Emerging Public-Private Partnerships in Irrigation Development and Management

• Main Author: Darghouth, Salah
• Format: Publication
• Language: English
• Published: World Bank, Washington, DC 01.05.2007
• Subjects: AFFLUENTS; AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT; AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES; AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION; AGRICULTURAL WATER; ALLOCATION AGREEMENTS; ALLOCATION OF WATER; ALLOCATION SYSTEM; AQUIFERS; ASSET MANAGEMENT; ASSET OWNERSHIP; AVAILABLE WATER; AVAILABLE WATER RESOURCES; BASINS; BROAD RANGE; CANALS; CAPACITY BUILDING; CATCHMENT; CHANNELS; COMPETITION FOR WATER; CONCESSION CONTRACT; CONSTRUCTION; CONSTRUCTION OF INFRASTRUCTURE; CONVEYING; COST OF WATER; COST RECOVERY; COVERING; CROP PRODUCTION; CROSS-SUBSIDIES; CUBIC METER; CUBIC METERS; DAMS; DEMAND MANAGEMENT; DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM; DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS; DIVERSION; DRAINAGE; DRINKING WATER; DRIP IRRIGATION; DROUGHT; EAST EUROPE; ENGINEERING; EXPORT; FARMERS; FARMING; FIXED FEE; FOOD PRODUCTION; FOOD SECURITY; FOOD SELF-SUFFICIENCY; FRESH WATER; GOVERNMENT FINANCING; GRAVITY; GROUNDWATER; GROUNDWATER FOR IRRIGATION; GROUNDWATER IRRIGATION; HIGH LEVELS; IMPORTS; INTERNATIONAL WATER; INVESTMENT COSTS; INVESTMENT PROGRAM; INVESTMENT PROJECT; IRRIGATION DEVELOPMENT; IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT; IRRIGATION SCHEME; IRRIGATION SYSTEMS; IRRIGATION WATER; IRRIGATORS; LARGE WATER RESOURCE; LOCAL STAKEHOLDERS; MANAGEMENT OF WATER; METER READING; MIDDLE EAST; NORTH AFRICA; ON-FARM WATER MANAGEMENT; PERMITS; PIPELINE; POPULATION GROWTH; PRESSURE; PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE; PRIVATE FINANCING; PRIVATE OPERATOR; PRIVATE OPERATORS; PRIVATE PARTICIPATION; PRIVATE SECTOR SERVICE PROVIDERS; PRIVATE SERVICE PROVIDER; PROGRAMS; PROJECT MANAGEMENT; PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT; PUBLIC MANAGEMENT; PUBLIC WATER; PUBLIC WATER UTILITY; PUMPING; PUMPING PLANTS; QUALITY OF SERVICE; QUALITY OF WATER; RAINFALL; REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT; REGULATORY FRAMEWORK; RESERVOIRS; RIVERS; SANITATION; SANITATION SECTOR; SEA; SENIOR MANAGEMENT; SERVICE CONTRACTS; SERVICE DELIVERY; SERVICE FEE; SERVICE PROVIDER; SERVICE PROVIDERS; SERVICE PROVISION; SERVICE QUALITY; SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA; SURFACE WATER; TOWNS; TRANSPARENCY; URBAN WATER; WATER ALLOCATION; WATER ASSOCIATION; WATER AUTHORITY; WATER AVAILABILITY; WATER CHARGES; WATER CONVEYANCE; WATER DEMAND; WATER DEMAND MANAGEMENT; WATER DISTRIBUTION; WATER FEES; WATER INDUSTRY; WATER MANAGEMENT; WATER MONITORING; WATER PRICING; WATER RESOURCE; WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT; WATER RESOURCES; WATER RIGHTS; WATER SALES; WATER SCARCITY; WATER SCHEME; WATER SECTOR; WATER SERVICE; WATER SERVICE DELIVERY; WATER SERVICES; WATER SHORTAGES; WATER STORAGE; WATER SUPPLY; WATER TABLE; WATER USE; WATER USER; WATER USER ASSOCIATION; WATER USES; WATER WITHDRAWALS; WATERING CROPS; WELLS; WESTERN EUROPE

The objective of this paper is to identify the possible role and opportunities for the private sector to participate with governments and farmers in developing and managing irrigation and drainage (I&D) infrastructure. Over the last 50 years, irrigated agriculture has been vital to meeting fast-rising food demand and has been key to poverty reduction. In the coming years the strong demographic demand for food is expected to continue, and intensified irrigated agriculture will have to provide close to 60 percent of the extra food. However, in recent years, the pace of irrigation expansion has been slowing, there has been less improvement in productivity, and water availability for irrigation is increasingly constrained. Governments have long led the expansion of large-scale irrigation, but performance has been suboptimal, and reforms that have been introduced have proved slow to improve efficiency and water service. Faced with this challenge, the I&D sector has been wrestling with three deep-seated problems: low water use efficiency, a high reliance on government financing, and poor standards of management and maintenance. Much of the search for improved investment and institutional models in I&D has been driven by the need to resolve these three problems. One solution that has been tested over the last two decades has been Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) involving water user associations (WUAs) in the financing and management of schemes. This solution had its logical culmination in irrigation management transfer, the handover of responsibility for scheme operation and maintenance (O&M) to farmers and their organizations. This solution promised to relieve governments of both the fiscal burden and the responsibility for asset management and maintenance and to improve efficiency by empowering farmers. PIM has made impressive strides. However, efficiency has risen only marginally, and there are many schemes where O&M is beyond farmers' capacity.