A Critical Study of Water Management by Water User Organizations in a New Command Area: A Review

Squeezing land and increasing population ae causing stress on water resource. This is resulting in high ground water development in the areas where available. Command area of Left Bank Canal of Rani Awanti Bai Sagar is such an area where canal water is delivered since last five years and being managed by 90 water users associations. This paper presents an evaluator study of these WUAs. There is an area of 1,28,000 ha fall under these and better management is observed About 70% tail enders are getting water now after introduction of canal ground water use reduced by 30%. Summer moong and vegetables are taken in the area which were earlier irrigated by tube-wells now being irrigated by canal. Users give their demand for summer irrigation and water is released in the canal during summer for this area only gates of minor and distributaries in the upper reach remains closed. The water is applied through flood irrigation only in the entire command area. WUAs. Feel less concern with irrigation method, repairing and maintenance etc. Technical knowhow of irrigation system and official working are lacking in most of the WUAs. There is an immediate need of strong capacity building programmes for these WUAs.