In Karnataka, the water use efficiency in irrigation is low, with only about 30-35% efficiency in surface flow irrigation systems. This inefficiency results in significant water loss, around 65-70%. To address this issue, Karnataka has enacted legislative measures, including amendments to the Karnataka State Irrigation Act (1965) in 2000, to incorporate provisions for Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM). One of the key components of this act is the formation of Water User Cooperative Societies (WUCS) to manage water distribution equitably among members and improve water management systems.

However, the implementation of PIM in Karnataka has faced various challenges. These include organizational, technical, and financial constraints. WUCS, formed hurriedly to fulfil funding agency conditions, lacked effective groundwork, and understanding among beneficiaries. Additionally, political affiliations often supersede resource-sharing arrangements, hindering effective management. Technical issues such as improper water supply systems, lack of knowledge on rules & regulations, lack of technical supports and financial mismanagement further exacerbate the challenges faced by WUCS.

To address these challenges, the Water and Land Management Institute (WALMI), Dharwad has taken proactive measures to strengthen PIM. WALMI conducts training programs for WUCS office bearers and engineers to improve water utilization and maintenance of irrigation structures. Additionally, WALMI organizes demonstrations and promotes practices like organic farming to enhance water efficiency.

The number of WUCS in Karnataka has steadily increased over the years, with a significant portion now functioning. Out of 4384 WUCS registered, 1765 are fully functional. WALMI's training initiatives have played a crucial role in capacity building, with the number of beneficiaries trained steadily rising. The no. of trainee which was only 27 in 1986-87, has tremendously increased to about 12,000 during 2022-23. Innovative approaches, including online training programs and national/international webinars, have been adopted to disseminate knowledge effectively.

To further strengthen PIM, several measures have been suggested. These include comprehensive training programs covering relevant laws and regulations, empowering WUCS to collect water charges, and enlarging the size of WUCS for sustainability. Additionally, monitoring and guidance from Command Area Development Authorities (CADA) and Nigams, along with improved water measurement systems, are recommended to enhance efficiency.

The success of PIM in Karnataka depends on cooperation and coordination among stakeholders, including government agencies, WUCS, and farmers. Continuous capacity building efforts and effective implementation of recommendations are essential to realize the potential of participatory irrigation management in improving water management and agricultural productivity in Karnataka.

The innovation in participatory irrigation management (PIM) in Karnataka focuses on enhancing water use efficiency and promoting sustainable agricultural practices. Office bearers of Water User Cooperative Societies (WUCS) and engineers undergo comprehensive training to optimize water utilization and distribution among members. This training includes preparing water budgets, crop plans, maintenance of canal network, irrigation structures and effectively managing irrigation network.

Key Components of the Innovation are:

1. Training Programs: Farmers are educated on the utilization of grants for canal maintenance and encouraged to adopt organic farming and integrated farming systems, thus reducing water usage. Moreover, water-soil-crop demonstrations are conducted to showcase water-saving techniques.
2. Promotion of PIM: The PIM structure operates on a federated system with hierarchical system at various levels. All these democratic institutions have been strengthened to improve overall Irrigation Network. WUCS are also formed under micro-irrigation projects, where efforts are made to improve water use efficiency.
3. Awareness Campaigns: Beside the training at WALMI, stakeholders are also educated through awareness campaigns conducted during events like World Water Day and Environmental Day, promoting water conservation and disciplined water usage.

Quantification of Water Savings:

Although direct studies quantifying water savings are lacking, various initiatives indirectly contribute to water conservation. Training programs, demonstrations, and awareness campaigns have led to improved water management practices. Feedback from farmers and engineers indicates a 5% increase in cultivation area due to enhanced water management, resulting in increased water efficiency from 35% to 40%. A rough estimation indicates water saving of around 72TMC.

Impact of the Innovation:

1. Revival of Defunct Societies: Training programs have revived defunct WUCS, enhancing their activities.
2. Increased Farmer Confidence: Farmers are voluntarily paying water fees, boosting their confidence in the system.
3. Financial Improvement: The financial base of WUCS has improved, enabling better maintenance of irrigation systems.

The innovation in PIM in Karnataka has resulted in significant water savings and improved agricultural productivity. Through comprehensive training, awareness campaigns, and the promotion of sustainable practices, stakeholders are empowered to manage water resources effectively, leading to a more resilient and sustainable agricultural sector.

The introduction and spread of Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) in Karnataka have been marked by a series of challenges and subsequent efforts to overcome them. Initially implemented in 2000, the PIM initiative aimed to improve water use efficiency by establishing water user cooperative societies (WUCS) through legislation. These societies, officially registered bodies, were tasked with signing memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with irrigation companies to obtain water and pay water user fees.

However, despite the legislative framework, the implementation faced significant hurdles. Factors such as historical, political, economic, and socio-psychological dynamics hindered the progress of WUCS. Lack of awareness among stakeholders, lengthy bureaucratic procedures, financial constraints, and a perceived imposition of the concept from the top down contributed to a loss of interest among farmers.

In response to these challenges, the Government of Karnataka, through its command area development activities, endeavored to rejuvenate the PIM initiative. One notable effort was the involvement of the Water and Land Management Institute (WALMI) in Dharwad, which provided training programs for WUCS members.

The impact of WALMI's training programs was evident in the performance of WUCS. A study conducted on 44 WUCS in the Bhadra command area revealed improvements in various aspects of their functioning post-training. These included organizing regular meetings, conducting elections, maintaining official accounts, and collecting water user fees more effectively.

The training also had a positive effect on water user fee collection. Data from 2015 to 2020 showed a significant increase in the collection of water user fees following the training. This increase in revenue contributed to the financial sustainability of WUCS.

Furthermore, the training sessions emphasized water management techniques, leading to water savings of approximately 2.5% of the irrigated area. Farmers reported improvements in water management practices, resulting in increased cultivation and extension of irrigated areas. Average Revenue collection under Bhadra CADA, which was Rs. 18732/- per WUCS/year during the 2015-2017 has been increased to Rs. 55,372/- per WUCS/year during 2018-2020.

Overall, the introduction and spread of PIM in Karnataka involved overcoming initial challenges through targeted training programs and capacity-building efforts. The success of these initiatives was reflected in improved WUCS performance, increased revenue generation, and enhanced water management practices, ultimately benefitting the farming community and agricultural productivity in the region.

The scope for further expansion of Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) in Karnataka and across India is vast, given the increasing demand for water across various sectors and the need to address potential water conflicts.

Since 1986 WALMI has engaged in capacity building of stakeholder in irrigation sector. Since inception about 70 thousand participants have been trained on the following topics:

• Irrigation Act, PIM Act, CADA Act and Rules & Regulations related to PIM
• Administrative and technical matters, book keeping, reporting etc
• Principles and procedure of establishing the MoU between WUCS and Nigams
• Levying of water charges, collection by the WUCS and payment to Nigams.
• Organizing Inter- state visit of office bearers and members to various institutions and irrigation projects.
• Facilitating formation coordination within and among the Federations of WUCS in the state and providing technical guidance to Federations.
• Trainings one personality development and conflict resolution

The basic infrastructure, class rooms, hostels, transport, water supply, electricity, etc. have been strengthened by Mobilizing funds from different sources. Staff and faculty strength has been increased.

The main mandate of WUCS is to improve water management at the field level. After trainings, societies have begun reorganizing themselves, demonstrating a sense of responsibility and self-reliance. There are numerous success stories showcasing their achievements in coordinating water conservation efforts and effectively managing roles.

Effective coordination among different stakeholders namely irrigation corporation, Command Area Development Authorities (CADA), Water User Co-operative Societies, their Federations and WALMI is being promoted.

Efforts of WALMI have resulted in saving large quantity of water and valuable land resources. His efforts in amelioration of water logged and saline soils, in promoting water user co-operative societies, demonstrations, training and awareness campaigns, efforts in rejuvenating rivers, tanks and traditional water harvesting structures have indirectly contributed for either harvesting or saving the water resources.

Precision irrigation scheduling using real-time sensors has the potential to boost water use efficiency while maximizing resource utilization. Traditional farming is adversely affected by improper resource management. To overcome a farmer's efforts, an IoT-based drip irrigation system was developed and tested for system performance. It was compared with an ETc-based drip irrigation system for brinjal crops grown in planter beds filled with vertisols. The developed system, consisting of sensors and microcontrollers, records the environmental parameters, namely, soil moisture content, soil temperature, and relative humidity and temperature. Irrigation scheduling was programmed using upper (field capacity) and lower thresholds (50% plant available water). Irrigation applications were triggered when the soil moisture value reached the lower threshold (33%) and ended after the field capacity was attained (46%). The information captured by the sensors is wirelessly uploaded to the cloud server using IoT technology, which can be accessed from anywhere in the world. It was observed that the IoT-based drip irrigation testing plant grew 1.3 cm taller than the ETc-based drip irrigation testing plant. The length and width of brinjal plant leaves also increased more than the ETc-based drip irrigation treatments. The IoT-based drip irrigation treatments improved pump operating time, leaf length and width by 85 min, 4.4 cm and 3.1 cm, respectively, compared to 125 min, 3.7 cm and 2.4 cm for the ETc-based drip irrigation treatment. During a period of 31 days, water savings of 35% were observed compared to ETc-based drip irrigation. The developed system was rugged, and a water-resistant enclosure allowed its use in outdoor agriculture fields.

Keywords: Climate, agriculture, river

Presented at: 71st IEC Meeting 2020, New Delhi, India

Farmers in the drought-prone region of Andhra Pradesh, a South-Eastern state in India cultivated varieties of crops using innovative techniques evolved since 1989. By constructing a water storage tank integrated with drip irrigation, they diversified their orchards from groundnuts to grapes and sweet oranges. As a result of this, the farming land expanded from 5 acres to 125 acres, which became a model farm for crop demonstration under micro-irrigation achieving optimum utilization of the available water resources.

Despite adverse weather conditions in the arid region, farmers were able to harvest healthy crops through water-conserving irrigation practices, like drip and micro-sprinklers, and with the use of organic inputs by adopting drip irrigation with mulching. Varieties of crops like grape (red and green), fig, hybrid papaya, pomegranate, hybrid muskmelon, pink guava, chia, and quinoa were cultivated. This was a first of its kinds experiment where drip irrigation with poly-mulch was used in the cultivation of muskmelon and chia in the region. There was a 51% increase in water-saving over surface irrigation. The increase in production and productivity of crops also helped in doubling the farmers’ income. The drip installation resulted in reduced power consumption by up to 50% due to the saved number of pumping hours per day roughly around 3.5 hours. In addition, the use of water-soluble fertilizers reduced the consumption of fertilizers by 20% using the drip system.

Considering its success, several campaigns were organized to spread awareness about the technique such as mobile van campaigns, exposure visits to other farms, field-level training, door to door distribution of literature for the farmers, and short films showcasing success stories to mobilize the traditional farmers to adapt to micro-irrigation with fertigation continuously. Micro-Irrigation with fertigation implemented in fields not only increased the yield but also reduced the water consumption and the use of fertilizers. Due to declining groundwater tables and the proven economic success of the technique, other farmers were encouraged to use this technique.

To improve water use efficiency and increase crop productivity in paddy fields, an integrated water management technique was adopted in Haryana, a northern state in India. The state is an important economic centre for growing export quality rice, however, the last decade was marked by depleting water tables and increased water scarcity. To work on these issues, a water conservation model was implemented and sprinkler and drip technologies were used extensively. From a water management’s perspective, the situation was looked at from two angles- Supply augmentation-increasing the available supply by the reduction in conveyance losses; and Demand management - increasing the field application efficiency with the use of water-efficient sprinkler and drip irrigation technology.

This technique was implemented as part of a pilot project prepared by the regional Command Area Development Authority for the installation of community-based Minor Irrigation (MI) schemes in 13 different districts of the State of Haryana covering an area of 2,231 ha.

Common Micro Irrigation infrastructure was provided for each canal outlet command for supplying pressurized water supply at the farm gate of each farmer of the outlet instead of constructing lined field channels. Community-based water storage tank, pumping unit (Grid/solar powered), filtration unit, HDPE pipe network, hydrant/outlet assemblies, and valves were constructed by the department. It was aimed to promote Water User Association and to inculcate a sense of ownership amongst farmers for better water management and ensure that every farmer gets its due share of water in turn.

The Water Users Association (WUAs) provided land for the construction of a community pond for storing water from the outlet and supplying it further to individual farmers. Further, the management of the water was completely done by the shareholders. With coordination between the farmers and the department for planning, execution, and monitoring, management was transferred to the WUA.

The project was implemented in 2017 at the identified paddy field growing variety PR 126 to demonstrate the benefits of micro-irrigation. For comparison, on a separate plot of 1-acre conventional flood irrigation method was used. Irrigation was done in the other 2 acres of the plot with each acre following Sprinkler and Drip Irrigation methods. All three fields were under constant monitoring and observation.

After the crop was harvested it was found that in the fields with micro-irrigation the increase in yield was 290 kg/acre and almost 42% of the water was saved. Considering the quantity of water saved and improved productivity of the experimental plots, the project was extended to another 9 acres in which 3 acres were sown by Direct Seeding Rice (DSR), 3 acres by mechanical trans-planter, and 3 acres by traditional manual methods. This extended study resulted in more than 50% water-saving and increased yield from 45% to 59%.

The extended project was taken up in collaboration with Hissar Agricultural University. Irrigation was done by Sprinkler Irrigation, Drip Irrigation, and Flood Irrigation methods. It was concluded that Micro Irrigation techniques increased water-saving as well as the yield in the water-guzzling paddy crop. For further expansion, a public-private partnership scheme was formulated in line with the Government's objective to enhance irrigation efficiency, productivity, and farmer’s incomes. Another important element behind the success of such initiatives is the organized operations by the farmers and other end-users in the farm sector. To ensure sustainable strategies, and equitable water distribution to tail-end farmers associations at the local should be promoted who can also maintain the systems.

Vidarbha region is in the eastern part of Maharashtra state of India. Western districts of Vidarha in the Warud region are drought-prone areas. The average annual rainfall in the region is around 800-900 mm while storage of water is minimal. Over the past several decades, erratic rainfall and shrinking river flows have substantially reduced the water table in the block, thus, posing a major threat to its primary sector - agriculture and thus the socio-economic status of inhabitants. Lack of irrigation facilities has left farmers completely dependent on rain-fed farming which is unstable. Once known for its rich agricultural produce, especially mandarin produce, the region is struggling with grave water management issues.

Old irrigation structures like KT weirs suffered from limitations like poor grid connectivity, additional costs of diesel pumps, and erratic delivery mechanisms. As an integrated effort from the community and the government, a distribution chamber called Chudmani was built with a 200 mm pipeline to bring water from an 11 km distance in such a way that it provided a natural head for the drip irrigation system, thus eliminating the use of electricity/diesel pumps. Four water filtration units were installed which used sand to filter the water. To increase transparency in water use accounting, a water meter was provided at the off-take. During the project, 0.5 MCM of water was reserved. One important aspect was that during the high monsoon period the added water was also diverted to wells to recharge the groundwater tables.

The project used the lift irrigation method to deliver water to the beneficiaries. Earlier due to poor grid connectivity, the diesel pumps were an additional cost burden. In addition, water wastage was rampant in the peak monsoon rain season. The new system catered to these issues.

The project saved approximately 159,524 kWh of electricity based on a 6-months usage of drip irrigation. Considering the life of the project the entire savings outweighed the investment costs, making it highly profitable, financially viable as well as environment friendly. Moreover, there was no carbon footprint. The water table recharge during peak monsoon ensured the sustainability of water resources in the long run. Water usage efficiency was between 95%-100%, thus, minimizing the wastage.

Drip irrigation reduced dependence on labour and solved the problem of erosion. It was estimated that the average farmer’s income rose by 35%-42% per annum. Out of 140 ha cultivated, 87 ha was under citrus fruits like oranges and citrus limetta. The project enabled farmers to further add 53 ha to citrus fruits. The assured water availability increased yield per ha. The overall results were beyond the set expectations of 0.6 MCM water and 59 beneficiaries in a parcel of 82 ha in Warud. After the project, the area under irrigation doubled to 145 ha and the number of beneficiaries reached 165. The existing capacity of the project is 212 ha which can be expanded up to 360 ha.

This technique demonstrated a successful intervention by farmers cooperatives with active support from the government in form of water dues paid on time. With committed actions from farmers cooperatives and support from the government, the region became water-sufficient.

Such institutional models and irrigation systems can be replicated in other drought-prone areas of the region with capacity building. The farmers’ cooperative society can share their best practices and provide training to future beneficiaries.

Saguna Rice Technique (SRT) is a new method of rice cultivation and related rotation crops without ploughing, puddling, and transplanting (rice) on permanently raised beds. This zero-till Conservational Agriculture(CA) method was evolved at Saguna Baug, Neral, District Raigad, in the state of Maharashtra, India. About 1,200 farmers reported overwhelming results after using the technique.

SRT requires no-tilling and provides oxygen and organic carbon for the rhizosphere, the natural ecosystem around the roots, to flourish organically. The Rhizosphere benefits greatly from the permanent raised beds system. These raised bed systems facilitate the adjustment of moisture to optimum levels promoting vigorous, hairy white roots and vibrant, wider leaf lamina resulting in crop growing uniformly and delivering a higher yield.

SRT facilitates the planting of crops at predetermined distances enabling precise plant population per unit area. The absence of puddling and transplanting of rice reduces the dependency on rain or erratic rain patterns that prevent cracks leading to the death of crops.

The technique reduces water requirement by 50% for rice cultivation, reduces labour by 50%, (no puddling, transplanting, or hand hoeing required), and reduces the cost of production by 40%. It also stops the emission of greenhouse gases and effectively sequestrates carbon to improve soil fertility. Fundamentally, SRT promotes the retaining of the previous crop’s roots in the raised bed. The capillaries formed by dead dry roots and earthworm pathways facilitate quick draining of rainwater resulting in effective recharging of aquifers. Other benefits of SRT include loss of silt (about 20%) during puddling thus maintaining the fertility of the land, avoiding puddling drastically reduces diesel consumption, and the emission of CO₂ and methane. Rice plants on SRT beds seem to be broader and head upwards to sunlight more than their counterparts in the conventional method. They are likely to produce more biomass leading to higher or similar yields in all soil types.

Microorganisms and earthworms are important aspects of plant growth. A good number of earthworms were noticed on SRT beds during high rainfall and they also attracted unusual birds to the plots. Suppressed and decayed green growth with Glaypho set becomes instant food for the worms and ‘No-Till’ prevents dead worms. The root network prevents soil from cracking and makes it spongier. The same roots become a valuable source of organic carbon which is uniformly distributed and oxygen pathways to the root zone of the next crop.

The shocks caused to the rice seedlings during transplanting is avoided in SRT, this reduces the possibility of pest and disease problem; crops can be harvested 8–10 days earlier and it also saves time required for soil tilling between two crops which leaves valuable 10–15 days of crop season for the farmer to take more than one crop in the same plot in a year. SRT yields a higher percentage recovery of grains, no use of heavy agricultural machinery for tilling in the field prevents compaction and formation of hardpan of lower strata of soil enabling better percolation of water into deeper soil and permanent establishment of earthworms.

SRT ensures a higher return to the tune of more than INR 500,000/ha (USD 6,894/ha/year) with crop rotation such as Basmati Rice (PS-5) in Kharif (monsoon) season, leafy vegetables in Rabi (winter) season, bold Groundnut (W-66) in summers while improving the soil health at the same time.

This technique could be the best solution in natural calamities such as hail storms, floods, cyclones, and untimely rainstorms, as the crop cycle is shortest and it involves multiple choices of short-term rotation crops such as pulses, vegetables, onion, sunflower, groundnuts, and so on. SRT can recover from damages caused by lashing, scrubbing, and degradation of soil by natural calamities in the quickest possible time. In this method, tilling the soil and making raised beds are required only once. The same beds can be used again and again to grow various rotation crops after rice in the monsoon season.

SRT Planting Method: First, the soil is tilled and the raised beds are developed only once, the best time to make these beds is immediately after the monsoon paddy harvesting. Good ploughing and tilling are done with available residual moisture or through irrigation with organic manure with a rotavator or power tiller. Secondly, parallel lines are drawn with help of rope and lime or wood ash at 136 cm apart; depressions are made with SRT iron forma on the raised beds, fungicides or beneficial microorganisms are applied to the seeds as per the guidelines. Thirdly, the plot is irrigated followed by pesticide application (Oxyfluorfen 23.5% EC @ 1 ml/l of water after 3 to 4 hours). When the crop is ready for harvest, the plants are chopped leaving the roots with 2-3 inch of stem in the beds. Roots from previous crops are kept in the soil while Glyphoset (15 lit water + 70 ml Glyphoset + 200 g of sea salt or 150 g of Urea) is sprayed for 2 to 3 days after harvesting.

SRT is a customized cultivation practice with multifarious benefits. It has improved yield, reduced water consumption, and has other environmental benefits. Above all, it is reversing the trend of farmers giving up rice farming. The innovation should be replicated in other regions and crops.

To bring the farming community together to share costs and investments in the face of economic adversity and limited resources, a farmers’ group was established in 2000 with farmers from five villages in Jalna district in the state of Maharashtra, India. The group started agricultural production with a small mango orchard and implemented modern techniques such as drip, sprinklers, mulching, advanced agronomy, and crop protection management.

It resulted in higher farmer productivity and quality of production. These small farmers who were unable to bear the high investment individually benefited from the sharing mechanisms of group farming. Some of the objectives of the Concept of Group Farming are:

• Identifying and bringing together farmers with common needs, opportunities, and potential.
• Developing clusters among farmers with shared experience, orientation, and farming aspirations.
• Adopting and implementing a suitable mutually decided cropping pattern on large scale through these groups and federation of these groups in a cluster of villages.
• Implementing modern technology in the field with shared costs and risks for a high-quality produce.
• Adopting advanced irrigation systems like drip and sprinkler and increasing water use efficiency.
• Developing community-based land and water conservation practices.
• Community-level commitment to cover all crops including cereals under micro irrigation, with stern regulations of no water availability to fields without Drip or Micro Irrigation.
• With the increasing group strength and the number of such groups, the average increase in the yield was 2 to 4 times, and 50% irrigation water was saved with the adoption of drip irrigation. Drip irrigation was especially beneficial in the production of cotton, the productivity improved from 3,000 kg/acre to about 7,500 kg/acre which is 4 to 4.5 times more than the normal yield.

The increased yield in individual crops with the use of group farming is briefly presented in Table 4.1:

Drip irrigation was further expanded to almost 90% of the area under cultivation. The annual per capita income of the farmers increased from INR 41,842 (575 USD) in 2007-08 to INR 106,406 (1,461 USD) in 2012-13 in water scare Khamkheda village.

Small and marginal farmers were the biggest beneficiaries of group farming management techniques which led to resource pooling and risk sharing and ultimately increased income. These practices can be further replicated in other villages especially through monthly programs like Dwadashi meetings. These meetings are organized to disseminate the learnings, discuss the technologies adopted, and experience sharing with farmers, government officials, and the community at large.

In Vidharba region of Maharashtra, a south-western state of India, around 93% (5 Mha) of the cultivated land is dependent on rainwater for crop production. Due to variable and uncertain rainfall in the monsoon season, crop yields are quite low and unstable. Rainfed agriculture supports about 65% of the rural population and is also the major producer of cereals, pulses, and oilseeds. To manage this situation and increase water productivity, the farmers’ community implemented participatory rainwater management in the region.

To enhance crop productivity and reduce unstable crop yields during uneven rainfall, farmers used a participatory approach to adopt in-situ rainwater conservation practice. It enhanced soil moisture and captured the runoff water in farm ponds for irrigation during dry spells.

In-situ rainwater conservation consists of various rainwater conservation measures included modified land configurations like deep cultivation, contour and across the slope cultivation, intercropping, and opening furrows (intermittently broken) among others. Farm pond storages were created, runoff harvested from the cultivated fields into the farm ponds was used to provide protective irrigation during a prolonged spell of rainfall in Kharif (monsoon) and moisture stress in Rabi (winter) seasons.

In deep cultivation, the water use efficiency (kg/ha-mm) achieved was between 1.24 - 1.49 for soybean crops and between 0.98 - 1.09 for cotton. Compared to shallow or conventional cultivation, the crop yields in deep cultivation were found to be higher by 11% to 37%, runoff also decreased by 8% to 13%, and soil loss was reduced by 17% to 31%.

The opening of tide furrows in crops like cotton, soybean, black gram, green gram, and sorghum enhanced the yield levels by 4% to 14% and water use efficiency from 1.18 to 2.82 kg/ha-mm than the conventional field layout.

In the case of across the slope cultivation higher crop yields up to 50% and water use efficiency of 0.55 - 2.67 kg/ha-mm were achieved. Similarly, in contour cultivation, the crop yields were higher by 39% to 88%, and the water use efficiency between 0.55 - 2.67 kg/ha-mm was achieved. Similarly, trends of higher crop productivity and water use efficiency were observed in alternate furrows across the slope and in contour cultivation.

Square basins (20 m x 20 m) prepared before the commencement of rains enhanced the yield of chickpea by 67% and rainwater use efficiency in the range of 0.89 to 1.48 kg/ha-mm over the control trial. Green manuring of the basins during monsoon season enhanced the soil moisture content from 43% to 64%, increased yield of chickpea by 38%, and rainwater use efficiency from 0.89 to 1.22 kg/ha-mm over the control treatment.

The protective irrigation using drip system enhanced the yield of pigeon pea by 67% and water use efficiency was between 0.89 to 1.38 kg/ha-mm. Two protective irrigations through drip systems in cotton enhanced the yield level by 51% and water use efficiency between 1.61 to 2.13 kg/ha-mm. One protective irrigation in soybean through sprinkler system using farm pond storage enhanced the yield by 24% and water use efficiency from 2.15 to 3.48 kg/ha-mm over the controlled field treatment.

Participatory water management technique which was followed by 9,500 farmers from 115 villages in the region conserved an estimated 227 Mha of water on 21,000 ha land between 2009 and 2010. Furthermore, 50,000 m³ of water was made available for protective irrigation by promoting the construction of 15,000 farm ponds, leading to a significant increase in crop yields.

Field experiences over the years showed that modified land configurations like deep cultivation, across the slope or contour cultivation, and opening of furrows and tied furrows, green manuring, square basin layout, enhances rainfall storage in the soil profile. Farm ponds provide irrigation water to crops during dry spells.

With an integrated effort from the government and the community, participatory practices can bring change on the ground leading to social and economic benefits while increasing water productivity.

Keywords: BHIWA model; water budgets; scenarios development; water situation indicators

Presented at: 60th IEC Meeting 2009, New Delhi, India

The participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) approach was introduced in India in the 1990s. The Government of India has been promoting PIM in irrigation schemes, with the objective of improved operation and maintenance of irrigation infrastructure, reducing fiscal burden, increased cost recovery, and higher crop production through better water management. As a result, more than 50,00 Water User Associations (WUA) were formed all over the country. Waghad Irrigation Scheme of in the Maharashtra State is one such example that created an impact on the ground.

Waghad Irrigation Scheme located in Nashik district of Maharashtra; India was commissioned in 1981. The scheme’s cultivable command area was 9,642 ha but only one-third of it (3,212 ha) was irrigated as farmers in tail areas were deprived of irrigation water. 

In 1990, a local civil society called Samaj Parivartan Kendra (Centre for Social Transformation) in collaboration with the Water Resources Department (WRD) of the state motivated farmers to take over the operation and management of the scheme. At the outset, only three Water User Associations were formed at the tail area of the canal command. Initially, these WUAs struggled to get their share of irrigation water. But with the transfer of management to WUAs, farmers in the tail area received their fair quota of irrigation water and thus could irrigate the more cropped area.

Enthused with the success of the WUAs, farmers from the entire command gradually formed twenty-four WUAs. As a step forward, in the year 2003, all the WUAs came together and managed the operations and maintenance of the entire irrigation scheme by forming an apex organization called Waghad Project Level Water Users Association (PLWUA). 

Functioning of PLWUA: The PLWUA undertook water management with technical guidance and support from WRD. Water was supplied volumetrically at the head of the canal and subsequently, the PLWUA distributes the water among other WUAs as per their demand and entitlements. As the average landholding of farmers was very small (0.5-1.0 ha), volumetric supply to each farm holding was difficult, so farmers devised an innovative way to share water on a timely basis.

The association collected water charges from its members and used them in the operations and management costs of the system. Management transfer to PLWUA resulted in 100 % utilization of irrigation potential, water-saving, crop diversification, and 100 % collection of water charges.

Innovative Water Management by PLWUA in Waghad Project resulted in 13 MCM of saved water in the irrigation year 2008-2009 which is almost one-third of the water diverted for irrigation. During the period 2003 to 2008 the area irrigated increased from 7,377 ha to 10,400 ha, the water use in ha/ MCM increased from 218 to 300. In addition, the farmers were able to grow high-value crops like grapes, vegetables, and flowers, along with traditional crops like rice, bajra (Pearl millet), sorghum, wheat, gram, etc. The farmers’ income in 2003-2004 was INR 60,000/ha (USD 1200/ha) which doubled to INR 120,000/ha (USD 2,400/ha) in 2008-09. This management technique generated local employment and reduced the migration of farm labourers from villages to cities.

Based on the success of participatory irrigation management in Waghad project, the Govt of Maharashtra, India took a policy decision to facilitate the supply of irrigation water by forming WUAs only. This efficient water management model was projected to be replicated at different locations in the country as well as in other developing nations of the world.

The 2nd BPWA 2008 was presented to the ICID Journal Editorial Board (EB-JOUR) by the Governor of Punjab on 17 October 2008 on the occasion of the 59th IEC and 20th ICID Congress held at Lahore, Pakistan. ICID Journal acts as a mouthpiece to communicate to the international water community ICID's sixty years of experience in the promotion and transfer of water and land management technology and related issues. ICID Journal was granted Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) starting with Vol.49, Issue No.1 of 2000 which was the first issue of the quarterly Journal printed and distributed under ISSN 0971-7412. ICID Journal was also selected for coverage in Current Contents/Agriculture, Biology and Environmental Sciences (CC/AB&ES).

The Award was presented to President Hon. Prof. Dr. Bart Schultz, Chairman, EB-JOUR.

Andhra Pradesh is one of the important agricultural states with the fifth largest population in India with over 70% of them dependent on agriculture. The total dependable flows of water from all important rivers flowing through the state was 74.14 BCM in 2002. More than 82% of water resources were used for agriculture purposes. Realizing the gravity of the situation, the government launched the Andhra Pradesh Micro-irrigation Project (APMIP), a unique, comprehensive micro-irrigation project in the year 2002.

The Micro-Irrigation systems designed and installed in the farmer’s fields comprised of drip systems for wide-spaced orchards, in-line drip systems for row crops, portable sprinklers and rain guns for field crops like groundnut, pulses, etc., micro-sprinklers for raising nurseries, and micro-jets for oil palm. Agri extension services were also organised for two years. It was a revolutionary project for its time when micro-irrigation in India was emerging and yielded good results. The project details are provided below:

Implementing agencies were set up at the state level and district level for the implementation of the project. A technical committee headed by experts examined all issues. A state-level senior official headed the project as a Project Officer supported by five senior officers of different disciplines. The district-level team is comprised of administrators, experts, and farmers.

Independent quality control and monitoring and evaluation were done by external agencies. However, the farmers were experiencing difficulty in operating due to equipment design and operation constraints, which were tackled by replacing them with a low-cost hydraulically efficient semi-permanent sprinkler system to overcome the disadvantages of the conventional portable sprinkler systems.

In sprinkler irrigation, generally, 2 cm depth of water is applied in each irrigation based on the soil type, type of crop, and crop stages. Each sprinkler head covers a 144 m² area with a spacing of 12 x 12 m. A sprinkler head with a rated discharge of 0.5 lps needs to run for 96 mins to supply a 2 cm depth of water. Hence in a day of 7 hours power supply, a total of four shifts can be run with a total running time of 6 hours and 24 minutes. There is no loss of shift time and the entire duration of power availability can be effectively utilized.

Major lift projects were originally designed for surface irrigation to provide water for 4,000 ha/1 TMC (27 MCM). Now by micro-irrigation, the provision was revised to 6,000 ha per 1 TMC, indicating an increase of 50%. This helped in irrigating tail-end areas in canal commands under lift projects. Semi-permanent sprinkler systems eliminated ponding of water near the pipe joints and improved the working atmosphere.

The following results were obtained:

• Water-saving: 1,880 MCM (@5,000 m³/ha),
• Energy-saving: 188 million units (@500 units per ha),
• Employment generation: Over 4,000 professionals were employed by APMIP and MI companies,
• Prevention of migration: Labour migration was reduced substantially due to more crop activity,
• Poverty alleviation and Improved quality of life.

In four years over 0.376 Mha under micro-irrigation with 0.236 Mha under drip systems and 0.140 Mha of sprinkler systems was achieved. With further expansion over 6,000 Mha area was covered with semi-permanent sprinkler systems. By the year 2008 more than 376,000 ha area was covered with MI systems benefiting over 250,000 farmers.

Efficient utilization of available water resources is crucial for a country like, India, which shares 17% of the global population with only 2.4% of land and 4% of the water resources. The annual food grain requirement of India, works-out to be 450 million tones by the year 2050 and the per capita availability, in terms of average utilizable water resources, which was 6008 m3 in 1947 (presently 1250 m3 ) is expected to dwindle down to 760 m3 by 2050. Agriculture, a main stay in the India, accounts for 25 % of the Nations Gross Domestic Product and 15% exports has dependence of 65% of Indian population. Agricultural sector is the largest consumer of water. The overall efficiency of the flood irrigation system range between 25 to 40%. To meet the food security, income and nutritional needs of the projected population in 2020 the food production in India will have to be almost doubled. Adoption of Micro irrigation, may help in saving significant amounts of water and increase the quality and quantity of produce. All these emphasize, the need for water conservation and improvement in water-use efficiency to achieve More Crop per Drop.

National Committee on the Use of Plastics in Agriculture (NCPAH) was constituted by Ministry of Agriculture for the promotion of micro irrigation in India. The committee established 17 Precision Farming Development Centres (PFDC) in different agro climatic zones of India for conducting research on micro irrigation through farmers participation and to submit guidelines to the NCPAH, Ministry of Agriculture to take beneficial technologies to the farmers. We are one of the PFDC situated at Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi in the semi arid region of India and have been conducting systematic research on micro irrigation through farmers’ participation.

The research works presented here were conceptualized as per the need of the time, keeping the central theme of enhancing water use efficiency through micro irrigation technology, during the period 1997 to 2006. Micro irrigation system came to India in seventies but its adoption 2 started only in late eighties. Government started making efforts to promote micro irrigation through part financial support to offset its high initial cost syndrome. During initial stages it was important to investigate its benefits to convince the farmers for its adoption. Initial researches included the comparisons of micro irrigation system with conventional systems in terms of water savings and yield enhancements.

After establishing the superiority of micro irrigation systems, the focus of research shifted to estimate water requirements, modifications of crop geometry and use of mulches in drip irrigated fields for realizing the potential benefits of the system. With passing time that is in nineties the emphasis gradually shifted to different hardware and software aspects for cost reduction, design modifications and fertigation and chemigation. In the recent years the emphasis has emerged on precision farming, including the use and application of software and more efficient instruments in agriculture besides the use of simulation and modeling of moisture and nutrients movement under different soil and dripper characteristics. Improved micro irrigation systems including automated systems and subsurface drip systems.

The 1st BPWA was presented to the Working Group on History of Irrigation, Drainage and Flood Control (WG-HIST) by President Prof. dr. Bart Schultz at Montreal, Canada. The WG-HIST was established in 1980. The Group has published more than 30 volumes of Water History related documents and books, including Historical Dams (ICID 2001), The Danube Valley (ICID 2004), The Indus Basin (ICID 2004), "A History of Water Issues" (UNU 2005), and History of Irrigation and Drainage of various member countries.

The Award was received by Chairman and Members of the WG-HIST.