Bishkek

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INSTITUTIONAL REFORMS OF IRRIGATION SYSTEMS
IN ARMENIA

• Bishkek
• 2007

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Main topics of the presentation

• Description of Armenian relief
• Description of existing irrigation systems
• Start of irrigation systems management reforming
• Irrigation systems development program
• Water Users Associations activities, progress and
  problems
• Strategy of further development of WUAs and
  management reforms

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SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRYS RELIEF

• Total territory - 30.000 m2, population 3.0 mln
• Climate is extremely continental, rainfall varies
  from 250 to 1000 mm

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SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRYS
RELIEF (continued) 3. 70 òåððèòîðèè èìååò
ãîðíûé ðåëüåô, îòìåòêè âûñîêîãîðíûõ ðàâíèí
êîëåáëÿòñÿ îò 1000-2100ì íàä óðîâíåì ìîðÿ
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SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRYS
RELIEF (continued)
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SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRYS RELIEF
(continued) 4. The main natural water basin of
the country is Lake Sevan reserving sweet water -
35.0 billion m35. Lake is 1900 m above sea level
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SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRYS RELIEF
(continued)

• 6. Total irrigated area is 273.500 ha, of which
  156.900 ha is irrigated by gravity method, and
  116.600 ha by mechanical method.
• 7. Due to irrigating farming 80 of agricultural
  production is produced.
• 8. Before lands privatization (1991) number of
  water users was 920 with land shares 20-250 ha.
• 9. After privatization the number of water users
  was 280.000 of farms with land share from 0.05 to
  100.

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II. DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING IRRIGATION SYSTEMS

• Irrigation of the country has a centuries-old
  history
• At present those irrigation systems are
  maintained that were constructed in II century
  B.C.

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DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING IRRIGATION
SYSTEMS(continued)
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DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING IRRIGATION
SYSTEMS(continued)
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DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING IRRIGATION
SYSTEMS(continued)

• Irrigation system of the country were constructed
  mainly during the Soviet Union
• 70 reservoirs with total conservation zone of
  1.1 billion m3, 3.000 km main and off-farm
  canals, 17.000 km of on-farm network, 400 of pump
  stations, 2000 of artesian and deep wells were
  constructed
• Due to low prices for energy automatic irrigation
  prevailed and annually to deliver 1.5 billion m3
  of water 600 mln km/h of energy was used

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DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING IRRIGATION
SYSTEMS(continued)

• Declaring in 1991 countrys independence and land
  privatization, irrigation systems transferred to
  chargeable irrigation
• Due to the low payments collection and permanent
  lack of funds, technical condition of irrigation
  systems was becoming worse each year
• In mid 90-s with the assistance of the World Bank
  and Internation Fund for Agricultural Development
  (IFAD) Irrigation Systems Rehabilitation
  Program was developed
• Implementation of the program was the
  responsibility of Irrigation systems programs
  implementation bureau (PIB)
• Under the program the urgent works on
  rehabilitation of emergence areas of irrigation
  systems were undertaken
• In the process of implementation of the first
  program, it was already clear that irrigation
  systems rehabilitation alone would not resolve
  arisen problems on provision liable system

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DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING IRRIGATION
SYSTEMS(continued)
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DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING IRRIGATION
SYSTEMS(continued)
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DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING IRRIGATION
SYSTEMS(continued)
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DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING IRRIGATION
SYSTEMS(continued)
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DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING IRRIGATION
SYSTEMS(continued)
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III. START OF MANAGEMENT REFORMS

• Along with Irrigation systems Rehabilitation
  program establishment of water users cooperatives
  started
• Under the program 100 cooperatives serving
  150-300 ha were established.
• With technical and consultancy support from the
  PIB, water users cooperative provided normal
  maintenance of on-farm irrigation systems and
  water distribution among farmers
• Most cooperatives provided 75-80 collection of
  water payments
• Inspired with cooperatives success, the
  Government created additional 200 community-based
  cooperatives under one Resolution
• Cooperatives did not justify themselves and
  collapsed

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START OF MANAGEMENT REFORMS (continued)main
reasons of failure of cooperative.

• Lack of needed financial, consultancy and
  technical assistance to cooperative
• High maintenance costs due to small serving
  areas (50-150 ha)
• Lack of relating law and legal base, resulted in
  cooperatives helpless and defenseless condition
• Strong negative influence to cooperative from
  local state structures
• Lack of professional staff
• Cooperatives chairmen were appointed, not elected

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IV. IRRIGATION SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

• To perform the tasks under the program the
  following actions were taken
• Develop a concept of establishing new water
  users associations (WUAs) and approval of the Law
  on Water Users Associations. (the Law was
  approved by the Parliament on 4 June, 2002)
• In accordance with the Law on WUAs and
  Federations of WUAs on the National level a WUAs
  and FWUAs regulating Council managed by Vice
  Prime Minister was established
• By the Government Resolution, the functions of
  Executive Directory of WUAs and FWUAs Regulating
  Council was given to Irrigation systems PIB

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IRRIGATION SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (continued)

• In state sector, due to institutional reforms,
  instead of many organizations, there was
  established one, and later by principle of intake
  basins four organizations Djrar, that
  maintain and operate large strategic reservoirs,
  headworks and strong pump stations
• To establish WUAs and transferring to them
  irrigation functions, in 2002 temporary
  maintaining organizations were created, they
  operated and maintained only secondary irrigation
  systems
• Government approved prototypes of Agreement on
  transfer of main means for self utilization and
  maintenance of WUAs, Contract on water delivery,
  Statute of WUAs and FWUAs, and Rules of water
  supply and irrigation water use

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IRRIGATION SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (continued)

• After aproving the Law on WUAs, establishment of
  associations started at once and by the beginning
  of irrigation season of 2003 18 WUAs were created
• Success of re-established WUAs and unsuccessful
  activities of temporary state organizations
  accelerated the process of WUAs creation and
  already by the beginning of irrigation season of
  2004 54 WUAs were established
• Secondary and tertiary irrigation systems,
  according to the Government and local state
  authorities decision, were given to WUAs for
  operation and maintenance for 25 years
• As a result, the only state organizations in the
  irrigation systems were 4 organizations Djrar
  on reservoir level
• Irrigation management on secondary and tertiary
  irrigation systems in the country was
  denationalized, i.e. transfer from governmental
  structures to WUAs

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V. WUA ACTIVITIES AND EXISTING PROBLEMSMajor
indicators of WUAs activities in the breakdown of
years
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V. WUA ACTIVITIES AND EXISTING PROBLEMS

• The main criteria of WUAs success may the
  following
• Signing individual agreements of water delivery
  with consumers and introduction of Institute with
  liability for breakage into WUAs
• Daily technical and consultancy work of support
  group, that had been functioning under
  development program
• Introduction of software for water estimation on
  all levels, from main canals to water-users. The
  software provides data on each water user
  amount of received water, costs, payments, etc.

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WUA ACTIVITIES AND EXISTING PROBLEMS (continued)

• Participation (co-financing) of water users in
  procurement of vehicles, equipment and machinery
  for associations, and for construction and
  overall repair of on-farm network
• Participation of WUA members at meetings of
  Representatives and, if necessary, on
  Administrative Council
• Participation of Administration members, water
  users representatives and specialists of WUA
  directory on training courses with 10 modules,
  organized and conducted under the program by
  international and local specialists

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WUA ACTIVITIES AND EXISTING PROBLEMS (continued)

• The main problems to be solved on the way of WUAs
  establishment
• Inactivity of water users in WUA management
• Unsatisfactory work of administrative council,
  Audit Committee and Disputes Settlement Committee
• Unsatisfactory technical condition of received
  for maintenance irrigation systems
• Discrepancy of existing on-farm network with
  privatized land shares
• Lack of new technologies and low level of
  irrigation methods of water users
• Power-consuming irrigation and high energy costs
  in water prime costs
• Lack of professional staff in WUA

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VI. STRATEGY OF FURTHER WUA DEVELOPMENT AND
MANAGEMENT REFORMS

• Continue of consultancy and organizational
  assistance for more active participation of water
  users in WUA management
• Strengthen organizational, administrative and
  functional capacities of WUAs
• For organization of more effective maintenance
  and operation of main systems establish
  Federations of WUAs (FWUAs)
• Continue technical re-equipment of WUAs on the
  basis of co-financing and works on overall repair
  of on-farm network

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STRATEGY OF FURTHER WUA DEVELOPMENT AND
MANAGEMENT REFORMS(continued)

• 5. Provide organizational assistance and
  technical equipment to created FWUAs and
  governmental organizations Djrar
• 6. For more effective training of irrigation
  systems staff and water users create Republican
  Training Centre with three regional branch
  offices and equip them with new training
  technologies
• 7 Provide necessary conditions
  (preconditions) for creating Professional
  Irrigation Associations, that would present the
  interest of WUAs in state authorities

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• THANKS