Water Users Association and Irrigation Management - Institute for ...
Water Users Association and Irrigation Management - Institute for ...
Water Users Association and Irrigation Management - Institute for ...
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I<br />
(Wade, 1988). The leaders' help in resolving water-related conflicts <strong>and</strong> they have also<br />
bargained with ID on behalf of the fellow farmers <strong>for</strong> the repair of canal banks. Some of<br />
the leaders are so trusted that the farmers leave their savings with them. Apart from<br />
leadership qualities, the power that the leaders derive is due to their l<strong>and</strong> ownership <strong>and</strong><br />
political affiliations. Nevertheless, the leaders are not keen on the communities managing<br />
their resources so they have not felt the need <strong>for</strong> organizing farmers to torm a WUA.<br />
Interaction with agency<br />
TBP is an agency-managed irrigation project, so the responsibility to ensure the designed<br />
discharge of water up to the outlet point <strong>and</strong> also to construct, operate <strong>and</strong> maintain the<br />
canals <strong>and</strong> hydraulic structures rests with ID while the responsibility of maintaining the<br />
system below the outlet point rests with the CADA. This means two agencies are involved<br />
in the operation <strong>and</strong> maintenance of the system to ensure proper distribution <strong>and</strong> utilization<br />
of water. The agricultural department gives in<strong>for</strong>mation on various agricultural practices.<br />
An attempt was made to ascertain farmers' opinion in both the villages on the felt needs<br />
that required agency intervention. In Hagedal, farmers' opinion of potential support service<br />
needs include services provided to irrigated agriculture whereas in Gundur, farmers'<br />
opinion includes both, supporting services provided to the irrigation system <strong>and</strong> those<br />
provided to irrigated agriculture. Support services provided to irrigated agriculture ,are<br />
generally supplied to individual farmers, while irrigation system support services are<br />
supplied to the WUA providing the irrigation service.<br />
Table 7.12: Farmers' Opinion of Support Service Needed from Agency<br />
.- ----<br />
Farmers oJ!~nion Gundur Hagedal<br />
<strong>Irrigation</strong> infrastructure 62 69<br />
Other infrastructure 26 29<br />
L<strong>and</strong> reclamation 43 51<br />
Credit 47 52<br />
~.~ingl Awareness 72 74<br />
SubSidies 14 II<br />
Note: Responses In percentage. Multiple responses . . (farmers mentIOn more than one support service) .<br />
In H agedal, as many as 69 percent of the sample farmers feel that it is the responsibility of<br />
the agency to maintain the upkeep of the irrigation infrastructure (see Table 7.12). One of<br />
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