Water Users Association and Irrigation Management - Institute for ...

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land and other farmers do not make any comparable corrective investments in a
coordinated way then the payoff in improved water supply and maintenance is negligible.
Howeycr. if many farmers undertake the improvement effort on each of their sections and
some individually rational decision-maker does not do so, they will still enjoy a substantial
share of the benelit provided by the work of others, at no personal cost. Therefore, the
rational. calculating farmers will choose to do nothing either way. Hence, the collective
good. i.e. the infrastructure. will be allowed to deteriorate as everyone individually chooses
to take a free ride to their short-run advantage, but at the expense of allowing it to
deteriorate in the longer run which will ultimately atlect the soils adversely. In the absence
of a WUA. no collectiyc elfort is found.
Irrigation Water Distribution
Water is released on a continuous basis to distributary 3112, which serves the lands of both
the sample villages. In Gundur. the WUA regulates water supply to farmers to meet their
crop water requirements. while in Hagedal in the absence of a WUA. farmers take water
from the outlet on a tum basis.
Equitable distrihution of water is the most critical task of the WUA. In Gundur, the WUA
has adopted specitic norms and procedures to ensure timely and assured supply of water to
grow paddy. They have a map of all inigable lands and its houndaries. Information is given
to farmers about the availability of water. However, an upward to downward process of
distribution of water is practised on a time based turn-by-turn system. Turns are not
associated with specitic days and time and only the sequence in which water is taken is
observed. The hasic allocation principle is that each piece of land is entitled to a quantity of
canal water proportionate to its size. The movement of water from one field to another is
regulated through properly constructed spillways6. In case they are found vulnerable, stone
pitching is also done at the discharge end of the spillways to prevent breaching.
"Neerganty" appointed by the WUA regulate and monitor water supplies and stop seepage
of water if any. They patrol the canals regularly. Their duties are monitored by the WUA.
Failure to ensure proper allocation of water may even cost them their jobs. They also see
6 Spillways help in the safe disposal of excess water that cannot be economically utilized in the field. so that
the sa fety of the field is ensured.
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