making it very difficult to promote the private ownership of solar pumps here.

Parameter Value Percentile
Number of cultivators reporting use of diesel pumps 19,898 54
Water Availability Index 0.2 15
Crop revenue per holding (INR) 51,188 34
Medium and long term institutional credit disbursed in a year (in INR Crore) 84.1 65

Solarisation of feeders

Limited Suitability

The district has a relatively high penetration of electric pumps, and its DISCOM incurs a high cost for supplying power, but the district has a comparatively low extent of feeder segregation. Solarisation of the feeders will only be possible once the district separates agricultural feeders from the rest.

Parameter Value Percentile
Actual cost of power supply (INR/kWh) 6.46 74
Extent of feeder segregation 40% 36
Proportion of cultivators reporting use of electric pumps 44% 88

Solar based water as a service

Not Suitable

The district has a rather low concentration of small and marginal farmers and a relatively low proportion of unirrigated area. Moreover, groundwater availability is below the safe limit, making it extremely difficult to promote solar-based irrigation through the water-as-a-service model here.

Parameter Value Percentile
Water Availability Index 0.2 15
Proportion of small and marginal cultivators 63% 15
Unirrigated net sown area as a share of total net sown area 32% 29

Promote 1 HP and sub-HP pumps

Limited Suitability

The district has a comparatively high disbursement of institutional credit to marginal farmers and a relatively high proportion of horticulture crops under gross cropped area. But groundwater availability below safe limit and a rather low concentration of marginal farmers limits the demand for 1 HP and sub-HP pumps in the district.

Parameter Value Percentile
Area under horticulture crops as a share of gross cropped area 9% 60
Water Availability Index 0.2 15
Proportion of marginal cultivators 37% 19
Medium and long term institutional credit disbursed in a year (in INR Crore) 84.1 65

Solarisation of individual grid-connected pumps

Limited suitability

The district has a relatively high penetration of electric pumps and power supply to its agriculture consumers is heavily subsidised. But the district has a comparatively low extent of feeder segregation and its groundwater availability is below the safe limits. Solarisation of individual grid-connected pumps will only be possible once the district separates agricultural feeders from the rest. Further the approach should be taken up with extreme caution as it may aggrevate the groundwater depletion.

Parameter Value Percentile
Water Availability Index 0.2 15
Actual cost of power supply (INR/kWh) 6.46 74
Extent of feeder segregation 40% 36

Leveraging Solar Pumps to Promote Policy Objectives

If you are deploying solar pumps in this district then you can further these policy objectives.

Per Drop More Crop

In the district, crops suitable for drip and sprinkler irrigation occupy a relatively high proportion of gross cropped area, making it easy to adopt such high precision irrigation methods. Solar pumps, along with other efficient and precise water application devices, could be deployed under Per Drop More Crop to promote efficient irrigation.

Parameter Value Percentile
Area under crops suitable for drip and sprinkler irrigation as a share of total cropped area 52% 87

Sirohi, Rajasthan
Summary
Number of operational holdings
77,395
Average size of operational holding (Ha)
2.53
No. of cultivators using diesel pumps
19,898
No. of cultivators using electric pumps
33,787
Parameters (value, percentile)
Unirrigated net sown area ('000 ha)
56
50
Area under horticulture crops as a share of gross cropped area
9%
60
Water Availability Index
0.2
15
Monthly per capita expenditure of rural agricultural households (INR)
1,412
66
Crop revenue per holding (INR)
51,188
34
No. of rural and semi-urban bank branches per 10,000 farmers
14.99
85
Medium and long-term institutional credit disbursed in a year (in INR Crore)
84.1
65
No. of calls made at Kisan Call Centre (between 1.1.2011 - 31.12.2015)
441
26
Level of farm mechanisation (tractors, harvesters, threshers per ha)
0.51
67