WATER USERS´ ASSOCIATIONS in PAKISTAN: Institutional, Organizational and Participatory Aspects
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WATER USERS´ ASSOCIATIONS IN PAKISTAN: Institutional, organizational and participatory aspects Doctoral Dissertation submitted for the degree of Doctor Agricultural Sciences of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences Georg-August-Universität Göttingen (Germany) by Waheed Chaudhry born in Liaquat Pur Göttingen, December 1996 Abstract Waheed Chaudhry: Water Users´ Associations in Pakistan: Institutional, organizational and participatory aspects The study, based on empirical data collected in Pakistan´s Punjab, deals intensively with the prevailing contingencies which may support or hinder farmer´s participation in Water Users´ Associations for the management of irrigation water. The changes in the management of irrigation water at the watercourse level through the active participation of the water users were examined on the basis of an empirical survey conducted at farm level in a village of the district Sargodha in central Punjab. The study area can be distinguished as the very first location in Pakistan where the concept of Water Users´ Association was experimented, and the watercourse studied was selected as the ´pilot watercourse´ for the full-scale improvement by the Water Users´ Association. The main aim of the study was to identify prevailing formal and informal methods for the management of irrigation water at farm level through the active participation of the water users. During empirical research, several influencing as well as determining factors captured central attention due to their vital importance in shaping water users´ attitude and behavior towards Water Users´ Association and its respective activities. In this connection, the institutional, socio-political and cultural factors are considered to be the basic influences within the context of irrigation water management which determine the structure and efficiency of Water Users´ Associations, the organizational entity being used to organize the water users´ participatory activities. The socio-economic regulatory patterns such as family, caste and ´biraderi´, as primary social units, are playing a dominant role in determining the direction and extent of activities of the Water Users´ Association. In addition, the physical as well as the social environment surrounding the water users have a great impact in shaping the collective actions for the management of irrigation water. The empirical results underline the importance of Water Users´ Associations for the efficient management and application of scarce water resources which, in comparison to other production resources, have greater potential to increase agricultural production. The importance of such organizational arrangements is equally valid for the better management of non-water inputs. Moreover, irrigation water management, being a socio-technical matter, demands a better coordination between the social and technical worlds which can be well realized through the establishment of the Water Users´ Associations. As the regulatory patterns of the rural Punjab usually do not coincide with the proposed model of Water Users´ Association, some structural as well as functional changes are necessary to make this arrangement more effective and efficient. In the light of empirical findings, proper planning is recommended to integrate and incorporate the end beneficiaries in the management and operation of the irrigation system. Abstrakt Waheed Chaudhry: Water Users´ Associations in Pakistan: 1 Institutional, organizational and participatory aspects Die Studie, die auf empirische, in Pakistans Punjab erhobene Daten basiert, befaßt sich intensiv mit den vorherrschenden Bedingungen, die die Beteiligung der Bauern in Wassernutzer- Assoziationen zur Bewässerungswirtschaft unterstützen oder behindern können. Änderungen in der Bewässerungswasserwirtschaft am Kanal, die durch die aktive Beteiligung der Wassernutzer verursacht wurden, werden auf der Grundlage einer empirischen Untersuchung analysiert, die auf Betriebsebene in einem Dorf des Sargodha- Distrikts im Zentralpunjab durchgeführt wurde. Hauptziel dieser Studie war es, die vorherrschenden formalen und informellen Methoden des Bewässerungsmanagements auf Betriebsebene durch die aktive Mitwirkung der Wassernutzer festzustellen. Während der empirischen Forschung war das Augenmerk auf mehrere Einfluß- sowie Bestimmungsfaktoren gerichtet, weil sie von grundlegender Bedeutung bei der Gestaltung der Stellung und des Verhaltens der Wassernutzer gegenüber der Wassernutzer-Assoziation und deren entsprechenden Aktivitäten sind. In diesem Zusammenhang werden die institutionellen, soziopolitischen und kulturellen Faktoren als die grundlegenden Einflüsse im Rahmen der Bewässerungswirtschaft angesehen, die die Struktur und die Leistungsfähigkeit der Wassernutzer-Assoziationen bestimmen, da der Verwaltungsapparat zur Gestaltung von Teilnahmeaktivitäten der Wassernutzer gebraucht wird. Die sozioökonomischen Regulierungsstrukturen wie Familie, Kaste und ‘biraderi’ als wichtigste Sozialeinheiten spielen eine entscheidende Rolle bei der Bestimmung der Richtung und des Umfangs der von den Wassernutzer-Assoziationen durchgeführten Handlungen. Außerdem haben sowohl die physische als auch die soziale Umwelt der Wassernutzer einen starken Einfluß auf die Gestaltung von kollektiven Aktivitäten zur Bewässerungswirtschaft. Die empirischen Ergebnisse unterstreichen die Bedeutung der Wassernutzer-Assoziationen für die wirksame Bewirtschaftung und Verwendung knapper Wasserressourcen, die im Vergleich zu anderen Produktionsmitteln eine größere Möglichkeit haben, die landwirtschaftliche Produktion zu erhöhen. Solche organisatorischen Einrichtungen sind auch für eine bessere Bewirtschaftung der nichthydrologischen Produktionsmittel von Bedeutung. Außerdem erfordert die Bewässerungswirtschaft, da sie ein soziotechnologisches Anliegen ist, eine bessere Koordinierung zwischen den gesellschaftlichen und technologischen Welten, die durch die Einrichtung von Wassernutzer-Assoziationen wohl durchgeführt werden kann. Da die Regulierungsstrukturen im ländlichen Punjab mit dem vorgeschlagenen Modell von Wassernutzer-Assoziationen in der Regel nicht übereinstimmen, sind einige sowohl strukturelle als auch funktionelle Änderungen erforderlich, um diese Gestaltung noch wirksamer und effizienter zu machen. Angesichts der empirischen Ergebnisse wird eine angemessene Planung empfohlen, um die Endbenutzer in die Bewirtschaftung des Bewässerungssystems einzubeziehen und aufzunehmen. Foreword In the heap of contemporary literature on irrigation, one finds relatively less studies focusing on micro analysis of the water users´ organizations. To subside this lack, the 2 present study concentrates on the efforts to establish, organize and operate a Water Users´ Association in the Pakistan´s Punjab. Although, the basic aim of the promotion of Water Users´ Associations was to increase water users´ role in irrigation system management, but it remained an illusion than a reality. The research and analysis presented here is an outcome of years long scientific efforts conducted mainly at the Institute of Rural Development, Georg-August-University Goettingen, which, in the course of its preparation, benefitted from active participation of many individuals. All those who cooperated in a spirit of scientific inquiry should be thanked by name, but prudence says otherwise. However, the excellent cooperation of the all, mentioned by name or otherwise, is greatly acknowledged. The author is extremely grateful to Prof. Dr. Dr. Dr. h. c. Frithjof Kuhnen for his thorough supervision, guidance and steadfast commitment in the course of the study. My greatest debt is to him for the numerous thought-provoking discussions, suggestions and critical remarks. I am also thankful to my second supervisor, Prof. Dr. Dr. habil. Winfried Manig, for his academic help and valuable comments throughout the pursuit of the study. Acknowledgements are also due to Prof. Dr. J. O. Müller, Prof. Dr. H. Inhetveen and Prof. Dr. H. Meliczek for providing useful comments and criticism during several discussions. My deepest gratitude deserves my wife, Shahina, who not only remained a continuous support and encouragement from the beginning to completion of the study but also shared the field work experiences as she was also doing research for her dissertation. She contributed an enormous help to complete the study through her suggestions and recommendations. I am extremely grateful to the academic environment and the various discussions shared with her. The staff of the Institute of Rural Development has been particularly helpful by providing guidence and deligent efforts during the entire period. Special acknowledgements are due to Monique Decotter for her untiring efforts for going through the manuscript and correcting it very keenly. Appreciations are also due to Dr. Ernst-Guenther Jentzsch for providing his recommendations and guidance on the organization and lay-out of the study before its publication. The farmers of the study area for their help and cooperation constitute an extra endorsement. Special thanks are also in order for the hospitality and cooperation of my host, Malik Sher, who not only accommodated me and my wife in his house but also remained always a helping hand in facilitating our stay and research activities in the village. Finally, my sincere thanks deserve my family, especially my parents, as without their best wishes and blessings this work would have not been possible. 3 4 Table of Contents Abstract................................................................................................................................1