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

More documents

Recommendations

Info

In Gundur, farmers welcomed the idea of PIM, since they had already experienced cooperation and knew the potential benefits of co-operative endeavor. They have no hesitation in paying the increased water charges as long as there are improvements in the quality of irrigation services provided. They are also happy that government assistance will be given for major rehabilitation of the infrastructure. Farmers themselves rarely see the WUA as an autonomous body or demand for its isolation from the state. The only apprehension they have is that they will be torced to grow crops in which they have no interest, because of the proposed volumetric supply of water to the WUA. Keeping the farmers' perceptions on WUA as a backdrop, an attempt is made to present a detailed analysis of the problems and prospects of the on-going PIM programme in TBP. The MOU signed between the newly-formed WUAs and Water Resource Department, specitles the quantum of water to be delivered to the WUAs. It stipulates the measuring of water at the head works of the WUAs so that water is given to the WUAs on a volumetric basis. In TPB there are 826 identified WUAs and if measurement has to be taken and a vigil is to be kept over the quantum of water let out to each WUA, staff is required in large numbers. Given the limited staff strength, presently the process of WUA formation is taking too much time. Measuring devises are not yet installed and moreover the quantum of water that will be released to the various WUAs is also not clear. Moreover, the MOU empowers the water resource department and not the WUAs. While the department has powers to cut water supply to the WUAs when they fail to remit water charges in time, at the same time there is no specification as to what actions the WUAs can take when the department fails to deliver the quantum of water specified in the MOU. The omission of this point in the MOU weakens the accountability factor. Further, there is no provision as to who should be held responsible for not maintaining the gauge at different points of thc canal as per the design. Data in the TBP on land affected with salinity and waterlogging indicated the immense need for the investment and improvement of drainage management. While government efforts has been progressive in improving irrigation performance by transferring the management of irrigation systems to farmers organizations, this option can be applied to 182
collective management drainage. The amendment only mentions about the making of provision for WUAs to assist ID/CADA in carrying out the irrigation and drainage works (chapter IX, section 62A, clause 10) and nothing about its maintenance. Unlike the case of irrigation management, no such approach has been worked out for drainage, and a review of various countries' experiences (Freisem & Scheumann 200 I) shows that institutions for managing agricultural drainage, waterlogging, and salinity are still lacking. Farmers' participation can playa crucial role in managing the problem of irrigation-induced land degradation and in exploiting the full potential of irrigation, but requires appropriate technological and institutional arrangements (Marothia 1997 & 2003; Joshi, 1997). Hence, appropriate water distribution practices, although very important in mitigating waterlogging and salinity alone will not serve the purpose. In TBP, in the absence of a proper drainage system, equal importance has to be given to farmers' participation in the collective management of natural and collector drainage. Hence, one of the big challenges for the agency is to get beyond the questions of "Why PIM" to the more specific issues of what kind of PIM is best suited to the particular conditions of the irrigation system. Farmers in both the villages are inclined to shift to rice or other water intensive crops wherever possible. The interesting point is that this is justified by the lack of any feasible alternative with comparable ease of cultivation and economic returns. Irrigation officials have identified paddy cultivation as one of the major causes for waterlogging and salipity (see Figure-S.2). Hence, the interventions to promote the cultivation of less water-intensive crops assume more importance. The point is to influence micro level decisions of the individual producer to favor less water demanding crops and practices by effective interventions. Attempts to change the cropping pattern can only succeed when minimum returns are assured. This will enable a possible shift in the voluntary decisions of the cultivator by making the desired choice attractive to the individual producer. One of the main obstacles to the current PIM programme is the rehabilitation of the irrigation system. For, none of the distribution canals and hydraulic structures has the original design standards. Without major rehabilitation the proposed volumetric supply of water to WUA becomes ditlicult. The WUAs often take over the systems even though the 183
Page 1 and 2:
Water Users Association and Irrigat
Page 3 and 4:
Phone: 91 080-23215468/5592/5519 FA
Page 5 and 6:
grant was of great help in undertak
Page 7 and 8:
LIST OF TABLES Page. No. 1.1: Outla
Page 9 and 10:
8.3: Estimated Production Functions
Page 11 and 12:
Chapter 1 Introduction The natural
Page 13 and 14:
partition, 8.8 million hectares of
Page 15 and 16:
levels. This is more so with major
Page 17 and 18:
"twin problems" (Details of general
Page 19 and 20:
~~~,~~ Figure 1.1 gives the data fr
Page 21 and 22:
much lower at 1.6 million hectares
Page 23 and 24:
Table 1.3: Incidence of Waterloggin
Page 25 and 26:
as they severely limit the choice o
Page 27 and 28:
water managers sometimes succumbed
Page 29 and 30:
(Carruthus 1981 & 1985; OED 1989; F
Page 31 and 32:
While some of the root causes contr
Page 33 and 34:
Irrigation tends to artificially in
Page 35 and 36:
Appendix 1.2: Important committees,
Page 37 and 38:
degradation is more in the command
Page 39 and 40:
The study by Abassi (1991) on the e
Page 41 and 42:
account of irrigation development a
Page 43 and 44:
without providing adequate canal se
Page 45 and 46:
, Sathyanarayana et al. (200 I) doc
Page 47 and 48:
in the operation and maintenance of
Page 49 and 50:
waterlogging. The study emphasizes
Page 51 and 52:
... The studies reviewed so far, cl
Page 53 and 54:
to ensure greater production from l
Page 55 and 56:
mentioned the effective training of
Page 57 and 58:
Transfer of management for the 12,0
Page 59 and 60:
Ahmad (2000) claimed that water sca
Page 61 and 62:
Chapter 3 Objectives, Methodology a
Page 63 and 64:
components of the same l . The envi
Page 65 and 66:
Table 3.1: Total Number of Farmers
Page 67 and 68:
Secondary data have been collected
Page 69 and 70:
Lowdennilk 1981). Bardhan (1984) an
Page 71 and 72:
attempting to achieve collective be
Page 73 and 74:
External conditions: Physical and t
Page 75 and 76:
etc. It is a supply-oriented design
Page 77 and 78:
Appendix 3.1: Salient Features of T
Page 79 and 80:
Chapter 4 Profile of the Sample Vil
Page 81 and 82:
Figure 4.3: Map of Gllndllr Village
Page 83 and 84:
is used to supplement the canal wat
Page 85 and 86:
It is interesting to note that leas
Page 87 and 88:
Table 4.2: Caste-wise Distribution
Page 89 and 90:
more land in the upper and middle r
Page 91 and 92:
than 30 years experience (see Table
Page 93 and 94:
Table 4.12: Distribution of Farmers
Page 95 and 96:
cultivation in the upper and the mi
Page 97 and 98:
Labor shortages are common at peak
Page 99 and 100:
amount of RS.25 but during the year
Page 101 and 102:
majority of the sample fanners are
Page 103 and 104:
I. To introduce a schedule of water
Page 105 and 106:
Rule Enforcement .:. The Associatio
Page 107 and 108:
Chapter 5 Farmers' Knowledge and Pe
Page 109 and 110:
transect walks which revealed that
Page 111 and 112:
consumption which are known to be s
Page 113 and 114:
should be noted that these lands ha
Page 115 and 116:
their lands fully, while some suffe
Page 117 and 118:
management strategies and type of c
Page 119 and 120:
d · 15 degra at IOn . ill Hagedal,
Page 121 and 122:
cropping and intensive irrigation o
Page 123 and 124:
Farmers knowledge of the proposed c
Page 125 and 126:
Reasons for violation In both the v
Page 127 and 128:
mild waterlogging and were not cult
Page 129 and 130:
1 0 increasing susceptibility of cr
Page 131 and 132:
of a water intensive crop. The exce
Page 133 and 134:
over irrigate their fields. There a
Page 135 and 136:
depends on the provision of opportu
Page 137 and 138:
The next most frequently used strat
Page 139 and 140:
irrigation channels is the responsi
Page 141 and 142:
the field than needed as insurance
Page 143 and 144:
of the irrigation fields are kept i
Page 145 and 146: In a detailed analysis of the TBP,
Page 147 and 148: The most popular practice in Gundur
Page 149 and 150: grazing lands and the consequent re
Page 151 and 152: do poor quality work. There IS gove
Page 153 and 154: the task of organizational and admi
Page 155 and 156: have merged the information from bo
Page 157 and 158: Three brothers working on leased la
Page 159 and 160: everyone individually chooses to ta
Page 161 and 162: irrigation officials who exercised
Page 163 and 164: water] The local leadership is not
Page 165 and 166: Rs. 50 per acre during Rabi to the
Page 167 and 168: In afocus group discussion one of t
Page 169 and 170: I In Gundur, women are members in t
Page 171 and 172: I It can be noted from Table 7.4 th
Page 173 and 174: I land and other farmers do not mak
Page 175 and 176: • that cattle do not damage the i
Page 177 and 178: I the existing situations of their
Page 179 and 180: I riding" has become a rational cho
Page 181 and 182: I customary nonns. Intangible benef
Page 183 and 184: I tennite mounds on fields. They be
Page 185 and 186: I Leadership The quality of leaders
Page 187 and 188: • One o{the office bearers commen
Page 189 and 190: • the causes for waterlogging and
Page 191 and 192: • keeping water cess books and bi
Page 193 and 194: • through strict rule enforcement
Page 195: • to improve the quality of the W
Page 199 and 200: PIM initiative did not originate in
Page 201 and 202: sustainability could be expected th
Page 203 and 204: Chapter 8 Impact of Water Users' As
Page 205 and 206: I examines the efficacy of fanners
Page 207 and 208: I is 2744.15 kg whereas in Hagedal
Page 209 and 210: lands in Gundur is more compared to
Page 211 and 212: Table 8.3: Estimated Production Fun
Page 213 and 214: decline by 2.5 percent in Gundur an
Page 215 and 216: In Gundur, farmers identified crop
Page 217 and 218: I Other key problems were the poor
Page 219 and 220: • Appendix 8.1: Water Availabilit
Page 221 and 222: • Chapter 9 Summary and Conclusio
Page 223 and 224: I In Hagedal, one of the sample vil
Page 225 and 226: I In irrigated fanning of the fanne
Page 227 and 228: I management practices evolved by W
Page 229 and 230: • comparable estimates, it would
Page 231 and 232: • PIM policy should not just stop
Page 233 and 234: References Abbasi~ S. A. 199} .. En
Page 235 and 236: Bre~e~·hJ· d S , Kolavalli. A. H.
Page 237 and 238: • Dhawan, B. D. 2002. Technologic
Page 239 and 240: Gmernment of India. Tenth Five- Yea
Page 241 and 242: Joshi. P. K. ,.1987. "Effect of Sur
Page 243 and 244: Maloney._ C and K. V. Raju. 1994. '
Page 245 and 246: Olson, M. 1965. The Logic of"Collec
Page 247 and 248:
Reddy, t'vl. Venkata. 1996. "Tungab
Page 249 and 250:
Sridharan. K. and S. Vedula. 1985.
Page 251 and 252:
Wade, Robert. 1987 "Ma . '. . . . n
show all

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

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?