| 4. In which ways is the initiative creative and innovative?
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The above-mentioned Irrigation Operation and Maintenance Process with 14-Step Water Users’ Participatory was developed and successfully acheived through the following strategies :
Water Management Efficiency Increase during 2008 to present was achieved by the use of modern technologies in planning, data collecting, monitoring and reduction of staff and implementation procedures. More accurate Data was used, for example, irrigation plan was made by using reservoir operation study. Irrigation structures were calibrated, geographic information system was made to enable accurate irrigation plan and cropping pattern that would be accepted by all water users.
Enhancement of water users’ participatory in water management during 2007 to present began with the strengthening of WUGs so that they would understand principles of water management with 14-step water users’ participatory. Those steps divides into steps prior to water distribution (within 45-60 days prior to irrigation season) which includes 1) RID staff designated water use plan for all activities, 2) WUGs informed their cultivation demand, 3) RID staff and WUGs adjusted cultivation area to comply with cropping pattern, 4) meetings were held to formulate irrigation service agreement, 5) committees set regulations and irrigation intervals and informed their members, 6) all parties cooperatively maintained irrigation system; and steps during distribution period (irrigation season at approx. 120-135 days), 7) distribution commencement to the plan, monitoring and problem solving, 8) Visits to farmers’ plots to strengthen their activities, 9) Measurement of allocated water; and steps after distribution season (with 30 days after the season completion), 10) Surveys on cropping performance and other activities , 11) surveys on crop values and problems and satisfaction, 12) meeting to summarize performance, 13) meetings of the committee to evaluate performance, and 14) reports preparation. Agreement on irrigation service was used to abide all parties to cooperatively work together. Lessen conflicts and used as guidelines for sustainable water management.
During 2004 to present, relevant government agencies and private sectors were comprehensively invited to work in IWUGs as members of their committees and advisors. They cooperatively did water management and helped solving the problems at both on-farm and project level as well as providing information and budget for problem solving.
Network for information dissemination was set during 2007 to present. Information were disseminated in 4-party meetings, in 25 IWUGs’ meetings and in monthly irrigation volunteers’ meetings and through social media like Websites ands Facebook. Publications were sent to relevant agencies and stakeholders.
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| 5. Who implemented the initiative and what is the size of the population affected by this initiative?
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Groups of people involved in “Irrigation Operation and Maintenance with 14-Step Water Users’ Participatory” are
Water Users About 22,000 users in distribution and drainage canals of Petchaburi O&M Project and Petchaburi River united as 25 IWUGs to participate and became the key component of this 14-step participatory management. 4-party meeting was held at least once/month to formulate water use regulations, solve problem of the area, and cooperatively operate and maintenance irrigation system. Thus conflicts were lessened.
Representatives from Other Sectors Representatives from other sectors, for example, waterworks, industry, tourism, conservative groups attended in the general meetings at least twice a year to help allocate water properly for each season.
Concerned Government Agencies There were representatives from concerned provincial offices, for example, Agriculture, Fishery, Livestock and Cooperatives to give support in their field to water users.
Local Administrative Organizations and Local Administrative Agencies Chief Executive of Sub-district Administrative Organizations and their members, District Chiefs, Village Headmen were those who allocated maintenance budget for WUGs, be members of WUGs, participate in distribution and solve problems together.
RID Staff As the main agency in distributing water for all sectors, RID staff helped coordinate with all sectors in implementing all activities, supply and collect information for this and next year administration by attending participatory meeting with IWUGs and Operation Committee as well holding meetings for all sectors and visiting farmers together with other government agencies.
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| 6. How was the strategy implemented and what resources were mobilized?
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6.1 Financial Resource
Each year, the Petchaburi Operation and Maintenance Project was allocated with 333,333 US $ for O & M implementation, which was insufficient for effectively solving distribution problems. Priorities for budget use were made; most were for short-term problem solutions, for example, weed eradication, silt dredge, and canal repair for increasing conveyance efficiency and reducing water loss. Parts of the work were done by contracting those 25 IWUGs to undertake repairing works as proposed by the groups so that problems could be solved as required by the groups. For long-term maintenance, for example, improvement of a distribution canal of the whole length, construction of regulators, were considered for implementation case by case.
Moreover, the Petchaburi O&M Project was allocated 33,333 US $ annually for welfare of their staff e.g. overtime payment, allowance, and other supporting resources like vehicles, lawn mowers, tools, radio communication and costs for strengthening the work of WUGs and IWUGs by meetings and other activities for better their understanding.
6.2 Technical Resource
The Petchaburi O & M Project applied techniques for motivating participatory from stakeholders, for example, call for meeting of all stakeholders and encourage them to make decisions and undertake activities for long-term problem solving, monitor each step they took and made written performance reports to be used as evidence for both parties. The Project also used modern technologies in planning, collecting, storing, monitoring data as well as reducing steps and staff in data processing. More accurate data was used, for example, irrigation plan was made by using reservoir operation study. Irrigation structures were calibrated, geographic information system was made to enable accurate irrigation plan and cropping pattern that would be accepted by all water users.
Information was disseminated through water users’ network in the meetings of 4-party water distribution committee, meetings of 25 IWUGs and monthly meetings of irrigation volunteers. Publication was distributed to concerned government agencies and stakeholders and information was disseminated through social media like websites and facebook.
6.3 Personnel Resource
Being responsible for vast area, the Petchaburi O & M Project in year 1975 was provided with 700 staff. However, due reduction in government work force , at present there are only 205 project staff and only 65 of which are O & M staff (5 zonemen and 60 canal and structure attendants) who are the key power in solving problems and coordinating with local WUGs and IWUGs.
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| 7. Who were the stakeholders involved in the design of the initiative and in its implementation?
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Tangible outputs of the Initiative are as follows:
1. Higher Efficiency of Water Management. The Project used modern technologies in planning, collecting, storing, monitoring data as well as reducing steps and staff in data processing. More accurate data was used, for example, irrigation plan was made by using reservoir operation study. Irrigation structures were calibrated.. Geographic information system was made to enable accurate irrigation plan and cropping pattern that would be accepted by all water users. In 2013, after the Project had determined water demand of all sectors at 448.72 MCM in the dry season and cultivation of rice at 39,525.69 acres, due to increasing demand of dry-season rice, the project still was able to cope with their demand and solved all conflicts immediately. Therefore, dry-season rice which was actually cultivated in 68,086 acres and resulted in 137,800 ton yield and 55 million US$ value, used water at only 15.85 MCM more( 3.53 %higher than planned) and 28,561 acre area more ( 41.95 % higher ) but yielded 57,800 ton more or 23 million US$ in value that means higher rate of return.
2. Reduction of Conflicts among Farmers. Participatory management and service agreement has helped lessened conflicts and enhanced sustainability of water management.
3. Achievement of Comprehensive Water Management between Government and Private Sectors. All concerned agencies take part as committees and advisors to cooperatively manage water and solve water problems of their zones and project as well as providing knowledge and budget for solving relevant problems so that water management would be of higher efficiency than the past.
4. Establishment of Information Network. Information was disseminated through water users’ network in the meetings of 4-party water distribution committee, meetings of 25 IWUGs and monthly meetings of irrigation volunteers. Publication was distributed to concerned government agencies and stakeholders and information was disseminated through social media like websites and Facebook. All sectors get correct and in-time information.
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| 8. What were the most successful outputs and why was the initiative effective?
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To monitor progress and evaluate the activities of “Irrigation Operation and Maintenance Process with 14-Step Water Users’ Participatory”, the Project used monitoring forms of RID in each following step: area determination by water resources (October), crop cultivation demand (October-November), adjustment of distribution plan to serve farmers’ demand (October-November), meetings of water management committee for making agreements (December), formulation of distribution regulations and inform to members (January), distribution system maintenance (January-June), distribution as planned (February-June), visits for strengthening WUGs (February-June), measurement of allocated water s(February-June), informing of cultivated area and WUGs’ activities (February-June), surveys on crop value and problems & satisfaction of WUGs’s members (June), meetings for summarizing performance (June), meetings of water management committee for evaluating performance (July), and preparation of O & M reports (July). Those forms included details of implementation, responsible persons, and durations which were standardized, to be used as evidence and for the following year improvement.
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| 9. What were the main obstacles encountered and how were they overcome?
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First was the farmers’ demand of cultivation area higher than planned. Especially in the dry season when water was supplied solely from Kaeng Krachan Reservoir, dry-season rice area must be reduced to only 30% of the wet-season. However, actual cultivation area was larger than planned, resulting in water conflicts and damaged cultivation. Therefore, the Project in cooperation with relevant WUGs did the control of water use to avoid effects to the others and water saving measure such as reusing of water pumped from drainage canals was applied.
Low conveyance efficiency (about 60 %) occurred due to damaged irrigation system and resulted in high water loss, higher distribution than demanded and difficulties to distribute thoroughly and in equity manner. The Project in cooperation with WUGs repaired the system by maintenance budget provided from the RID or other agencies or by adjusting area and distribution plan or by formulating rotation system of water distribution.
Conflicts in local communities occurred due to changes of local leaders. New leaders did not accept agreements or support them. The Project, thus, had to work more comprehensively to assure all sectors’ understanding and acceptance of participatory water management.
Lack of personnel in required fields resulted in the assignment of lower qualified staff to work instead. So the project provided them with consecutive trainings and on-the-job trainings. Problems, obstacles and solutions were analyzed and concluded as lessons learnt to be used as guidelines for sustainable water management.
As there was work burden in data collection and report preparation, the Project designed uncomplicated forms and used IT system to collect and analyze data. Therefore, those tasks could be implemented with high accuracy, less time consuming, in line with data of other government agencies and be useful for the following year water management plan.
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