Minor Irrigation – Livelihood and Sustainability

Minor Irrigation holds the key for an equitable, quick, and effective expansion in the agriculture sector leading to a sustainable growth in the rural economy particularly in undulating terrain of deccan peninsula. Centrality of Minor Irrigation in rural economy was highlighted in no uncertain terms by the high level committee constituted by the Government of Andhra Pradesh to study the implications and factors responsible for the phenomenon of escalating farmer’s suicides. The Jayati Ghosh committee looking into the conditions responsible for creating an adverse atmosphere for the farmer picked up the declining tank irrigation systems for special mention as one of the factors precipitating farmer’s insecurities.

Development and maintenance of water bodies has been a historical legacy that Southern India inherited since ancient times. The southern part of India, under the Chola, Pandya, Pallava, Chera, Vakataka, Kakatiya, etc., dynasties, developed vast networks of tanks and canals, famed the world over, to irrigate crops and enhance agrarian production. The oldest and indigenous water-harvesting financially performing structures sustained by institutions, customs and practices built around them served and benefited, varied sections like farmer’s, fisherman, cattle rearers and others for centuries.  The usage norms, access to water, water distribution between varied users, maintenance designs, options and costs became the concern of village / local community.  Under the Colonial and Zamindari system as maintenance of water bodies got linked with the state and its apparatus the maintenance of the systems were negatively affected resulting in the poor efficiency of the systems and inequity in the access and sharing of the resource. The availability of cheap electricity and shift towards well irrigation further shrank the area under tank irrigation all over the country since the 60’s.

Minor Irrigation in Andhra Pradesh

The state has the largest number of tanks – amounting to almost 80,000 tanks and the largest area –estimates put the figure at almost 1.8 million hectors some even in the semi and drought prone areas under irrigation in the country. Heavy silting of tank beds, choking up of feeder channels, leaking and weak bunds, leaky sluices and dilapidated surplus weirs and ill maintained distribution channels, encroachments in the tank bund, foreshore, water-spread and supply channels, deforestation and denudation in the catchments areas, housing and urbanization and indiscriminate use of tank beds as dumping yards led to a steady deterioration and dilapidation of the tank conditions. The decline and disuse of tank systems had a debilitating impact on the drought prone regions as many of the tank-fed areas are situated in the districts where there are no possibilities of providing other methods of irrigation.

If all the range of minor irrigation such as tanks, lift irrigation systems and ground water based irrigation are included, the minor irrigation contributes almost 67% of the irrigation in the state. In the total potential created by utilizing available water resources through major, medium, and minor irrigation sources which is about 3.6 million hectares, the minor irrigation component of 1.792 compares well with the potential created by the major and medium irrigation (1.560 and .264 million ha). This represents the figure of the area irrigated by tanks which in the last decade both in absolute and relative terms been halved from about 1 million hectares in 1990 (24% of irrigated area at the time) to about 0.5 million hectares in 2004 (12% o f irrigated area).

 It is a fact that the percentage of area dependent on tanks for irrigation since the time the state started its targeted focus on strengthening Major Irrigation systems in the early post independence period has reduced to less than half in 45 years between 1955 and 2000 (from 38.88% in 1955 to 16.06% in 2000).  While this decline is a cause for concern it also underlined the vast potential that the revival, renovation and stabilization of the tank irrigation system can have on increasing the irrigation potential in the state. With the investment and benefits ratio on Major Irrigation schemes becoming prohibitive the focus of policy makers came back on minor tanks to provide fillip to rural economy with a realistic and effective strategy of irrigation development.

Need for Policy Change

The Jayathi Ghosh Committee constituted to study the agricultural crises and increasing farmer’s suicides in the state in 2003 categorically highlighted the lack of policy focus on the marginalized sections in rural areas. The committee traced the crisis in agriculture in the state to the public policy deficiency which reduced the protection accorded to farmers by exposing them to the volatility of markets, reduced critical public expenditure that destroyed institutional protection and the failure to generate alternative non-agricultural economic activities. The uneven distribution of canal irrigation and the decline of surface water sources especially tanks were found to be responsible for the escalating expenditure of the poor farmer for accessing water in drought prone conditions. Inadequate rainfall because of the series of continuous droughts, silting up of tanks, over-exploitation of groundwater, falling ground water levels, increased costs of bore wells and the search for depleting ground water collectively enhanced cultivator’s indebtedness and hence his economic vulnerability.  

The recommendation made by the Ghosh report that “top priority must be given to the cleaning, repairing, maintenance and development of tanks and ponds. This must be done in a mission mode on an urgent basis, possibly using labour resources that will be made available under the Employment Guarantee Scheme of the central government. The plan must be to restore existing tanks and develop new tanks without jeopardizing supplies to the old tanks. Further, feeder channels to many tanks have been cut or destroyed; these must be restored. Wherever possible, water from large irrigation schemes should be made available for feeding existing tanks. There should be an inventory of traditional water bodies which must be continuously updated” set the stage for a reorienting of the policy focus of the state irrigation policy towards addressing the concerns, issues and prospects in the Minor Irrigation systems. The direction of the policy spotlight on Minor Irrigation identified to address the agrarian crisis threw up a host of issues and possibilities opening a new stage in irrigation development in the state.

New Approach

Addressing service delivery challenges whose ‘minor’ scope has for long failed to generate political / administrative attention and operating in a domain, long neglected by policy makers was the legacy which the department had to improvise upon. The focus directed upon Minor Irrigation started a plethora of activities on how to affect positive changes that are financially and physically sustainable in the long run. The deliberations and discussions initiated in this connection zeroed in on an overall objective of reviving the potential of minor irrigation – through building of new tanks and rehabilitation of old tanks; facilitating practicing of integrated water resources management – focused upon addressing the livelihood needs of the tank users.  Institutionalization of participation of water user bodies in planning, implementation and monitoring of Minor Irrigation systems, operationalization of project mode, direct involvement of Non-Governmental Organizations, addressing water resources management within an integrated framework are few of the milestones that the I&CAD Minor Irrigation Strategy established in the country.

The working group on the Minor Irrigation Programme for the Formulation of X Five Year Plan (Year 2002-2007) constituted by the Planning Commission G.O.I. underscored the need of developing a participatory minor irrigation system. The Steering Committee of the Planning Commission emphasis on irrigation sector on renovation, improvements of existing minor irrigation tanks and canal systems and the strong endorsement by Jayathi Ghosh of the need for effecting a policy change towards refurbishing the irrigation potential of tank irrigation schemes were key catalysts directing spotlight on minor irrigation.  The state commitment to and the ushering of the PIM in the state through the passing of the Andhra Pradesh Farmer’s Management of Irrigation Systems was another factor molding a participatory minor irrigation management approach. 

The Strategy:

• New Tanks: The first component of the minor irrigation strategy was on creating new irrigation potential through the construction of new tanks especially in arid and drought prone districts like Adilabad where there was little scope for providing alternative irrigation options. Building of new tanks – based on hydrological and financial feasibility studies was targeted to generate an additional irrigation potential of about 10 lakh acres in the state.
  
  
• Revival and Restoration of Old Tanks:  Andhra Pradesh by 2005 had an existing (created) Irrigation Potential of 35 lakh acres. However, operating at a 30% efficiency, the state was actually utilizing just above 10 lakh irrigation potential. The state through Revival and Restoration of old tank structures intended to improve the water use efficiency of these minor systems to almost 60% resulting in actualization of additional 10 lakh acres irrigation capacity. The water management component, that focused on incorporating community participation in all stages of tank sustainability focused upon strengthening tank based livelihoods through a multi-disciplinary approach has laid down the details of a pioneering method of decentralized and livelihood focused tan k management system. In fact the methodology that the I&CAD drafted for facilitating a community managed tank revival and restoration process has been incorporated within the guiding framework for the conduct of the “National Projects on Repair, Renovation and Restoration of Water Bodies Directly Linked to Agriculture”.
   
• Ground Water Management: The third key focus in the minor irrigation strategy was on facilitating conjunctive use of surface and ground water through addressing ground water management concerns. The action plan focused on generating of additional potential of 10 lakh acres through new bore wells and dug wells in the period 2004-14. The thrust was on creating additional capacity in tribal areas in Northern Andhra Pradesh that have traditionally fallen outside conventional irrigation system.
  

Funding:

New Minor Irrigation Tanks:

Projects focusing on creation / building of new minor tank water bodies were to be funded by Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme - AIBP (where the national government provides 90% grant to state governments) Rural Infrastructure Development Fund RIDF(where state governments are granted loan from NBARD) from the state Plan.

• New minor irrigation tanks under Rural Infrastructure Development Fund -RIDF – NABARD:  The Government has taken up 172 schemes under Minor Irrigation Sector with NABARD assistance at an estimated value of Rs. 4,545.6 million. The newly proposed tanks are being constructed in 21 districts, except in Krishna and Hyderabad districts of Andhra Pradesh, which is to be completed in 5 years period.
  
  
• Andhra Pradesh Irrigation and Livelihood Improvement Project: Funded by Japan Bank for International Cooperation JBIC (now renamed as Japan International Cooperation Agency JICA). 59 new minor irrigation tanks are proposed under this project to create new irrigation potential of 30,521 ha with a tentative cost of Rs. 3571 million.
  
  
• Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Program: New minor irrigation projects taken up under AIBP in Drought Prone Area Program (DPAP) and tribal areas are constructed in Visakhapatnam, Prakasam, Kurnool, Chittoor, Nalgonda, Mahaboobnagar and Adilabad districts and 61 minor irrigation projects are proposed to be constructed with an amount of Rs.16872 lakhs.
  
• New minor irrigation schemes under State Plan: About 112 minor irrigation projects taken up under this program with a cost of Rs. 38913 lakhs new minor irrigation projects are also taken up under normal plan in Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, West Godavari, Prakasam, Nellore, Kurnool, Cuddapah, Chittoor, Ranga Reddy, Nalgonda, Mahaboobnagar, Medak, Nizamabad, Adilabad, Warangal, Karimnagar and Khammam.

Repair and Restoration of Old Tank Structures:

The repair and restoration of old tank structures received a fillip with the sanctioning of the Government of India Pilot Projects on “National Project on Repair, Renovation and Restoration of Water Bodies Directly Linked to Agriculture” in January 2005.

With a view to expand the scheme of repair, renovation and restoration of water bodies, Government of India approved two schemes for RRR of water bodies. The expansion of the programme envisaged improvement of water bodies, catchments areas of tank commands, improvement in agriculture increase in storage capacity of water bodies, ground water recharge, and increased availability of drinking water.

1. One with external assistance and Under the scheme covered by external assistance, States can take up projects for funding wherein 75% loan is taken from the World Bank and is passed on to the concerned States on back to back basis and is to be repaid by the States. The balance 25% is taken as liability of Government of India and passed on as Additional Central Assistance (100% grant) to the States for the projects. Under the scheme of RRR of water bodies with external assistance, the World Bank Loan Agreement was signed with with Andhra Pradesh for assistance of US $ 189 million for restoration of 3000 water bodies with a CCA of 2.5 lakh hectares.
    
2. The other one with domestic support:  Domestic support funding is also in the ratio of 25:75 (Centre: State) for non-special category States and in the ratio of 90:10 for special category States, drought prone/naxal affected/tribal areas.

The projects for rehabilitation and restoration of existing tanks are:

1. State Plan: Rehabilitation and restoration of 1939 minor irrigation tanks is being taken up under the state plan in the 22 districts with a budget allocation of Rs 3195.7 million. All the tanks under this program will be modernized in order to facilitate water flow to the tail end villages. The restoration program includes repairs to the bund, canal lining, etc.
   
   
2. RRR Project: For restoration of minor irrigation tanks in the state the I&CAD Department, GoAP has implemented a pilot project called Repair, Renovate and Restoration of Water Bodies Directly Linked to Agriculture (RRR Project). The project is funded by the GoI and covers 261 tanks in 2 districts of the state (Mahaboobnagar – 224 and Ananthpur – 37).
   
   
3. Andhra Pradesh Community Based Tank Management Project: The project envisages rehabilitating and restoring of about 3000 minor irrigation tanks for agriculture improvement and livelihood enhancement. The project cost Rs. 10440 million for modernization of all the tanks. The project is spread over 499 mandals in 21 districts of the state with a time frame of 5 years. The project is implemented by I&CAD Department, GoAP, with the financial assistance from Government of India (25%) and World Bank (75%). In addition to the civil works the APCBTMP also take up the programs of strengthening community based institutions and improvement of livelihoods support services for tank system users. The Andhra Pradesh Community Based Tank Management Project (APCBTMP) envisages rehabilitation of about 3000 minor irrigation tanks (out of 11300 Minor Irrigation MI tanks in the state) with a command area of approximately 2.5 lakh hectares. The primary objective of the Project implemented by Irrigation and CAD Department, GoAP is enhancing income opportunities of the tank-based livelihoods and strengthening community management of tanks.

Implementation Arrangement

The success of the minor irrigation strategy depended on accurate and timely implementation of the projects. The new minor irrigation approach had expanded the focus from the traditional engineering preoccupation of conducting civil works, to include a range of activities that the department did not have the qualification / experience to undertake. The water management agenda of the tank bodies was to include livelihoods focus and intricately involve community and all stakeholders of tank waters in all activities related to tank maintenance. A new implementation strategy and institutional arrangement needed to be created to enable establishment of a multi-disciplinary integrated water management system in place. Delineation of designated circles for Minor irrigation works and creation of a multidisciplinary focus for ushering of PIM in tank management were two significant interventions made for smooth implementation of minor irrigation management.

• Conventionally, minor irrigation works, because of its perceived smallness were often clubbed with Major and Medium irrigation works and undertaken by common circles in all the projects. In order to ensure that minor works are not overlooked in favor of Major / Medium works, the department proposed a separate jurisdiction for minor works by designating selected circles exclusively for the same. 11 minor irrigation circles and one quality control circle working under the Minor Irrigation Chief Engineer are  proposed to conduct both the construction and water management works of minor irrigation exclusively.
  
  
• Another novel intervention was creation of a multi-disciplinary team of experts from institutional Development, Agriculture, Monitoring and Evaluation, Management of Information Systems, Geographical Information Systems to introduce and implement a multi-disciplinary focus in water management.  A multi-disciplinary Project Management Unit has been created at I&CAD to coordinate and supervise the water management activities at projects level. This multi-departmental integration was also replicated at the district level – the nodal point of operational concern for minor irrigation water management. The District Level Implementation Committee – DLIC constituted for the smooth implementation of the project at district level is headed by the District Collector and members from different departments. The DLIC is responsible for the coordination and monitoring of project activities at district level among concerned departments. District level functionaries like Joint Director / Project Director/ Divisional Forest Officer from departments of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Horticulture, Fisheries, Ground Water, Rural Development etc., are represented as members in the DLIC.   

Strategy

As a first step the importance of efforts to understand and underline the historical significance of tanks in the region’s irrigation was highlighted. The significance of decentralized management and community involvement in sustaining tank systems that supported varied stakeholder’s livelihood needs was reiterated in several ways. Rapidly increasing bore-well irrigation, significant impact of tank waters on ground water potential that reiterated and established bore-well users as major stakeholders of tank systems directed attention on developing a strategy underlining conjunctive use of water that balances and supplements ground water usage with available surface water. The project also underscored the importance of hydrological assessment – the use of technical analysis, prevailing scientific methodologies, compilation of accurate stream and tank gauge records, taking into account number of fillings, cropping patterns for developing accurate and achievable tank management targets. A comprehensive study of the best practices relating to grass-root level participatory processes and community based structures (mostly NGO efforts) and learning’s on institutional and management structures, identification of state level thrust areas (government initiatives by various states) and specific learning’s relating to thrust areas, systems and institutional structures was done to evolve a responsive, decentralized, community based system for minor irrigation tanks management.

Study of best practices by other states and in projects like building of social capital, strengthening the stake of community members in structures / systems through resource mobilization, generating a sense of ownership in community through community contribution up-to 25% in cash / kind,  three-tier institutional structure, restoration of need based indigenous technologies, NGOs as facilitator, community mobilization for sharing of costs, cost sharing by community and investment by institutions for transparency and effective implementation, reiterated the necessity of focusing on collective decision and action in laying foundations for a local community managed tank irrigation system.

Anintegrated and synchronized support of technological know how, improved production techniques, efficient water management practices, improved water use efficiency to improve agricultural production, strengthening and supporting fisheries for actual realisation of potential, improving livestock productivity for enhancing family income and drought proofing the marginalized communities were identified as the chosen points of intervention for enhancing tank productivity in the said project.

A multi-disciplinary approach, livelihoods focus and establishing a practice of community participation and commitment were the core features of the new approach. The policy of building of new / revival of tank systems sought to build in an integrated and multidisciplinary focus on Civil Works, Agriculture, Livestock, and Groundwater. The tank system consisting of the tank region, catchment area, command area (including groundwater) was to provide not only irrigation service but meet the demands of all stakeholders dependent on tank waters. Interventions like preparation of Quality Manuals and Standard Manuals in Civil Works category; provision of agricultural support and options for increasing agricultural productivity, focusing on livestock requirements, encouraging convergence between surface and ground water by facilitating use of tank bodies to revive ground water potential were to establish a multi-disciplinary focus in tank management.

The third key input of the new strategy on minor irrigation was factoring of community participation and commitment into tank management. Community involvement was assured through incorporation of a range of measures like walk-through, works prioritization, estimate creation, and implementation of works for repair/rehabilitation of tanks. These activities ensured continued community involvement in tank management activities ranging from planning, implementation, monitoring to reviewing of the tank system.  Creation of a corpus – generated from the 5% - 10% farmer’s contribution to be collected in cash or kind from tank users was a novel principle built into the strategy for ensuring financial sustainability. The corpus – consisting of the farmer’s contribution, water fees generated in the form of tax re-ploughs, and revenues generated from tank aided commercial ventures like fisheries, and produce from trees on the tank beds was to ensure financial sustainability of the tank bodies. The system of facilitating involvement of tank user communities through the WUAs in all maintenance activities of tank bodies and ensuring of financial sustainability through the creation of a corpus fund was to create community commitment towards continued tank maintenance.

Taking the First Steps - Piloting Transformation:

National Project for Repair, Renovation and Restoration of Water Bodies Directly Linked to Agriculture 2005
Endemic regional agricultural crises and the Government of India scheme of “National Project for the Repair, Renovation and Restoration of Water Bodies Directly Linked to Agriculture in 2005 set the context for the exploration and explication of an effective alternative focused exclusively on Minor Irrigation in the state.The piloting of the project funded by the Government of India covering 261 tanks in 2 districts of the state (Mahaboobnagar – 224 and Ananthpur – 37) initiated the process of exploration of the policy outlook on minor irrigation development in the state. The pilots helped in identification of specific outputs (managerial, social issues, productivity and water management) for achieving key objectives of restoration and augmentation of storage capacities of water bodies and the recovery and extension of their lost irrigation potential. The National Framework in 2005 for Renovation of Water Bodies in India that lay down the intended objectives, institutional arrangement, types of interventions, implementation phases and the funding modalities for posing a project for World Bank assistance adopted and vindicated the state’s participatory irrigation management approach.

Guidelines on National Project for Repair, Renovation and Restoration of Water Bodies Directly Linked to Agriculture 2005

• Restricted to water bodies having original irrigation culturable command area between 40 - 2000 hectare
  
  
• Based on sound techno-economic considerations in arid, semi-arid, drought prone, backward, and tribal areas
  
  
• Operating under a common Detailed Project Report framework
  
  
• Provision of 10% of project cost for capacity building and collection of base line data
  
  
• Community involvement in building, operating, monitoring  and maintaining assets and facilities
  
  
• Establishment of appropriate institutional framework  for O&M of facilities by the beneficiaries
  
  
• Clear and common guidelines on procedures for clearance of DPR, manner of approval, techno-economic appraisal
  
  
• Detailed State and District Level  Implementation bodies for planning, implementation, supervision and monitoring of the project
  
  
• Funding in the ratio of 75:25 (Center and State)

Consolidating Minor Irrigation Potential: 

The focus on revival and restoration of tank irrigation potential directed the attention of policy makers on the difficult and contentious question of continued tank maintenance. The effective utilization of irrigation potential created by tank restoration depended upon the regular and continuous maintenance of the tank infrastructure. The low operation and maintenance funds and lack of political concern in minor irrigation were major constraints seriously undermining the maintenance of tank systems. an effort was made to overcome this inherent limitation by involving the community and laying grounds for the creation of a “corpus fund”  for financial sustainability of tanks. The project – APCBTMP – undertaken as a part of the externally aided RRR project with loan from the World Bank attempted to create and develop a strategy for continued physical and financial sustainability of tank systems. A few innovative arrangements / practices for facilitating the implementation of the tank improvement strategy was developed by I&CAD.

The Andhra Pradesh Community Based Tank Management Project on rehabilitation of a maximum of 3000 tank systems to be implemented in 499 Mandals of 22 Districts represented consolidation of the emerging minor irrigation policy in the state. The national framework and its elaboration by the state I&CAD for the first time utilized a systemic approach in Minor Irrigation Management. The project elaborated an effective, participatory and result oriented strategy for improving minor irrigation based livelihoods by stabilizing irrigation potential through community management thereby reduce poverty through sustainable water resources use and management. Problem identification, Rapid Assessment of tank status, Creation of a Data Base, Devising of a Detailed Strategy, Integration of Community Participation, and Incorporation of concerns of direct and indirect stakeholders got internalized in minor irrigation strategy through this project. It represented a breakthrough in terms of the processes and systems that it established. Operating from a clean slate the project had to battle a system that lacked any data base, was unclear about the approach and function in a sector where Participatory Irrigation Framework was yet to take ground.  Illustration of the problem tree and situating a logical framework intended to tackle the identified limitations and problems was the first steps taken to operationalize the strategy on Minor Irrigation. Few of the key distinguishing features of the project can be listed as:

• A Project Management Unit (a Special Purpose Vehicle) is the state level agency responsible for planning, implementation and monitoring activities; coordinating with other agencies; managing the interface with the World Bank; recruiting and monitoring the NGOs, multi disciplinary teams and arrange for capacity building and training etc.
  
  
• Only for water bodies having irrigation command above 40 ha.
  
  
• Incorporation of hydrological parameters, community willingness, tank status, District and Mandal profiling as key basis for selecting tanks for renovation
  
  
• Identification of Direct and Indirect tank Stakeholders
  
  
• Detailing of the Components and output measurements
  
  
• Government commitment to transfer tank management to the WUAs to be legalized through suitably designed Memorandum Of Understandings
  
  
• The WUAs to be empowered to levy and collect charges that may accrue from increased livelihood options, say, like from fisheries and so on, as WUA funds for O&M purposes
  
  
• The project to have a clear phasing of the activities based on the processes involved like pre planning, planning, implementation and consolidation
  
  
• Community organization to be the precursor for physical infrastructure improvement where community organization and community participation was built in preparing the micro plan that includes net planning, water audit, crop plan, water distribution plan and also implementation
  
  
• The project adopted a Results Based Management Strategy aimed at achieving important changes in the way organizations operate, with improving performance (achieving better results) as the central orientation for decentralization of its planning, implementation and monitoring processes.
  
  
• The results based management objectively measures its performance and monitors how well an organization meets its stated goals. This involves several phases: e.g., articulating and agreeing on objectives, selecting indicators and setting targets, monitoring performance (collecting data on results), and analyzing and reporting those results vis-à-vis the targets.
  
  
• The key stages of results based management strategy include identifying clear and measurable objectives (results), aided by logical frameworks;  Selecting indicators that will be used to measure progress towards each objective; Setting explicit targets for each indicator, used to judge performance; Developing performance monitoring systems to regularly collect data on actual results; Reviewing, analyzing and reporting actual results vis-à-vis the targets; Integrating evaluations to provide complementary performance information not readily available from performance monitoring systems; and Using performance information for internal management accountability, learning and decision making processes, and also for external performance reporting to stakeholders and partners
  
  
• Capacity Building and Training to secure the objectives and translate the key design principles into action along with the physical restoration of the tank system
  
  
• NGO or other suitable agency to be employed as facilitating teams to ensure community mobilization
  
  
• The key to the sustainability of the project was the meaningful participation by the community in design and implementation of the project and in accepting full responsibility for future O&M of the tank system

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