Managing Canal Irrigation

A challenge to re-examine beliefs, biases and actions is presented through the exposure of misleading research and faulty diagnosis in the current policies and pratices of canal irrigation.

This Book Attempts An Account Of The Status Of Water Distribution, Issues Associated With Irrigation Projects, Socio-Economic And Environmental Consquences Of Maldistribution And People`S Participation In Irrigation Projects.

This publication describes the MASSCOTE methodology, illustrated by several applications in Asia. MASSCOTE is a comprehensive methodology for analysing the modernization of canal operation. The aim is to enable experts to work together with users in determining improved processes for cost-effective service-oriented management. It is based on previous tools and approaches widely used in Asia by FAO in its modernization training programme (rapid appraisal procedures and benchmarking). From diagnosis through the formulation of operational units and the planning of a service (based on the vision agreed upon with the users), MASSCOTE entails a systematic, ten-step, mapping exercise. The accompanying CD-ROMs contain the full document in English, excerpts in French, a draft version in Arabic and Chinese, training presentations and material, and a number of documents and references on irrigation system operation and management [System requirements: PC with Intel Pentium(r) processor and Microsoft(r)Windows 95/98/200/Me/NT/XP; 256 MB of RAM; 50 MB of available hard-disk space; SuperVGA monitor; 256 colours at 1024x768; Adobe Acrobat(r) Reader (not included on CD-ROM)]

The book focuses broadly on the preliminaries of the canal irrigation systems in India with a focus on their operation, maintenance, and management of the canal systems. The chapters in this book are classified under four sections, viz., (i). preliminaries of the canal irrigation systems, (ii) operation of the canal irrigation systems, (iii) maintenance of the canal irrigation systems, and (iv) management of the canal irrigation systems. The preliminaries of the canal irrigation systems include an integrated view of irrigation and agriculture, irrigation management in India: problems, issues, a brief history, and some lessons, irrigation administration, organizational structure for management of irrigated agriculture, and farmers’ participation. The operation of the canal irrigation systems includes the operation of dams and barrages, canal operation, water distribution planning, measurement of flow and sediment in canals, and performance evaluation of the canal irrigation system, use of groundwater in the canal command area. The canal irrigation systems' maintenance includes dams, barrages, related equipment, canals and related structures, field drainage, diagnostic analysis of canal irrigation system, soil and water quality management, soil moisture, and measurement. The management of the canal irrigation systems includes rehabilitation and modernization and a case study on rehabilitation, conjunctive use management, operation, and maintenance budgeting, and financing. The book is expected to be useful for academicians, water practitioners, scientists, water managers, environmentalists, administrators, NGOs, researchers, and students who are actively involved in the operation, maintenance, and management of the canal irrigation system for addressing the challenges being faced in the irrigated agricultural while addressing issues of canal irrigation systems in South East Asia.

Series: Wageningen University Water Resources Series. This book analyses the struggle over water in a large-scale irrigation system in Raichur District, Karnataka, South India. It looks at water control as a simultaneously technical, managerial and socio-political process. The triangle of accommodation of different categories of farmers, irrigation department officials and local politicians, involving water, votes, money, employment, credit and harassment, is documented. The book shows that the physical infrastructure, notably the division structures, are signposts of struggle, expressing the balance of power between farmers and the irrigation department, and that between head- and tail-end farmers. It concludes with a discussion of irrigation reform efforts in India: reasons for the very slow transformation of the sector, and how a more integrated perspective on irrigation could provide directions for the way forward.