Beneficiary Participation in Irrigation Water Management: The Kerala

BFA control of canal operators
Canal operators are employees of the irrigation department, answerable only to the
department. Much of the inefficiency of the irrigation system, such as inadequate, untimely,
and uncertain supply of water is attributed to the irresponsibility, absenteeism, favouritism,
and unaccountability of the field level staff. Officials and field level staff act in collusion,
each turning a blind eye to the misdeeds, absenteeism, and lack of responsibility of the
other. Therefore, it is suggested the field level staff should be brought under the partial
control of the Farmers Associations. Some of the methods to achieve this objective were
suggested by the respondents themselves. They include giving administrative control to
BFAs, conferring them legal status and introduction of the shift system of duty to field level
staff.
Controlling the powerful
A universal experience with irrigation projects is malpractices by the rich and the powerful
in the farming community; seldom are they found to be under any check. The most poppular
method suggested by the sample respondents is collective action.
Reducing wastage
There was almost total agreement among the respondents that maintenance may be carried
out with much less expenditure than is incurred. In the assessment of the respondents’
wastage of government funds on maintenance, when carried out by the department, ranges
from 25 percent to 67 percent. In the unlikely event of the farmers themselves taking up the
responsibility, expenditure could be cut sizeably, agreed even the officials.
Financing BFAs
Availability of finance, in time and in adequate amounts is a prerequisite for the successful
functioning of any institution engaged in the implementation of a scheme. This is an aspect
totally ignored in the case of BFAs in Kerala. They have had no source of funds.In several
other countries WUAs are provided with sources of adequate finances; and as a result the
performance of such WUAs has been efficient. Lack of adequate finance has been identified
to be a serious constraint on the performance of water users’ associations 58 .
The major sources of finance of WUAs are membership fee, proceeds from fines and penalties,
periodical payments, compulsory payments, area levy and temporary funds. Budiman
pointed out in 1984 that the two most important determinants of success of WUAs were
adequate funds and direct involvement of farmers in design, construction, and O&M of
these systems. The main obligation of a member of WUA in Indonesia is the contribution
he is called upon to make to the collective work. Collective work is compulsory default
of which is penalised. Fines paid by way of penalty are reported to be a significant
source of funds for WUAs. Membership fee is periodically raised; and the non-periodical
funds, are raised during acute financial stringency and for rehabilitation and renovation.
The funds raised by WUAs under the different schemes – the Subak and the Ulu-Ulu
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