India Compared to Australia Water Users Association Laws

The following table outlines the objectives and procedures that are being undertaken.
Project Number: ADP/2001/014
Project Title: Improving Water Resource Management in India’s Agriculture: Search for Effective Institutional Arrangements and Policy Frameworks

Objectives	Outputs	Progress
Develop a framework for examining property rights, transactions cost, organisation and socio-political economy in managing Indian water resources on the basis of Australian and overseas experience.	1. A measurement framework capable of being employed to evaluate the benefits and costs of alternative water institutions.  2. An analysis tool tailored to the Indian water management context.	The measurement framework was completed in this period. Scrutiny of the framework at the first workshop has been arranged but not yet undertaken.  The team members have had input into the frameworks development and are considering techniques to operationalise it in the field in the context of their various disciplines.
To apply the comparative institutional framework, developed in objective one, to the analysis of groundwater use and related institutions. Derive lessons for institutional design.	1. In-depth case studies.  2. Report of the analysis of data on institutional aspects.	Sites for case studies of groundwater institutions have been identified.
Study the institutional experience of check-dams for groundwater and surface resource management.	1. In depth case studies.  2. Report of the analysis of data on institutional aspects.	Sites for case studies of check-dams have been identified.
Study water management cooperatives, their operation and successes and failures.	1. Detailed case studies.  2. Report on the analysis of data on institutional aspects.	Several potential water user associations have been identified. A definitive list of case reviews has yet to be derived.
Study the functioning of Water Users Associations and their institutional strengths and weaknesses.	1. In depth case studies.  2. Report of the analysis of data on institutional aspects.	Several potential water user associations have been identified. A definitive list of case reviews has yet to be derived.
To strengthen information transfer pathways between Australian water resource management bureaucracies and researchers, and their Indian counterparts.	1. Preliminary workshop in Australia.  2. Three workshops to widely disseminate findings, two in India.	The planning for the first workshop, including the development of papers for presentation at the workshop, was completed in this period. Interest in the project was raised with a range of water managers in Australia and India.

Photo Credit Prof Jennifer McKay

1. Jennifer McKay and Ganesh B. Keremane (2006). “Farmers’ perception on self created water management rules in a pioneer scheme: the Mula irrigation scheme, India”, Irrigation and Drainage Systems, Springer publications (forthcoming).
    
2. Ganesh B. Keremane, Jennifer McKay and A. Narayanamoorthy (2006). “The decline of innovative local self-governance institutions for water management: The case of Pani Panchayats”, International Journal of Rural Management, Sage publications (forthcoming).

• Outcomes

1. H.Diwakara and Jennifer McKay (2005). “Case Studies of (Semi) Self-Governing Institutions Regulating Groundwater in India and Australia–Partnerships to achieve Sustainable Allocation Processes”. USGS Scientific Report, USGS Fort Collins, Colorado, USA (forthcoming).
    
2. McKay, Jennifer and H. Diwakara (2005). “Groundwater Irrigation in Northern Gujarat: Conflicts between Appropriators in Mehsana.” Forum for Policy Dialogue on Water Conflicts in India. World Wide Fund for Nature, International Publication (forthcoming).
    
3. H.Diwakara (2005). “Self-Governance, Coping or Adding to the “Tragedy of the Commons: Groundwater Management in Rural India.” 19th September 2005, presented at the 4th Postgraduate Research Colloquium, Division of Business, University of South Australia.
    
4. Ganesh B. Keremane & Jennifer McKay, “Self-created rules and Conflict Management Processes: The Case of Water Users Associations on Waghad Canal in Maharashtra, India International Journal for Water Resource Development in May 2005 (accepted for publication).
    
5. McKay, J. and Halanaik, D. 2003, “New Directions and National Leadership in Developing Water Policies in Federations: India and Australia”, 11th World Water Congress of the International Water Resources Association, Madrid.

Photo Credit Prof Jennifer McKay

 

What's New?

• The review of the project was very favourable and ACIAR and the Indian partners Latrobe University DR Lin Crase have been approached to produce a book. This will extend the project by about 1 year. We plan to include other authors on the topic of water governance models.
• Water Lessons: defending ecosystems and resurrecting community rights
  Jointly presented by World Vision Australia and AusAID and supported by The Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre, UniSA
  When: Tuesday 1 August 2006
  Where: Adelaide Town Hall 5.15pm for 5.30pm start
  Bookings: via the Hawke Centre web site: www.hawkecentre.unisa.edu.au or
  RSVP line 08 8302 0215
  We know water is precious in Australia but access to safe drinking water is also a basic human right, enshrined in the UN Declaration of Human Rights. As water is becoming a commodity, shortages impact upon the lives of the poor in many countries and may even affect political stability. How do we ensure communities have access to fresh drinking water? How are communities dealing with the corporatisation of their water supplies? Could lack of water lead to future conflict in some regions and how can this be prevented?
  What role is Australia playing in helping to open up options for sustainable water supplies for people in developing countries? What impact does the way we live have on people in developing nations and their access to water and other basic human rights? Speakers will address these issues and participate in an open session with the audience on lessons learned and the local/global actions needed.   A Schools Alert Forum will be held prior to this event from 4.00pm – 5.00pm at the same venue. This is an informal session enabling senior students from schools around Adelaide to learn about and probe the issues raised. Students wishing to attend should register via the Hawke Centre web site or RSVP phone line.
   
•  Work on WUA'S in Andhra Pradesh
  The legal aspect and conflict resolution mechanisms are being studied in about 200 WUA'S in the Khrishna Basin.
   
• Work has been conducted in relation to the Andhra Pradesh Farmers Management of Irrigation systems Act 1997 as amended. The project focuses on the legal aspects of rules and internal conflict resolution processes in Water Users Associations set up under the above act. There are over 12,000 Water Users associations in AP. Many of these especially the larger ones have private Lashkas and government Lashkas administering the water sharing plans to ensure fair distribution to all farmers in all reaches of rivers.  The interviews were conducted with a range of key actors including Sanjay Gupta of CADA, International water Management institute, Madar Saman, and NGO'S. In addition over 200 WUA Presidents/leaders were interviewed in the Krishan basin in relation to the implementation of the above act.  The interviews were facilitated by JalaSpandana South India Farmers' Organisation for Water Management www.jalaspandana.org in particular Doraiswamyr. and also Institute of Resource Development and Social Management IRDAS
   

• Conducting Field work in a successful WUA in AP
  Photo Credit Doraiswamy Ramadassnaidu

• Forthcoming

Title: "Self-created Rules and Conflict Management Processes: The Case of Water Users Associations on Waghad Canal in Maharashtra, India".
Author/s: Keremane; McKay
Publication: CIJW International Journal of Water Resources Development, published December 2006

Title: “The decline of innovative local self-governance institutions for water management: The case of Pani Panchayats”.
Author/s: Ganesh B. Keremane, Jennifer McKay and A. Narayanamoorthy.
Publication: International Journal of Rural Management, Sage publications (forthcoming). The citation is vol.2 (1) p 107-122.(2006).

ABSTRACT
In India, community participation is receiving much importance in water planning and management. However, in the absence of effective institutional arrangements to govern the allocation and maintenance activities, it is more likely that such participation will fail to achieve the desired results. Therefore, the present study is an attempt to assess the self-created rules adopted by two Water Users’ Associations (WUAs) in Maharashtra State, India, to govern the use and distribution of water resources. The paper describes the perception of the members with regard to some of these self-created rules. It was observed that both the WUAs studied had effectively enforced these rules, leading to improved water management and efficient conflict management process.  Although preliminary, the findings indicate scope for designing strategies to achieve the objective of...

• Dr R N Yadava
  Director Gr. Scientist and Head of Resource Modelling & Design Division

Presentation Details:
The Presentation will be given on
Friday, 12th of January, 2007
from 2:00pm – 4:00pm
Rowland Rees Building
RR5:09
UniSA, City West Campus
 

Dr. Yadava will be giving a presentation including an overview of India’s water resources and many of the issues that India is faced with in managing both their surface and ground water. The presentation will include details of current strategies targeting the highlighted problems. There will be an extensive opportunity for questions and answers and general dialogue.

About the Speaker: Master in Science from Banaras Hindu University, Ph.D. from IIT Bombay. Guided students for M.Tech. and Ph.D. Thesis. Executed large number of research projects in the area of water resources.
Awards: Received various fellowship, Raman Research Award in Hydrology, etc.
Publications: Published research papers in journals of International repute.

This project is being expedited by Diwakara Halanaik and Ganesh Keremane. Please contact them for further information.

Refer to the original 2003 news report of this project.

Title: Self-created Rules and Conflict Management Processes: The Case of Water Users’Associations on Waghad Canal in Maharashtra, India
Authors: Ganesh B. Keremane & Jennifer McKay
Organisation: Centre for Comparative Water Policies and Laws, School of Commerce, Division of Business, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
Publication: Water Resources Development Vol. 22, No. 4, 543–559, December 2006