Transcript INSTITUTIONAL REFORMS OF IRRIGATION SYSTEMS IN ARMENIA Bishkek Main topics of the presentation I. Description of Armenian relief II. Description of existing irrigation systems III. Start of irrigation systems management.

INSTITUTIONAL
REFORMS
OF IRRIGATION SYSTEMS
IN ARMENIA
Bishkek
2007
Main topics of the presentation
I.
Description of Armenian relief
II.
Description of existing irrigation systems
III.
Start of irrigation systems management reforming
IV.
Irrigation systems development program
V.
Water Users Associations activities, progress and problems
VI.
Strategy of further development of WUAs and management reforms
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I.
SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY’S RELIEF
1. Total territory - 30.000 m2, population – 3.0 mln
2. Climate is extremely continental, rainfall varies from 250 to 1000 mm
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SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY’S RELIEF
(continued)
3. 70% òåððèòîðèè èìååò ãîðíûé ðåëüåô, îòìåòêè âûñîêîãîðíûõ
ðàâíèí êîëåáëÿòñÿ îò 1000-2100ì íàä óðîâíåì ìîðÿ
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SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY’S RELIEF
(continued)
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SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY’S RELIEF
(continued)
4. The main natural water basin of the country is Lake Sevan reserving sweet water - 35.0 billion m3
5. Lake is 1900 m above sea level
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SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY’S RELIEF
(continued)
6. Total irrigated area is 273.500 ha, of which 156.900 ha is irrigated by gravity method, and 116.600 ha – by
mechanical method.
7. Due to irrigating farming 80% of agricultural production is produced.
8. Before lands privatization (1991) number of water users was 920 with land shares 20-250 ha.
9. After privatization the number of water users was 280.000 of farms with land share from 0.05 to 100.
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II. DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING IRRIGATION
SYSTEMS
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Irrigation of the country has a centuries-old history

At present those irrigation systems are maintained that were constructed in II century B.C.
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DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING IRRIGATION SYSTEMS
(continued)
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DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING IRRIGATION SYSTEMS
(continued)
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DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING IRRIGATION SYSTEMS
(continued)

Irrigation system of the country were constructed mainly during the Soviet Union

70 reservoirs with total conservation zone of 1.1 billion m3, 3.000 km main and offfarm canals, 17.000 km of on-farm network, 400 of pump stations, 2000 of artesian and
deep wells were constructed

Due to low prices for energy automatic irrigation prevailed and annually to deliver 1.5
billion m3 of water 600 mln km/h of energy was used
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DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING IRRIGATION SYSTEMS
(continued)
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Declaring in 1991 country’s independence and land privatization, irrigation systems transferred to chargeable
irrigation
Due to the low payments collection and permanent lack of funds, technical condition of irrigation systems was
becoming worse each year
In mid 90-s with the assistance of the World Bank and Internation Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
“Irrigation Systems Rehabilitation” Program was developed
Implementation of the program was the responsibility of “Irrigation systems programs implementation bureau
(PIB)
Under the program the urgent works on rehabilitation of emergence areas of irrigation systems were undertaken
In the process of implementation of the first program, it was already clear that irrigation systems rehabilitation
alone would not resolve arisen problems on provision liable system
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DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING IRRIGATION SYSTEMS
(continued)
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DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING IRRIGATION SYSTEMS
(continued)
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DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING IRRIGATION SYSTEMS
(continued)
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DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING IRRIGATION SYSTEMS
(continued)
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DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING IRRIGATION SYSTEMS
(continued)
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III. START OF MANAGEMENT REFORMS
1. Along with Irrigation systems Rehabilitation program establishment of water users cooperatives started
2. Under the program 100 cooperatives serving 150-300 ha were established.
3. With technical and consultancy support from the PIB, water users cooperative provided normal maintenance
of on-farm irrigation systems and water distribution among farmers
4. Most cooperatives provided 75%-80% collection of water payments
5. Inspired with cooperatives’ success, the Government created additional 200 community-based cooperatives
under one Resolution
6. Cooperatives did not justify themselves and collapsed
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START OF MANAGEMENT REFORMS
(continued)
main reasons of failure of cooperative.
 Lack of needed financial, consultancy and technical assistance to cooperative
 High maintenance costs due to small serving areas (50-150 ha)
 Lack of relating law and legal base, resulted in cooperatives helpless and defenseless condition
 Strong negative influence to cooperative from local state structures
 Lack of professional staff
 Cooperatives chairmen were appointed, not elected
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IV. IRRIGATION SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
To perform the tasks under the program the following actions were taken
 Develop a concept of establishing new water users associations (WUAs) and approval of the Law on Water
Users Associations. (the Law was approved by the Parliament on 4 June, 2002)
 In accordance with the Law on WUAs and Federations of WUAs on the National level a WUAs and FWUAs
regulating Council managed by Vice Prime Minister was established
By the Government Resolution, the functions of Executive Directory of WUAs and FWUAs Regulating Council
was given to Irrigation systems PIB
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IRRIGATION SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (continued)
In state sector, due to institutional reforms, instead of many organizations, there was established one, and later by
principle of intake basins – four organizations “Djrar”, that maintain and operate large strategic reservoirs,
headworks and strong pump stations
 To establish WUAs and transferring to them irrigation functions, in 2002 temporary maintaining organizations
were created, they operated and maintained only secondary irrigation systems
 Government approved prototypes of Agreement on transfer of main means for self utilization and maintenance
of WUAs, Contract on water delivery, Statute of WUAs and FWUAs, and Rules of water supply and irrigation
water use
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IRRIGATION SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (continued)

After aproving the Law on WUAs, establishment of associations started at once and by the beginning of irrigation season of
2003 18 WUAs were created
 Success of re-established WUAs and unsuccessful activities of temporary state organizations accelerated the process of WUAs
creation and already by the beginning of irrigation season of 2004 54 WUAs were established
 Secondary and tertiary irrigation systems, according to the Government and local state authorities decision, were given to
WUAs for operation and maintenance for 25 years
 As a result, the only state organizations in the irrigation systems were 4 organizations “Djrar” on reservoir level
 Irrigation management on secondary and tertiary irrigation systems in the country was denationalized, i.e. transfer from
governmental structures to WUAs
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V. WUA ACTIVITIES AND EXISTING
PROBLEMS
Major indicators of WUAs activities in the breakdown of years
Ïëîùàäü îðîøåíèÿ òûñ. ãà
135
130
125
120
115
110
105
100
Ïëîùàäü îðîøåíèÿ òûñ.
ãà
Âî äî çàáî ð ì ë í . ì 3
1200
1150
1100
1050
1000
950
2004
2005
2006
113,4
125,6
130,3
900
850
Âî ä î çàáî ð ì ëí . ì 3
2004
2005
2006
1169
1025
985
Ñáî ð ï ë àòû ì ë í . $
Ðàñõî ä ýë . ýí åðãè è ì ë í . ê âò. ÷àñ
10
150
8
100
6
50
4
2
0
Ðàñõ î ä ýë. ýí åð ãè è
ì ëí . ê âò. ÷àñ
2004
2005
2006
128
111,5
104,8
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Ñáî ð ï ëàòû ì ëí . $
ARMENIA
2004
2005
2006
7,2
8,5
9,1
23
V. WUA ACTIVITIES AND EXISTING PROBLEMS
The main criteria of WUAs success may the following
 Signing individual agreements of water delivery with consumers and introduction of Institute with liability for
breakage into WUAs
 Daily technical and consultancy work of support group, that had been functioning under development program
 Introduction of software for water estimation on all levels, from main canals to water-users. The software provides
data on each water user – amount of received water, costs, payments, etc.
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WUA ACTIVITIES AND EXISTING PROBLEMS (continued)
 Participation (co-financing) of water users in procurement of vehicles, equipment and machinery for
associations, and for construction and overall repair of on-farm network
 Participation of WUA members at meetings of Representatives and, if necessary, on Administrative
Council
 Participation of Administration members, water users representatives and specialists of WUA directory
on training courses with 10 modules, organized and conducted under the program by international and
local specialists
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WUA ACTIVITIES AND EXISTING PROBLEMS (continued)
The main problems to be solved on the way of WUAs establishment
 Inactivity of water users in WUA management
 Unsatisfactory work of administrative council, Audit Committee and Disputes Settlement Committee
 Unsatisfactory technical condition of received for maintenance irrigation systems
 Discrepancy of existing on-farm network with privatized land shares
 Lack of new technologies and low level of irrigation methods of water users
 Power-consuming irrigation and high energy costs in water prime costs
 Lack of professional staff in WUA
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VI. STRATEGY OF FURTHER WUA DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT
REFORMS
1. Continue of consultancy and organizational assistance for more active participation of water users in WUA
management
2. Strengthen organizational, administrative and functional capacities of WUAs
3. For organization of more effective maintenance and operation of main systems establish Federations of WUAs
(FWUAs)
4. Continue technical re-equipment of WUAs on the basis of co-financing and works on overall repair of on-farm
network
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STRATEGY OF FURTHER WUA DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT REFORMS
(continued)
5. Provide organizational assistance and technical equipment to created FWUAs and governmental
organizations “Djrar”
6. For more effective training of irrigation systems staff and water users create Republican Training
Centre with three regional branch offices and equip them with new training technologies
7 Provide necessary conditions (preconditions) for creating “Professional Irrigation Associations”,
that would present the interest of WUAs in state authorities
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THANKS
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