Beneficiary Participation in Irrigation Water Management: The Kerala

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These facts point to the need to provide BFAs with seed money to enable them to take up minor works as stipulated in CADA Act. The provision of seed money must be made only after ensuring adequate safeguards against its possible misuse. The government should be able to ensure safeguards once BFAs are made full-fledged legal entities. Table 6.2 On improving the working of BFAs by methods Qn. No. a b c d e Statements OBs OMs Reaches-wise Total UR MR LR F % F % F % F % F % Create more awareness 6 12.5 52 12.7 20 13.2 15 11.0 17 14.1 Simplify official procedures Improve official attitude Should have better leadership Better legal support 15 31.3 152 37.7 46 30.3 51 37.5 55 45.5 28 58.3 283 69.2 93 61.2 91 66.9 99 81.8 10 20.8 140 34.0 48 13.6 61 44.9 31 25.6 48 100 401 98.0 148 98.0 133 97.7 120 99.1 Another measure suggested to avoid contract work is the supply of equipment centrally for use by BFAs. The irrigation department or CADA may arrange the supply. For field channel lining and other minor repairs, use of cement concrete is essential. Cement-mixing machines, wooden supports and plates are therefore to be made available to BFAs. Moreover, as had actually happened in our study areas, such minor civil works have to be carried out within short specified periods. Central provision of equipment for use by BFAs as and when required is therefore essential. If BFAs, Canal Committees and Project Advisory Committees are made legal entities and adequate sources of funds are given to them provision of equipment centrally at the Canal Committee level or PAC level, might become a practical proposition. The third measure of reform suggested for enabling BFAs to take up minor civil works is the ‘provision for technical advice in time’. This suggestion has the implication that the technical personnel who were expected to give advice to those who sought for it had not been discharging their responsibility promptly or properly. The majority of the respondents were not in favour of these implications and therefore desisted from making this suggestion. Another measure of reform suggested was that there should be proper phasing of minor civil works. Field channel lining used to be taken up simultaneously in all project commands coming under CADA division, Palakkad. The limited number of technical personnel, particularly the engineers available with the division, were not able to extend their services to all the worksites and in time. One assistant engineer had to supervise and render advice in a day to several works under several canal committee ayacuts. 75
“Extending better official co-operation” is still another measure of reform, suggested by a small section of respondents. In this case, it is the office-bearers who were insistent on this reform measure more than other members. May be it was because of their active involvement in the arrangement, supervision, and execution of work and their more intimate understanding of the actual problem. Awareness creation The success of BFAs would depend on the level of awareness of the farming community of the relevance of BFA, knowledge about its role as an instrument of decentralisation of power and administration, and understanding of the immense opportunities it offers. The level of awareness among the farmers of our study area was found to be low, as was shown earlier. However, respondents were not found to be enthusiastic to know more about BFAs and their role due, perhaps, to a feeling of disappointment and frustration about the performance of BFAs. Amendment to procedures The official procedure involved in the formation and working of BFAs is cumbersome and time-consuming. About 15 percent of office bearers and 31 percent of ordinary members suggested that the procedures should be simplified. It is not surprising that most respondents were indifferent to the question of procedures since the majority of BFAs were non-functioning. Attitude of officials The view that the attitude of officials particularly of engineers is not conducive to beneficiary participation is widespread. Several studies have come out with the recommendation that the mindset of officials needs radical change to appreciate decentralisation of administration (Chackacherry; Bagadion; Lele and Patil). The view of officials that BFA is not a permanent institution and their lack of genuine interest in its working, as well as their apathy to discuss irrigation issues with farmers in the Malampuzha project area, were all real obstacles to the functioning of BFAs. Improving leadership The present leadership in most BFAs is the one which was hurriedly formed during the initial years of 1987-’90. Most of the BFAs did not get competent farmers in leadership positions. Yet changing the leadership was not an idea favourable to the majority of our respondents, both office-bearers and ordinary members. Staying in the respective areas of operation Another suggestion which received overwhelming and spontaneous support is that persons in charge of water distribution (i.e., engineers and canal operators) must stay in their respective areas of operation. This condition is already there in the statue book, but was seldom implemented. More than 90 percent of the respondents wanted strict implementation of this clause. 76
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Beneficiary Participation in Irriga
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Contents 1 Introduction 5 2 Concept
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No serious in-depth study of the ca
Page 7 and 8:
The Malampuzha project has 15 Canal
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2. Concepts, Theory, and Practice o
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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 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: Table 6.1 Measures of Reforms 74
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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