Transcript Slide 1

And miles to go….!
Dr.S.G. Bhogle
Former Prof.& Head
WALMI, Aurangabad.
Woods are lovely dark & deep
but we have promises to keep
and miles to go before I sleep!
- Robert Frost
People’s need,
people’s involvement,
people’s co-operation &
people’s contribution (cash or kind)
four key parameters
for the success of PIM.
• National Water Policies & PIM
• PIM through WUAs is basically a paradigm
shift and involves tremendous change in
social and organizational aspects
• A slow process
Present Model of PIM :
The general pattern of the PIM model has the
following salient features :
• Water Users Association (WUAs) will be established
for irrigation / canal water management and shall be
formal legal entities (body corporate) under some
Act.
• The size of such WUAs: small, manageable but
should be such that WUAs become economically
viable.
• The Panchayati Raj Institutions (local self
government) shall be responsible for domestic water
use & management as well as for irrigation water
management of projects of small size i.e. up to 250
ha. of culturable command area.
Contd..
• WUAs will have the main functions, viz. i) water
management in its jurisdiction, ii) repairs and
maintenance of distribution network, iii) recovery
of water charges from the farmers and payment to
Government Department and iv) Conflict
Resolution at local level itself. Thus the thrust is
on improving water use efficiency and also
increase the productivity.
• WUAs will be empowered adequately so that they
can function effectively.
• WUAs will be managed by office bearers
(Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary) and
directors who will be elected by the farmers and
will be responsible to them.
Contd..
• Office bearers of WUAs will be elected by the
farmers through democratic process with due
representation to weaker sections, women.
• WUAs will function as ‘Interface’ between farmers
and Water Resources Department (WRD).
• The water charges will be comparatively less to
WUAs and WUAs can charge slightly higher
charges (as service charges) to the individual
farmers. This will be the main source of income of
WUAs.
• In due course of time, upper tier WUAs at
distributory level, canal level, project level will be
formed. Initially, the minor level i.e. WUAs at
lowest tier will be strengthened.
Contd..
• In some states water is given to WUAs duly
measured on volumetric basis (in units of 1000
m3) and charged accordingly. The WUAs, in turn,
will give water to individual farmers on crop area
basis. In such cases, there is a freedom of
cropping pattern subject to the water quota
sanctioned to the WUA.
• Need based training for capacity building is given
to office bearers of WUAs, farmers, women
farmers, NGOs as well as to the officers /
employees of WRD, Agriculture Department, etc.
Benefits of PIM through WUAs
• Quality of water supply to farmers is increased i.e.
assured, timely and adequate water supply which
is a prime requirement for improving the water use
efficiency.
• Collective activities like maintenance of field
channels (water courses), adoption of improved
water management techniques, etc. are organized
by some WUAs.
• Increase in agriculture production.
• Increase in income of farmers.
• Increase in water use efficiency, especially field
application efficiency is improved.
Contd..
• Increase in conjunctive use of canal and well
water.
• Number of wells in the command area of
irrigation projects has increased.
• Increase in the practice of night irrigation by
the farmers.
• Change in cropping pattern i.e. increase /
inclusion of cash crops.
• Tail enders problems getting resolved slowly.
• Water use entitlements to WUAs.
Challenges Ahead
• Capacity building of farmers, WUA office bearers - a
slow process.
• Reorientation of bureaucracy - a challenging and
time taking task.
• Competing uses of water (drinking, industrial, etc.)
• Need for a devoted local level leadership.
• Strong political commitment.
• Inadequate financial resources
• Subsidized pricing of water
• Deferred maintenance of dilapidated distribution
network
It is very important to note that PIM is one of
the measures and not the only measure to
improve overall efficiency of water
management. Efforts to promote PIM must
therefore be accompanied with other measures
pertaining to physical, agricultural, and other
aspects of water management.
MOWR should provide adequate funds and
issue guidelines in respect of capacity building
of farmers and WRD personnel to all the states
as far as PIM is concerned. The present system
of giving funds to only the projects included
under Command Area Development should be
changed and the funds should be made
available to all the CADA / non CADA projects
in the country.
Thanks!