How does participatory irrigation management work? A study of selected water users' associations in Anand district of Gujarat, western India

Water Policy ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 223-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonal Bhatt
Keyword(s):  
Irrigation Management ◽  
Western India ◽  
Financial Viability ◽  
Complex Task ◽  
Water Users ◽  
Participatory Irrigation Management ◽  
Depth Study ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
Management Work ◽  
Water Users Associations

Measuring the performance of water users' associations (WUAs) is a complex task. Literature associates a large number of parameters with their success and failure. This paper presents an in-depth study of two WUAs that are considered to be functioning well by the irrigation department in Anand, India. It discusses some new issues and innovations being tried out in Anand, namely: (1) incentives and disincentives for WUA membership; (2) outsourcing of irrigation service fees (ISF) collection by the WUAs; and (3) expansion of the scope of WUA activities beyond irrigation, with a potential impact on financial viability. The paper discusses degrees of success in WUAs in this context and tries to draw out lessons that may be widely replicable.

Conclusions

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dalia M. Gouda
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Natural Resource Management ◽  
Irrigation Management ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Irrigation Water Management ◽  
Water Users ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Irrigation Infrastructure ◽  
Water Users Associations

This chapter outlines the general conclusions of the research and the book based on the analysis of the four case study areas in Egypt. It also provides the basis for thoughts about a more realistic and critical consideration of social capital theories into the mainstream of community-based natural resource management in general, and irrigation management transfer in particular. The research undertaken for this book show that it was worthwhile to develop a comprehensive conceptual framework for the analysis of social capital to use in place of Putnam's theory and approach, which romanticize traditional village organizations and cannot satisfactorily explain the complexity observed in the case study areas. The findings also provided key lessons to keep in mind when establishing and supporting water users' associations (WUA) at the level of tertiary and branch canals. Among these are the impact of improvements to irrigation infrastructure on farmers' behavior and the functioning of WUAs on the tertiary canal, namely that reducing face-to-face interactions reduces the creation of social capital, social control, and collective action; and that cooperation is not only dependent on the availability of water but is also affected by the autonomy of the irrigation water management field and the assignment of water rights.

Institutions and transition: does a better institutional environment make water users associations more effective in Central Asia?

Water Policy ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Gunchinmaa ◽  
M. Yakubov
Keyword(s):  
Central Asia ◽  
Water Resource Management ◽  
Institutional Environment ◽  
Irrigation Management ◽  
Irrigation Performance ◽  
Kyrgyz Republic ◽  
Water Users ◽  
Internal Operations ◽  
Soviet Central Asia ◽  
Water Users Associations

Integrated water resource management (IWRM) is a widely recognized management framework that is currently being adopted throughout post-Soviet Central Asia to inform and guide national water sector reforms, and to keep up with the pace of the faster moving land reforms taking place in the region. With hydrographic principles and public participation being at the core of this framework, the process in the region has started with the reform of on-farm irrigation systems by creating water users associations (WUAs), transferring irrigation management to them and introducing irrigation service fees. This paper draws on the experiences, over four years, of three study WUAs set up in the Ferghana Valley in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic. Aiming to explore the differences in institutional environment and arrangements in these three countries for establishing WUAs, as well as assessing WUA performances (particularly from users' perspectives), the study reveals that it is not only the newly-established institutional arrangements in the irrigation sector but also their internal operations, coupled with other important factors such as size of area farmed, overall viability of agriculture and a wider economic context that crucially determine overall irrigation performance.

Institutional analysis of irrigation management in Haiti: a case study of three farmer managed schemes

Water Policy ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 555-570 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelet Boyer ◽  
Stijn Speelman ◽  
Guido Van Huylenbroeck
Keyword(s):  
Institutional Analysis ◽  
Irrigation Management ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Reform Process ◽  
Water Users ◽  
Self Sufficiency ◽  
Clear Vision ◽  
Institutional Structures ◽  
Water Users Associations

In the late 1990s, like many other developing countries, Haiti started a process of devolving responsibilities over irrigation scheme management to water users’ associations. In this paper, a three-step methodology for institutional analysis is applied to investigate the functioning of this new setting in Haiti, using three irrigation schemes managed by farmers as case studies. First, the institutional structures are described using an adapted version of the Institutional Decomposition and Analysis framework. Secondly, the efficiency of the institutional structures is assessed against a set of criteria for sustainable management. The combination of these two steps allows the identification of strengths and weaknesses, and leads to the third and final step of formulation of practical recommendations. Results indicate that authorities in Haiti had a clear vision of the reform process which was translated in sound objectives, a comprehensive reform methodology and efforts to revise the legal framework. However, the outcome of the reform process has been negatively affected by a perceived organizational deficiency, and by the absence of a functioning water pricing system and of clearly defined and enforceable water rights. Finally, similar to the situation in many other countries, the major constraint faced by the established water users’ associations appears to be financial self-sufficiency.

Participatory irrigation water management in the Jordan Valley

Water Policy ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 305-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amer Salman ◽  
Emad Al-Karablieh ◽  
Hans-Jochen Regner ◽  
Heinz-Peter Wolff ◽  
Munther Haddadin
Keyword(s):  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Irrigation System ◽  
Irrigation Management ◽  
Water Shortage ◽  
Wastewater Management ◽  
Jordan Valley ◽  
Irrigation Water Management ◽  
Water Users ◽  
Participatory Irrigation Management ◽  
The Government

This paper reviews Jordan's relatively short experience gained since participatory irrigation management (PIM), was introduced with due consideration of the traditional social and cultural merits. The introduction of PIM was a meaningful partial shift in the paradigm of operation of the Jordan Valley irrigation system that has been undertaken by government agencies since its staged implementation between 1960 and 1988. The Jordan Valley Authority (JVA) of the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, among other responsibilities, is the current government agency in charge of operation and maintenance of the irrigation system. The advantages of the introduced mode of operation, the PIM, especially in an environment of perpetual irrigation water shortage, are presented. The paper further discusses the multi-dimensional facets of PIM expressed by the representation of users’ community and by the level of representation as well as the interaction between the targeted groups and the government and highlights the virtues of “learning while implementing” in which midcourse corrections can be made in order to arrive at a state of equilibrium between the various stakeholders. The adoption of traditional cooperation as a basis for setting up water users associations (WUAs), is presented. The emergence of PIM as a competitor to management contracts adopted in municipal water and wastewater management in Jordan is touched upon and the dynamics of PIM application in the Jordan Valley, including the division of labor between the WUAs and JVA, is described.

Bonding and bridging social capital towards collective action in participatory irrigation management. Evidence in Chiang Rai Province, Northern Thailand

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Llones ◽  
Panya Mankeb ◽  
Unggoon Wongtragoon ◽  
Suneeporn Suwanmaneepong
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Resource Management ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Irrigation Management ◽  
Shared Resource ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Bridging Social Capital ◽  
Participatory Irrigation Management ◽  
Bonding And Bridging

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of social capital with bonding and bridging distinction in promoting higher participation in collective action in participatory irrigation management.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 304 farmers was surveyed using a structured questionnaire. A focus group discussion was also carried out with randomly selected water users, leaders and irrigation officers. A confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were used to test the hypothesised relationship of bonding and bridging social capital towards collective action.FindingsThe findings show that social capital has a significant direct effect on collective action and an indirect effect on joint irrigation management's perceived performance through collective action (mediator). It implies the need to complement the participatory irrigation management programme with an understanding of the social aspects for a higher farmer's participation over the shared resource.Originality/valueThe paper emphasises social capital's role in facilitating a real participatory engagement in shared resource management. Also, it is the first scholarly work linking social capital with bonding and bridging distinction towards collective action in a joint resource management context.

scholarly journals Impacts of Legal and Institutional Changes on Irrigation Management Performance: A Case of the Gezira Irrigation Scheme, Sudan

Water ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1579 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Elshaikh ◽  
Shi-hong Yang ◽  
Xiyun Jiao ◽  
Mohammed Elbashier
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Irrigation System ◽  
Irrigation Management ◽  
Institutional Arrangements ◽  
Institutional Changes ◽  
Management Performance ◽  
Water Users ◽  
Water Surplus ◽  
The Right

This study aims to offer a comprehensive assessment of the impacts of policies and institutional arrangements on irrigation management performance. The case study, the Gezira Scheme, has witnessed a significant decrease in water management performance during recent decades. This situation led to several institutional changes in order to put the system on the right path. The main organizations involved in water management at the scheme are the Ministry of Irrigation & Water Resources (MOIWR), the Sudan Gezira Board (SGB), and the Water Users Associations (WUAs). Different combinations from these organizations were founded to manage the irrigation system. The evaluation of these organizations is based on the data of water supply and cultivated areas from 1970 to 2015. The measured data were compared with two methods: the empirical water order method (Indent) that considers the design criteria of the scheme, and the Crop Water Requirement (CWR) method. Results show that the MOIWR period was the most efficient era, with an average water surplus of 12% compared with the Indent value, while the most critical period (SGB & WUAs) occurred when the water supply increased by 80%. The other periods of the Irrigation Water Corporation (IWC), (SGB & MOIWR), and (WUAs & MOIWR) had witnessed an increase in water supply by 29%, 63%, and 67% respectively. Through these institutional changes, the percentage of excessive water supply jumped from 12% to 80%. Finally, the study provides general recommendations associated with institutional arrangements and policy adoption to improve irrigation system performance.

scholarly journals Inclusive participation, self-governance, and sustainability: Current challenges and opportunities for women in leadership of communal irrigation systems

2020 ◽  
pp. 251484862093471
Author(s):  
Laura Imburgia ◽  
Henny Osbahr ◽  
Sarah Cardey ◽  
Janet Momsen
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Irrigation Management ◽  
Women In Leadership ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Leadership Roles ◽  
Irrigation Systems ◽  
Representation Of Women ◽  
Water Users ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Current Water

Genuine inclusive participation in the self-governance of communal irrigation systems remains a challenge. This article analyses the mechanisms of participation in irrigation water users’ associations (WUAs) with focus on women as leaders of those organizations by drawing on cases from a comparative, multicase mixed-method study in Ethiopia and Argentina. After having being a topic for decades in gender and development debates, in many irrigated areas of the world, WUAs continue to be male dominated at all levels, especially in influential positions. Findings in this article suggest that despite large socio-economic and cultural differences, the current water management systems in both research locations reinforce problems of unequal gender participation; women have more obstacles and constraints in establishing equal access in membership, participation, and decision making in irrigation management. The lack of inclusive participation and the low representation of women in leadership roles lead to WUAs being poorly rooted in their community of users. Incomplete social rootedness of WUAs jeopardizes their effectiveness and equality in water management and, as a result, affects long-term sustainability. Through analysis of empirical data of communal small-scale irrigation systems in both countries, the article discusses who participates, how and why they participate, and the reasons for low numbers of women in leadership roles within the WUAs. Finally, the article reflects on possible enabling conditions that could foster inclusive participation, increase the quantity and capacity of women in management and leadership roles, and the benefits this may bring to sustainable irrigation systems.

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