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

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the fanners, the details of which are presented in Table 7.7. Fanners' responses were
classified as "rarely", "sometimes", and "regularly".
Table 7.7: Farmers' Response about Malfunctions in Hagedal
Malfunctions
Regularly Sometimes Rarely Total
Taking water on another's tum without permission 5 16 79 100
Obstructions placed in the distributary to raise the
water level
44 38 18 100
Taking mure water than their share 73 19 8 100
Illegal outlets/taking water illegally 52 31 17 100
Damage to filed canals by cattle 47 31 22 100
Note. Responses . .
In percentages .
The majority of the fanners (73 percent) reported that they regularly take more water than
their entitlement or need. A high proportion of fanners (52 percent) also reportcd that
illegal diversion of water and operation of gates to suit their individual interests is a
common phenomenon in the village. They get more water by making holes next to the
outlet or by manipulating the outlet itself. Damage to field canals is another malpractice
occurring in the village which leads to conflicts among fanners (see Table 7.9). Taking
water out of tum seems to be a rare phenomenon as revealed by the data.
The absence of WUA in Hagedal village has led to indiscipline in water use by fanners.
They also waste water by allowing it go into drains especially during nights and most orthe
times night irrigation is not practised. In some areas, it is not uncommon to see a fanner
breaking the side of the canal and go away leaving the water to flood unattendcd. Hence the
problem of excess in the fields adjacent to the outlets is noticcd in Hagedal and the surplus
water often stagnates in the low land for several days causing waterlogging. There are no
economic disincentives to fanners who create negative environmental externalities. The tail
end fanners face the problem of unpredictable supply of water and the consequent changes
in input use.
Fanners ownmg land in this command live in the nearby camps and there is no coordination
and co-operation among them regarding water distribution. While some fanners
are actually aware of the problem, no concrete efforts are taken by them to resolve it. Given
the poor co-ordination among fanners and lack of control by irrigation officials "free
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