VIJAYAWADA: Water User Associations (WUAs) are losing their importance in irrigation management, if the figures quoted by a World Bank team are any indication.

There has been a steady reduction in allotment of funds to WUAs over the years. The State Government gave WUAs 86 per cent of the amount collected from farmers towards water cess in 2000-01.

The allocation came down to 55 per cent the very next year. The percentage allocated to them further dropped to 22 per cent in 2002-03, it went up marginally to 30 per cent the next year and then plunged to 1.5 per cent in 2004-05.

The State Government gives the WUAs 25 per cent of the water cess collected as its share.

The team of World Bank supervisory mission visited the Krishna Eastern Delta last week to review the progress of the WUAs. The very first query of the World Bank team leader W. Soureson and member N.K. Bandopadhyaya was about the training being given to the newly elected members. Most of the farmers elected to the managing committee are new faces. It has brought into critical focus the overall activities in irrigation management.

The irrigation department is training farmers of Krishna Eastern Delta in participatory irrigation management (PIM), albeit in a small way. One-day training camps are being conducted to presidents and vice-presidents of 224 recently formed WUAs.

Increase in number

The number of WUAs in Krishna Eastern Delta with an ayacut of 7.37 lakh acres has increased from 85 to 224. The State Government amended the Act to reduce the area under each WUA. The WUAs that had between 8,500 and 9,500 acres in their jurisdiction now cover about 3,500.

The primary idea behind the WUAs is to empower the farmer to manage the resources available to him more effectively.

Training by experts

Vijayawada irrigation circle Deputy Superintending Engineer K. Rajendra Prasad says experts from the Water and Land Management Training and Research Institute (WALAMTARI) are training the newly elected WUA presidents and vice-presidents on their duties, responsibilities and amendments to the Act. WUA chiefs from Vijayawada, Gudlavaleru, Vadali and Vuyyuru sections have already undergone training. Their counterparts from Gudivada, Machilipatnam and Avanigadda sections will complete training in the next three working days. While this is just the beginning, all members of the managing committee will have to also be given some training or the other.

Mr. Rajendra Prasad says the WUAs, which succeed in making all members pay water cess, will benefit the most.

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