Full Journal of Contemporary Water Research and Education, Issue ...

Making IWRM Work101Table 1: Ecological functions of irrigated areas.Agricultural water supplyControlling water table for agriculturalproductionImproving land accessibilityImproving soil chemistryIncreased property values of land near waterfrontsLeisure opportunities – water based recreation,golf resortsDomestic water supplyIndustrial water supplyWater supply to other usersImproved protection against floodsUse of canal and drain bank for tree cultivationDefense linesSource: van Steenbergen, Cornish and Perry (forthcoming).systems, are not managed in a coherent way, ifat all. Irrigation departments will manage watersupply for agriculture mainly and in some caseswill involve themselves in drainage and floodprotection.It is unusual however for irrigation departmentsas water managers to involve themselves inmanaging water resources for domestic use, eventhough in many irrigated areas the availabilityand quality of water for domestic use is a majorfunction of the irrigation system. Take the exampleof Thatta and Badin Districts in Sindh, Pakistan.These areas at the tail of the Indus irrigation systemare entirely dependent on irrigation canal suppliesfor local drinking water, either directly from thecanals or through seepage into small fresh waterpockets on canal banks because ground water inthe area is saline. Even so, the irrigation departmentallows the main canals to be used for the disposalfor untreated effluent upstream from Hyderabadcity and a large industrial estate, jeopardizing thewell-being of a population of 2 million peoplein Thatta and Badin. To make matters worse, byallowing very high and unnecessary irrigationwater supplies in the peak season into this area,saline water logging is widespread, preventing thecreation of buffer storage capacity in the upper soillayers, and thus preventing the development ofmore fresh water lenses.While managing irrigation systems for drinkingwater is not common, it is even more unusual forirrigation departments to manage irrigation suppliesUse of canal and drain banks for transportationBuffering water stockGenerating water for reuseEffluent disposalWashing functionsLivestock water supplyFisheriesNavigation and ferryingImproved public healthReduced damage to built up property by controllingsoil moistureReduced incidence of water borne vector diseasesthrough environmental sanitationFirefighting resourcesfor fisheries production, for reduced incidence ofwater borne diseases or for amenity functions onthe water front, even when in some cases the lattercould be a major source of revenue.This situation described is typical for arid andsemi-arid countries and other areas where irrigationis the main water management intervention inthe natural water system. Due to such a mono-functionalfocus, water management in such areas cannotbe typified as “integrated.” Area-based organizationsare theoretically better equipped to managemultiple functions and the values involved.Capturing ValuesWater resource management affects the valueof the different water-related functions in an area,both positively and negatively. The values of thesefunctions accrue to different groups of stakeholders.These may be general interests (for instanceimproved public health or safety, sustainable groundwater supply, sustained aquatic bio-diversity) orprivate interests (use of canal banks for cultivation,use of a reservoir for water sports, reducing floodrisk in a given geographical area, using water fromwells or canals). These values are directly relatedto the way water resources are managed as part ofthe development of a region. It can therefore beargued that the economic and financial values fromthe functions thus created should, at least partly,be captured to recover the cost of maintaining andfurther developing the delivery of IWRM in anarea.JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY WATER RESEARCH & EDUCATIONUCOWR