Assessing the economic impact of redistributing water within a catchment: a case study of the Musi Catchment in the Krishna Basin in India
Assessing the economic impact of redistributing water within a catchment: a case study of the Musi Catchment in the Krishna Basin in India

Author: Brian Davidson

Publisher: IWMI

Published: 2010-05-13

Total Pages: 50

ISBN-13: 9290907053

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The aim in this paper was to present the details of an economic modeling exercise conducted on the Musi Catchment of the Krishna Basin. The model has the unique characteristic of being able to value the water used on individual crops and in different regions. Thus, the individual values of water used to produce different crops, grown over two different seasons and over five very different regions within a catchment, were determined. This is a significant improvement over previous attempts, where a single value of water in a catchment was derived regardless of what it is used for, when it was used and where it used in the catchment. In addition to the agricultural valuation process, some account was made for the other uses of water and how they should be valued. The worth of these findings cannot be underestimated as the results are useful to those who need to allocate scarce water supplies between competing uses within a catchment. The assumptions underlying the model, the data used and the results and implications drawn are fully detailed in this paper. This model was connected to a hydrological model and used to simulate various scenarios on the water situation facing users in the basin. This model is the forerunner of similar modeling attempts on similar problems in other regions of the Krishna Basin and in the Murray Darling Basin of Australia.

A case for pipelining water distribution in the Narmada Irrigation System in Gujarat, India
A case for pipelining water distribution in the Narmada Irrigation System in Gujarat, India

Author: Shah, Tushaar

Publisher: IWMI

Published: 2011-02-08

Total Pages: 30

ISBN-13: 9290907363

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Thanks to farmers’ resistance to provide land for constructing watercourses below the outlets, India’s famous Sardar Sarovar Project is stuck in an impasse. Against a potential to serve 1.8 million hectares, the Project was irrigating just 100,000 hectares five years after the dam and main canals were ready. Indications are that full project benefits will get delayed by years, even decades. In this paper, IWMI researchers advance ten reasons why the Project should abandon its original plan of constructing open channels and license private service providers to invest in pumps and buried pipeline networks to sell irrigation service to farmers.

Synthesis of IWMI work in Nepal
Synthesis of IWMI work in Nepal

Author: Pant, D.

Publisher: IWMI

Published: 2010-10-20

Total Pages: 38

ISBN-13: 9290907290

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The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) has been working in Nepal since 1986 with the objective of undertaking research in water management and to strengthen the research capabilities of concerned government agencies. The research helped to develop appropriate mechanisms for providing support to Farmer-Managed Irrigation Systems (FMIS) and the initiation of participatory irrigation management (PIM). The river basin studies helped policy formulation for integrated planning and management of water resources besides the methodological contribution through the development of appropriate tools for water management studies. It also contributed to enhancing the capabilities of agency officials and local researchers through their involvement in research activities.

A Comparative Analysis of the Technical Efficiency of Rain-fed and Smallholder Irrigation in Ethiopia
A Comparative Analysis of the Technical Efficiency of Rain-fed and Smallholder Irrigation in Ethiopia

Author: Makombe, G.

Publisher: IWMI

Published: 2011-08-02

Total Pages: 42

ISBN-13: 9290907401

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Agriculture is the most significant contributor to Ethiopia’s economy. Most of the agricultural production is under rainfed conditions and thus extremely sensitive to rainfall variability. Irrigation development, including smallholder irrigation, is used by the Ethiopian Government to attempt to mitigate the effects of rainfall variability. In this study, we look at smallholder irrigation – modern and traditional irrigation systems. A detailed description of the cropping patterns is given. The stochastic frontier production function approach is used to estimate technical inefficiency, and constraints to production are analyzed. Since the traditional system is found to be efficient but on a lower production frontier, the study shows that significant gains can be made by raising the frontier of the traditional systems and increasing the efficiency of the modern systems. Among the production constraints studied were land preparation, soil fertility, weed control, pests and diseases, soil erosion, input access and moisture deficiency. The most significant constraints on the irrigated systems were input access and moisture deficiency.

From Mesopotamia to the third millennium: the historical trajectory of water development and use in the Karkheh River Basin, Iran
From Mesopotamia to the third millennium: the historical trajectory of water development and use in the Karkheh River Basin, Iran

Author: Sara Marjanizadeh

Publisher: IWMI

Published: 2010-05-13

Total Pages: 56

ISBN-13: 9290907231

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The Karkheh River Basin is the third largest basin in Iran after Karoon and Dez, and occupies a strategic position on the western boundary of the country. The basin has seen remarkable ancient feats of engineering, and has a long history of wheat and barley production, complemented by horticulture. With the growth of the modern nation-state of Iran, water development has progressed steadily in tandem with rising populations and urbanization. The report aims to understand the historical setting and present situation of water development and allocation, in relation to rural development and agrarian policy. It provides the contextual backdrop for further research on the management of water to improve livelihoods in the basin through integrated and sustainable management of land and water resources. It provides further information on the changes in surface flows out of the component subbasins and looks at the development, use and consequences of groundwater abstraction.

Inventory of water storage types in the Blue Nile and Volta River Basins
Inventory of water storage types in the Blue Nile and Volta River Basins

Author: Johnston, Robyn M.

Publisher: IWMI

Published: 2010-10-08

Total Pages: 52

ISBN-13: 9290907304

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For agriculture there is a continuum of water storage options, ranging from groundwater aquifers, soil water, natural wetlands and small ponds and tanks to large reservoirs. In any situation each of these has its own niche in terms of technical feasibility, socioeconomic sustainability and impact on public health and the environment. Planning storage requires insight into impending needs and also a good understanding of what already exists and what was, and was not, successful, in the past. This report provides an inventory of existing and prospective water storage in the Ghanaian Volta and the Ethiopian Blue Nile basins. It provides as much quantitative data as possible, but highlights both the dearth of readily available information and the lack of integrated planning of storage in both basins. Recommendations are made for improved planning in the future.

Health impacts of small reservoirs in Burkina Faso
Health impacts of small reservoirs in Burkina Faso

Author: Eline Boelee

Publisher: IWMI

Published: 2010-02-02

Total Pages: 54

ISBN-13: 9290907177

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In Burkina Faso, at least 1,700 small reservoirs have been constructed, most of them during the last 30 years. Numerous and scattered, these beneficial multipurpose systems combine productive with domestic water uses. However, their environmental and health impacts remain insufficiently documented. This report combines data from different sources into syntheses and national maps, with a focus on water-related diseases. The mitigation of negative impacts requires an integrated approach to specifically identify the enhancing and limiting factors that influence environmental impacts and the transmission of diseases around reservoirs. Public awareness campaigns need to accompany the promotion of preventive and curative measures and the development of alternative water sources for domestic supply.

An Overview of the Development Challenges and Constraints of the Niger Basin and Possible Intervention Strategies
An Overview of the Development Challenges and Constraints of the Niger Basin and Possible Intervention Strategies

Author: Regassa E. Namara

Publisher: IWMI

Published: 2011-09-14

Total Pages: 38

ISBN-13: 9290907428

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The Niger River Basin covers 7.5% of the African continent and is shared between nine riparian countries. The human population of the basin is growing at an average annual rate of about 3%, which makes the Niger River Basin one of the areas with the highest fertility rates in the world. The desert margin is expanding; climate change is negatively impacting rainfall; and urbanization, industrialization, and the human and livestock population are threatening the quantity and quality of available water resources. The basin population already suffers from chronic poverty. Based on a literature review, this paper suggests some key water-related and other interventions that are capable of easing the basin’s development challenges.

Agricultural extension in Central Asia: existing strategies and future needs
Agricultural extension in Central Asia: existing strategies and future needs

Author: Kazbekov, Jusipbek

Publisher: IWMI

Published: 2011-12-19

Total Pages: 50

ISBN-13: 9290907452

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Agriculture is at the forefront of the development objectives of the republics of Central Asia (CA). Since independence in 1991, these countries have undergone transitions from being centrally planned economies to market-oriented systems, which did not include the creation of agricultural extension systems. This paper provides information on the current status of the agricultural extension systems in CA with special reference to Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. We reviewed the existing extension strategies, donor- and state-driven initiatives to revitalize the agricultural extension systems, informal linkages that nongovernmental organizations play in helping a limited number of farmers, and provided recommendations on ways to further improve the agricultural extension services in CA. The information related to each country was analyzed separately. This is because, after independence, each republic in CA had initiated their agricultural reforms with specific objectives and has now established their unique agricultural systems that differ contextually. However, due to having the same history and agricultural system that existed during the Soviet times, we tried to give a historical perspective to the unified agricultural extension system that existed before independence.

Typology of irrigation systems in Ghana
Typology of irrigation systems in Ghana

Author: Namara, Regassa E.

Publisher: IWMI

Published: 2011-06-27

Total Pages: 40

ISBN-13: 9290907398

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Interest in African irrigation investment is growing. However, irrigation is not a monolithic concept, and the opportunities and risks can vary substantially by approach. To help provide an understanding of the variation, this paper builds on previous work to provide a detailed typology of irrigation systems as currently used in Ghana.