Irrigation

Forwarded to the Portal by: Josh Paglia, SIWI

The UNDP Water Governance Facility (WGF) at the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) is a unique initiative that supports developing countries in their efforts to strengthen water governance and reduce poverty through policy support and advisory services. The latest newsletter from the Water Governance Facility provides updates on activities initiated & much more.

Some highlights are: WGF in Action: From the World Water Forum

At the 5th World Water Forum, 15-22 March, Istanbul, WGF participated in several events. At the seminar Beyond Water Bribes: How to build a corruption-resistant water sector Dr. HÃ¥kan Tropp gave a key note presentation Corruption: The Missing Link in Water Governance. WGF also co-authored parts of the World Water Development Report, 2009: Water in a Changing World, and attended its launch 16 March.

"Centre absent from water projects", is a report by Himanshu Thakkar, written in May 2007, on the need for developing procedures to ensure that projects that have not been approved by either CWC or the Planning Commission do not get statutory clearances, so that such central agencies do not work more like agents for sub-optimal development.

Tamil Nadu farmers mangement of irrigation systems act, 2000

The act provides for farmer's participation in the management of irrigation systems and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. The act provides for the delineation of Water Users Association area on a hydraulic basis, which may be administratively viable. Every Water Users Associations area shall be divided into territorial constituencies, which shall not be less than four, but shall not be more than ten, as may be prescribed.

The Kerala Irrigation and Water Conservation Act (2003) aims to consolidate and amend the laws relating to construction of irrigation works, conservation and distribution of water for the purpose of irrigation and levy of betterment contribution and water cess on lands benefited by irrigation works and to provide for involvement of farmers in water utilisation system.

The Karnataka Irrigation Act (1965) seeks to consolidate the provisions of the Mysore irrigation (levy of betterment contribution and water rate) act, which was passed by the Legislature in 1957 and other allied Acts in force in the different areas in so far as they related to the levy of betterment contribution and water rate.

As per the  Bihar irrigation act (1997) all irrigation works are to vest in the Government.

 This study by CISED and NIVA aimed at the development of a comprehensive database on the status of water sector and the development of integrated hydro economic model for selected water services in the study area of the Malaprabha basin. The study focused on exploring the feasibility of Payment for Watershed Services (PWS) to improve the water availability through a detailed analysis of the historic hydrologic data and development of a framework of hydrologic and water allocation model. A hydro-allocation model was developed using the software - ArcView SWAT (AVSWAT) and MIKE-BASIN models.

This paper published on the International Environmental Law Research Centre (IELRC) site examines the trajectory in debates demanding reforms within the irrigation sector in India and compares it to the reality of the reforms carried out by the State.

Based on this, the paper argues that legal reforms to the irrigation sector are long overdue, but the suitability of the framework adopted by the Andhra Pradesh Government, premised as it is on the “Participatory Irrigation Management” model, needs critical evaluation.

This presentation provides information on the water conservation efforts made by Reliance industries Limited at water conservation.

This presentation describes Hindalco's Renukoot operations, which included a watershed management project aimed at benefiting farmers of 30 villages in this hilly area where around 65% of the population lives below the poverty line.