International Experiences of Water Transfers: Relevance to India

Water transfer has and continues to be a complementary water management strategy for promoting socioeconomic development in water-scarce regions. Over 2,500 years ago, the Babylonians, the Roman Empire and the Chinese constructed extensive canal networks, famous aqueducts and the Grand Canal, respectively to support human settlement in water- scarce areas. The Anuradhapura Kingdom of Sri Lanka too, developed major water transfers as far back as 100 AD to support the irrigation civilization needed to feed a growing population (de Silva 2005). In the twentieth century, the phenomenal population growth, economic activities and human settlement in water-scarce regions, advances in science and technology, political will and availability of resources led to the development of many water transfer projects. The global inter-basin water transfer increased from 22 to 56, from 56 to 257 and from 257 to 364 km3 yr-1 during the periods 1900-1940, 1940-1980 and 1980-1986, respectively, and is estimated to increase to 760-1,240 km3 yr-1 by 2020 (Shiklomanov 1999). Most of these transfers took place in Canada, the former USSR, India and the United States of America

Irrigation investments in India in the last three decades: an analysis of economic performance

Irrigation programs / Irrigation management / Investment / Farmer participation / Irrigation systems / Water conveyance / Rehabilitation / Crops / Models / India

Economic performance of public investments in irrigation in India in the last three decades

Irrigation programsPublic investmentPerformanceIrrigation systemsRegression analysisOperationsMaintenanceCropsDiversification

International experiences of water transfers: relevance to India

River basinsWater scarcityWater transferPlanningCase studiesHistoryWater allocationEnvironmental effectsFood securityPoverty

Meeting India’s future water needs: policy options

River basinsWater shortageWater transferGroundwater irrigationWater productivity

Integrated water and land management research and capacity building priorities for Ethiopia: proceedings of a MoWR/EARO/IWMI/ILRI international workship held at ILRI, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2-4 December 2002

This work was carried out with the aid of grants from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Ottawa, Canada and from the Global Mechanism (GM) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).The workshop emerged from a joint mission of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) to Ethiopia in February–March 2002, at the invitation and enthusiastic support of various Ethiopian government ministries and other institutions for developing long-term collaborative research and capacity building in integrated water and land resources management. The workshop brought together about 80 professionals, both researchers and practitioners drawn from a wide range of institutions in Ethiopia, in addition to the international participants. Twenty-five papers were presented and discussions conducted on land and water management research. Well-targeted and good quality research is essential to develop Ethiopia’s natural resources and to reduce poverty and promote development. A range of important research issues were identified, which will be useful for guiding future research projects in Ethiopia. These research issues need further prioritising. Carrying out the research will require co-operation among Ethiopian research institutions and partnerships with federal ministries and regional governments, and can be strengthened through partnerships with international institutions. They can facilitate collaborative research among the countries sharing the Nile and other river basins, and exchange of experiences with other regions and basins. The workshop made it clear that there is considerable research and development capacity in Ethiopia. However, this capacity is fragmented among diverse institutions. Integrated water and land management research must be interdisciplinary, including the social, physical and biological sciences. The human, institutional and financial resources for carrying out research are well short of the level required to meet the needs of the country

Economic importance and environmental challenges of the Awash River Basin to Ethiopia

Presented during the USCID water management conference held on October 13-16, 2004 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The theme of the conference was "Water rights and related water supply issues."Includes bibliographical references.Ethiopia's agriculture currently depends on rainfall with limited use of water resources. Highly variable rainfall, frequent floods and droughts, and limited storage capacity continue to constrain the ability of the country to produce reliable food supplies in a country that is relatively rich in water and land resources. The Awash Valley has been the major focus of medium and large scale irrigated agriculture developments since the 1950s, and presently has over 70 percent of Ethiopia's non-traditional irrigation. In addition, there are traditional and non-traditional small-scale irrigation systems within the valley, and major dams to improve the management of water for agriculture and produce hydropower have been constructed. Furthermore, this economic activity has produced major secondary benefits to the valley area. With the continuing decline of the productivity of the rain-fed agricultural lands and the anticipated doubling of food demands over the next two decades, improved water management in agriculture, including irrigation is of paramount importance. Numerous authors, policy makers and other observers have stressed the very high-unrealized potential for intensification of agriculture through irrigation in Ethiopia. Yet, apart from the Awash Valley, limited development has occurred in irrigation development. Like much of the highlands of Ethiopia, mixed livestock cropping system predominate in the upper basin, whereas pastoralism was traditionally and currently practiced in the middle and lower reaches. The major irrigated agriculture and water resources have occurred in the middle valley and, more recently, towards the lower reaches. Other issues associated with the water management in the middle and lower basin is soil salinization, water contamination and increased waterborne diseases, and poor design leading to water loss through leakage and evaporation. Expanding irrigation threatens wetlands, and conflicts over access to water constrain smallholder farmers and pastoralists, which depend on livestock herds for their existence. Because communities lack skills and institutions to manage common property resources, water resources, basin/watershed and irrigation management infrastructure quickly fall into a state of disrepair. In the lower valley, desertification is a serious threat.Proceedings sponsored by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Central Utah Project Completion Act Office and the U.S. Committee on Irrigation and Drainage

A compact to revitalise large-scale irrigation systems using a leadership-partnership-ownership ‘theory of change’

In countries with transitional economies such as those found in South Asia, large-scale irrigation systems (LSIS) with a history of public ownership account for about 115 million ha (Mha) or approximately 45% of their total area under irrigation. In terms of the global area of irrigation (320 Mha) for all countries, LSIS are estimated at 130 Mha or 40% of irrigated land. These systems can potentially deliver significant local, regional and global benefits in terms of food, water and energy security, employment, economic growth and ecosystem services. For example, primary crop production is conservatively valued at about US$355 billion. However, efforts to enhance these benefits and reform the sector have been costly and outcomes have been underwhelming and short-lived. We propose the application of a 'theory of change' (ToC) as a foundation for promoting transformational change in large-scale irrigation centred upon a 'global irrigation compact' that promotes new forms of leadership, partnership and ownership (LPO). The compact argues that LSIS can change by switching away from the current channelling of aid finances controlled by government irrigation agencies. Instead it is for irrigators, closely partnered by private, public and NGO advisory and regulatory services, to develop strong leadership models and to find new compensatory partnerships with cities and other river basin neighbours. The paper summarises key assumptions for change in the LSIS sector including the need to initially test this change via a handful of volunteer systems. Our other key purpose is to demonstrate a ToC template by which large-scale irrigation policy can be better elaborated and discussed

Nephrotoxic Contaminants in Drinking Water and Urine, and Chronic Kidney Disease in Rural Sri Lanka

Chronic kidney disease of unknown (“u”) cause (CKDu) is a growing public health concern in Sri Lanka. Prior research has hypothesized a link with drinking water quality, but rigorous studies are lacking. This study assesses the relationship between nephrotoxic elements (namely arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and uranium (U)) in drinking water, and urine samples collected from individuals with and/or without CKDu in endemic areas, and from individuals without CKDu in nonendemic areas. All water samples—from a variety of source types (i.e., shallow and deep wells, springs, piped, and surface water)—contained extremely low concentrations of nephrotoxic elements, and all were well below drinking water guideline values. Concentrations in individual urine samples were higher than, and uncorrelated with, those measured in drinking water, suggesting potential exposure from other sources. Mean urinary concentrations of these elements for individuals with clinically diagnosed CKDu were consistently lower than individuals without CKDu both in endemic and nonendemic areas. This likely stems from the inability of the kidney to excrete these toxic elements via urine in CKDu patients. Urinary concentrations of individuals were also found to be within the range of reference values measured in urine of healthy unexposed individuals from international biomonitoring studies, though these reference levels may not be safe for the Sri Lankan population. The results suggest that CKDu cannot be clearly linked with the presence of these contaminants in drinking water. There remains a need to investigate potential interactions of low doses of these elements (particularly Cd and As) with other risk factors that appear linked to CKDu prior to developing public health strategies to address this illness