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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 />

174

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