Welcome to Eprints@IARI

Abstract

Waterlogging and salinity are wide spread problems in irrigated as well as in nonirrigated areas. Often, subsurface drainage is needed in irrigation command areas to avoid waterlogging and soil salinization. Though the benefits of subsurface drainage are well documented, yet it is an expensive technology. Besides, it generates poor quality effluents, which would have to be either carefully reused or safely disposed. An alternative option claimed by some workers is bio-drainage, which is projected as the least expensive and more environmentally friendly method of land reclamation. Bio-drainage relies on vegetation, rather than mechanical means, to remove excess water through consumptive water use by the plants. Bio-drainage is economically attractive, as it requires only a small initial investment for planting the vegetation, and when established, the system could produce economic returns through fodder, fuel wood and timber. This paper discusses the status of bio-drainage, its relevance in India and the experimental methods to establish its viability as an alternative drainage measure for land reclamation.