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Irrigation is a vital tool for sustaining crops in agricultural landscapes, where rainfall is inconsistent. Conventional centralised management of water often results in inefficient distribution of water resources affecting the economy and the environment.
Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) has emerged as a transformative alternative, empowering local communities to govern their water resources effectively, based on principles of subsidiarity and decentralisation. PIM involves farmers in decision-making processes, fostering flexibility and alignment with local needs. A cornerstone of PIM is the establishment of Water User Associations (WUAs), which serve as vehicles for community participation in irrigation management, overseeing irrigation operations and conflict resolution.
The following steps are pillars of PIM.
Formation of Water User Associations (WUAs)
Community Mobilisation and Awareness
Development of Water Management Plans:
Implementation of Water Management Practices:
Monitoring and Evaluation:
Capacity Building and Training:
Conflict Resolution Mechanisms:
Sustainability and Continual Improvement
Policy Advocacy and Networking
Celebration of Success and Recognition
PIM in India seeks to address the following objectives:
Improve efficiency of irrigation systems
Ensure sustainability of irrigation systems
Improve performance of irrigated agriculture
Reduce pressure on government finances
Permit farmers to play a greater role which is a shift from conventional government policy.
The Government of India has brought out a model Act to be used by the state governments for enacting the new irrigation Acts or amending the existing ones to aid in successful implementation of PIM.
Most of the legislations or associations created for managing irrigation at local level exist on paper, but participation of beneficiaries is poor as farmers are not aware of the reforms or laws passed for their betterment and the importance of gender inclusion in water management.
This requires proper strengthening and implementation of such Acts from national to local level. While PIM focuses on decentralisation, the ownership and irrigation plans or programme’s managing powers are still not entirely transferred to the farmers in India.
This study titled 'Participatory Irrigation Management Acts in India: A need for a shift towards sustainable development' published in the International Journal of Advanced Multidisciplinary Research and Studies aims to critically appraise the Acts related to Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) enacted in 18 states of India in term of entrustment, equity in water supply, bottom-up approach, pricing of water, sense of ownership and membership, participation in decision-making process, and capacity building in its institutional arrangements.
The study finds that:
Membership in the WUAs
Out of 18 states which implemented the PIM concept in the farmer's organisation Act, 83 percent states have provided a clause regarding the membership of the users. States such as Goa, Bihar and Arunachal Pradesh do not have any clause regarding the membership of users in the Acts and give membership to farmers who own lands while 53 percent of states give membership to the persons who are tenants in a separate clause.
Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand are the states which give membership to women even if they do not own land. Odisha is the only state which give membership to fishermen who do not own land. This may influence the growth of economic activity of a WUA.
People who use water for purposes other than irrigation are also given membership in the states of Chhattisgarh and Gujarat. In Jharkhand, a farmer needs to apply for membership with certain amount of fee and the membership is withdrawn if they are unable to pay the fees. Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana are the three states providing membership to all water users in the irrigation system.
Participation of women farmers in the decision making processes
As much as 56 percent of the states did not have a clause regarding the participation of women in managing committees. Jharkhand is the only state which encourages women to take part in the meetings of WUA, even if they do not own a land.
Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh provide the representation of women farmers from all level of water reaches in the administration of WUA. Uttar Pradesh gives representation to the women farmers from the tail reach in the administration of WUA. Six out of the eight states which mention the participation of women in their Acts, have explicit reservation for women to be in the managing committees.
Entrustment
Entrustment is the transfer of management by the Government to a WUA formed in the respective irrigation system. It requires adequate consultation and motivation among the users and includes technical and financial management. The Government either transfers the management functions partially or fully to WUAs present in the delineated command area. Entrustment enhances accountability, responsiveness to local needs, and helps to tackle specific agricultural and environmental conditions and sustainable water use.
Karnataka is the only state which entrusts the control, maintenance and monitoring of irrigation works to the water user societies and also it is managed by an official from the water resources department appointed by the government.
From the other 17 states, in 59 percent of states, irrigation is managed by an official from the water resources department appointed by the government. As much as 41 percent of states follow the bottom-up approach, where the government transfers the operation and management of the canal or tank irrigation system entirely to the WUAs.
The governments of Maharashtra and Arunachal Pradesh hand over the ownership of the canal system to WUAs. The Bihar government transfers the management to the respective WUA, for a fixed period when a particular WUA applies for entrustment.
The Gujarat government transfers the management to WUAs through an agreement. In Uttar Pradesh, the irrigation department transfers the management to WUAs. Based on the scale of the irrigation projects, the Jharkhand government transfers the management to the WUA/ WUA federation.
On the other hand, the financial management of WUAs is managed by the government itself in most of the selected states. In all the above-mentioned states, farmer’s organisations get revenue from the State and Central government for the operation and maintenance works to be done at the end of every cropping season, by collection of water tax and water fee, money raised by financing agency and other sources.
Equitable water supply
Chhattisgarh is the only state which ensures equitable water supply to all reaches. Among the remaining 17 states, 59 percent of states ensure equitable and efficient distribution of water among the users.
As much as 41 percent of states ensures assured and secure supply of water to the users. Entrustment in the state of Bihar enables WUAs to supply irrigation water to users using a logical and effective canal operation plan fixed by WUAs themselves. In Arunachal Pradesh, every landholder is given a quota fixed by the authority and a specific quantity of water is made available seasonally or annually to the users based on the quota, thus ensuring equitable distribution of water in a command area.
Water pricing
All states collect a water fee from the users for the services rendered by the user association in operation and maintenance works in the respective command areas. The collected water fee from the users is added to the funds of the farmers’ organisation. As much as 61 percent of the states have adapted water tax in their jurisdiction. Karnataka collects water fee from non-members of the association too. Tamil Nadu is the only state which mentions the water price amount in the enacted Act.
Penalty for unlawful offences such as encroachment, theft of water, demanding water without paying the fee
The Kerala Irrigation and Water Conservation Act, 2003, (Act 31 of 2003) provides detailed clauses for penalty while states such as Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh and Jharkhand did not provide any clause regarding the penalty for offenses.
The beneficiaries in the State of Goa have to pay the water fees to command area development board. The collected water fees from the water distribution co-operative societies/ farmers by the development board credit the same to the Government treasury from time to time.
All the states have water fee/ rate collected from the users for the services rendered by the user association in operation and maintenance works in the respective command area. The collected water fee from the users is added to the funds of the farmers’ organisation.
The article ends by arguing that while India has accelerated its progress towards sustainable development, all the other states should also implement PIM concept in the Acts and policies for water management in agriculture to move ahead. The Acts and policies should also be revised and amended periodically according to the changes in the water situation and implemented within the lens of attaining sustainable development.