Question

How does irrigation affect our water usage?

Answer 1

Irrigation is number one in terms of total water usage

Explanation:

Irrigation is number 1 sector in terms of amount of water used. Industry and domestic water use are less.

Irrigation is critical for farmers and agriculture sector. In a dry year, if very low output (of agricultural products) is produced, prices of such good increase dramatically.

Answer 2

Irrigation affects our water usage in multiple ways. See below for full explanation.

Explanation:

Irrigation is one of the water wastage method as

1. Traditional irrigation consumes more water, and if we consume more amount of water from ground it could cause water scarcity. This can cause scarcity for neighboring areas (adjacent farms) or larger areas.

2. There are alternative irrigation methods which can be used, such as drip irrigation. Drip irrigation* is one of the useful methods in which water is directly passed into root of the plant.

*This does not allow the fertilizers to flow, but if we use irrigation the fertilizers would wash away and it is waste of money and the nutrients does not get into the soil.