Browsing by Author "Samad, Madar"

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Agro-Well and Pump Diffusion in the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka: Past Trends, Present Status and Future Prospects
(2003) Kikuchi, Masao; Weligamage, Parakrama; Barker, Randolph; Samad, Madar; Kono, H.; Somaratne, H. M.
"This study investigates the pattern, extent and causes of the spread and use of agro-wells and pumps for irrigation in traditional villages and irrigated settlement schemes in the dry zone of Sri Lanka. Almost 96 percent of major irrigation schemes (command area more than 80 ha) and 72 percent of minor irrigation schemes are located within the dry zone. Groundwater is the sole or supplementary source of water in irrigating crops. An extensive survey was carried out in all districts in the dry zone. Crystalline rocks are predominant in the area while alluvial aquifers are an important feature in rivers within the study area. In terms of the command area, selected schemes represent more than 30 percent of the command area of major irrigation schemes in the country."
Assessing the Economic Impact of Redistributing Water within a Catchment: A Case Study of the Musi Catchment in the Krishna Basin in India
(2009) Davidson, Brian; Hellegers, Petra; Samad, Madar
"The aim in this paper was to present the details of an economic modeling exercise conducted on the Musi Catchment of the Krishna Basin. The model has the unique characteristic of being able to value the water used on individual crops and in different regions. Thus, the individual values of water used to produce different crops, grown over two different seasons and over five very different regions within a catchment, were determined. This is a significant improvement over previous attempts, where a single value of water in a catchment was derived regardless of what it is used for, when it was used and where it used in the catchment. In addition to the agricultural valuation process, some account was made for the other uses of water and how they should be valued. The worth of these findings cannot be underestimated as the results are useful to those who need to allocate scarce water supplies between competing uses within a catchment. The assumptions underlying the model, the data used and the results and implications drawn are fully detailed in this paper. This model was connected to a hydrological model and used to simulate various scenarios on the water situation facing users in the basin. This model is the forerunner of similar modeling attempts on similar problems in other regions of the Krishna Basin and in the Murray Darling Basin of Australia."
Assessing the Outcomes of IWMI's Research and Interventions on Irrigation Management Transfer
(2006) Giordano, Meredith A; Samad, Madar; Namara, Regassa
"Irrigation management transfer (IMT) served as the cornerstone of the research agenda of the International Irrigation Management Institute (IIMI) and later, the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) for nearly a decade. The research theme arose for IWMI in response to the growing evidence of under-performance by publicly owned irrigation schemes and widespread belief that the transfer of management responsibilities to farmer organizations could improve the management of irrigation systems and make irrigated agriculture more productive and sustainable. IIMI/IWMI contributions to the topic included literature reviews and analyses of experiences and impacts of past IMT processes, advice to policymakers in planning and implementing IMT, and the development of generic IMT guidelines and technical support for governments implementing IMT programs. The purpose of this paper is to summarize IIMI/IWMI'spast research and interventions related to irrigation management transfer and to document, to the extent possible, the academic, policy, and technical outcomes of these efforts. The application of a range of direct and indirect measurement techniques suggests an overall positive contribution from IWMI to IMT theory and application. Bibliometric and webmetric analyses suggest a large and continuing demand for IWMI research products on IMT. Direct and indirect data sources also indicate that IWMI policy and operational level interventions have in general contributed positively to IMT decision-making and action, both nationally through action research projects as well as regionally and globally, through the development of generic IMT guidelines. Finally, the continued demand for IWMI involvement in IMT action research serves as an important indicator of IWMI's past contributions."
Assessment of Participatory Management of Irrigation Schemes in Sri Lanka: Partial Reforms, Partial Benefits
(1998) Samad, Madar; Vermillion, Douglas L.
"The worldwide interest in, and support for, transferring the management of irrigation schemes from public agencies to water user groups and other non-governmental organizations, has prompted considerable research on various aspects of irrigation management reforms and their impacts. This has resulted in a wide range of opinion on the subject. The need for strong political support for the program, clear policy direction, alternate strategies for irrigation management, well defined water rights and clarity about the process of creating farmer organizations and conditions for successful management transfer are some of the major issues discussed in the literature (Johnson III et al, 1995; Giejer et al, 1995; Meinzen-Dick et al, 1997; Vermillion, 1997). Yet, there is little systematic, comparative evidence to date on the impact of reforms on irrigation management performance, government finances, and the farming community (Vermillion, 1997). With some exceptions (e.g. Svendson and Vermillion, 1994; Vermillion and Garces-Restrepo, 1996) most studies that deal with impacts of irrigation management reform refer to short-term and immediate results. "To support systematic documentation of international experience with irrigation management reforms and their impact on the performance of irrigated agriculture, the International Irrigation Management Institute (IIMI) developed a standard methodology to assess and compare irrigation management transfer (IMT) in a variety of settings. This paper reports the results of application of the methodology to assess the impact of irrigation management reforms in Sri Lanka. The study was designed and implemented with two objectives in mind: first, to field test the proposed methodology and second, to determine what effects management reforms had on the performance of irrigation management and irrigated agriculture in Sri Lanka. "The paper begins with overview of irrigation management reform programs in Sri Lanka. We then outline the methodology. The next section presents the results of applying the methodology in Sri Lanka. The final section reviews the methodology and concludes with some general comments on the Sri Lankan case-study."
Assessment of Participatory Management of Irrigation Schemes in Sri Lanka: Partial Reforms, Partial Benefits
(1999) Samad, Madar; Vermillion, Douglas L.
"Describes the application of a standard methodology developed by IWMI to assess the impact of irrigation management transfer on the performance of irrigation schemes. Includes detailed analysis of the effects of participatory management on the performance of irrigation schemes in Sri Lanka."
An Assessment of the Small-Scale Irrigation Management Turnover Program in Indonesia
(2000) Vermillion, Douglas L.; Samad, Madar; Pusposutardjo, Suprodjo; Arif, Sigit S.; Rochdyanto, Saiful
"The purpose of this study is to assess the results of the Small-Scale Irrigation Turnover Program in Indonesia. In 1987, the Government of Indonesia adopted a policy to turn over to water user associations (WUAs) the management of all public irrigation systemsfrom the intake to drainage facilitiesin the country, which are 500 hectares or less in service area. The primary interest of the government in the turnover policy is to lighten its cost burden for the irrigation subsector while enabling farmers to sustain and even improve the productivity of irrigated agriculture through the mobilization of their own local resources. Generally speaking, the primary concern of farmers (in a context where there is no volumetric water charge) is to maintain or increase the returns per unit of land and labor."
A Framework for Efficient Wastewater Treatment and Recycling Systems
(2008) Mekala, Gayathri Devi; Davidson, Brian; Samad, Madar; Boland, Anne-Maree
"Use of un-treated/partially treated wastewater for irrigation in the dry countries of Asia and Africa and recycling of treated wastewater in the water scarce developed countries has become a common practice due to various reasons. While the lack of wastewater treatment to appropriate levels before use is a major problem in developing countries, the high cost of wastewater recycling is the major problem in developed countries. The current paper is part of a doctoral research and presents the conceptual framework for the research and the methodology that can be used to tackle the problems associated with wastewater recycling."
Institutional Alternatives in African Smallholder Irrigation: Lessons from International Experience with Irrigation Management Transfer
(2002) Shah, Tushaar; Van Koppen, Barbara; Merrey, Douglas J.; de Lange, Marna; Samad, Madar
"This report reviews several decades of global experience in transferring management of government-run irrigation systems to farmer associations or other nongovernment agencies in an attempt to apply the lessons of success to the African smallholder irrigation context. Based on a comparative study of the experience of several countries, analysts have suggested that Irrigation Management Transfer (IMT) works provided certain preconditions are met, viz., supportive legal-policy framework; secure water rights; local management capacity building; and an enabling process to facilitate management transfer. This paper reasons, however, that straightforward IMT-even with all these conditions fulfilled-is unlikely to work in the African smallholder context. It suggests that institutional alternatives most likely to work in this context are those that successfully deal with the entire complex of constraints facing African smallholders and help them move to a substantially higher trajectory of productivity and income from where they can absorb the additional cost and responsibility of managing their irrigation systems. In developing such institutional alternatives, rather than focusing only on direct transfer of irrigation management, African governments need to begin by enhancing the wealth-creating potential of smallholder irrigated farming by strengthening market access, promoting high-value crops, and improving systems for providing extension and technical support to smallholder irrigators."
Irrigation Sector in Sri Lanka: Recent Investment Trends and the Development Path Ahead
(2002) Kikuchi, Masao; Barker, Randolph; Weligamage, Parakrama; Samad, Madar
"The total investment in the irrigation sector of Sri Lanka, during the period of a decade and a half from the early 1980s to the mid-1990s, declined drastically to one seventh of its peak level in the early 1980s due a drop in public irrigation investments. Of the three types of public investment, new irrigation construction recorded the sharpest decline. Although the percentage for rehabilitation in the total irrigation investment increased, its absolute amount declined from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. The operation and maintenance (O&M) expenditure remained stagnant in the last two decades, and has declined since the mid-1980s. For the total irrigated area, which increased by 10 percent (50,000 ha) during this period, O&M expenditure per hectare declined considerably. "The total irrigation investment in the last half decade, showed a slight upward trend from its rock bottom level in the early 1990s. However, the relative composition of investment was entirely different from what it was before the early 1990s. Investment on rehabilitation increased and constituted the largest share in the total irrigation investment for the first time while investment in new irrigation construction continued to shrink. Also remarkable is the rapid increase in private irrigation investment. The investment on agro-wells and irrigation pumps by farmers was negligible until the end of the 1980s, but increased rapidly in the 1990s, exceeding the O&M expenditure for the entire major irrigation schemes by a wide margin. The rapid decline in new irrigation construction, which resulted from the drastic decline in its profitability and its sharply rising cost, in real terms, was a major factor choking off any incentive for new investment. The low rice price since the collapse of the commodity boom in the mid-1980s discouraged the government and international donor agencies from investing in new irrigation construction. Though very drastic, reduction in new construction investment is what can be expected at the present stage of development in irrigated agriculture."
Livelihoods and Gender Roles in Drip-Irrigation Technology: A Case of Nepal
(2004) Upadhyay, Bhawana; Samad, Madar; Giordano, Mark
"This paper attempts to understand gender issues in micro-irrigation technology by exploring the dynamics of gender, water and rural livelihoods. Based on an empirical study in the rural areas of West Nepal undertaken in 2003, the paper assesses the socioeconomic impact of drip-irrigation systems on men and women's lives."
Locating the Poor: Spatially Disaggregated Poverty Maps for Sri Lanka
(2005) Amarasinghe, Upali A.; Samad, Madar; Anputhas, Markandu
"The present study is a subnational poverty mapping analysis based on secondary data of the Population and Agriculture Census and Consumption and Expenditure Survey of Sri Lanka. The results show a good overview of the spatial variation of poverty at finer resolution than what is currently available at the district level. The study shows that finer-resolution poverty maps can be used to identify where the poor live and analyze and underlie location-specific causes of poverty more effectively than from aggregate statistics."
Shifting Waterscapes: Explaining Basin Closure in the Lower Krishna Basin, South India
(2007) Venot, Jean-Philippe; Samad, Madar; Turral, Hugh; Molle, François
"Progressive agricultural and water development in the Krishna Basin in South India has led to a rising overcommitment of water resources and signs of basin closure are apparent during dry periods. As human consumptive uses are approaching the limits of water availability, this report focuses on the Lower Krishna Basin that bears the brunt of any intervention upstream. Capturing the process of basin closure requires an understanding of the political dimension of access to water and the scope for change. As basin closure intensifies the interconnectedness of ecosystems and water users, adjustments and management decisions result in spatial re-appropriation of water and basin-wide strategies for water management and development that start with the definition and the implementation of water allocation mechanisms are increasingly needed."
Synthesis of IWMI Work in Nepal
(2010) Pant, Dhruba; Samad, Madar
"The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) has been working in Nepal since 1986 with the objective of undertaking research in water management and to strengthen the research capabilities of concerned government agencies. The research helped to develop appropriate mechanisms for providing support to Farmer-Managed Irrigation Systems (FMIS) and the initiation of participatory irrigation management (PIM). The river basin studies helped policy formulation for integrated planning and management of water resources besides the methodological contribution through the development of appropriate tools for water management studies. It also contributed to enhancing the capabilities of agency officials and local researchers through their involvement in research activities."
Wastewater Reuse and Recycling Systems: A Perspective into India and Australia
(2008) Mekala, Gayathri Devi; Davidson, Brian; Samad, Madar; Boland, Anne-Maree
"With issues of climate change, increase in urban population and the increased demand for water from competing sectors, wastewater recycling is becoming an important strategy to complement the existing water resources for both developing and developed countries. There are lessons, experiences, data and technology that can be shared for mutual benefit. The current paper is part of a doctoral research and presents a comprehensive literature review on the following issues in India and Australia: some key statistics of wastewater use and recycling; rationale for wastewater use; problems in promoting recycling; research gaps; economic characteristics of wastewater; wastewater markets and its future potential."