Nainital, Uttarakhand - Solar Pumps Tool Nainital, Uttarakhand | Solar Pumps Tool Humane ClubMade with Humane Club

Nainital, Uttarakhand

In the district, horticulture crops occupy a relatively high proportion of gross cropped area, raising the economic viability of solar pumps here. Overall, water availability for irrigation in the district (based on ground water development and long-term trends of water level decline) is within the safe limit, enhancing 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 has a relatively high proportion of small and marginal farmers. The district appears in the group of districts, which show (very) low vulnerability 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 Limited Suitability
Promote 1 HP and sub-HP pumps Suitable
Solarisation of individual grid-connected pumps Not suitable

Individually owned off-grid solar pumps

Limited Suitability

The district has ground water available within the safe limit, high crop revenue per holding, and a relatively high disbursement of institutional credit, but has a comparatively low concentration of diesel pump users, indicating potentially low demand for the private ownership of solar pumps.

Parameter Value Percentile
Number of cultivators reporting use of diesel pumps 346 16
Water Availability Index 0.94 88
Crop revenue per holding (INR) 82,665 51
Medium and long term institutional credit disbursed in a year (in INR Crore) 33.6 53

Solarisation of feeders

Limited Suitability

The cost of power supply for the respective DISCOM in the district is rather high. But, a relatively low extent of feeder segregation and a comparatively low penetration of electric pumps make it very difficult and less effective to solarise the feeders here.

Parameter Value Percentile
Actual cost of power supply (INR/kWh) 4.79 11
Extent of feeder segregation 0% 0
Proportion of cultivators reporting use of electric pumps 0% 0

Solar based water as a service

Limited Suitability

Groundwater availability in the district is within safe limit and the concentration of small and marginal farmers is comparatively high, but the proportion of unirrigated area is relatively low. A solar-based water service will have to compete with existing sources of irrigation.

Parameter Value Percentile
Water Availability Index 0.94 88
Proportion of small and marginal cultivators 87% 53
Unirrigated net sown area as a share of total net sown area 36% 31

Promote 1 HP and sub-HP pumps

Suitable

1 HP and sub-HP pumps could help marginal farmers meet their needs in this district. A relatively high proportion of horticulture crops under gross cropped area, a rather high concentration of marginal farmers, a comparatively high disbursement of institutional credit to marginal farmers, and the availability of groundwater within the safe limit would drive the success of such small-sized pumps in the district. Such small pumps could also be put to use for lift irrigation, provided there is access to surface water.

Parameter Value Percentile
Area under horticulture crops as a share of gross cropped area 20% 79
Water Availability Index 0.94 88
Proportion of marginal cultivators 68% 56
Medium and long term institutional credit disbursed in a year (in INR Crore) 33.6 53

Solarisation of individual grid-connected pumps

Not suitable

The power supply fto agricultural consumers in the district is heavily subsidised and the groundwater availiability is within the safe limits. But, a relatively low extent of feeder segregation and a comparatively low penetration of electric pumps make it very difficult and less effective to solarise the individual grid-connected pumps here.

Parameter Value Percentile
Water Availability Index 0.94 88
Actual cost of power supply (INR/kWh) 4.79 11
Extent of feeder segregation 0% 0

Leveraging Solar Pumps to Promote Policy Objectives

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

Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanisation – Farm Power Availability

There is a comparatively low level of farm mechanisation in the district and a relatively low proportion of electric pump users, indicating an opportunity to increase the exisiting level of mechanisation through solar based irrigation. Solar powered irrigation could be deployed under the Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanisation to improve farm power availability.

Parameter Value Percentile
Level of farm mechanisation (tractors, harvesters, threshers per ha) 0.24 49
Proportion of cultivators reporting use of electric pumps 0% 0

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 33% 66

Nainital, Uttarakhand
Summary
Number of operational holdings
50,592
Average size of operational holding (Ha)
1.03
No. of cultivators using diesel pumps
346
No. of cultivators using electric pumps
34
Parameters (value, percentile)
Unirrigated net sown area ('000 ha)
16
21
Area under horticulture crops as a share of gross cropped area
20%
79
Water Availability Index
0.94
88
Monthly per capita expenditure of rural agricultural households (INR)
1,457
70
Crop revenue per holding (INR)
82,665
51
No. of rural and semi-urban bank branches per 10,000 farmers
29.45
94
Medium and long-term institutional credit disbursed in a year (in INR Crore)
33.6
53
No. of calls made at Kisan Call Centre (between 1.1.2011 - 31.12.2015)
2,155
66
Level of farm mechanisation (tractors, harvesters, threshers per ha)
0.24
49