Unpredictable monsoon,droughts,and low rainfall are adversely affecting Indian agriculture.
$(a)$ Mention any two initiatives that have been adopted to increase the availability of water for agricultural purposes.
$(b)$ State two advantages of making check dams.
$(c)$ Briefly describe the canal and river lift systems of irrigation.

(N/A) Two initiatives adopted to increase water availability are:
- Rainwater harvesting
- Watershed management
$(b)$ Two advantages of check dams are:
- They increase the groundwater level.
- They reduce soil erosion.
- They prevent rainwater from flowing away.
$(c)$ Canal system: In this system,water is taken from rivers or reservoirs and distributed to crop fields through an extensive network of canals.
River lift system: In this system,water is directly drawn from rivers using pumps to supplement irrigation in areas where canal flow is insufficient or irregular.