Kshipra Sub Basin - Asian Development Bank

Support to the National Water Mission NAPCC
Appendix 3 Kshipra Sub Basin
Cooperative Society Act of the State, but these FMCs were not able to deliver goods as desired of
them and did little to involve farmers in irrigation management. in 1999 MP PIM act called as ―Madhya
Pradesh Sinchai Prabandhan Mein Krishkonka Bhagidhari Adhiniyam 1999‖ was brought into force for
the entire state. The rules for act implementation were passed in the same year (Madhya Pradesh
Farmers Organization Rules, 1999) by the state government. The Act provides for a three-tier farmer‘s
organizations (FOs) for irrigation management. The lowest tier in the institutional hierarchy is Water
Users‘ Association (WUA) at minor canal level of the irrigation system, secondary unit is Distributory
Committee (DC) at distributory canal of the irrigation system and tertiary unit is Project Committee
(PC) at the whole irrigation project level.
85. The apex institution in Madhya Pradesh for development and management of water resources
is the Water Resources Department (WRD). The department has extensive expertise in design,
construction, operation & maintenance of water resources projects and has offices in all parts of the
state. Other water sector line agencies include the Public health engineering Department, Panchayat
and Rural Development Department, Agricultural Department, Energy Department, Tourism
department, Forest Department, Fisheries department, Urban Development Department, Industries
Department, etc., which have vital stakes in the management of water resources. However, various
institutions are operating within the state having functions related to water sector. Specific functions of
WRD in the state of MP could be broadly classified as: (i) planning and development functions to
cover preliminary and detailed project planning and project preparation including Investigation and
project design; (ii) field Functions relating to operations, maintenance and construction. The
operational functions include: (i) operating the irrigation systems, including dams, canals,
distributaries, minors, outlets; (iii) scheduling water distribution along with WUAs and the instructions
of the water (c) determining water services provided and computing cost of water delivery (iv)
interfacing with WUA, NGO/CBO, and private parties to manage and maintain distribution system at
designated levels, and in the case of WUAs to assist in providing engineering support in activities like
land levelling, alignment of watercourses, construction of small structures, use of simple water
measuring devices, and drainage channels etc. (v) of new technologies like underground water
distribution system, sprinkler irrigation, drip (vi) irrigation etc. for effective utilization and conservation
of water and (vii) public grievance handling while maintenance functions cover: and (viii) drawing up
planned preventive maintenance schedules and scheduling requirements including repairs and
maintenance and estimating funds for maintenance.
86. IWRM principles and practices necessitate the need for role transformation within the existing
departments. It is clear from an institutional mapping exercise in the three states is the sectoral
approach to water resource development has little or no emphasis on integrated approach to water
management. The functions carried out by various departments do not necessarily indicate
institutional readiness to plan and manage the adaptation response to climate change impacts
requiring strong and well coordinated planning and management.
87. An overview of the main institutional mechanism for state-level planning and management of
water resources indicates that: there is a lack of conjunctive planning and regulation of surface and
groundwater, poor understanding of the conjunctive water balance systems. Water quality data is
monitored but not linked planning and management and artificial recharge is important but not
incorporated into the overall water resource planning. Further, all the agencies see their responsibility
as developing water resources for the public good.
88. In conclusion, one could say that any sound policy, acts and mandates of water centric
institutions aiming at water resource development and management should recognize in its totality: (i)
Information Systems and Resource Planning to provide much needed information about groundwater
availability, quality and withdrawal, etc., for use by planners and for the purposes of monitoring and
further research; (ii) Demand-Side Management for regulating groundwater withdrawals at sustainable
levels and such mechanisms to include, for example, licences, laws, pricing systems, use of
complementary water sources and water-saving crop-production technologies (In conformity with
IWRM principles) (iii) Supply-Side Management to augment Groundwater recharge by means of mass
rainwater harvesting and recharge activities and to maximize surface water use for recharge and the
introduction of incentives for water conservation and artificial recharge and (iv) Groundwater
Management in a River Basin Context to maximize efficiency and the focus of interventions could be
expanded (from a very ‗local‘ level to the level of entire river basins).
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