Financial Performance of Water Users Associations WUAs in Minor Irrigation Projects in Odisha

Abstract

In the era of liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation there has been a remarkable newlineshift in irrigation management concept with respect to both institutional pattern and financing newlinemechanism around the world. As farmers are the end users of water and key beneficiaries of newlineirrigation system, it is increasingly emphasised that they should actively participate in the newlineplanning and development irrigation infrastructure and management of water resources. Some newlineresponsibilities which had been traditionally performed by the irrigation agency such as newlineoperation, maintenance and repair of physical structures, water allocation among water users and newlinecollection of water rates are now being transferred to Water Users Associations (WUAs). The newlineprogramme is internationally known as Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) or Irrigation newlineManagement Transfer (IMT). It is presumed that the farmers will take extreme care in newlinemaintaining the irrigation structures and proper allocation and utilisation of water as their newlinelivelihood crucially depends on the use of water in agricultural production. In fact, most of the newlinestates in India are now implementing Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) through newlineIrrigation Management Transfer (IMT) to farmers in a mission mode with financial support from newlineinternational donor agencies like World Bank, Department for International Development (UK), newlineEuropean Commission, Japan Bank for International Co-operation now known as Japan newlineInternational Cooperation Agency, Asian Development Bank and under state initiative as a part newlineof overall economic restructuring programme. In Odisha the main reform that has been newlineundertaken in irrigation sector is the attempts to increase farmers direct involvement in newlineirrigation management under the label of Pani Panchayat Programme and the WUAs are termed newlineas Pani Panchayats (PPs newline