Trust as a Factor in Canal Performance: Organizational and Technological Conditions

Abstract

"The performance of canal Irrigation systems depends, in part, on trust by farmers in the good faith and abilities of irrigation officials. In India, this trust is typically lacking; there is, instead, a 'syndrome of anarchy' under the canals, in which farmers lack the confidence that if they refrain from taking water out of turn they will get water on time, and official s lack confidence that if they work conscientiously to get the water on 'time, farmers will refrain from rule-breaking. To break the syndrome, changes need to be made in the relationship between 0 & M and construction; in the source of the 0 & M budget; and in the geographical scope of the 0 & M organization. The East Asian Irrigation Associations provide an example of the direction in which institutional changes might sensibly be made. Changes In physical design can also help; particularly the punctuation of the hydraulic system at a point within the ken of farmers."