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Irrigated Agriculture, Water Pricing and Water Savings in the Lower Jordan River Basin (in Jordan)
(2007) Venot, Jean-Philippe; Molle, François; Hassan, Yousef
"This report examines both contexts, the Highlands and the Jordan Valley, and stablishes farming system typologies that illustrate the diversity of farms and farmers. Their respective strategies in the face of rising prices are assessed based on crop budgets and farm constraints and strategies. Options include reducing cropping areas, shifting cropping patterns, improving irrigation efficiency, renting wells or plots to other farmers, discontinuing agriculture or just paying the relevant charges."
Evolution of Irrigation in South and Southeast Asia
(2004) Barker, Randolph; Molle, François
"In what some may regard as an overly ambitious exercise, we have chosen in this report to present some salient aspects of the evolution of Asian irrigation. Our objective is to identify the major factors that have influenced irrigation development, to focus on the current issues, and to suggest what this implies for the future development of irrigation and for the steps needed to promote this development."
Water Pricing in Thailand: Theory and Practice
(2001) Molle, François
"This paper explores the rationale for the implementation of water pricing and water markets in Thailand, and reviews these options within the historical, socio-economic and technical context specific to this country. Despite Thailands peculiarity, there is little doubt that the problem of water allocation demands regulation and interventions, against the view held by some NGOs that concepts and practices inherited from a situation of open-access resource should continue to prevail. Demographic and economic changes in Thailand will not, in the short run, allow free access to water to last as a sustainable solution."
Robbing Yadullah's Water to Irrigate Saeid's Garden: Hydrology and Water Rights in a Village of Central Iran
(2004) Molle, François; Mamanpoush, Alireza; Miranzadeh, Mokhtar
"When pressure over water resources increases in a given river basin, these resources tend to become fully committed, with little or no outflow at the most downstream point in the basin, at least during some part of the year when river basins are said to 'close.' In such conditions, any decision to further tap existing water (through diversion, pumping from watercourses, drains or wells) at a given point of the hydrological cycle of the basin is almost certain to impact on preexisting users and/or on the environment. Such new developments eventually amount only to a reallocation or reappropriation of water by particular users. This fact points to an intricate and vital relationship between hydrology and water use, or in other words, between nature (with all its climatic uncertainty and complexity) and human activities (partly regulated by institutions). It also defines water as a contested resource and sets the stage for political competition and struggle between users' vested interests. This report provides a case study from the province of Esfahan, in central Iran that, in many respects, is exemplary of these different dimensions. It describes the struggle of a village to secure the water resources without which local agriculture, and altogether life in the village, would be impossible."
The Intricacies of Water Pricing in the Red River Delta, Vietnam
(2002) Fontenelle, Jean-Philippe; Molle, François
From Introduction: "The first part of this paper describes the political changes, which induced technical and institutional evolutions of the RRD water-control systems, as the organization of the operation and even the technological nature of water-control systems, were influenced by national political choices. The second section describes the management framework and the financial organization of the RRD water-control systems. In-depth studies conducted at local level allow a better understanding of the present situation. Water management in the RRD appears to be strongly organized by the State into successive nested levels, from the central level of the Ministry of Agriculture to the local level of the cooperatives. This structure was challenged by the emergence of local pumping stations and water management practices, which superimposed themselves upon the officially existing structure. It is shown how the mismatch between administrative and hydraulic units adds to the complexity of the definition of both the financing and the management of hydraulic operations. The third and last section of the paper examines the financing of the different operators, the amount and the use of the water fees paid by farmers and questions the process of water management decentralization and privatization in the RRD."
Elements for a Political Ecology of River Basins Development: The Case of the Chao Phraya River Basin, Thailand
(2005) Molle, François
"Like other natural resources, water can be mobilized for wealth generation. The spatial expression of land resources and of the natural water regime, in terms of quantity, quality, timing, variability and availability (or easiness to divert or abstract), coupled with the distribution of power in society, defines and underpins the early development of river basins and the pattern of control over water. As societies grow and more water is diverted, users located in different parts of a river basin find themselves increasingly in interaction through the hydrological cycle. In addition, this cycle is constantly redefined by interventions and infrastructures (dams, dikes, irrigation and drainage schemes, etc.,) and by the different uses themselves (change in timing, alteration of water quality, change in groundwater flows due to abstraction, etc.,). The water regime is thus increasingly man-made or artificial and the resulting interconnectedness partly amenable to management. The paper argues that the consumption of space, the control over water, and the way costs and benefits are shifted across scales and social groups can be addressed through a political ecology framework. Water use incurs costs and generates externalities that tend to be imposed on third parties. River Basin Organizations—in all their diversity—are an attempt to manage resulting conflicts and to craft patterns of governance that are more inclusive and conducive to a more equitable and environmentally sustainable share of resources. The Chao Phraya river basin, in Thailand, is used as an example."
Anicut Systems in Sri Lanka: The Case of Upper Walawe River Basin
(2003) Molle, François; Jayakody, Priyantha; de Silva, Shyamalie
"This exploratory study was designed to capture the main features of agrarian change in the upper part of the basin that depends mostly on anicuts. These anicuts amount to 59 percent of the total basin anicuts in terms of numbers, but to only 43 percent in terms of irrigated area. They are generally very old and obviously, many changes have occurred during this time. The study does not allow the reconstitution of all past transformations but offers some insight on recent changes: changes in population pressure over resources and changes in hydrology, crop choice, livelihoods and collective action. The analysis is based on exploratory surveys carried out by the authors and by students of the University of Sabaragamuwa and is not a detailed or in-depth investigation of agricultural systems in the Upper Walawe basin. However, it provides a useful outline of the situation in this part of the basin."
Planning and Managing Water Resources at the River-Basin Level: Emergence and Evolution of a Concept
(2006) Molle, François
"This report recounts the evolution of the concept of a river basin and how it has been associated with various strands of thinking and sometimes co-opted or mobilized by particular groups to strengthen the legitimacy of their agenda. This illustrates the fact that beyond its relevance as a geographical unit for the study of hydrology or for water resources development purposes, the river basin is also a political and ideological construct. The report shows the evolution of the twin concepts of river basin and integrated management, from the 19th century to their recent adoption as cornerstones of the European Water Framework Directive."
Characterization and Monitoring of the Regolith Aquifer within Four Selected Cascades (Sub-watersheds) of the Malala Oya Basin
(2007) Panabokke, Chris R.; Ariyaratne, B. Ranjith; Seneviratne, Anoja; Wijekoon, Deepthi; Molle, François
"The groundwater present in the hard rock region of the dry zone of Sri Lanka is made up of the shallow 'Regolith Aquifer' and the deeper fracture zone aquifer is now clearly recognized. However, up to now no study had been carried out or reported in this country on the dynamic nature of this shallow regolith aquifer. This is the very first study carried out and reported in this regard. As part of the study, the impact of the Mau Ara trans-basin canal on the groundwater conditions below the area of influence of this trans-basin feeder canal has also been examined."
Economics and Politics of Water Resources Development: Uda Walawe Irrigation Project, Sri Lanka
(2005) Molle, François; Renwick, Mary
"This report examines the history of water resources development and investment decisions for the Uda Walawe Irrigation and Resettlement Project (UWIRP), located in the southern dry zone of Sri Lanka. The project was initiated in the early 1950s just after Sri Lanka gained independence. UWIRP was part of Sri Lankas new postcolonial vision for economic development and modernization; a vision that was supported by multilateral and bilateral funding agencies because irrigation was seen as an engine for growth in the 1950s and onward. The original plan for UWIRP is most aptly described as a highly ambitious social, economic and physical engineering project aimed at creating a modern and profitable agriculture sector. This plan envisioned bringing 32,780 hectares (81,000 acres) of arid land into highly efficient agricultural production by constructing a reservoir and irrigation facilities, and moving landless farmers to the newly developed lands. "The report seeks to understand the decisionmaking processes of various interventions over the years and the outcomes of these decisions. The analysis includes the identification of the various decisions that have influenced the projects evolution, the rationale behind these decisions, and how these decisions were implemented. It shows, in particular, the interplay between how projects are perceived, planned, implemented and managed by various actors (donors, government, implementing agencies and consultants), all characterized by their respective strategic interests and accountability. Particular attention is given to the gap between planners vision and reality on the ground, and to the ability of implementers to effectively bridge this gap. "Overall, this research illustrates the difficulties of assessing not only project performance but also project outcomes; the outcomes of a project are governed by the evolution of the behavior and choices of the different actors concerned, in which their interests, mindsets and strategies are embedded. It uncovers underlying processes that shaped the evolution of the project and highlights the limitation of viewing development as a mere set of technical and social engineering endeavors."

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