Irrigation management for farmers in Kerala

 
The Kerala government is planning to introduce a participatory system of irrigation management, under which farmers will be entrusted with the operation and maintenance of canals in the State.Minister for Water Resources N.K. Premachandran told The Hindu on Tuesday that the Kerala Irrigation and Water Conservation Act 2003 would be amended to legitimise the role of water users' associations in participatory management of irrigation systems. "The draft amendment is ready to be sent to the Law Department. We hope to present it in the next session of the Assembly." He said participatory irrigation management (PIM) could play a pivotal role in improving agriculture production in Kerala. "The existing mechanism of design, construction, maintenance and operation of irrigation systems is a heavy burden for the government machinery." Pointing out that many irrigation canals in Kerala were badly in need of repair, he said water users' associations could prove to be an effective system for operation and maintenance of the canal network. The associations are conceived as a mechanism to ensure the participation of farmers, the primary stakeholders. The participatory system involves a three-tier mechanism comprising sluice-level water users' associations at the primary stage, branch canal associations acting as the secondary tier and project management committees at the third. Officials say the new system is designed to promote group farming and protect water bodies to make agriculture sustainable in the long run. Group farming is seen as the only solution to the agriculture crisis in Kerala, that is attributed largely to the fragmentation of landholdings.

The Hindu,  27th August 2008