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Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Groundwater IrrigationandtheRuralPoor Groundwater Irrigation and the Rural Poor Groundwater Irrigation and the Rural Poor Options for Development in the Gangetic Basin edited by Friedrich Kahnert and Gilbert Levine The World Bank Washington, D.C. ©1993 The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / THE WORLD BANK 1818 H Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20433, U.S.A. All rights reserved Manufactured in the United States of America First printing April 1993 The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this study are entirely those of the authors and should not be attributed in any manner to the World Bank, to its affiliated organizations, or to members of its Board of Executive Directors or the countries they represent. Because of the informality of this series and to make the publication available with the least possible delay, the manuscript has not been edited as fully as would be the case with a more formal document, and the World Bank accepts no responsibility for errors. The material in this publication is copyrighted. Requests for permission to reproduce portions of it should be sent to the Office of the Publisher at the address shown in the copyright notice above. The World Bank encourages dissemination of its work and will normally give permission promptly and, when the reproduction is for noncommercial purposes, without asking a fee. Permission to copy portions for classroom use is granted through the Copyright Clearance Center, 27 Congress Street, Salem, Massachusetts 01970, U.S.A. The complete backlist of publications from the World Bank is shown in the annual Index of Publications, which contains an alphabetical title list and indexes of subjects, authors, and countries and regions. The latest edition is available free of charge from the Distribution Unit, Office of the Publisher, at the address in the copyright notice or from Publications, World Bank, 66, avenue d'Iéna, 75116 Paris, France. Library of Congress Cataloging−in−Publication Data Groundwater irrigation and the rural poor: options for development in the Gangetic Basin / edited by Friedrich Kahnert and Gilbert Levine. p. cm.—(A World Bank symposium) "Papers were presented at the World Bank Colloquium on Groundwater Irrigation, held April 1214, 1989"—Pref. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 0−8213−2401−2 1. Irrigation—Economic aspects—Ganges River Watershed (India and Bangladesh)—Congresses. 2. Water, Underground—Ganges River Watershed (India and Bangladesh)—Congresses. 3. Rural development—Ganges River Watershed (India and Bangladesh)—Congresses. 4. Irrigation—Economic aspects—Nepal—Congresses. 5. Water, Underground—Nepal—Congresses. 6. Rural development—Nepal—Congresses. I. Kahnert, Friedrich, 1929—. II. Levine, Groundwater Irrigation and the Rural Poor 1 Groundwater Irrigation and the Rural Poor Gilbert, III. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. IV. Series. HD1741.G3G76 1993 338.4'762752'09541—dc20 93−9703 CIP FOREWORD This volume reports on a concerted effort to analyze and reflect on the possible role of groundwater development in helping to address the persistent rural poverty problem in Bangladesh, Nepal, and eastern India, an area in large part coincident with the Gangetic Basin. The work was initiated by the World Bank and cosponsored by the International Irrigation Management Institute, which contributed substantially to its success. Papers were presented at the World Bank Colloquium on Groundwater Irrigation, held April 1214, 1989, in Washington, D.C. Groundwater remains the largest natural resource endowment of this region that is not yet used to its full potential, even though this potential cannot be identified with certainty for the basin as a whole or for its constituent parts. In addition to an incomplete data base, a problem common to many development challenges, a great deal of uncertainty arises from the unresolved riparian issues affecting the use of the water from the Ganges river system. These concern not only the three countries of the region but also the division of the water resources among the Indian states in the basin. Given the close interaction between surface water flows and groundwater availability, resolution of the riparian issues will place as yet unknown political limits on groundwater development in many parts of the region. While improving knowledge of the behavior of the system as a whole and of local conditions as well as resolution of the riparian issues must remain priority objectives, attempts to harness groundwater development more directly for the alleviation of poverty cannot wait. The resource is being developed and appropriated apace and time for influencing this process is running out. It is from this perspective that a number of unequivocal conclusions and action recommendations are put forward, namely: Farmers need a full range of equipment options in order to respond efficiently to local groundwater development conditions and to their specific requirements. Controls on equipment choice produce inefficiency and inequity and should be abolished. Tube well spacing regulations are largely unenforceable and futile; they are often harmful to the poor who are the only ones unable to circumvent them. They should be abolished. The subsidies in place distort the comparative advantages of different technologies because the degree of subsidy varies both by type of pumping energy (electricity / diesel) and by type of pumping equipment (deep tube wells/shallow tube wells/hand tube wells). What is more, these subsidies often benefit the relatively rich rather than the poor. Where subsidies have to remain in force, they should at least be scale− and energy−neutral. The provision of dedicated power for groundwater pumping to the improved deep tube wells first supported by the World Bank is ques− tionable if all externalities are taken into account; where dedicated power is to be used for this purpose, it should be more specifically targeted at the poor. This should also be done with power connections where these remain scarce, as in large parts of Bangladesh and Nepal. FOREWORD 2 Groundwater Irrigation and the Rural Poor Technical solutions to the well−known problems of public deep tube wells, such as the improvements incorporated in the design supported by the World Bank, are only part of what is needed. Much more attention must be devoted from the very beginning to farmer participation in such tube well investments and to the formation and sustained operation of water user groups. Because there is evidence that, the larger the capacity of the tube well, the more severe the operation and management problems, the smaller deep tube well models should be given preference over the larger ones wherever deep tube wells have to be installed. Water markets are developing rapidly both inside and outside the study area. Competitive water markets have positive efficiency and equity impacts; they can and should be promoted. In areas where electricity is available for pumping, a switch to flat−rate and progressive power pricing based on the horsepower of the connected motor can be a powerful tool to promote competition in the water market. The persistence of severe poverty in the study region is of concern not only to the World Bank and the three governments concerned but also to all those who devoted time and energy to producing the material in this report, not to mention the very large number of people suffering from deprivation in this area. In addition to the conclusions highlighted above, the body of this report contains a host of other suggestions, recommendations, and ideas for policies, other actions, and research. It is my hope that all this will contribute not only to the ongoing discussion of the problems but above all to policy reform and action to address them. Finally, I would like to express my sincere thanks to all the contributors to this project, especially to Friedrich Kahnert and Gilbert Levine. From the inception of the project to the end, it was Friedrich Kahnert whose dedicated work ensured that the vast experiences with and analyses of this topic could culminate in this volume; and we are obliged to Professor Levine, without whose expert support and assistance the project could not have been brought to a successful conclusion. OKTAY YENAL CHIEF, WORLD BANK RESIDENT MISSION NEW DELHI, INDIA CONTENTS Contributors link Overview link Friedrich Kahnert and Gilbert Levine Key Findings, Recommendations, and Summary link Friedrich Kahnert and Gilbert Levine Part 1: Bangladesh link 1 link National Water Planning in Bangladesh 19852005: The Role of Groundwater in Irrigation Development G.T. Keith Pitman 2 link Improving the Access of the Rural Poor to Groundwater Irrigation CONTENTS 3 Groundwater Irrigation and the Rural Poor in Bangladesh M.A. Hamid 3 link Groundwater Irrigation in Bangladesh: Access, Competition, and Performance M.A.S. Mandal 4 link Socialization of Minor Irrigation: A Strategy for Growth with Equity Qazi Faruque Ahmed Part 2: Nepal link 5 link Use of Groundwater Resources to Alleviate Poverty in Nepal: Policy Issues S.K. Upadhyay 6 link Improving Access of the Poor to Groundwater in Nepal: Sociopolitical and Managerial Issues R.N. Deo Part 3: India link 7 link Groundwater Development for Economic Emancipation in the Lower Ganges Basin: Problems, Prospects, and Strategies T. Prasad 8 link Performance of the World Bank Tube Wells