What Next after Transfer

Transfer of Management to User Associations: What Next?

The transfer of management of irrigation systems to Water User Associations is not an ultimate goal. The author argues that, under certain conditions, it may be a catalyst for moving to a higher level of performance of irrigated agriculture through improvement of operation and service.

Recent studies by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and others on the impact of irrigation management transfer (IMT) on performance of irrigation projects have shown a considerable improvement in the collection of water charges and, therefore, in the recovery of operation and maintenance (O&M) costs. However, there is no strong evidence that transfer has an impact on the water use or agricultural productivity.

Some projects claim a substantial increase in irrigated area and/or agricultural yield. In most cases, these projects were performing very poorly before transfer. In these cases transferring management to water user associations (WUAs) may have greatly reduced the anarchy in water distribution or the level of inequity between head and tail-enders. 

In projects previously managed by irrigation agencies according to well-established engineering rules, the impact of irrigation management transfer on agricultural productivity and water use is much less evident. In this latter case, the irrigation agencies have transferred their operating practices to the water user associations.

For example, water delivery in Latin America is commonly based on demand: the farmer arranges water delivery in advance by placing an order with the agency. After transfer, WUAs have adopted the same demand-driven approach. The service provider has simply changed from government irrigation agency to the local water user association.

Some improvements in level of service after transfer, such as a reduction of the interval between the time of water demand and time of delivery, have been made through simple changes such as an improved communication system, computers and low-cost repairs of the control infrastructure. However, to reach a higher level of performance, more fundamental changes are needed.

Outdated design and practices still govern the management of many irrigation systems in both developed and developing countries. The Western United States have hundreds of small irrigation canals, most of which have changed very little over the past century. Even on these smaller projects, more on-farm modernization and use of water saving technology is requiring greater delivery flexibility. For instance, a farmer using drip irrigation may require smaller, but more frequent water deliveries. Farmers in systems with rigid delivery schedules are facing problems, unless they are using groundwater.

Irrigation agencies have been slow to adopt improved design and management for several reasons: aversion of staff to change, lack of incentives, poor understanding of irrigation modernization, and, very often, lack of training in basic hydraulics and hydrology.

Opportunities for improving irrigation performance are created by the full transfer of irrigation management responsibilities to water user associations. Farmers have very strong incentives to improve the level of service. Greater dependability and delivery flexibility mean higher crop yields and lower operating costs of the irrigation system. 

Individual farmers have very little leverage to convince irrigation agencies to make the required improvements. Interventions by large, influential farmers often result in short-term solutions, which benefit only themselves. WUAs responsible for managing systems serving large areas (5,000 ha to 35,000 ha in Turkey and Mexico) have the financial and managerial ability to make substantial changes. They are able to mobilize enough financial resources for a phased modernization. The new technical and management staff recruited by these associations are often willing to improve the service and the procedures, as they are ultimately accountable to the water users.

User associations also have a strong financial interest in the renewing of aging irrigation infrastructure. Simply replacing the existing infrastructure with identical structures is often not the best choice. Careful diagnosis of the system can reveal opportunities to create better and more effective irrigation systems.

By contrast, small associations or water groups responsible for O&M at the tertiary or secondary level have little capability to make major improvements to the system–unless members participate in a main canal-level federation. Or, farmers may participate in a project level consultation with the irrigation authorities on activities such as the annual budget and repair program, as in the Office du Niger in Mali, for example.

Improved canal control can create significant labor savings to a WUA. The quality and effectiveness of labor are likely to improve as some of the less efficient manual tasks are eliminated. Many projects have staff living next to control structures which are adjusted only occasionally, once a week or less. Canal operators of a U.S. Bureau of Reclamation project estimated that more than half of their time each day was spent driving from site to site, but that they only needed to make adjustments at about 10 percent of the sites visited. A major part of their field visits could be eliminated with a simple remote monitoring system.

Improved design and management does not necessarily mean use of sophisticated technology, which could be inappropriate for the physical and social environment of some developing countries. Simple engineering solutions can provide major benefits in terms of water delivery. Many projects could simplify operations and increase efficiency with simple upstream controls such as:

• Recirculation of drainage water
• Changes in the water-level control structures combined with new operational practices
• Better communication and transportation
• Limited use of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)

The world's environment and food security are linked to irrigation design and management. As the era of new water projects is coming to an end in most countries, upgrading existing projects is increasingly becoming a necessity. Most policies and institutional reforms cannot be fully implemented without the right physical environment. Many governments are promoting reforms such as applying volumetric water charges and quotas, designating water rights, and opening active water markets. Implementing these reforms requires both the users' confidence in the water delivery service and the proper water control to provide that service.

In conclusion, physical and institutional improvements in irrigation are not isolated actions but support one another. Any strategy for improving performance of the irrigation sector should consider the interrelationship between the design of user associations and their functions and the plans for a better level of service. The same comment applies to other approaches to institutional reforms. For example, in the State of Victoria, Australia, irrigation reformers abolished the State Commission and created Rural Water Authorities. This major change was accompanied by reform of water allocation policies and the shift from an inflexible and highly reactive operation to a system that is driven by the demands of irrigators.

Transfer of management of irrigation systems to user associations is not an end in itself but the beginning of a potential water revolution.

An Example of a Simple, Low-Cost Modernization in the U.S.A.

The gravity irrigation system of the Chowchilla Water District (CWD) in the central San Joaquin Valley of California serves about 30,000 ha. CWD is a quasi-public irrigation district having a five-member Board of Directors elected by the farmers, with a professional district manager and staff. Within the past 4 years the new manager has, with the assistance of the Irrigation Training and Research Center (ITRC) at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), embarked on a strong modernization program. 

First, employees needed a ``service attitude." About half of the operators were replaced for not adopting such an attitude.

Second, monitoring devices with data recorders were set up on spills to measure the quantity of water leaving the district and to understand patterns of excess and deficits at the tail ends of canals.

Third, the heads of the main canals and laterals were equipped with Replogle flumes to accurately measure flows. The main canal entrance was automated for flow control and equipped with a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system for monitoring and remote changes of the target flow rate. The district has installed over 40 ITRC Flap Gates, an inexpensive (about $3,000 each) hydraulic gate for automatic maintenance of upstream canal water level control, and has installed two new regulating reservoirs.

The results are flexible and reliable arranged deliveries to farmers with a 24-hour advance request, less variation in flows to the farmers (typical turnouts only have 10 cm of head), a drastic reduction in spill from the district boundaries, and elimination of canal breaches.

-Hervé Plusquellec, Former World Bank Irrigation Advisor

Charles M. Burt, P.E., Ph.D.
Professor and Chairman of the Board
Irrigation Training and Research Center (ITRC)
BioResource and Agricultural Engineering Dept.
California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly)