Command Area, Effective, Functioning, Mean Percent Score, Water User Associations (WUAs).

Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) is one of the efficient methods of increasing irrigation water equality and efficiency. It incorporates farmers in the design, management, and maintenance of the irrigation system. According to Chopra et al. (1990), PIM programs place a high priority on organization setup. The existing PIM policies, however, have not given much thought to the institutional issues of farmers' irrigation participation. There are various PIM and Irrigation Management Transfer Programs across several states of India which are planning to involve farmers in the operation and maintenance at higher levels (Gulati et al., 2005). 

The involvement of the farmers in irrigation system management, particularly in water distribution and fee collection, is likewise emphasized by the National Water Policy (GoI, 2002). Participation of farmers in irrigation system management has also been recommended by the Vaidyanathan Committee on Pricing of Irrigation Water (GoI, 1992). The Restructured Command Area Development and Water Management Programme in India is placing greater focus on the use of participatory methods. Water Users Associations (WUAs) must be formed in order for states to receive central support under these programs. Svendsen et al. (1997); Hamdy et al. (1998) reported that the major problems for WUAs are insecurity of water rights, financial problems and shortfall, rehabilitation and modernization of irrigation systems and shortage of financial and administrative management skills, environmental impact, leadership and management support of WUAs.

A significant factor in the effective use of water resources is the collaboration of farmers in the management of the operation, maintenance and collection of water charges from the areas under the control of water user associations (WUA). AWUA is a group of farmers who live near a lateral canal and create their own non -profit cooperative organization with a set of regulations to control water delivery in their region (Lohmar et al., 2003). Those who gain from the efficient use of natural resources, such as water, must voluntarily participate in their management. For this reason, states in India have been attempting to encourage farmer involvement in the operation of irrigation systems. Since 1985, the Maharashtra government has shown a strong interest in the creation of water users cooperative groups. The irrigation department provides water on a volumetric basis to these beneficiary organizations, and the water user's cooperative societies themselves manage, operate, and maintain the distribution system. Farmers' registered WUAs under the Maharashtra Cooperative Societies Act, 1960, which was in effect until 2005. The Maharashtra Management of Irrigation Systems by the Farmers Act, 2005, is a unique law that Maharashtra government passed in order to create WUA (Sangle, 2016).

This study is an attempt to provide a comprehensive view on the constraints in management of water resources in the state of Maharashtra with special focus on water user associations in Mula command area. The main aim of this study is to critically document the major constraints faced in the functioning of Water User Associations.

The study was conducted of WUA in Mula command area by using an ex-post facto research design to document the constraints faced in functioning of WUAs for its betterment. Initially, two water user associations were selected from each head, middle and tail reach through stratified random sampling, resulting in a total 6 WUAs. From each WUA purposively selected all the office bearers (directors) of the WUAs, resulting in a total sample size of 57 office bearers. A close ended interview schedule was used for data collection. The opinions of office bearers of the WUAs investigation were recorded, analyzed and categorized in very major, major, light and negligible according to Gandhi and Namboodiri (2011). Based on mean and standard deviation so obtained, the respondents were categorized into low, medium and high level. 

Frequency, percentage, mean percent score and rank and other appropriate methods were used for this study: 

(i) Percentage: Simple comparisons were made on the basis of frequency and per centage.

(ii) Mean Per cent score (MPS):

(iii) Rank: Ranks were accorded in the descending order according to the MPS obtained. This was used to find out the severity of constraint in order of priority.

The dictionary meanings of constraints are ‘confinement’, the exercise to determine or ‘confine action’, ‘bound’ and ‘faltered condition’, restriction of liberty or of free action. To measure the constraints in WUA’s functioning, a suitable schedule was developed. In this section, it was tried to find out the constraints being faced in WUA’s functioning. The present investigation was to document the constraints faced in functioning of WUAs. The opinions of office bearersof the WUAs investigation were recorded, analyzed and categorized in very major, major, light and negligible according to Gandhi and Namboodiri (2011). The data pertaining to the constraints faced in WUA functioning was presented in Table 1.

Table 1: Constraints in water user associations (WUA’s) functioning (n=57).

Table 1, revealed that the major constraint with the highest mean percent score of 91.67 (First rank), was problems in volumetric water supply to individual farmers in absence of water measurement devices at farmers field level faced by the office bearers because most of WUA’s were not water supply on volumetric basis.Following this canal officers do not take interest in solving water distribution related conflicts among the member farmers was second rank (59.52), politicization of water user association management process was third rank (55.95), non-cooperation from member farmers in recovery of current water charges and dueswas fourth rank (52.98), and the system is handed over to the water user association without proper repairs and rehabilitation causing a major hindrance in proper water management was fifth rank (51.79), on the basis of mean percent score other constraints were ranked. 

Suggestions to overcome the constraints: From Table 2, it is observed that the major suggestions made by WUA office bearers like ‘Water User Associations should be water supply on the volumetric basis to individual farmers at farmers field level’ with highest percentage 77.19, ‘WUAs should be made more farmer centered and external influence should be avoided’ was second highest percentage 71.93, ‘canal officers should be made more accountable towards member farmers for solving water distribution related conflicts’ was at third position. ‘Funding should be provided to Water User Associations on regular basis by irrigation department’ was at fourth place and ‘to enhance administrative and managerial skills among the management committee members for capacity building of them should be done’ was at fifth position, the other constraints were ordered on the basis of percentage score.

Table 2: Suggestions to overcome these constraints in water user associations (WUA’s) functioning.

The study can help future researchers and scholars to focus on developing targeted strategies to address the specific constraints identified in the functioning of Water User Associations in the Mula Command Area, with an emphasis on enhancing their effectiveness and sustainability. Policymakers should use these insights to make more robust policies and support mechanisms that address the operational challenges and improve water management outcomes for the region.