This document provides an introduction and literature review for a study evaluating participatory irrigation management in Kerala, India with a focus on the Peechi Irrigation Project. The study aims to assess the role of Water Users Associations in improving water use efficiency, evaluate the socioeconomic impacts of participatory irrigation management, identify strengths and limitations, and suggest reforms. Primary data will be collected through surveys of farmers in the command areas served by the project. The analysis seeks to determine if participatory management through water user groups can help address issues of suboptimal irrigation system performance in Kerala.

1. AN EVALUATION OF PARTICIPATORY IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT IN KERALA-
WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO PEECHI IRRIGATION PROJECT
BY
Anuradha.P
Assistant Professor
Department of Economics
N.S.S.College,Ottapalam
Under the guidance of
Dr. P.M.Rejimon
Associate Professor
Department of Economics,
M.D.College, Pazhanji
Kunnamkulam

2. AN EVALUATION OF PARTICIPATORY IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT IN
KERALA-WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO PEECHI IRRIGATION PROJECT
INTRODUCTION
Water management is a major concern of agriculture in the world.
The largest water use happens in agriculture sector and primarily for
irrigation. Irrigation constitutes the main use of water in India ,
which as of now is 84 per cent of the total water use.
In every five year plan, a major portion of plan outlay has been
allocated to irrigation development in order to increase agricultural
productivity and eradicate rural poverty.

3. Irrigation development has been the sole responsibility of the state.
The major and medium irrigation projects India in India are mostly
state owned, state funded, and are departmentally managed by a
hierarchical bureaucracy with a centralized top-down approach.
So, during the 1960s, irrigation coupled with fertilizer application
and high-yielding varieties of seeds played a key role in ushering in a
green revolution and making India self-sufficient in food grain
production.

4. But, a scrutiny of irrigation sector performance in India reveals
that the overall performance of irrigation systems is suboptimal,
inefficient, and inequitable, falling far short of expectations.
As a result of which, the irrigation sector is not able to generate
resources internally for carrying out the operation and maintenance
of the irrigation structures leading to poor quality irrigation service
thereby posing a threat to the sustainability of the created irrigation
structures.

5. To improve the irrigation system performance, the government
has to secure funds by increasing water rates and reducing
irrigation subsidies, whereas the farmers insist that they would pay
the increased water rate only if there were improvements to the
quality of the irrigation service.
Thus, the irrigation sector is confronted with a vicious circle and
deadlock situation. As an escape from this impasse, most of the
state governments in India have undertaken profound institutional
and financial reform measures in the irrigation sector during the
last decade.

6. This showed that , mere provision of an irrigation facility does not ensure
enhanced agricultural production. The effect of irrigation on productivity is
critically dependent on the way water is applied and used.
So, in order to establish improved water delivery system and for optimal
use of scarce water, much more active participation of the water users in all
aspects of water resources development and management.
It includes planning, design, construction, operation, maintenance, on-
farm development, rehabilitation, modernization, water distribution,
financing, resource mobilization, collection of water rates, monitoring and
evaluation.

7. Need of the study
Publicly managed irrigation schemes are largely under-performing, due to
a rigid, top-down, bureaucratic approach, lack of maintenance and
upgrading of irrigation schemes, poor water service delivery, and lack of
transparency and accountability.
In order to improve these irrigation in efficiencies and to check
corruption, Participatory Irrigation Management was officially recognised
as the most appropriate approach over the past 30 years to bring about
efficient utilisation of irrigation water, its equitable distribution and
sustainable irrigation service.

8. Today most of the major states in India like Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradedsh,
Odisha, Karnataka,Tamilnadu Bihar are putting emphasis on decentralising water
management by encouraging the farmers to form Water Users Associations to take
over the responsibility of operation and maintenance of downstream parts of
irrigation, distribution of water among water users, and collection of water rates.
The underlying rationale for participation in irrigation is that users have a direct
interest in the water delivery function because of its influence on the profitability of
their agricultural operations. Therefore, promoting community participation through
Water User Associations (WUAs) can be the best strategy for long term
sustainability of irrigated agriculture. WUAs have proven, in the best cases, to be
efficient, accountable and responsive.

9. Review of Literatures:
•According to Kokate and Bade (2012) , participatory irrigation management system is the key for
making users effectively manage their resources. It has also lead to significant increases in the
efficiency of water use and the value of agricultural production.
•According to Kumar and Kumar (2012), the overall participation in WUAs has been found
satisfactory and the participation increases as farm-size increases.
•Naik and Kalro (1998) studied the role of water users Association in irrigation management in
Maharashtra and showed that, in the proper situations, PIM leads to significant increases in the
efficiency of water use and value of irrigated agricultural production. Users maintain the natural
resources when substantial responsibilities are transferred to them.
•Yap-Salinas (1994) reports that irrigation transfer in the Dominican Republic, through
theestablishment of local organizations to regulate land and water use, has halted and reversed land
degradation and loss of soil, which in turn has reduced health risks previously associated with
waterlogging from poor drainage.

10. •Hamada and Samad (2011) study found that, in most cases farmers participate
in all stages of irrigation development, but this approach was not successful,
because, of the unfair cost sharing and financial weakness in farmers
organizations.
•Swain and Das (2008) showed that the process is fraught with many
difficulties due to heterogeneity of farmers, physical system inefficiency, and
half hearted support from the irrigation bureaucracy, lack of committed local
leadership, inadequate capacity building and lack of proper incentives.
•Mahapatra(2007) concludes that the Pani Panchayat as regulatory institutions
in charge of water distribution on equitable basis, their performance has been
reasonably weak and unsuccessful.

11. Statement of the Problem
In the last seven decades ,a number of irrigation projects have been commissioned in Kerala as
irrigated agriculture holds the key for increasing crop productivity . Even though there are a total
of 19 completed and 4 partially commissioned major / medium irrigation projects catering to a
gross irrigated area of 4.83 lakh ha, there exists a wide gap between the irrigation potential
created (1249.51mha) and utilized (1162.63mha) under these projects.
Kerala has only 17 percent of her land irrigated, much below the national average which points
towards the poor performance of Kerala in the field of irrigation. Despite the introduction of
CADA, the beneficiary participation is found to be poor in India as a whole; and Kerala lags even
behind the all-India performance level. This has been mainly attributed to improper / inefficient
water management in the command areas of irrigation projects, resulting in wastage and
inequitable water distribution among farmers both in terms of quantity as well as time.
So the present study is undertaken in the Kerala context, to analyse the problems and prospects of
bottom-up approach through water users association and suggest appropriate measures to ensure
user-friendly interface between farmers and irrigation department.

12. Objectives of the study
1. To assess the role of Water Users Associations in improving
water use efficiency in the study area.
2. To evaluate the socio-economic impact of Participatory
Irrigation Management (WUAs) on farmer’s livelihood.
3. To identify the strengths and limitations of the participatory
method of water management
4. To suggest suitable reform measures to enhance beneficiary
participation and improve the working of the system.

13. Methodology of the study
The universe of the study constitutes the farmers and officials of all the command
areas of the irrigation projects of Keraia State.
But the specific population selected for the study are the farmers and officials of the
command area of the Peechi Irrigation Project. Primary Data will be collected from
farmers belonging to the two branch canal commands (Right bank canal and Left
Bank canal).
Secondary data will be collected from the Irrigation Departments, CADA offices,
etc. Various published and unpublished documents and reports will be used to collect
information and to understand the dynamics of water distribution and use.
Data analysis will be done using appropriate statistical tools.

14. BIBLIOGRAPHY:-
Dr. C. N. Kokate, and Mr. Ganesh Bade (2012) Participatory Irrigation Management: A Case Study
,Proceeding of International Conference SWRDM-2012
ShivKumar, Anil Kumar G.V(2012) -Canal Irrigation Management through Water Users Associations
and its Impact on Efficiency, Equity and Reliability in Water Use in Tamil Nadu-Agricultural
Economics Research Review 25(Conf issue):409-419 · January 2012
Hiromasa hamada,M.Samad (2011) -Basic Principles for Sustainable Participatory Irrigation
Management- Japan Agricultural Research Quarterly 45(4):371-376 · October 2011
Swain M and Das D K., (2008), Participatory Irrigation Management in India: Implementation and
Gaps, Journal of Development in Sustainable Agriculture, Vol. 3, 28-39.
Sushanta Kumar Mahapatra, (2007),Functioning of Water Users Associations or Pani Panchayat in
Orissa: Principle, Procedure, Performance and Prospects-Paper prepared for the workshop entitled
‘Water, Law and the Commons’ organised in Delhi from 8 to 10 December 2006 by the International
Environmental Law Research Centre (IELRC) in the context of the Research partnership 2006-2009
on water law sponsored by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF)
Naik G and Kalro A H., (1998), Two Case Studies on the Role of Water Users’ Associations in
Lrigation Management in Maharashtra, India. The World Bank / WBIs CBNRM Srdis,ciesin,
org.cases/India-.38.html.
Vermillion D., (1997), Impact of Irrigation Management Transfer: A Review of the Evidence, IWMI,
Reg. Rep., Vol. 11, 1-35.
Yap-Salinas. L. Humberto. 1994. "Converging factors in the successful transfer of irrigation
management responsibilities to water users' associations in the Dominican Republic",paper presented at
the International Conference on Irrigation Management Transfer,Wuhan China.
https://www.academia.edu/5115523/Participatory_Irrigation_Management_in_India_Implementations_
and_Gaps_Introduction
G.Mini,2006,"Water Users Association and Irrigation Management:With Special Reference to
Environmental Problems"A thesis submitted to the University of Mysore, Mysore,through the Institute
for Social and Economic Change (lSEC), Bangalore, for the award of the Degree of Doctor of
Philosophy in Development Studies