Didactic tools for supporting participatory water management in collective irrigation schemes

In many irrigation schemes, Water Users Associations (WUAs) acquired the responsibility for water management after withdrawal of the state. Based on the success of some indigenous irrigation schemes, it was assumed that farmers could easily become managers. As decision-making was the exclusive terrain of the governmental agencies that ran the schemes, farmers never gained the necessary experience with water management. Therefore, training of farmers and WUAs on the principles and processes of water management is essential. This paper demonstrates a practical example of training material on water management that incorporates research results on the process of Irrigation Management Transfer and resulting farmers’ water management for the case of the Office du Niger irrigation scheme. The results of the paper explain how input from research was used in the four steps of the construction of training material. These steps are (1) setting the training agenda, (2) selecting and adapting information to be featured, (3) targeting the audience and (4) designing the actual training material. A first validation of the approach and examples of the actual training material were obtained in a workshop uniting all stakeholders.     

Introduction of Irrigation Service Fee (ISF) in Indonesia: Institutional development in action for resources management

The inability to properly maintain irrigation systems over time forced the Government of Indonesia (GOI) to seek cost recovery from water users through introduction of an irrigation service fee. The plan is to introduce this fee in all of the technical irrigation systems of Indonesia, covering about 4 million hectares, over a 12 year period. Design and Introduction of this service fee in 4 pilot areas of the 4 major rice producing provinces (West, Central and East Java, and South Sulawesi) during 1989–1991 has shown that users are willing to pay. Results of first ISF collection from over 11,000 farmers in Central and East Java in pilot systems was an encouraging 95%. However that acceptance to pay by users depends on their structured and systematic involvement in defining systems needs. They need to understand a differentiation in payment if service levels are different. They appreciate use of collected funds in the system where collected. They understand the organization of water users associations but this requires their active role in fee determination and collection. They understand the establishment of federations of these associations. ISF requires also active involvement of Local Government officials as facilitators and intermediaries between service receivers (the water users) and service providers (personnel of the Public Works irrigation department) in the introduction period. This article describes the experience of the first 21 months of the ISF project, the concept developed, the principles used as basis for ISF, the introduction at the field level, issues related to acceptance by users and by the institutions involved, and the first results.Abbreviations/Acronyms DGWRD Directorate General of Water Resources Development (Ministry of Public Works) - EOM Efficient Operation and Maintenance - Gabungan group of WUAs - IPAIR Indonesian abbreviation for ISF - ISF Irrigation Service Fee - Juru gate keeper - PBB land tax on irrigated lands - PPL agricultural field extension agent - P3A Indonesian abbreviation for Water Users Associations - PU Indonesian abbreviation for Public Works - SM Special Maintenance - WUA Water Users Associations     

皂河灌区农民用水者协会水价探讨

如何实现灌区的经济自立，水价改革首当其冲，皂灌灌区用自己的探索，走出了一条切实可行的水价核定、征收、使用和管理的新路子。皂河灌用用水者协会参与灌溉管理后用水协会会员水价由水利工程水价、供水公司供水水价和用水者协会供水价构成，并建立健全了收费组织，完善收费计量方式，合理分配使用消费，减少水价管理中的危害性、随意性和不合理现象，以促进灌区的经济自立和可持续发展。     

Strategy for Efficient Energy Management to solve energy problems in modernized irrigation: analysis of the Spanish case

While the modernization of irrigation techniques in recent years has improved water use efficiency, the substitution of open channels by pressurized pipes led to a substantial increase in the energy used in irrigated agriculture. Given the concern for energy savings and sustainability, official administrations have promoted several initiatives to improve energy efficiency in irrigated agriculture, and researchers have developed different tools for the same. Although energy audits have been conducted in irrigation networks managed by Water Users’ Associations, the implementation of energy conservation measures proposed in these audits has not been always successful. This paper, which reviews the energy aspects of irrigation systems modernized in recent decades in Spain and in other countries, considers the characteristics and special features of Water Users’ Associations and proposes an energy management system (EMS) for the same. The stages of the EMS are described, beginning with the definition of energy policy and the establishment, implementation and verification of energy plans, the essential conditions to guarantee the success of the EMS are described, in which energy audits are just a part of a process of continual improvement of energy efficiency. A Strategy for Efficient Energy Management has been implemented in a Water Users’ Association in southeast Spain. The improvement measures proposed in the first energy plan were implemented, and an increase from 60 to 65 % in average energy efficiency was achieved.     

灌溉管理应用软件的研究现状及前景

灌溉用水管理是整个灌区的工作重点。决策支持系统等人工智能应用于灌溉管理,辅助管理人员及高层领导正确决策,解决知识处理中的半结构、非结构化问题,缩短预报周期,提高调度的实时性和可靠性,是二十一世纪灌溉系统管理的发展方向。最后介绍了霍泉灌区灌溉用水管理决策支持系统（简记：ＨＱＩＷＡＤＳＳ）的程序结构和主要功能     

The quality of service provided by the irrigation department to the users associations, Tunuyan System, Mendoza, Argentina

The quality of service provided by the provincial Irrigation Department (DGI) to the Water Users Associations (UA), and subsequently by the UA's to the related water users, is based on the provincial water law. The intended volume of water being delivered per considered period further depends on the water availability and on the (crop irrigation) water requirements. The Service Level (SL) compares the intended water supply with the water supply that would be required to supply the entire irrigable area with sufficient water. As soon as the intended water delivery pattern is set, the measured actual delivery can be assessed against the intention. Several performance indicators are used in this context. Based on the assessment of the Water Delivery Performance Ratio and the Overall Consumed Ratio recommendations are made on changes which can be made to improve water use and reduce problems of waterlogging.     

水利管理办公系统软件的开发应用

为了提高我国水利管理的总体水平，根据水利部已有的水利管理技术和规范，经过补充后开发出了水利管理办公系统软件。该系统包括了如下几个方面：计划用水、作物需水、水管年报、灌溉效益、水费核算、灌溉报表、工程养护、水库工程、水库监测、水库水情、防汛调度、兴利调度。     

Performance of agency-managed and farmer-managed irrigation systems: A comparative case study at Chitwan, Nepal

Management reforms are considered one of the best alternatives in increasing efficiency of the irrigation systems. Transfer of day-to-day operation and maintenance to farmers is not a new concept. However due to lags, even now it is a hot issue in developing countries and Nepal is not an exception. In this context of growing argument about the transfer of management of public irrigation systems to the Water Users' Group, this paper examines the comparative performance of farmer-managed and agency-managed irrigation systems. Khageri Irrigation System in the Chitwan district of Nepal was taken as the study site where complete management transfer has been done in 1996. The situations before and after complete transfer were compared. Intensive case studies of the selected farmers showed that equity in distribution of water and leakage had significantly improved after management transfer. Logit analysis revealed that age and education level of the household head, distance from main canal, leakage of the canal and equity in distribution are significantly related to the satisfaction level of the beneficiary farmers from FMIS compared to AMIS. However, landholding size of the respondent farmer has no significant effect. Similarly results from t-test revealed that rice productivity and overall profits from agriculture has also increased significantly due to irrigation management transfer.     

Water management institutional reform: A representative look at northern China

Our goal is to provide information regarding water management reform in China by increasing understanding of newly emerging water institutions and identifying factors that lead to the creation of reform-oriented irrigation institutions (Water User Associations and/or contracting) in one place but not in another. Using two sets of survey data, one of which is representative of northern China, we find that water management reform has spread steadily. Between 20% and 30% of villages in northern China have shifted away from traditional forms of management. In their places, some villages are hiring individual contractors; others are adopting Water User Associations. While China's new forms of water governance are not very participatory (from the farmer's point of view), water managers—especially contractors—are increasingly being given more incentives to save water and to manage their village's water more effectively. Water scarcity, other village characteristics, and policies implemented by local and regional government water officials are the main drivers of water management reform.     

Spreadsheets for water management — a case study from the Brantas Delta,East Java

The use of commercially available spreadsheet programs for scheduling of water supplies for large scale irrigation networks is a relatively new phenomenom. The paper describes the development and application of such a program for a 30 000 ha irrigation scheme in the Brantas Delta, East Java. The program has been in use for day-to-day scheduling of main system supplies since April 1986, during which time refinements and adjustments have been necessary to formulate a working package. The paper draws conclusions regarding the value of the program for improving water management.     

The Juba Sugar Estate Game

An irrigation management training game is described. This game is based on the Juba Sugar Estate in Somalia and it involves the management of scarce inputs (water and fertiliser) and resources (labour, capital equipment, money and fuel). Participants take roles within small management teams and they make decisions concerning fertiliser application, irrigation, maintenance, harvest and cane haulage. The major objective of the game is to give the participants insights into the complex interactions between resources, inputs, activities and management decisions. A secondary aim is to encourage team work and mutual understanding of complementary job functions.     

The Wye College Irrigation Game

An irrigation management role-playing game is described. The game aims to provide experience of the problems and complexities of real irrigation management issues, and practice in the application of basic theoretical concepts and methods which are relevant to the successful operation and maintenance of an irrigation scheme. Players acting as farmers or as scheme managers make decisions regarding the operation of a scheme which are processed by micro-computer. Experience shows that the game can achieve its training objectives, stimulates discussion of a wide range of factors affecting the success of irrigation schemes and has the potential for further development.     

Asset Management for Irrigation and Drainage Infrastructure – Principles and Case Study

This paper presents the general principles and functions of asset management for irrigation and drainage infrastructure: Asset planning and creation strategies, operation and maintenance, performance monitoring, accounting and economics and audit and renewal analysis. The various elements of the program are conceptually defined and their application is illustrated with the asset management program (AMP) formulated for the La Khe Irrigation System in Vietnam. It also identifies the role of the AMP within the framework of service oriented management of irrigation and drainage services. An infrastructure and investment profile developed from the asset survey identified the investment requirement over the next 40 years. The analysis of cost of service and revenues shows a shortfall of US£17.00/ha/annum to meet the investment requirement over this period. The asset audit and renewal analysis shows the upgrades of the main system needed to improve the current level of service.     

Asset Management for Irrigation Systems – Addressing the Issue of Serviceability

This paper advocates the need for defining criteria for level of service provision for irrigation networks and outlines a proposed Irrigation Serviceability Matrix to be used in the preparation of asset management plans and investment strategies for irrigation infrastructure. The development of the Irrigation Serviceability Matrix is based on experienced gained in the UK by the privatised water industry where the level of service provision to customers has become a key determinant for investment in infrastructure. The paper describes the evolution of this process within the UK water industry and its application to the irrigation sector.     

Asset management modelling framework for irrigation and drainage systems: Principles and case study application

Sustainability of irrigation and drainage infrastructure poses many challenges to many irrigation authorities worldwide due to a mismatch between the actual cost incurred in the provision of irrigation and drainage service and pricing of this service. This shortfall often leads to inadequate expenditure on maintenance in the absence of adequate subsidies from government or other sources.The asset management modelling framework (AMMF) presented in this paper enables the quantification of on-going ownership costs and operation costs. A life cycle cost (LCC) model for the evaluation of alternative irrigation and drainage asset management strategies is also presented. The AMMF is applied to the evaluation of asset ownership costs and LCC for alternative maintenance and interest rate scenarios in the Cu Chi irrigation system, Vietnam. The cost of three renewal strategies was evaluated: linear depreciation, full annuity and partial annuity. The cost ranges between US$ 28.00/ha and US$ 41.00/ha when interest rate varies between 9 and 3%. The average maintenance expenditure during recent years was estimated to be only US$ 1.30/ha which translates into 0.68% of the total asset replacement cost.The application of a simplified LCC model reveals that the least LCC varies with the level of maintenance and interest rate between US$ 353.5/ha for 5% maintenance expenditure and 12% interest rate to US$ 522.3/ha for 3% maintenance expenditure and 6% interest rate. The importance of exercising value judgements in applying the LCC model is also emphasised and discussed.     

Maintenance Management Process

A case study from Maharashtra comparing maintenance performance between two transferred minor canals on the one hand and two non-transferred minor canals on the other is presented. It is shown that the clear differences in maintenance performance are due not to differences in resources expended, but to differences in maintenance management processes. This study demonstrates that small differences in management process can lead to major differences in maintenance performance under severe resource constraints.     

Irrigation timeliness indicators and application in smallholder irrigation systems in Zimbabwe

Timing of supply of irrigation water is an important measure of water management performance. Yet despite this widely accepted importance of timeliness, few studies have attempted to quantify this performance indicator. This paper suggests a methodology for quantifying timeliness. The indices thus generated are used to compare the performance of some types of smallholder irrigation schemes in Zimbabwe. Results indicate that applying measures of timeliness helps to assess water management practices across scheme types.The methodology given in this paper differentiates between timely irrigation deliveries which meet Crop Water Requirements (CWR) and surplus water supplies due to poor timeliness which cannot be used by the crop, hence denoting wastage. The timeliness indices provide more information regarding management practices than simple measures of total water applications over a given season.     

Cumulative relative water supply: A methodology for assessing irrigation system performance

This paper discusses the usefulness and limitations of using the concept of Relative Water Supply (RWS) for evaluating the performance of irrigation systems, with special reference to systems irrigating rice. It then describes and demonstrates the use of a modification of RWS called Cumulative Relative Water Supply (CRWS), which can be used in conjunction with RWS. The advantage of CRWS is that it provides a measure of the cumulated RWS throughout a season, both in absolute terms at any given time, and in terms of the overall seasonal trend. It allows comparison of performance of an irrigation system or subsystem both to the target, and to other systems or subsystems. It can therefore be used both as an analytical tool by researchers, and as an operational tool by managers. The use of CRWS in conjunction with RWS is illustrated with examples from Sri Lanka.     

一种管轨一体斜拉式潜水泵设计及其应用

以小型灌溉泵站为例,对比4种不同结构形式的潜水泵优缺点,设计了一种管轨一体斜拉式潜水泵。相比于其他方案,其具有以下优点:工程投资少,施工工期短,泵站管理及维护均比较方便,并且解决了泵站淤积问题。经过4年的运行,该泵站运行情况良好。管轨一体斜拉式潜水泵在河道取水工程中逐步得到应用,应用前景广泛。