irrigation management transfer: a new methodology to

HYDRO NEPAL | ISSUE NO. 3 | JULY, 2008 37

Background

Irrigation system is a dynamic self regulatingsystem comprising its elements of operation mode

on Physical, Institutional, Social, and Financialsystems. Successful irrigation systems, either Farmer’sManaged Irrigation Systems (FMIS) or AgencyManaged Irrigation Systems (AMIS) performingefficiently in their service delivery to the end users,have demonstrated a balanced operation andmanagement of these four elements. A vast literatureregarding irrigation system performance and efficientoperation techniques has been developed focusingeither in physical, institutional or social systems.Experiences from Irrigation Management Transfer(IMT) Projects and their evaluations have indicatedthat sustainable irrigation systems have a balancedmanagement approach with the implementation onthese four elements.

These are:

Physical SystemThe physical system of an irrigation scheme

comprises of its infrastructures such as:

(i) acquisition (head works, intake, or pumpingsystem or any other means of tapping waterfrom the resources),

(ii) conveyance (canals and distribution system),

(iii) regulating, and

(iv) facilitating infrastructures (such as siltejectors, settling basin and otheraccessories).

For equitable water delivery to all thebeneficiaries of the command area, the physicalsystem must be in an efficient operational state,without which unbalanced distribution of irrigationwater delivery occurs damaging the performances ofthe systems.

Irrigation Management Transfer: A New Methodology to Improve thePerformance of Agency Managed Irrigation Systems (AMISs)

Achyut Man Singh

Abstract: This paper presents a new concept on the management of Agency Managed Irrigation Systems with the joint

participation of the agency and the users, with their defined roles and responsibilities. The message of the system

governance and operation methodology are disseminated to the grass root level of the users. Resource management

and water charge collection are anticipated to be firmly applied in the system. The users and Water User’s Association

and also Department of Irrigation field staff will be well trained in the Irrigation Management Transfer process with

capacity building. For sustainability, monitoring and evaluation with independent auditing are part of the process. The

general Irrigation Management Transfer procedures adopted by Department of Irrigation are redefined to this new

concept in the World Bank assisted Irrigation and Water Resources Management Project.

Key words: Irrigation management transfer, water users, AMIS, World Bank, Nepal

Institutional AspectsDistribution of irrigation water delivery requires

skilled hydraulic calculations and management toconvey the water source from its river (or other) tothe farmer’s field. These works could be carried out byhydraulic or irrigation engineer and theimplementation of the water delivery schedule couldbe delegated to the subsequent units of operators andto the water user association. In addition to thehydraulic management of water sources, maintenanceof the systems require skilled manpower to make aplan. For this, the institution of the irrigation systemmust be competent to carry out the job efficiently.The implementation of the canal operation andmaintenance is carried out jointly with the WaterUser’s Association (WUA) and skilled manpower fromthe Department of Irrigation (DOI). The institution ofDOI and WUA for the operation and management ofthe irrigation system must be efficient and dedicatedfor the right performance of the system.

Social AspectsDiscipline in sharing the water of the irrigation

system is vital for its efficient performance. The water

Distributary Canal


38 HYDRO NEPAL | ISSUE NO. 3 | JULY, 2008

users are to be well oriented and disciplined to complywith the rules and regulations as well as the watersharing arrangement. For this, the WUA must beactive, along with all the beneficiaries of the watersharing. Therefore, a socially balanced structure ofthe WUA representatives from the very grass rootslevel unit as outlet level is required. Awareness aboutwater delivery and enforcement of the rules,regulations and water sharing arrangements must bestrictly implemented. Vandalism and defaulters mustbe penalized in order to create a well performedirrigation system. This social aspect of the irrigationsystem is as important as the other elements of thesystem. Awareness campaigns, capacity building andgood governance of the system are also essential.

Financial ManagementThe resources for the financial support to run an

irrigation system rely on the government budget,water charges, and fines for defaulters. The mechanismof budgeting for the operation and maintenance worksmust be transparent to all the users in order to involvethem closely for their contribution of water charges,and to ensure that they are rightly and properlyutilized. A proper system has to be developed tocarryout the financial aspect of the system. A newapproach of preparing total financial management planhas developed in recent years for the Irrigation andWater Resources Management Project (IWRMP). Thisaspect is also vital in the overall performances of thesystem.

The ConceptThe performance of an irrigation system dependsentirely on the proper management of the fourelements above. Any shortcomings could jeopardizesystem performances. The managers of the irrigationsystem are responsible for the proper working of thephysical systems, delivering efficient services to theend users; whereas, the end users and theirorganizations should watch carefully after theenforcement of water delivery, the timely payment ofwater charges, and routine maintenance of the system.The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) hasdeveloped software to improve the physicalperformances of the irrigation system. It is calledMASSCOT, and is used for the hydraulic analysis of theprevailing infrastructures. The concept behind thisprogram is to calibrate the system with theappropriate water delivery system by diagnosing itshydraulic performances. The type of gates,distribution structures and conveyance structuresdetermines the performance indicators.

On the social side, it is envisaged that the end usersat the very grass roots level (i.e., outlet unit) shouldbe oriented and be convinced about the functioningof the system. Water distribution among the farmersand sincerity in the maintenance of their sub-systems

with timely payment of the water charges are theirkey activities that govern the efficient functioning ofthe irrigation system. Individual end users, and thewater users association as a whole, must be active andaware towards the functioning of their sub-systemorganization. The engineering division and the WUA’sare to be co-partners in the implementation andexecution of the operation and maintenance of theirrigation system. Key indicators for their roles includeGovernance, Financial arrangements and Capacitybuilding as discussed below.

GovernanceGovernance of the irrigation system is arranged

through four aspects:

1) Respective defined roles and responsibilitiesof the WUA and the agency (DOI in the case ofNepal); these will be defined through an‘Irrigation Management TransferArrangement’.

2) A Scheme Co-ordination Committee will beset up at the system level in which the localbodies, WUA members, agencies (DOI), non-government organizations (NGOs) andrepresentatives from local governments willparticipate. This committee will co-ordinateand monitor the plans and actions performedby the agencies and WUAs. The rate of watercharges to be collected from the user’s to meetthe regular operation and maintenancerequirements of the system will beestablished.

3) Enhancing transparency and accountabilitythrough the tools of benchmarking, rapidappraisal of the systems with end user’ssatisfaction, and water measuring devices tomonitor the water delivery relative to theentitlement of different users.

4) Periodic rapid evaluation of the schemeperformance and user satisfaction, andinstallation of water measuring devices as ameans to monitoring water delivery relativeto the entitlements of different water usersgroup.

Financing ArrangementsA detailed inventory of the assets of the irrigation

system is carried out and an Asset Management Planis prepared. These plans will define the operation andmaintenance (O&M) needs of the entire system to beagreed upon between the WUA and the agency (DOI).These will form a basis for a commitment by the agencyto fund O&M and other essential structureimprovement works, which the WUA will be committedto collect the requirements through their labor andcash contribution. The respective contributions willbe monitored by the Scheme Co-ordinationCommittee.



Capacity BuildingThe WUA’s need to be competent enough to

participate in the O&M of the system and takerespectively of the functioning of the system or sub-system. For this to happen, capacity building activitiesmust be developed to bring them to a satisfactorylevel. This actively includes training and orientationto the WUA’s on:

(a) technical skills with regard to jointpreparation of Asset Management Plans,

(b) undertaking and supervising the O&Mactivities,

(c) provision of efficient and equitable irrigationservice delivery, and

(d) collection of relevant charges including actionagainst defaulters.

In the mean time the staff of the agency (DOI) hasalso to be trained and oriented to establish an efficientgovernance system. Their fields are as below:

(a) the agency’s new role is to prepare AssetManagement Plan and transfer them toWUA’s,

(b) develop efficient arrangements forrehabilitation and maintenance (includingcontracting and outsourcing as appropriate),and

(c) benchmarking, rapid appraisal, andmonitoring the system performances (canaloperation technology using the MASSCOTsoftware could be applied to enhance theperformance).

Proposed Implementation ArrangementAs mentioned earlier, the two prime stakeholders, theDOI and the WUAs, are to work side by side as partnersin the implementation of the IMT process as well as inO&M activities of the irrigation systems. Organizationset up as envisaged in the IWRMP for implementationsare illustrated in Figure 1.

Department ofIrrigation (DOI)

Office of the ProjectDirector (OPD)

Regional IrrigationDirectorate (RID)

Regional ProjectSupport Unit (RPSU)

Irrigation DevelopmentDivision/ Subdivision

(IDD/IDSD)

System ManagementUnit (SMU)

Water Users Association(WUA)

System Coordination Committee

(SCC)

System Level WaterUser’s Association

(WUA)

Branch Level Water User’sCommittee

Secondary Level Water User’sCommittee

Tertiary Level Water User’sCommittee

Outlet Level Water User’sGroup

Figure 1. Organization Set Up for Irrigation Management Transfer



It is envisaged that the ground level unit of SystemManagement Unit (SMU) and the WUAs will be workingclosely together to implement the activities designedfor the Irrigation Management Transfer of theirrigation systems. The water users in the systemshould be organized to form the groups andcommittees at all levels of the canal hierarchy. Eachof the committees is to be involved invariably in thesystem management as well as the water distributionactivities. A primary theme of the new concept is thatthe water users are to be sensitized, oriented andtrained as required to perform their part of the works.There will be well defined demarcation of roles andresponsibilities of the two actors, DOI and WUA, whichwill be illustrated in the Asset and FinancialManagement Plan, and the agreement between theWUAs and the DOI. One dramatic differences betweenthe previous IMT processes and procedures and thisnew concept is that the WUAs will take over theresponsibility of the system with the transferagreement first, then only the other detailed activitiesof ESI and system diagnosis and other capacitybuilding activities will be launched. Unless the WUAsand the beneficiaries are ready for take over, furtherworks are not carried out. The consultation processwill be the pivotal activity to acquaint and orient thefarmers and the WUA.

Based on the experiences of the IrrigationManagement Transfer Project in the past and manyother IMT activities carried out in other countriessuch as Mexico and Indonesia, the proceduralguidelines for the management transfer has beenprepared for IWRMP. The whole procedure iscategorized into four stages with the incorporation ofvarious activities, as discussed below.

Stage I: System Identification for IMT A basic principal in the system selection for IMT

is to find the existing systems or sub-systems of AMISthat are operational at present, where no majorrehabilitation works are required for smooth waterdelivery up to the lowest level or even at the tail endpositions. The second primary criteria are to find theattitudinal aspects of WUA or the users to take overthe system or sub-system as their responsibility. Othervarious activities in this stage could be identified asbelow:

• selection of IMT candidates,

• approval by IWRMP Steering Committee, and

• consultation process and basic informationcollection.

Under Basic Information Collection, the agencywill have to collect and initiate preparation of thefollowing documents:

- rapid appraisal of the system (RAP),

- asset inventory preparation,

- benchmarking of the system,

- WUA membership list, and

- parcellary map preparation.

Furthermore, there will be two consultationactivities with the beneficiaries at various levels,including taking feedback from them and evaluatingtheir willingness to take over the managementresponsibilities. The draft Irrigation ManagementTransfer Agreement document between the DOI andWUA will be disseminated to the user’s committee andsub-committees to the lowest level. After intenseconsultation regarding the roles and responsibility ofWUA’s and DOI the further activities are initiated forIMT process.

Stage II: Preparation for IMT ImplementationIn this stage the proposed agreement documents

and by-laws of the WUAs will be finalized, taking thethird round of consultation. In the meantime, thesupporting documents of the systems such as RAP,benchmarking, Asset and Financial Management Plan,Essential Structure Improvement (ESI) Plan, andAgriculture Development Plan will also be preparedand finalized.

The following issues will be discussed and finalizedduring this stage:

• agreement between DOI and WUA,

• acceptance to take responsibility of O&M ofthe systems/sub-systems to be handed over,

• acceptance of the collection of ISF for theO&M of the targeted systems, and

• amendment and approval of the WUA’sconstitution.

In the meantime both the WUA and DOI will carryout the following activities:

• WUA formation at all levels,

• consultation at all levels,

• cost sharing basis for the essential structureimprovement works, and

• finalization of the supporting documents –RAP, benchmarking, Asset and FinancialManagement Plan, Essential StructureImprovement Plan, and AgricultureDevelopment Plan. These are to be preparedin a participatory basis with the users.

The consultation processes are to be carried outin close coordination with WUA members at all levels.Activities regarding the engineering, social andmanagement aspects will be duly prepared by expertsand will be consulted and finalized with the WUA forfinal implementation of the IMT of the systems. In thiscase both the DOI and WUA will have equal roles intheir finalization, with assistance from the localconsultants or NGOs. In this case, the Water



Management Plan of the whole system will bediagnosed and prepared by the engineers takingassistance from expert hydraulic engineer to assessthe functionality of the system infrastructures. InIWRMP it is envisaged that MASSCOT approachdeveloped by FAO will be applied to evaluate systemperformance and draw up the Water Management Planaccordingly. The DOI engineers will be trained to usethe software and it will be applied in other systems.

Stage III: Institutional Strengthening for IMTUnder institutional strengthening for IMT both

WUAs and DOI personnel involved in the project areto be oriented and trained to make it a success. Thefollowing activities will be undertaken under this stage.

• WUA and field staff capacity development,

• WUA institutional development,

• prioritization of ESI through WUAparticipation,

• irrigation system improvement works, and

• flow measurement at different level andpreparing Water Management Plan.

These activities pertain to the IMT processimplementation, in order to bring the capacity of WUAand DOI personnel to perform proper execution ofthe project and in sustainable O&M of the system. Thecapacity building of personnel will have to involvethe following aspects:

• review of the objectives of IMT program,

• reassessment of consultation process andpromotion of farmer’s participation in theIMT, about the IMT agreement and Bye lawsof WUA,

• water distribution methods,

• awareness regarding the responsibility offarmers and WUA’s after taking over thescheme,

• account keeping for the various kinds ofcontributions, including labor, material andcash resources of WUAs, and

• operation and maintenance regarding theirsystem and sub-system.

Regarding WUA institutional development, thetraining subjects will focus on:

• organizational capacity improvement,

• leadership at different level,

• rules and regulations of WUAs,

• WUA record system,

• effective planning, implementation andmonitoring,

• operational plan implementation,

• financial management plan implementation,

• maintenance plan implementation,

• implementation of water delivery schedules,and

• agricultural plan implementation.

Prioritization of the ESI will be made through jointwork through by DOI and WUA personnel and byassessing the urgency of the required improvementworks. A construction committee will be formed fromWUA members and the System Management Unit(SMU) to supervise the construction works on ESI.The ESI works could be subdivided into threecategories as: (1) the WUA part of works to becontributed by them, (2) part of the DOI share ofworks, which are simple and easier and can becontracted to the WUA, and (3) those works which arecomplex in nature and need skilled hands andresources to construct should be contracted to theprofessional contractors or builders.

It is envisaged that the project staff with assistancefrom the TA team or hydraulic experts will carry outthe hydraulic analysis of the system and develop awater management plan, optimizing the waterdistribution with the available water resources. Theoperational plan will be developed for three seasons(summer, winter and spring) as variations occur inthe available water source as well as in croppingpatterns. The plan will be oriented and disseminatedto the DOI field staff and WUA members/gate operatorsfor efficient and equitable water distribution.Guidelines for canal operation, maintenance, andmanagement will be prepared by the TA team for theuse of these field staff and WUA members.

Stage IV: Monitoring, Evaluation and AgricultureActivitiesIt is important that implementation of the IMT be

monitored and evaluated from time to time to trackits successful execution and firm outputs. Themonitoring and evaluation (M&E) of the functionalityof the system and sub-system, and necessaryimprovement works, are to be carried out periodicallyfor keeping performance on track. The system officeand the WUA will be regularly monitoring andevaluating performance, so that they can check onfast deterioration of the system due to negligence. Anexternal agency is also to be employed for theevaluation of the project implementation. The NationalVigilance Center can also be used for technical auditingpurposes. In the meantime, the System CoordinationCommittee (SCC) also will evaluate schemeperformance independently. Assistances to the WUAfor operation and maintenance will be required tocarry out the works as envisaged and will be guidedby the expert’s recommendations. Monitoring andevaluation activities will focus on the physical,management and social aspects as follows:

• physical system or sub-systemperformances,



• WUA institutional or managementperformances, and

• social, operation and maintenanceperformances.

Under physical system, the M&E activities willfocus on performance of the different componentsof the irrigation systems; i.e., the headworks, maincanal, branch or secondary canals, and tertiarysystem. Various tools of monitoring such as RAP,benchmarking and flow measurement techniqueswill be applied. In institutional or managementaspects the WUA’s functioning, their record keeping,regular meetings and others will be monitored.Under social aspects the collection of water charges,penalty to defaulters, equitable distribution ofwater, and agricultural activities will be monitoredfor overall impact on the irrigation managementtransfer.

Expected Outputs From IMT ProcessIt is expected that the IMT process will have positiveimpact on the overall performances of the systemin physical, management and social aspects for thebetterment of the farmers’ livelihoods. The envisagedoutputs could be assessed as follows:

a) responsive management improvement ofDOI,

b) increased responsibility of O&M taken byWUAs,

c) provision of demarcation of responsibilitybetween DOI and WUA adhered,

d) increased contribution of resources bybeneficiaries for O&M,

e) increased agriculture production, and

f) increased income of farmers of the system.

A flow chart of the procedural steps is shown inFigure 2.

——

Stage 3: Institutional Strengthening for IMT

Figure 2. IMT Implementation Procedure Steps

Stage 1: System Identification for IMT

Selection of IMT Candidates

Approval by Steering Committee Decisions

1. Consultation Process and Basic Information Collection

1st Consultation Information Sharing 1.1 Basic Information

Collection 2nd Consultation

Stage 2: Preparation for IMT Implementation

Interaction between WUA and DOI

3rd Consultation

Agreement between DOI and WUA

Institutional Development and Irrigation System

ImprovementImplementation of O&M by DOI and WUA

Stage 4: Monitoring, Evaluation and Agriculture Activities

Regular Monitoring, Evaluation and Agriculture Support

Achyut Man Singh is Senior Irrigation Engineer in MULTIDisciplinary Consultant Pvt. Ltd., Kathmandu, Nepal.

Corresponding address: [email protected]

References

World Bank, 2007, Project Appraisal Document:‘Irrigation and Water Resources Project’ (Nepal),Kathmandu: The World Bank.

Renault, Daniel, Thierry Facon and Robina Wahaj, 2007,Modernizing Irrigation Management the MASSCOTApproach, FAO Irrigation and Drainage Paper No 63,Rome, Food and Agriculture Organization of theUnited Nations.


irrigation management transfer: a new methodology to

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