When Anjaiah's Borewell Ran Thin, He Switched to Drip

The motor ran for forty minutes before the water came out thin.

Anjaiah stood by the pipe outlet near his tomato rows in Kurnool district and watched the stream weaken to a dribble. Five years ago, the same borewell could fill the channels for his three acres before lunch. Now, in the dry months, it gave him enough for barely half the field before the water broke. The power supply came in shifts, often at night. He was flooding furrows by torchlight and still watching his chilli wilt at the far end.

He had spent ₹70,000 on a new borewell two summers earlier. It came up dry at a depth he did not want to think about.

His wife said it plainly over dinner: "We cannot dig our way out of this."

Why does flood irrigation waste so much water?

In flood or furrow irrigation, a large share of the water soaks below the root zone, runs off, or evaporates from wet soil between the rows, so the crop uses only part of what you pump. With a weak borewell, that waste decides how much land you can farm.

Anjaiah had seen it in his own field. The first rows near the outlet got soaked, the last rows got a trickle, and weeds grew everywhere the water reached. He was pumping for the soil, not the plants.

A relative in Anantapur had moved his groundnut and vegetables to drip some years earlier. Anjaiah went to see it. The soil between rows was dry. The rows themselves were evenly wet, and the plants at the far end looked the same as the ones at the start.

"The water goes to the plant, not the field," his relative told him. That one sentence changed his plan.

How does drip irrigation save water and fertiliser?

Drip irrigation sends water through pipes and small emitters that drop it right at the base of each plant, so very little is lost to runoff, deep soaking or evaporation. Because only the root zone is wet, fewer weeds grow between rows.

The same pipes can carry dissolved fertiliser. This is called fertigation: water-soluble fertiliser is mixed in a tank or injected through a venturi, and reaches the roots in small, frequent amounts instead of one big application that partly washes away. Your agriculture or horticulture officer can tell you which fertilisers suit fertigation and how to schedule them for your crop and soil.

For a farmer with weak water and a high input bill, drip touches both problems at once.

How to apply for the drip irrigation subsidy

Drip is costly to install, so the government subsidises it under PMKSY Per Drop More Crop (Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana). In Andhra Pradesh it is run through the AP Micro Irrigation Project (APMIP); in Telangana, through the horticulture department. How much you get depends on the state, your land size and category, and the year's rules, so always confirm with the office.

Anjaiah's paperwork journey took a few months. Roughly, this is how it went:

1. Ask at your village farmer service centre or the mandal agriculture or horticulture office. They will tell you which scheme is open and which documents you need.
2. Collect documents. Usually land records such as your pattadar passbook, Aadhaar, bank passbook, a passport-size photo, and a caste certificate if you are applying under a reserved category. Some offices also ask for water source details.
3. Register your application, either through the officer or the scheme portal.
4. Field inspection. An officer and an approved drip company visit to check your land and water source.
5. System design and quotation. The company prepares a design for your crop spacing and a cost estimate. Ask them to explain the filter, main line, sub-main and lateral sizes.
6. Approval and your share. Once the application is approved, you pay your share as told by the office.
7. Installation and verification. After the system is installed, officials inspect it before the subsidy is released, usually to the company.

Keep copies of every receipt and every page you sign. Anjaiah kept his in a plastic folder and also photographed each one.

How do you maintain a drip system so it lasts?

Most drip failures come from clogged emitters and neglected filters, not from broken pipes. A few simple habits keep it running for many seasons:

• Clean the filter regularly. Screen and disc filters catch sand and dirt; open and wash them as the company advises. Open-well or canal water may need a sand filter too.
• Flush the lines. Open the ends of the laterals and sub-mains from time to time to wash out settled silt.
• Walk the rows. Look for dry patches, wet spots and leaks. A blocked dripper shows up as a weak plant.
• Treat for salt and algae only with expert advice. Hard water leaves salt deposits and dirty water grows slime inside pipes. Acid or chlorine treatment can clear them, but it must be done correctly; ask the drip company or your officer.
• Protect the pipes. Keep laterals away from rats and tractor wheels, and roll them up safely between seasons.

Did the drip system pay back?

Anjaiah treated drip as an investment, not a gift. From the day he paid his share, he recorded every cost in the expense tracker on Mapis Farming: his share of the system, the extra filter, the fertiliser tank, repairs. He also recorded what he no longer spent, like the labour for weeding and channel cutting.

After the first season the picture was modest but clear. His borewell now irrigated all three acres in the dry months. Weeding labour came down noticeably. He was buying fertiliser in smaller lots, more often. His tomato fruits were more even in size, and the chilli at the far end stopped wilting in the afternoon.

He does not know yet exactly when his share will be fully recovered; that depends on prices over the next few seasons. But because every rupee is written down, he will know, season by season, instead of guessing. If you want to start tracking like this, see how to work out your cost of cultivation per acre. And if water is getting scarce, read about millets as low-water crops for part of your land.

Frequently asked questions

How much water does drip irrigation save?

It saves a substantial share of water compared with flood or furrow irrigation, because water goes only to the root zone and very little is lost to runoff, deep soaking or evaporation. The exact saving depends on crop, soil, season and how well the system is maintained. Many farmers find the same borewell can irrigate a larger area after switching.

What subsidy is available for drip irrigation in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana?

Drip and sprinkler systems are subsidised under PMKSY Per Drop More Crop. In Andhra Pradesh it is implemented by the AP Micro Irrigation Project, and in Telangana by the horticulture department. The subsidy share varies by state, farmer category, land size and year, so check the current rules with your mandal office.

What documents are needed for a drip subsidy application?

Usually land records such as the pattadar passbook, Aadhaar, a bank passbook, a photo, and a caste certificate if applicable. Some offices also ask for water source details. Your village farmer service centre or mandal agriculture or horticulture office will give you the current list.

What is fertigation?

Fertigation means giving water-soluble fertiliser through the drip system, in small and frequent amounts, directly to the roots. It reduces fertiliser loss and labour. Ask your officer or drip company which fertilisers and schedule suit your crop and soil.

How do I stop drip emitters from clogging?

Clean the filters regularly, flush the laterals and sub-mains from time to time, and walk the rows to spot weak or dry plants early. Salt deposits and algae inside pipes can be cleared with acid or chlorine treatment, but only with guidance from the drip company or your agriculture officer.