ABSTRACT
DEMAND MANAGEMENT OF IRRIGATION SYSTEMS THROUGH USERS’ PARTICIPATION D. GROENFELD and P SUN Environment and Natural Resources Division, Economic Development Institute of the World Bank, Washington, DC
Abstract In most developing countries, irrigation related projects are constructed and
managed by government authorities such as irrigation departments. Conventional wisdom has assumed that only the state was capable of handling large modem projects requiring heavy capital investment, complicated technical inputs, and the legal mandate to distribute water, and collect fees. Recent experience challenges this wisdom. The record of government management is poor; irrigation systems often poorly maintained with steadily deteriorating infrastructure. Yet some of these same systems show dramatic improvement when their management is transferred to water user associations (WUAs) who then select their own managers.
