Beneficiary Participation in Irrigation Water Management: The Kerala

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is that canal operators who are in charge of its day-to-day operation should stay in the area of their operation. With this end in view it is customary to construct residential quarters for canal operators in the different areas of the canal system in a project command; a number of such quarters were constructed in our study area also. But many of the family quarters of canal operators are found to be in a dilapidated condition. Further, they are left unused too. More than 90 percent of the respondents, ordinary members and office bearers included, reported that the family quarters are left unused. The fact that about 10 per cent of our respondents reported that the quarters are being used, shows that a small proportion of canal operators do stay in the area of their operation and that a few BFAs function well. Some of the unused residential quarters are reportedly havens of anti-social activities. The canal operators are personnel of the irrigation department. They are supposed to work under supervision by CADA officials, especially engineers of the irrigation department who are responsible for water distribution up to the sluice level. We are given to understand that the supervision work remains largely unattended to. Owing to want of supervision, water distribution has fallen into disarray, leading to misallocation of water, inefficiency, and corruption. To sum up: supervision of canal operators and water guards was not effectively done in the study area. Engineers who were in charge of supervision were lethargic. As a result, water distribution became uncertain and erratic and the farming community frustrated. They also lost interest in participating in the activities of BFAs. Officials and BFAs Inadequate beneficiary participation is caused partly by the implicit non-cooperation of the majority of engineers right from the day CADA was introduced in Kerala. Non-cooperation was manifested in their (i) lack of participation in the awareness-creating efforts such as seminars, camps, and symposiums, (ii) unenthusiastic approach of BFAs and (iii) indifference to the functioning of BFAs. Not all CADA officials were, however, non-cooperative. There were a few among them who were earnest and enthusiastic. Allegations An allegation that some of our respondents raised against office-bearers of BFAs was about their undemocratic functioning. They complained that the executive committee played to the whims and fancies of the President. It is alleged that in actual practice, major decisions were taken and implemented by officebearers without the concurrence of the executive committee. Many a time the latter was summoned only after implementation of the decision either in whole or in part. Another allegation, which appears to be flimsy, is that office-bearers, by virtue of their acquaintance with officials, took undue advantage of their acquaintance. Both these allegations may be true to some extent, but not serious enough to merit discussion. 69
The failure in the working of BFAs does not mean that CADA was unsuccessful in every front. Farmers are almost unanimous in their opinion that canal lining improved efficiency of irrigation in the study area. To conclude: The organisational and administrative pattern of the CADA agency in Kerala is found appropriate. Inadequate beneficiary participation is, however, an obvious fact due mainly to the understanding on the part of the farming community in the area that BFAs are temporary agencies with very limited scope for conferring any substantial benefit. Their role as an instrument of decentralisation in the administration, financing, and management of irrigation system was almost unknown to the beneficiaries. BFAs in the study area were not effective as a conflict-resolving mechanism. The manner in which they were constituted, and the conditions under which they were made to function turned BFA leadership into one which wasted its own time, energy, and funds and got frustrated in the process. The CADA guideline that civil works of minor nature like field channel lining, should not be given on contract was never strictly followed. Administrative lapses such as the canal operators/ water guards not staying in the area of their operation and engineers at different levels not supervising the work of their subordinates regularly and in time, also contributed to the paralysis of BFAs. Inter-departmental conflicts, lack of co-ordination of personnel drawn from departments of irrigation, agriculture, and co-operation, the factional feuds between engineers in CADA and in the irrigation department who control the operation of the system up to the sluice level, their differing view points on BFA activities - all these acted as disincentives to the farming community and resulted in low levels of beneficiary participation in the study area. 70
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 and 24: To ameliorate the situation, the Eg
Page 25 and 26: development factors and processes,
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: Lack of adequate co-operation of th
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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