Beneficiary Participation in Irrigation Water Management: The Kerala

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details on irrigation improvement programmes and strategies adopted to involve the farmers, the major problems faced by NIA, and the lessons learnt from the participatory experience in irrigation water management. The 1977 general policy on beneficiary participation apportioned the cost of irrigation between NIA and the government corporate body 34 on the one hand and the irrigators, on the other. The NIA constructed NIS and CIS, and bore the interest cost. The beneficiaries bore the O&M cost; the capital free of interest was to be recovered from irrigators in 50 years’ time. Also, the cost on roads, flood-control, reforestation, etc., was excluded from computation of water fees. Prior to 1982, in the national systems as well as in the communal systems assisted by NIA, the planning, design, and construction had been undertaken by NIA. But, from 1982 onwards a shift in policy was effected and beneficiary participation was sought for renovation of the existing system, from the stages of planning via, construction to rehabilitation and improvement of minor distributory canals and farm level facilities. Once these were over IAs assumed certain responsibilities of O&M, which varied with the capability of the IAs concerned. Thus the tasks they took up ranged from clearing and maintenance of canals to water distribution and collection of irrigation fees. In CIS, farmers’ involvement in these processes was extensive. Farmer participation ranged from the location of the site for diversion to operation and maintenance. In the case of National Systems, planning, design, construction, O&M were performed by NIA. The management in NIS was carried out by NIA; in CIS, it is by IAs, drawing the assistance from NIA, as and when required by them. The most pressing problem faced in NIS was inadequate collection of water fees, relative to the cost of O&M. The major reasons for the low collection of water fees were: (i) dissatisfaction of the farmer-clientele with adequacy and timing of water supply; (ii) water shortage due to damaged distribution structures and (iii) poor maintenance and general deterioration in facilities; (iv) the low paying capacity of farmers (v) difficulty in forcing collection from the rich and powerful farmers; (vi) the attitude prevalent among a significant number of farmers that irrigation facilities should be a free good to be provided by the government; and (vii) health problems arising from schistosomiasis, primarily a waterborne disease in some areas. In communal systems, the main problem was the non-viability of irrigation associations 35 . The most noteworthy constraint was the difficulty of ‘organising the irrigation association’, despite its glorious past 36 . The series of efforts 37 made by NIA, to form farmers’ associations, eventually gave birth to the Participatory Approach. The achievements, which the IA acquired were impressive 38 . IA.s mobilised labour for construction by sectors and made Counterpart Contributions. Important lessons, learnt from the experience of these projects are the following: (i) COs should be given enough lead time for organising, motivating, and mobilising farmers before construction; (ii) Engineers should have fair understanding of the role of institutional 25
development factors and processes, (iii) The integration of technical and organising activities can be achieved only through close co-operation between engineers and COs. Some of the other major conclusions drawn by Bagodion are listed below: (i) the choice of the organising process is crucial. The strategy for organising should be so designed as to include activities meaningful to the farmers. (ii) The organising process should be linked to the technical process of planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance; in other words, tight co-ordination is needed between organisation work and the technical activities. (iii) Organising effective participation of farmers takes time. Therefore the efforts should start well before the construction begins. (iv) The agencies of administration and implementation of projects must be capable of responding positively to beneficiary participation. (v) Support to irrigation associations from the highest to the lowest levels is vital. Against the foregoing discussion of the results of empirical research elsewhere in the Third World, we may now proceed to take stock of the performance in Kerala. 26
Page 1 and 2: Beneficiary Participation in Irriga
Page 3 and 4: Contents 1 Introduction 5 2 Concept
Page 5 and 6: No serious in-depth study of the ca
Page 7 and 8: The Malampuzha project has 15 Canal
Page 9 and 10: 2. Concepts, Theory, and Practice o
Page 11 and 12: of a few man-days of labour as is s
Page 13 and 14: 3. Empirical Research on Irrigation
Page 15 and 16: Our interest is neither in the Prod
Page 17 and 18: The author points out how the press
Page 19 and 20: field level officers resemble the c
Page 21 and 22: fields and project demonstration fa
Page 23: To ameliorate the situation, the Eg
Page 27 and 28: Canal Committee (CC) Canal Committe
Page 29 and 30: This fact was endorsed by both offi
Page 31 and 32: Renewal is given based on the lists
Page 33 and 34: Table 4.6 Details of General Body M
Page 35 and 36: Table 4.7 Details of Canal Committe
Page 37 and 38: Table 4.8 Nature of Decisions in Ca
Page 39 and 40: ecause of their vital importance to
Page 41 and 42: of the office-bearers and more than
Page 43 and 44: Table 4.13a Performance of Recurrin
Page 45 and 46: Table 4.13 c Performance of Recurri
Page 47 and 48: inclusion of ineligible persons in
Page 49 and 50: aspect. The reasons reported for in
Page 51 and 52: Table 4.14c Performance of Recurrin
Page 53 and 54: all farmers in an area did this act
Page 55 and 56: Table 4.15a Performance of Recurrin
Page 57 and 58: Table 4.15c Performance of Recurrin
Page 59 and 60: 5. Performance, Administration, and
Page 61 and 62: level of less than one-third [Table
Page 63 and 64: management function, with an expert
Page 65 and 66: the critical phases of growth of pl
Page 67 and 68: Lack of adequate co-operation of th
Page 69 and 70: The failure in the working of BFAs
Page 71 and 72: To sum up: past experience of the w
Page 73 and 74: Table 6.1 Measures of Reforms 74
Page 75 and 76:
“Extending better official co-ope
Page 77 and 78:
Table 6.3 Staying in the area of op
Page 79 and 80:
(ii) Entrust water charges collecti
Page 81 and 82:
7. Summary and Conclusions Most irr
Page 83 and 84:
of using less cement than is requir
Page 85 and 86:
Appendix - I Number of Beneficiary
Page 87 and 88:
Appendix III List of Canal Committe
Page 89 and 90:
BFA Sample’ Name of C.C/BFA Reg.
Page 91 and 92:
the assumed losses of 11 to 20 perc
Page 93 and 94:
34 The NIA was a government corpora
Page 95 and 96:
References Bagodion, Benjamin U.
Page 97:
Silva, De, N. G. R. “Involvement
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Beneficiary Participation in Irrigation Water Management: The Kerala

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