Command area
Also called: Culturable command area · Topic: Regional Planning and Sustainable Development in India · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 6 "Planning and Sustainable Development in Indian Context"
Meaning
A command area is the land that a canal or irrigation project can water. Inside it, the part that can actually be farmed is called the culturable command area (CCA). Hills, villages and wasteland are left out of the CCA. Planners use the CCA to work out how much water is needed and how many farms will benefit. Water can reach the land by flow, where it moves down the natural slope, or by lift, where it is pumped up to higher ground.
Example
The Indira Gandhi Canal in western Rajasthan has a planned CCA of 19.63 lakh hectares. About 70% of it was to be irrigated by flow and the rest by lift.
Don't confuse with
- Command Area Development Programme: this is a programme started in 1974-75. It uses field channels, lined watercourses and warabandi to make better use of water inside a command area.