Abstract

During the late 1950s in India several river valley projects were started for irrigation and power generation. One such project is the Malampuzha project, the largest irrigation project in Kerala state. The project started functioning in 1956. It was expected to cater the irrigation need of 22554 Ha of rice paddy in Palakkad district. The present study is an attempt to evaluate the project by focussing on its original irrigation objectives. Data from the detailed project report (DPR) and those generated from field surveys using a custom made questionnaire was used for the study. The cost – benefit analysis conducted on Malampuzha irrigation project, with reference to its declared irrigation objectives, shows that the performance of the project is not satisfactory.

Key words: Cost benefit analysis, Malampuzha irrigation project, Kerala, detailed project report, performance evaluation.