For many decades in India, natural resource management (NRM) programs were implemented by government bureaucracies in a centralized, top-down manner. The programs were unsustainable and suffered from resource use inefficiency and inequity. In the 1990s, under pressure from civil society organizations and multilateral agencies, the Government of India and many State Governments introduced policies that decentralized NRM programs and mandated active participation of users in the management of resources. When implementation responsibilities were transferred to resource user-groups many of the problems associated with centralization could be reduced significantly. However, despite their proven capacity of being better resource managers than government agencies, the user-groups encountered difficulties as self-governed people's organizations. Participation of users declined and problems of equity resurfaced in many user-groups. This dissertation describes the research that examines the causes of problems in the governance of user-groups in villages of Mehsana District in Gujarat. Using an eight-fold criteria of good governance, the study looks at eight Water Users Associations (WUAs) that took over irrigation management responsibilities from the Irrigation Department. This program of decentralization of irrigation is called Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM). The assessment of each WUA on each of the eight criteria reveals a close link between characteristics of good governance and the process of democratization. It can be seen that the WUAs that performed well on participation, equity, transparency, accountability, rule of law and consensus-orientation were less likely to face situations of dysfunction than the WUAs that performed poorly on these criteria. These criteria for good governance are also the core elements of democratic governance. At the same time, the case-studies reveal the tension between the democratization process that is attempted within the WUAs and the historical and cultural legacy of the feudal, autocratic and patriarchal society that rural India has been for many centuries. The thesis supports the argument, with empirical evidence, that the decentralization process can be sustainable only when user-groups institutionalize democratic processes and the early leaders behave in a democratic manner. It also suggests that the transition from an undemocratic institution to a democratic one can be enabled when external support agencies play an important catalytic role.

For many decades in India, natural resource management (NRM) programs were implemented by government bureaucracies in a centralized, top-down manner. The programs were unsustainable and suffered from resource use inefficiency and inequity. In the 1990s, under pressure from civil society organizations and multilateral agencies, the Government of India and many State Governments introduced policies that decentralized NRM programs and mandated active participation of users in the management of resources. When implementation responsibilities were transferred to resource user-groups many of the problems associated with centralization could be reduced significantly. However, despite their proven capacity of being better resource managers than government agencies, the user-groups encountered difficulties as self-governed people's organizations. Participation of users declined and problems of equity resurfaced in many user-groups. This dissertation describes the research that examines the causes of problems in the governance of user-groups in villages of Mehsana District in Gujarat. Using an eight-fold criteria of good governance, the study looks at eight Water Users Associations (WUAs) that took over irrigation management responsibilities from the Irrigation Department. This program of decentralization of irrigation is called Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM). The assessment of each WUA on each of the eight criteria reveals a close link between characteristics of good governance and the process of democratization. It can be seen that the WUAs that performed well on participation, equity, transparency, accountability, rule of law and consensus-orientation were less likely to face situations of dysfunction than the WUAs that performed poorly on these criteria. These criteria for good governance are also the core elements of democratic governance. At the same time, the case-studies reveal the tension between the democratization process that is attempted within the WUAs and the historical and cultural legacy of the feudal, autocratic and patriarchal society that rural India has been for many centuries. The thesis supports the argument, with empirical evidence, that the decentralization process can be sustainable only when user-groups institutionalize democratic processes and the early leaders behave in a democratic manner. It also suggests that the transition from an undemocratic institution to a democratic one can be enabled when external support agencies play an important catalytic role.

For many decades in India, natural resource management (NRM) programs were implemented by government bureaucracies in a centralized, top-down manner. The programs were unsustainable and suffered from resource use inefficiency and inequity. In the 1990s, under pressure from civil society organizations and multilateral agencies, the Government of India and many State Governments introduced policies that decentralized NRM programs and mandated active participation of users in the management of resources. When implementation responsibilities were transferred to resource user-groups many of the problems associated with centralization could be reduced significantly. However, despite their proven capacity of being better resource managers than government agencies, the user-groups encountered difficulties as self-governed people's organizations. Participation of users declined and problems of equity resurfaced in many user-groups. This dissertation describes the research that examines the causes of problems in the governance of user-groups in villages of Mehsana District in Gujarat. Using an eight-fold criteria of good governance, the study looks at eight Water Users Associations (WUAs) that took over irrigation management responsibilities from the Irrigation Department. This program of decentralization of irrigation is called Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM). The assessment of each WUA on each of the eight criteria reveals a close link between characteristics of good governance and the process of democratization. It can be seen that the WUAs that performed well on participation, equity, transparency, accountability, rule of law and consensus-orientation were less likely to face situations of dysfunction than the WUAs that performed poorly on these criteria. These criteria for good governance are also the core elements of democratic governance. At the same time, the case-studies reveal the tension between the democratization process that is attempted within the WUAs and the historical and cultural legacy of the feudal, autocratic and patriarchal society that rural India has been for many centuries. The thesis supports the argument, with empirical evidence, that the decentralization process can be sustainable only when user-groups institutionalize democratic processes and the early leaders behave in a democratic manner. It also suggests that the transition from an undemocratic institution to a democratic one can be enabled when external support agencies play an important catalytic role. / Science, Faculty of / Resources, Environment and Sustainability (IRES), Institute for / Graduate

<p>India and many other developing countries confront serious problems of declining water tables. In India there is no real water shortage, but ineffective use of surface water leads to freshwater run-off. By building dams and irrigation water systems the Indian government has been trying to find a more effective use of surface water and thereby increase the agricultural productivity. But mismanagement of irrigation systems by local governments called for alternative management techniques, and during the last decades the central Indian government has been trying to decentralise management and governance of irrigation water to local water users. This Minor Field Study (MFS) focuses on a local implementation of Participatory Irrigation Management in the Indian state Madhya Pradesh. The aim of the thesis is to analyse the way the local government handles the decentralisation of irrigation water management, by identify and illuminate communication channels. The thesis is built on the basic idea that functioning environmental communication is the key to reach a functioning decentralised and sustainable water management. Interviews with local government officials, citizens of a local village, and staff from a locally involved NGO within a case study constitute most of the empirical data. Theories of decentralisation of natural resource management, community participation, communication, and NGO cooperation are presented. With starting point in the empirical material and the presented theories has way the local government handles the decentralisation process, and the role of the locally involved NGO, been analysed. The study shows shortcomings in: education of stakeholders, communication training among government officials, trust in the capability of local water users, and communication between stakeholders. The study also enlighten the government officials fear of losing political power, the NGOs role as communication channel, and the formation of locally rooted organisations.</p>

India and many other developing countries confront serious problems of declining water tables. In India there is no real water shortage, but ineffective use of surface water leads to freshwater run-off. By building dams and irrigation water systems the Indian government has been trying to find a more effective use of surface water and thereby increase the agricultural productivity. But mismanagement of irrigation systems by local governments called for alternative management techniques, and during the last decades the central Indian government has been trying to decentralise management and governance of irrigation water to local water users. This Minor Field Study (MFS) focuses on a local implementation of Participatory Irrigation Management in the Indian state Madhya Pradesh. The aim of the thesis is to analyse the way the local government handles the decentralisation of irrigation water management, by identify and illuminate communication channels. The thesis is built on the basic idea that functioning environmental communication is the key to reach a functioning decentralised and sustainable water management. Interviews with local government officials, citizens of a local village, and staff from a locally involved NGO within a case study constitute most of the empirical data. Theories of decentralisation of natural resource management, community participation, communication, and NGO cooperation are presented. With starting point in the empirical material and the presented theories has way the local government handles the decentralisation process, and the role of the locally involved NGO, been analysed. The study shows shortcomings in: education of stakeholders, communication training among government officials, trust in the capability of local water users, and communication between stakeholders. The study also enlighten the government officials fear of losing political power, the NGOs role as communication channel, and the formation of locally rooted organisations.

À la suite de l'effondrement de l'Union soviétique, les états nouvellement formés de l'Asie centrale ont entrepris, à différents niveaux, des réformes de leurs secteurs agraires. Du point de vue de l'utilisation de l'eau d'irrigation, les réformes consistent notamment en des changements aux régimes fonciers et dans la décentralisation de la gestion du système de drainage et d'irrigation. La plupart des institutions qui, durant l'époque soviétique, géraient le système d'irrigation et de drainage ont été abolies. Cela a créé un vide institutionnel et permis le développement d’institutions au niveau local qui puissent être participatives et appartenir aux utilisateurs. Pourtant, le contexte historique et contemporain de la région pose des défis particuliers pouvant nuire à un tel développement. Les associations d'utilisateurs d'eau ou le gouvernement local gèrent l'irrigation et les systèmes de drainage au niveau local. Ces associations représentent souvent des initiatives conduites par les donateurs internationaux. Parallèlement, les institutions informelles et les modes traditionnels de coopération qui ont survécu à l'ère soviétique deviennent importants et quelques institutions créées durant cette ère demeurent toujours pertinentes. Cette recherche consiste à évaluer le rôle d’action collective dans un système de gestion d’irrigation et de drainage dans le bassin versant de la rivière Syr-Darya dans un contexte changeant concernant les droits d’usage de l'eau et de la terre. L'étude cherche à (1) saisir l'importance de l'eau d’irrigation dans les moyens de subsistance des utilisateurs dans la région de recherche; (2) explorer certaines caractéristiques des institutions formelles et informelles à travers lesquelles les fermiers dirigent des systèmes de drainage et d’irrigation; et (3) identifier les institutions qui appuient l'action collective et celles qui entravant son développement. La méthodologie de recherche repose une revue bibliographique et sur un travail de terrain dans la vallée de Ferghana, au Kirghizistan, entre le 30 avril et le 31 juillet 2008. Les résultats de la recherche sont présentés comme une étude de cas. / Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the newly independent countries of Central Asia undertook reforms of their agrarian sectors with varying degrees of speed and depth. In general, the reforms consisted of changes in the nature of land tenure and in the decentralization of irrigation and drainage management. Through these reforms, former state management institutions were abolished leaving an institutional vacuum that presented an opportunity for the development of local-level management institutions. However, the historical context of the region poses particular challenges that may impede users to capitalize on such opportunities.     Water User’s Associations or the local administration manage irrigation and drainage systems at the local level. Water User Associations represent international donor-driven initiatives to introduce equitable, democratic and participative institutions for irrigation and drainage management. There are indications that those informal institutions and traditional modes of cooperation that survived the Soviet era are gaining importance. This study maps out the various institutions, defined as "rules in use", that farmers employ to manage the irrigation and drainage system in the Ferghana Valley within the context of changing land and water rights. The key objectives of the study are (1) to understand the importance of irrigated water for local livelihoods in the research area; (2) to explore certain characteristics of the formal and informal institutions through which farmers manage irrigation and drainage systems; and (3) to depict ways in which “collective action” in irrigation water management can be strengthened. The methodology consists of a synthesis of existing literature and fieldwork in the Ferghana Valley in Kyrgyzstan, from April 30 until 31 July, 2008. The results of the research are presented as a case study.

Thesis (M. Tech) - Central University of Technology, Free State, 2008 / Food and water are two basic human needs. International projections indicate that water shortages will be prevalent among poorer countries where resources are limited and population growth is rapid, such as the Middle East, parts of Asia and Africa. Provisional estimates are that South Africa will run out of surplus usable water by 2025, or soon thereafter. Urban and peri-urban areas will therefore require new infrastructure and inter-basin transfers to provide safe water and adequate sanitation. Due to the high cost of these developments, such water is seen as being used for industrial and public needs only and not for irrigation. Currently, the agricultural water users consume the majority of the water used by humans. Taking cognisance of the before mentioned it is a reality that in the future the irrigation sector will have to sacrifice some of its water for public and industrial usage. This suggests growing conflict between the different water users and the agricultural water users. An attempt by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) to address this conflict has been the implementation of pilot studies to determine the steps Water User Associations (WUAs) could take to ensure more effective water use in the future by the agricultural sector. These steps include an increase in irrigation efficiency according to the benchmarks of crop irrigation requirements and more efficient dam and canal management. The Water Administration System (WAS) has been developed to fulfill this exact requirement as it ensures optimal delivery of irrigation water on demand. The program is designed as a management tool for irrigation schemes, WUAs and water management offices to manage their accounts, and also to manage water supply to clients more efficiently through canal networks, pipelines and rivers. The WAS program consists of four modules that are integrated into a single program. Three modules of the WAS program have already been implemented at the Vaalharts irrigation scheme. This scheme has been transformed from a government controlled scheme to a privately owned scheme, and is now known as the Vaalharts Water User’s Association (VHWUA). The main purpose of this study was to implement the fourth module of the WAS program at the VHWUA as only full functionality of the complete program will ensure effective water use at the scheme. The fourth module calculates the volume of water to be released for all the canals (main canal and all its branches), allowing for lag times, water losses and accruals in order to minimise waste and thus save water. The methodology followed in this study was to first of all develop an understanding of the distribution cycle and the current calculation procedure of the VHWUA. The fourth module was then applied on a typical feeder canal and used to calculate the release volumes in order to compare these results with the current values. The next step was then to verify all data abstracted from the database used by the WAS program to calculate the release volumes. The database consists of information like cross-sectional properties, positioning of the sluices, canal slope, as well as canal capacities. The verification of data was done by field work, by studying existing engineering design drawings, through meetings and consultations with all parties involved in the VHWUA as well as by mathematical calculations. Cross-checking and verification, if necessary, of all above mentioned data were done. After the verification process, the database was updated and another cycle of calculations were run to do the final calibrations. Accurate calibrations were done to the seepage and the lag time coefficient. Some final adjustments were also made to the canal geometry in the database. This was an important part of the study as only a trusted and verified database will deliver correct results, irrespective of the software program used. After calibration of the database, the fourth module was again applied, but this time water losses were included in the calculations and the results revealed trustworthy and accurate real-time release volumes. The study therefore succeeded in the implementation of the fourth module on a typical feeder canal at the VHWUA. The study was concluded by the compilation of a checklist, which the VHWUA can use to implement the module on the whole scheme. This would enable the VHWUA to implement and apply the complete WAS program, which offers all the benefits and answers in every need of any water management office. Sustainable water resource utilisation can only be achieved through proper management. Applying this most effective management program will ensure a cost effective and optimised process at the VHWUA.