Effects of Intensive Farming on Water Resources in Tamil Nadu, India

The book aims in finding the influence of intensive farming over ground water table and water quality in the intensive farming district of Tamil Nadu. For identifying the intensive farming district, composite index was constructed. For analyzing the objectives, the study utilized secondary data pertained to the period 1980-2010. Results of probit model shows that increase in paddy productivity due to the adoption of high yielding varieties have positive relation with that of the ground water depletion. Increase in gross irrigated area under tube wells has a very minimal negative relation with that of the decline in ground water level due to significant ground water recharge. To analyse the influence of intensive farming on ground water quality, various Physico-chemical parameters of ground water like pH, Electrical Conductivity, Cl, Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, etc. were analysed over the years.