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Pilot and Demonstration Activities
Facilitating Irrigation Sector Reform in Chhattisgarh

This PDA introduced irrigation reform strategies and frameworks to various stakeholders in Chhattisgarh, India, where an ADB irrigation development project is being implemented. Officials of the Water Resources Department and other agencies in the Government of Chhattisgarh took part in the project's capacity building activities.

  
PDA SNAPSHOT
Project Site Chhattisgarh, India
Cost Estimate $33,325.00
Status Completed
Approval Date 2004/04/04
Completion Date September 2006
Category Rural Services
Type Policy Reforms
Proponent Thomas Panella, Central and West Asia Department
Partner World Water Institute
BACKGROUND

ADB is currently preparing the Chhattisgarh Irrigation Development Sector Project (CIDSP) for Chhattisgarh, India. In addition to providing irrigation system rehabilitation and improvement, a key objective of the project is to promote irrigation sector reforms, primarily through the strengthening of water users associations (WUAs) and increasing user participation and responsibility in systems operations, maintenance, management, and governance.

System level physical interventions will be combined with strengthening of WUAs and management reforms. As a sector project, however, the CIDSP must work at both the project level as well as the macro-policy level to promote irrigation sector reforms, and the two must work together, so that the enabling policy framework for irrigation reform can support project-level interventions. This pilot demo project supports a linked program of activities to forward the policy agenda for irrigation reform in Chhattisgarh.

Chhattisgarh is in a poorly developed area of India, and is a new state that has recently separated from Mahdya Pradesh (MP). Although Chhattisgarh retained the participatory irrigation management (PIM) Act from MP, which provides for creation of WUAs, Chhattisgarh is very weak with regard to implementation of the PIM Act, development of WUAs, and creation of enabling framework support irrigation reform. The current version of PIM Act itself also needs substantial revisions to improve its effectiveness. Overall capacity in Water Resources Development (WRD), as well as other agencies in Government of Chhattisgarh (GOCH), is weak for policy making, and awareness of options for sector reform is low.

A recent change of state government in Chhattisgarh has compounded the difficulties and uncertainties in crafting a policy and reform agenda in the irrigation sector. Although the PPTA and ensuing project are proposed to have WUA development and strengthening component, it is very important to engage policy makers to try and start the reform process for the enabling policy and legal framework to support WUAs at the project level and promote overall reforms throughout the irrigation sector.

This PDA provided for a progressive and linked set of activities to forward the policy agenda for irrigation reform in Chhattisgarh.

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OBJECTIVES
  • Expose senior WRD officials, GOCH policy makers, and current WUA leaders to irrigation reform and institutional strengthening efforts in other states in India as well as to international experience
  • Provide a forum for dialogue regarding the improvement of policy and institutional framework for irrigation and water resources in Chhattisgarh
  • Support the generation of policy documents, including an irrigation sector reform strategy, a strategic plan for WRD, and revision to the Participatory Irrigation Management Act for discussion and eventual introduction to parliament

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EXPECTED RESULTS
  Outputs     Indicators  

The results will include the raising of awareness regarding the relevant irrigation sector issues in Chhattisgarh, and development of political support for the reform process to be initiated under the ADB project—CIDSP.

The activities will directly contribute to the development of concrete policy documents for the reform of the irrigation sector and WRD, as well as to the development of legislation (a new PIM Act) strengthening the policy framework for the irrigation sector.

The ultimate result would be to enable a framework to support the institutional reforms of the sector project that are necessary to maximize the impact of the other investment components.

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REPORT CARD

This PDA was completed in September 2006. Read the Final Report [PDF].

  Achievements     Recommendations  

This PDA

  • Conducted a seminar on water resources development to help clarify irrigation problems and understand Chhattisgarh's "vicious cycle of irrigation management."
  • Provided a platform for sharing Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) experiences from different parts of the country through a two-day National Workshop on PIM. Some 75 participants, including PIM experts, attended the workshop.
  • Conducted study tours for senior government officials to understand participatory processes and the role of community-based institutions in water management.
  • Assisted in developing an irrigation sector reform strategy.

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REPORTS AND RELATED DOCUMENTS