Understanding the irrigation governance and mechanisms of water resource management for improved adaptive capacity

1. Understanding The Irrigation Governance And
Mechanisms Of Water Resource Management
For Improved Adaptive Capacity
Krity Shrestha1; Bimal Raj Regmi and
Anjal Prakash2
HIAWARE (Practical Action1 and ICIMOD2)
Farmer Managed Irrigation Systems At The Crossroads
11th April 2017

2. Research Questions
• What are the local attributions of climate change in
Panchakanya FMIS?
• How are the Water user’s Association and communities
adapting to these changes?
• How has the climate change manifestations and scenarios
been affecting the landless female agricultural labourers
within the system?
Institutional Analysis and Development Framework, Bisaro and
Henkel 2016

3. Panchakanya FMIS at a glance
• small (600 ha) gravity surface irrigation system
fed by a spring or a confluence of 5 springs
(panchanadi), which lie in private land
• Command area: Ward Nos.1,4,5,6,7,8 and 9 of the
Ratnanagar Municipality (17 settlements) with 8
branches and 10 outlets (branch 8 exited from the
system)
• Farmers and landless agricultural labourers
dependent
• Functioning as a registered FMIS since 1994
• Various irrigation programs such as CIDP
(1997,1982), IMTP (1995) and SHAGUN project

4. Changing climate scenario
• Increasing temperature trend ,
• extreme variability in rainfall (timing,
intensity),
• increased climate extreme events (e.g.
Drought) and associated disasters (pest
and disease)

5. Impacts
• Decreasing water availability in the system and
shrinking command area since past 20 years
• Increasing use of personal /communal shallow tube
wells and boring within and around the system area
(more than 40%)
• Management and issues within the FMIS committee-
Governance challenges, mistrust between users and
user groups
• Increased agricultural costs for the farmers and
drudgery for the agricultural laborers (land less)
• Shift to other livelihood options such as employment in
mills/factories for small holder farmers (esp men)
• Unemployment challenges for landless Agricultural
Female laborers

6. FMIS responses
FMIS executive committee limited to
• Turnwise distribution of water (in
more accessible areas)
• collection of “paanipot” with difficulty
• Communication with municipality for
additional resources but limited to
cleanliness and maintenance only
• Excavation near the ponds to limit
sedimentation in the source

7. • access and benefit sharing:
particularly access of water to tail
users;
• participation and inclusion:
Tokenistic and male dominated;
• institutional governance: weak
lack of accountability and
transparency mechanisms- lack
of AGM for many years,
miscommunication and mistrust
with the users
• Difficulty in resource management
• Lack of proper technical
knowledge on climate change
adaptation
Existing drivers of vulnerability

8. “Gender dimensions” within the
system
• Women participation: mandated by the
government rules only;
• most women have no clue on what the
FMIS does
• Lack of incentive, capacity and
encouragement for women leadership
• The situation is difficult for landless female
agricultural laborers- due to increasing
unemployment and lack of other livelihood
skills

9. Way ahead
• Adaptive governance and need for
transformation change within the FMIS;
• Policy in favor of both conserving the
depleted water sources (land issues) and
strengthening the internal governance of
water users group;
• New strategy and vision for tackling
climate change including climate
adaptive technologies and techniques

10. Thankyou 