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'Farmers bodies may get water management'

RECORDER REPORT

HYDERABAD: Nara Canal Area Water Board Director Khadim Ali Memon has said that the Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority (SIDA) was keen to transfer the irrigation management of distributories to the registered farmers' organisations as soon as possible under the SIDA Act.

He was presiding over a meeting of Irrigation Management and Transfer Committee at the office of the International Irrigation Management Institute (IIMI) here on Monday.

The committee has been constituted to prepair a draft of transfer management agreement between the area Water Board and farmers organisations for the approval of the SIDA board.

Memon said that the primary objective of executing this agreement was to promote the participation of the beneficiaries in irrigation management and ensure efficient operation of the system on sustainable basis for optimum utilisation of available water.

It was, therefore, necessary to spell out the activities, rights and responsibilities of the farmers organisations and the government for successful implementation of participatory irrigation management, said Memon.

The rules prepared by the IIMI in its draft agreement for transfer management, regarding receiving water from the Area Water Board and distributing the same among farmers. The rates, maintenance and repair of the field canals minors and distributories along with associated structures were discussed in detail. Besides, matter relating to monitoring of flow and technical guidance to farmers organisations were also discussed.

The representatives of farmers organisations who participated in the meeting stressed the need for giving legal cover to equitable water distribution and collection of water charges within the jurisdiction of the command area of the distributory.

After lengthy discussion, the committee agreed on various proposed rules and regulations and decided to discuss the same in the next meeting to be held on February 21, with the consultation of farmer organisations.

Among others, Abdul Hakeem Domki, Sida General Manager (Transition), Syed Ali Mir Shah, Moosa Memon, S.E. Rohri Canal Circle; Mohammad Khan Memon, member, Nara Canal Area Water Board; Shoukat Ali Rehman, director on-farm Water Management (WM); Ahmed Haq Shaikh (PDC consultants), Nazeer Memon (NDP), Ahsan Leghari (OXFAM); Syed Ali Gohar Shah and Abdul Wahab (farmers organisation); Yamin Memon and B.K. Leghari (IIMI) attended the meeting.