Albania

A National Workshop of Water User Associations was held in Tirana, Albania in May 2002. Over 150 participants attended the workshop including J. Raymond Peter, Executive Director, INPIM. The workshop was inaugurated by the Minister of Agriculture.

Albania's irrigation schemes suffered badly during the decline of the economy during the last decade and many ceased operations altogether after the destruction of public property that marked the demise of the regime in 1991. By 1993 only 80,000 hectares were actually irrigated. More than 120,000 ha have been rehabilitated under the first (1994) and second (1999) irrigation and drainage project. The impacts of these projects have been an increase in irrigated area from 35% to 61% and increases in crop yields and ownership of dairy cattle. More than 400 WUAs and 21 federations have been developed over the last 8 years. WUAs have played a critical role in the planning and design of the rehabilitation program. 90,000 ha have been transferred to WUAs to date.

The capacities of WUAs and the rehabilitation of Albania's irrigation sector are being enhanced through programs being funded by the World Bank. These programs are being implemented by the Project Management Unit under the dynamic leadership of Mr. Ylli Dedja who is also a Director on the INPIM Board.

India

IndiaNPIM is the largest and one of the most active of INPIM's country chapters. Among the chapter's achievements, IndiaNPIM has published several informative newsletters and creative communication materials including a CD-ROM on PIM in India. The chapter has also organized several national seminars and INPIM's Fifth International Seminar on PIM. Most importantly IndiaNPIM has played a key role in putting irrigation reform on the policy agenda and establishing stakeholder participation as a legitimate means to making irrigation sustainable.

Changes in the Board of Directors:

Rakesh Hooja, President and Ganesh Pangare, CEO have been nominated by IndiaNPIM to serve as representatives of the chapter on INPIM's Board of Directors. They will replace long term INPIM Board of Director L.K. Joshi.

Activities:

Tamil Nadu Case Study Writing Workshop: In collaboration with the Water Resources Organization, Public Works Department, and the Government of Tamil Nadu, a three day case study writing workshop was held in Trichy, Tamil Nadu from the 23rd to the 25th of May 2001. In that workshop data collected was analyzed by using a framework created by IndianNPIM. It was ten used to write case studies on the Tamil Nadu experience.

National Workshop on Participatory Irrigation Management - Farmers Organization and Turn Over Experience in Tamil Nadu: This event was supported by the Water Resources Organization, PWD Government of Tamil Nadu, the World Bank Institute, as well as IndiaNPIM. The event was held from August 6th to the 8th. The proceedings of the workshop are currently being written and will be published by January 2002.

National Farmer's Workshop on "Women and PIM: Status and Prospects": This event was jointly organized by AKRSP and IndiaNPIM and was held on 27th and 28th August 2001. The event was attended by 50 male and female farmers from 5 different states. A working paper on the results of the workshop is scheduled to be published soon.

National Advocacy cum Training Workshop to Network for WALMIs, IMTIs, WALAMTARIs: This two-day workshop was organized and funded by IndiaNPIM and was held on the 3rd and 4th of September 2001. It brought together state level Water and Land Management Institutes in India which were represented by 30 engineers. A detailed report on the workshop has been prepared and is available upon request. Based on the discussions from this workshop a paper titled "Training for PIM in India: A Supplementary Note to IndiaPIM's Working Paper/Monograph Number 4" has been written.

All India Water User's Associations Convention in Andhra Pradesh: This event was held from the 28th to the 30th of January 2002. IndiaNPIM sponsored the travel of 30 farmers outside of Andhra Pradesh to the convention.

ICEF-Palmyra-IndiaNPIM Workshop in Tamil Nadu: Background research for this workshop is in progress. It will be held sometime in mid-2002.

The following is a list of studies and research reports completed by IndianNPIM:

1. Inventory and Feasibility Study on Tertiary Education in South Asia on Water Resources: SaciWaters Study,
2. People's Movement for Waters, Lessons from the Johad: Tarum Bharat Sangh Study,
3. Madhya Pradesh Study Mission on PIM,
4. Training for Participatory Irrigation Management in India: Present Status and Needs - A Policy Aid Document,
5. Participatory Monitoring and Learning,
6. MP Training Needs Assessment and Perspective Training Plan Study,
7. Virtual Conference on Farmer Networks for Integrated Water Resources Management,
8. UP Water Restructuring Project.

The following is a list of workshops and seminars attended by the leadership of IndiaNPIM:

1. ADB Environment Policy Consultation - India, 30 October 2001,
2. Guwahati Workshop and Proposed North-East Study and Workshop,
3. Conference of WUA presidents in Bhopal, 16 December 2001,
4. Pro-Poor Intervention Strategies in Irrigation Agriculture in India, 25 June 2001;
5. Gujarat PIM Task Force,
6. IWMI-TATA Workshop in Irma, Ananad, Gujarat,
7. First South Asia Forum on Water in Kathmandu,
8. National Course on Implementation of CAD Programme with special emphasis on PIM in Luckhow, UP
9. IWMI Workshop on Integrating Local Action with Dialogue on Water, Food, and Environment in Pune.

Other activities:

-A PIM training course was conducted in Hissar, Haryana.

-The following documents were published: Users in Water Management: the Andhra Model and its Replicability in India by Rakesh Hooja, Ganesh Pangare, and KV Raju, Newsletters No. 11 & 12, Proceedings of the Madurai Workshop, and Five Working Papers / Monographs (No. 5 - 9)

Field visits were made to the following areas by IndiaNPIM leadership for the purpose of collecting data on or observing the status of PIM practices in those places: Karnataka, Ojhar, Orrisa, Karnataka (Pench, MP).

Morocco

INPIM Morocco had a general meeting of its members on 26 May 2002. During this meeting new leadership was elected. Out of the 17 newly elected leaders, 6 of them are farmers.

The new President of INPIM Morocco is Mr. Mohammed Ben Jelloul, Sociologist and PIM Promoter of the Office of Hydro-Agricultural Installations, Ministry of Agriculture, Morocco. Mr. Jelloul has been nominated by INPIM Morocco to serve their representative on the INPIM Board of Directors. Mr. Jelloul will replace Mr. Ali Moulid who has been serving as the INPIM Board of Director.
Nepal

Nepal

The newly formed National Federation Irrigation Water Users Association, Nepal (NFIWUAN) has been busy establishing itself and engaging in various activities over the last year. This organization was formed by 13 representative bodies of 8 district level Water Users Associations who met at the INPIM Nepal's national seminar on Participatory Irrigation Management at Rampur, Chitawan, Nepal. The following is a list and summary of NFIWUAN's activities.

Press Conference: The Federation organized a press conference on 16 August 2001 in Kathmandu. Thirty-four journalists of various local newspapers participated in the conference.

Seminar Outputs: The national seminar on Participatory Irrigation Management at Rampur, Nepal explored the identity of the Federation. Potential activities through which the Federation could address national water resources issues and advocate for irrigation policy that favor participatory management were discussed. During the seminar there was an exchange of information concerning the status of irrigation and other national issues of Nepal. The conference highlighted the activities undertaken by the Federation to improve the irrigation sector and to promote the water rights of farmers and users. The seminar received excellent press. The news of the seminar was reported in Nepal's newspapers.

Training Program Conducted: The Federation has launched a training program to enhance the leadership capabilities of its members to work at both the grassroots and national level. The training sessions conducted to date have provided the participants with a unique opportunity to exchange experiences and share individual views among themselves. An action-plan for the training program has been created.

As part of this new training program the Federation conducted the Women Leadership Development Training at Rampur, Chitwan, Narayani Zone of Nepal during September 9 - 13, 2001. Twenty two women participants from eight districts of Nepal attended the training. The participants indicated that they enjoyed and learned much from this training.

Secretariat Executive Members Visit the Field: As decided by the Secretariat meeting of the Federation, the Secretariat Executive Members have started field visits to the various districts of Nepal to execute an orientation program. Those districts include Chitwan, Bardiya, Parbat, Jhapa, Ilam, Gorkha, Palpa, Rupendehi, Kapilvastu, Banke, Sunsari, Morang, Dhanusaha, Mohatari, Sarlahi, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur.

These field visits and the programs and activities undertaken by the Federation have brought district committee members, members of the water users associations, local government, and non-governmental bodies together to coordinate their activities and network. This has helped to identify needs and priorities, constraints, and other issues concerning water users groups. Almost all the programs implemented in the field were highly focused on the right-to-water for users because until and unless farmers and users obtain water rights in a real sense, improvements in the irrigation sector are merely a dream.

Federation presented request letter to the Minister of Water Resources of His Majesty's Government to exempt demand charge on electricity: Considering the problems of Nepali farmers, the Federation (as decided by it's Secretariat meeting) sent a letter to the Minister for Water Resources requesting an exempt on the demand charge on electricity used by all relevant irrigation systems (e.g. underground and lift irrigation system). His Majesty's Government increased electricity rate in minimum charge used for Deep Tube Well irrigation system during 2001. In the letter the government was informed that this policy would increase the financial burden of farmers and is bound to have an adverse effect on agricultural production.

Summary of NFIWUAN's on-going activities / programs:

" Regular meetings of the National Executive Committee and Secretariat Meeting of the Federation
" Focus groups of women and disadvantaged groups are being held to maximize their participation
" Various PIM promotional activities are being launched
" More WUAs are being recruited as members, currently 565 WUAs from 39 District Committees are members

Programs and training in the pipeline with NFIWUAN:

" Training program for National Executive members
" District Committee management training program
" Leadership Development Training for disadvantaged / unprivileged groups
" Gender Equity Program

Turkey

Hasan Ozlu, Adem Avni UNAL, Board Director of INPIM, Ag. Engineer (M.Sc), DSI, e-mail: hasano@dsi.gov.tr, ademavni@yahoo.com

What happened to irrigation management in Turkey during the last decade? Is it being managed by government? If not, then who is it? In this news update you will find the progress of Irrigation Management Transfer (IMT), especially its legal, technical and managerial aspects. The unique agency, which is directly involved in IMT actions in Turkey, is the State Hydraulic Works.

General Directorate of State Hydraulic Works (DSI), under the aegis of the Ministry of Energy & Natural Resources, is a principal public agency responsible for protection of the nationally owned surface and groundwater resources, elimination of their adverse effects and utilization of these resources for various purposes. The current laws numbered 6200, 1053, and 167 which concerned with water and water related issues, define the duties and responsibilities to DSI in developing surface and ground water as well as the land resources of the country.

To put country's vital natural resources such as water and land into public utilization in many ways, the general rules and principles related Operation and Maintenance (O&M) services of water structures have been set up pursuant to related laws. DSI either manages these O&M services directly itself with its executive units or transfers them to the real persons or legal entities by following the necessary legal procedures.

IMT process has been defined under item k, the second article of the law coded 6200, titled "Organization, Duties, and Responsibilities of General Directorate of DSI". The DSI has the authority to transfer irrigation management. This enabled the DSI to make the process faster and easier.

While DSI's irrigation network expanded each year with newly developed irrigation projects, the burden of O&M had increased and the management of irrigation schemes by DSI became more difficult. Neither farmers nor government seemed satisfied with the ineffective management. Government contemplated transferring O&M to farmer groups and local bodies to enhance the quality of services. On the one hand, were farmers ready for participation? How would they manage the complex irrigation projects and what would be the benefits from them? On the other hand, would some government staff lose their jobs after the transfer? These were the questions to be addressed. DSI had experience in transferring the management of irrigation projects; they transferred 72,000 ha of small-scale irrigation projects to users during 1960 to 1993.

The early 1990s, the larger irrigation schemes were candidates for transfer to users. After detailed discussions the accelerated transfer program was initiated with the support of World Bank in 1993. As of June 1, 2002 87% of the irrigation network (1,916,000 ha) amounting to 1,667,000 have been transferred to water user organizations. This does not include an area of 380,000 ha, which is jointly developed by DSI and General Directorate of Rural Services (GDRS) on behalf of Ground Water Cooperatives.

Out of the total potential of 8.5 m ha, irrigation infrastructure has been developed for 4.8 m ha. The balance of 3.7 m ha is proposed to be developed in the coming years. Each year about 100,000 ha are brought under irrigation. The use of funds for irrigation includes funds for undertaking O&M. Further, water charge collections are low. Then while expanding its irrigation network, DSI has been putting its priority to transfer activities. Since 1993, DSI has focused on getting the farmer participation into O&M responsibility in order to realize the local level management. Hence the participation as well as the formation of auto-control mechanisms among farmers would have created lots of benefits. DSI has put its priority for PIM and launched the transfer programs immediately in all projects including the ones under construction.

Irrigation Management Transfer in Turkey on a voluntarily basis. The transfer process is demand driven. This principle is currently valid in both making the decision on taking over the irrigation management responsibility from government and also during the forming of WUO by farmers. In the process of the transfer DSI mainly looks into whether there is a majority of users in the project area and the legal status of the organization, which would like to take over the irrigation management. The legal status and main characteristics of the IMT are given above in Table 1.

Some social and environmental factors such as size of the project area, manageable hydraulic boundaries, land possessions, optimal management conditions, cultural or social differences, etc. are also taken into consideration when forming a water user association. Gender issues don't seem to be a significant problem in Turkey as the rules emphasize equality for both genders in farming society. On the other hand, not many women participate in the WUO nor do they take up roles in managing the irrigation system. According to our experiences gained since 1994, it can be said that the command area of the project should be larger than 4000-5000 ha for the sustainability of the user organization to supply optimal operation conditions.

The results attained from the implementation show that users are generally adopting successful organization model exist near around. In Turkey, Water User Association is a preferred form of entity as compared to others due to the ease of its establishment and effectiveness of its management. (see Table 2).