Improving Irrigation Management in India

Description

There is a growing crisis in water resource management today and this is becoming increasingly serious as development accelerates. The management of the water resource across vast areas of the country, and amongst millions of users is becoming a major challenge. The crucial role of irrigation in food production as well as livelihoods in India is well-known. Irrigation systems frequently show low water use efficiency, poor maintenance, and weak financial sustainability. The technical and economic solutions to the problems are typically known and often simple, but the institutional management in a participative political economy framework is becoming very difficult and is posing a serious challenge. The analysis of the shortcomings point substantially to the lack of meaningful involvement of the farmers in decision making and various physical activities. This has led to a growing emphasis on Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) which has been, by policy, promoted vigorously by the central and state governments in the past 2-3 decades. However, doubts exist regarding the extent of devolution, the institutional capacity, and the impact on agriculture and rural livelihoods. In light of this, the present research, undertaken collaboratively with the State Agro-Economic Research Centers, examines the nature and performance of PIM across three major states: Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra.