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Incorporating groundwater irrigation: technology dynamics and conjunctive water management in the Nepal Terai
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2006 |
| Authors | Gautam, S, R. |
| Journal Title | Incorporating groundwater irrigation: technology dynamics and conjunctive water management in the Nepal Terai |
| Pagination | xix + 245 |
| Key Words | case studies; farmers; '; attitudes; groundwater; institutions; irrigation; irrigation systems; irrigation water; rural; development; surface irrigation; technology; tube wells; water; management; water policy; water use |
| Abstract | This study was conducted to gain more understanding on irrigation management related to groundwater and conjunctive use in the Nepal Terai. The emergent institutions and practices that have come up for irrigation in an area that had a history in surface irrigation management, and was subject to interventions in deep as well as shallow groundwater irrigation, were also examined. Evaluation of farmers' behaviour in the process of incorporating groundwater irrigation was carried through case studies conducted in two Village Development Committees (VDC, Tikuligarh and Madhaulia) and in Mahuwari village in Rupandehi, a district in Terai in west Nepal. All the three areas were irrigated by surface sources before the introduction of groundwater irrigation and lie within the Tinau River Basin. After the introductory chapter, the background of the complex water resources system in Rupandehi district and the study area are presented. The social and political institutions and technology that existed in the area before the introduction of groundwater irrigation are also discussed. The next chapter provides empirical evidence on the different ways in which farmers have been irrigating in these largely groundwater intervention areas. Historical changes in water use practices in the area are examined. It also illustrates how technology structured the way farmers had to behave with respect to irrigation and worked out ways for irrigation. The fourth chapter addresses the struggles of the farmers in the process of adjusting and incorporating the intervention in groundwater irrigation in the three case study areas. The fifth chapter focuses on a case study conducted at a village in Madhaulia VDC and its struggle for securing conjunctive use after the handover of the deep tubewell. The next chapter documents water use in Mahuwari where the farmers have opted for only shallow groundwater irrigation instead of surface irrigation in a village outside the deep tubewell project area. The final chapter reviews the major findings of this study and highlights the significance of understanding irrigation management in an area of complex water resources by looking at the use of different sources of water together. Implications of the findings for policy in groundwater irrigation and conjunctive use are also presented. |
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