M. Gopalakrishnan

Secretary General ICID

GWP Regional Workshop on

Climate Change, Food and Water Security

Colombo, Sri Lanka, 24-25 February 2011

Introducing International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage

Informing what ICID does for “Water for Agriculture”

Touch upon ICID‟s Working Groups (thematic /Generic and Regional)

ICID‟s Asian Regional Working Group and

ICID‟s possible role in the “Platform for South Asia” to address Water ,Food Security & MDGs

Managing Water for Sustainable Agriculture —

Water for Food and Rural Development

The Commission is dedicated to enhancing the worldwide supply of food and fibre for all people by improving water and land management and the productivity of irrigated and drained lands.

The Mission of ICID is to stimulate and promote the development and application of the arts, sciences and techniques in allied disciplines in managing water and land resources for achieving sustainable irrigated agriculture.

ICID Managing Water for Sustainable Agriculture —

Water for Food and Rural Development

Developing countries 68

Developed Countries 22

Least Developed

Countries (LDCs)

20

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Mem

ber

Afr

ica

Am

eri

ca

s

As

ia &

Oc

ea

nia

Eu

rop

e

Continent Members

Africa 27

Americas 18

Asia and Oceania 36

Europe 29

Total 110

Active Countries (65)

Developing countries 47

Developed countries 18

Global coverage of membership

network

Starting with 11 founding member countries in 1950, 110 countries have so far joined ICID to pool their efforts. Best Performing National Committee Award : Instituted in 2002 and

presented at every triennial Congress. The performance of a National Committee is judged on the basis of various facets demonstrated by the participating National Committees between two successive ICID Congresses (over a three year period).

[1st Award – Korean National Committee (2002),

2nd Award – Egyptian National Committee (2005),

3rd Award – Iranian National Committee (2008)]

11

43

63

78

6663 65

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

Asia : 34

ICID’s strength lies in its networking and ensuring its dynamic functionality, on members’ democratic choices & preferences

Activities of the Commission are carried out through technical and other workbodies.

National Committees nominate experts to these workbodies.

There are over 30 workbodies, presently.

Over 289 World-renowned experts occupy 412 membership slots on ICID workbodies and contribute.

Activities of the Commission are carried out through technical workbodiescovering e.g., “on-farm” , “system” and “Basin” issues. Apart from the development and management of appropriate systems, inter-basin water transfer, socio-economic impacts of irrigated agriculture, livelihood & poverty alleviation, climate change, etc. are some areas being looked into.

Regional water related issues are addressed by special working groups covering Africa, Europe, Asia, Americas, Lake Chad Basin and the Aral Sea Basin.

Currently, there are over 30 such work groups. Best Performing Workbody Award

This is meant to acknowledge the Best Groups’ Contributions triennially once in every congress..

0.480

(2008)

1.108

(2010)

ASIA • 60 % of world

population.

• 24% of world lands.

•34% of world arable

lands.

•72% of world Irrigated

lands.

•34% of world drained

lands.

•20% of total world

precipitation.

•62% of the world

hungry people.

Why Asia is important for ICID ?

For all the good reasons …

The

Distribution of the

World Hunger

WWDR , 2009

Out of the world‟s 50 Least Developed Countries (LDCs), 15 are located in Asia

ICID Position is reflected best in its latest contribution to World Water Forum in Istanbul when as the topic Coordinators, ICID, together with a consortium of 56 Global Institutions and Consulting Organisations, pondered and dealt with Water for Food, Poverty Alleviation and Rural Livelihood.

Inter-alia, the desirable approach in a vastly varied settings in the globe emerged during discussions on Water Governance as well as Sectoral Allocation Needs.

(Topic 2.3 –WWF 5)

How to bridge between agric and water policies?

How can water management improvements contribute to the required increase in food production? What types of investments are necessary?

How can rainfed agriculture contribute more effectively to enhance food security and improve livelihoods in rural areas?

What policies/actions may ensure sustainability of water resources and river basin services that underpin increases in agricultural productivity?

Multi-functionality of agriculture/irrigation with attention to environmental impacts and services.

Some increase in water withdrawals for irrigation and increase in crop yields are required to meet food production in least developed and emerging countries

Ensure availability of other inputs: seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, equipments, extension services

Optimization of farm holdings

Focus on improvement of all irrigation schemes, long term O&M and better water productivity

Organize small-holder farmers into socially cohesive bodies to operate as one big entrepreneur; Include and encourage farmers in agricultural water management initiatives

Involve women in management and decision making .

Development of local markets key to move farmers from survival mode to market oriented farming

Ensure enabling governance and policies

Reforms in respect to water management; consider Water for Food, People and Environment,

Water pricing, Asset maintenance and enhanced investment for

the operation and maintenance, Ownership and transfer of resources (PIM and

WUAs) Capacity building Envisage a fresh programme to Invigorate

Technology Research in Irrigation and Drainage; ICID National Committees to take a lead role and twinning efforts of NCs (A New IPTRID)

Triennial World Irrigation and Drainage Congress (21st International Congress on Irrigation & Drainage, Oct. 2011, Tehran, Iran)

Annual Conference [International Executive Council Meeting (IEC)] (62nd IEC, Oct. 2011, Tehran, Iran)

Regional Conferences [African, Asian, European, American] (3rd African, Sept. 2011, Mali; 7th Asian, June 2012, Adelaide, Australia; 24th European, March 2011, Orleans, France; 25th European, May 2011, Groningen, The Netherlands)

Micro Irrigation Congresses (8th International Micro Irrigation Congress, Oct. 2011, Tehran, Iran)

International Drainage Workshop – IDW (11th IDW, Sep. 2012, Cairo, Egypt; 12th IDW, June 2014, St. Petersburg, Russia)

1 September

2001

Seoul,

South Korea

2 March

2004

Echuca,

Australia Irrigation in the total catchment management

3 September

2006

Kuala Lumpur,

Malaysia Transforming irrigated agriculture into an

efficient engine of growth

4 May 2007 Tehran,

Iran Participatory Irrigation Management

5 December

2009

New Delhi,

India Improvement in Efficiency of Irrigation

Projects through Technology Up-gradation

and Better Operation & Maintenance 6 October

2010 Yogyakarta,

Indonesia

Improvement of irrigation and Drainage

efficiency under the small land holding

condition 7 June 2012 Adelaide

Australia

Water Productivity towards Food Security

UN Water Systems- WMO, WHO and FAO

WWAP & World Water Development Reports

WWC and World Water Fora, 1 to 5 and …6

WWF 5 Istanbul Theme 2 Topic 2.3

WWF 6 (Food Security by Optimal Use of Water)

Comprehensive Assessment IWMI

Country Policy Support Programme (ICID)

Issues relating to Aral Sea Basin, Lake Chad …

Provides all

information on

ICID and its

activities

Are we rightly projecting to the society the notions on „efficiency‟ - especially of Surface Irrigation diversions? Its achievements or the lack of it?

Are we right in concluding that large scale Surface Irrigation fail to deliver in a regional context? Does it favour of an enhanced reliance on the use of GW for irrigated agric food production?

Are we justified in arguing that just by improvement in agricultural water management & attaining better efficiencies, future needs for doubling the production, an acknowledged need for SA is attainable?

What does the “atomistic irrigation” teach us? Is it a panacea? What change t we attempt to suggest in improving developed Surface Irrigation Systems? Any Solutions to enhance PIM?

Rs. Or $$ Food Security

needs

Water Rainfall included

& Land

The type of

Resource

Scarcity

Efficiency improvement, viewed in different perspectives

can mean different things to different players.

And experts in water sector will look for better water productivity…

Sprinkler Irrigation

(30 Mha)

Micro Irrigation

(6 Mha)

Surface Irrigation

Paddy (100 Mha) Other Crops (134 mha)

{ World Irrigated Area : 270 Million Hectares}

(87%)

(11%) (2%)

India: Surface Irrgn. System Efficiencies

61.5 12.3 49.2 Total

16.5 3.3 13.2 Field application losses

20.0 4.0 16.0 Field and Water Courses

8.0 1.6 6.4 Distributaries

17.0 3.4 13.6 Main canal and Branches

Total Evaporation Seepage Sources of losses

About 60% of the losses in Surface Irrigation are seen to be beyond the

main canals & distributaries. These losses are recoverable by

conjunctive use as it recharges ground water (or appear as return flows)

Efficiency concept itself is ‘Scale dependant’

The interpretation could mean differently when one looks at „On farm‟, „System as a whole‟ & the „Basin‟

Relevance of WUE is high in water scarce basins (closed basins) with more (& more) emerging demands

Depending on the individual situation, investment needs may have to be borne for more value usage or meeting nature sector needs

What is of greater significance is to enhance the “beneficial uses” and minimise “non beneficial”

This‟ll be applicable for all types of water abstractions

Water Use Indicators

Beneficial (consumed fraction)

Non Beneficial (Non consumed fraction)

Reusable (Preserved Quality)

Non Reusable (Degraded Quality)

How can future actions avoid or reduce all non Beneficial

components ? That can help better WM..

Revamping Surface Irrigation:

China Reduces Irrigation Water Withdrawals by 25 %

402 large irrigation schemes (LISs) covering about 25% of country’s total irrigated area of 56 million ha. From 1998 to 2005, China has invested a total of 18.9 billion RMB Yuan to modernize 255 large irrig. Schemes. Post-evaluation of the program revealed that, 0.65 million ha irrigated area was restored, 3.31 million ha irrigated farmland was improved leading to an increase of 5.82 m. tonnes of food annually. The total agricultural output in the program area increased by 46.1% and net per capita income increased by 43.8%. The staff deployed for management reduced by 25.7% i.e. from 5.68 persons to 4.12 persons per ten thousand ha of irrigated area. The irrigated area managed by water user associations increased from 9.1% to 36.0% of the total irrigated area. The average annual losses due to natural disaster reduced by 3.2 billion RMB Yuan

India is also focusing on actions

on large SI schemes…

Let us however be not complacent that actions on the „efficiency improvement‟ alone will suffice to achieve the regional food security in the future

The importance of sufficient storage is all the more important, given the likely variations in climatic situation under „Climate Change‟ Scenario

Additional External Drivers (oil price, global markets, financial crisis etc., add fuel to the fire