Bandaragoda, D. J. 1998. "Community-based Institutions for Local Management of Water Resources: Results from Initial Efforts in Pakistan." (Working Paper)

Abstract

"The case is based primarily on an institutional development pilot project focusing on 'Farmer-Managed Irrigated Agriculture', which is being implemented by the International Irrigation Management Institute (IIMI) at three different locations in the Left Bank Outfall Drain (LBOD) districts in the Sindh Province of Pakistan. This action research is funded as part of the LBOD Stage I Project by the World Bank and the Swiss Development Cooperation.

"The social organization pilot project in the Sindh is one of three such major pilot efforts by IIMI in Pakistan. The first pilot site to be started in this study program was the Hakra 4-R Distributary in the Fordwah Eastern Sadiqia (FES) irrigation and drainage system in south-eastern Punjab. Activities at this pilot site are part of the institutional development component of an on-going IIMI research project, 'Managing Irrigation for Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture in Pakistan', funded by the Royal Netherlands Government. IIMI is also engaged in a similar activity in collaboration with the Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI) of Pakistan's National Agriculture Research Centre, at two small dams, located near the Fateh Jang town in northern Punjab. This activity is financially supported by the Department for International Development (DfID) of UK.

"The case study is also based on a synthesis of policy formulation processes in Pakistan initiated by the efforts of the World Bank and other donors. These efforts are meant to make the country's present institutional framework more responsive towards users' involvement in natural resources management. Attempts at establishing an enabling policy and institutional environment for participatory water resources management are discussed and the existing issues and constraints related to change are briefly analyzed."