Experiences of farmer participation in irrigation management: Mula command Maharashtra State, India

Abstract

A major storage dam on the Mula River in Maharashtra was constructed in the early 1970s to irrigate about 80 000 ha in 149 drought prone villages. Even though the project is operational since 1977–78 and the storage supplies were as per design, in subsequent years the irrigated area has not exceeded 40 000 ha even in the best rainfall and storage years. Among the complexity of factors responsible for this gross under utillisation, the water allocation and distribution procedures are the important ones. The conventional method of allocation and distribution and its weaknesses are described. In 1981–82, the Rotational Water Supply System (RWS) was introduced on a pilot basis in a few minors to improve the water use efficiency. A review of the experience shows that even though the adoption of RWS has improved the situation, especially on the technical side, little headway has been effected on the organisation of farmers. The micro-level distribution system is still managed by the bureaucracy. As such the RWS has reached a performance plateau. Further gains are possible, only if the groups are encouraged to take over the management and the needed policy changes for graduating the RWS into a farmer managed system are introduced. Among these changes, the important are the assurance of the financial viability of the groups, choice of profitable crops and “extension” work to impart stability to the groups.