Description

The Project's purpose was to avoid loss of life and mitigate economic loss in case of flooding caused by dike failure. Project investment would result in sustained paddy production of 440,000 tons on 80,000 ha for the Song Chu and North Nghe An irrigation schemes. Overall, the Project is rated successful, higher than the project completion report rating of partly successful. This is mainly due to improved irrigation scheme economic performance, based on operation and maintenance time and cost savings identified in post-completion surveys.

Key issues

• The main lesson that can be drawn from project experience is the desirability of taking a holistic approach to irrigation scheme upgrading and development. The approach should define lower level requirements at the outset and outline a program to address the most critical constraints to allow irrigation scheme upgrading to proceed in an ordered and participatory manner.
• Adequate setting and collecting of irrigation service fees provides a major contribution to effective scheme operation, maintenance, and development.
• A firm approach must be taken from the start in relation to canal damage, illegal use, and canal rubbish disposal, perhaps by establishing contracts with participating communes, developing commune regulations, and establishing appropriate incentive systems.
• Benefit monitoring and evaluation should provide useful data to irrigation system management.
• Secondary data can provide useful information for evaluation, particularly to facilitate comparison between project investments and control areas.
• Schemes should be mapped adequately. Projects now have the capacity to develop sophisticated mapping systems to allow geographic information system development and maps to be prepared at the range of scales required by management.
• Project-related documents should be stored permanently in an accessible location.
• Construction of assets such as relief wells must be accompanied by adequate and enforceable land use planning to ensure long-term access for operation and maintenance.

Lessons identified

• The main lesson that can be drawn from project experience is the desirability of taking a holistic approach to irrigation scheme upgrading and development. The approach should define lower level requirements at the outset and outline a program to address the most critical constraints to allow irrigation scheme upgrading to proceed in an ordered and participatory manner.
• Adequate setting and collecting of irrigation service fees provides a major contribution to effective scheme operation, maintenance, and development.
• A firm approach must be taken from the start in relation to canal damage, illegal use, and canal rubbish disposal, perhaps by establishing contracts with participating communes, developing commune regulations, and establishing appropriate incentive systems.
• Benefit monitoring and evaluation should provide useful data to irrigation system management.
• Secondary data can provide useful information for evaluation, particularly to facilitate comparison between project investments and control areas.
• Schemes should be mapped adequately. Projects now have the capacity to develop sophisticated mapping systems to allow geographic information system development and maps to be prepared at the range of scales required by management.
• Project-related documents should be stored permanently in an accessible location.
• Construction of assets such as relief wells must be accompanied by adequate and enforceable land use planning to ensure long-term access for operation and maintenance.

Contents

• Abbreviations
• Table of Contents
• Basic Data
• Executive Summary
• Map
• Background
• Planning and Implementation Performance
• Achievement of Project Purpose
• Achievement of Other Development Impacts
• Overall Assessment
• Issues, Lessons, and Follow-up Actions
• Appendixes