Bishkek2007 INSTITUTIONALREFORMS OF IRRIGATION SYSTEMS IN ARMENIA

REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA2 Main topics of the presentation  Description of Armenian relief  Description of existing irrigation systems  Start of irrigation systems management reforming  Irrigation systems development program  Water Users Associations activities, progress and problems  Strategy of further development of WUAs and management reforms

REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA3 I.SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY’S RELIEF  Total territory m2, population – 3.0 mln  Climate is extremely continental, rainfall varies from 250 to 1000 mm

REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA4 SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY’S RELIEF (continued) 3. 70% òåððèòîðèè èìååò ãîðíûé ðåëüåô, îòìåòêè âûñîêîãîðíûõ ðàâíèí êîëåáëÿòñÿ îò ì íàä óðîâíåì ìîðÿ

REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA5 SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY’S RELIEF (continued) SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY’S RELIEF (continued)

REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA6 SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY’S RELIEF (continued) SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY’S RELIEF (continued) 4. The main natural water basin of the country is Lake Sevan reserving sweet water billion m3 5. Lake is 1900 m above sea level

REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA7 SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY’S RELIEF (continued) 6. Total irrigated area is 6. Total irrigated area is ha, of which ha is irrigated by gravity method, and ha – by mechanical method. 7. Due to irrigating farming 80% of agricultural production is produced. 8. Before lands privatization (1991) number of water users was 920 with land shares ha. 9. After privatization the number of water users was of farms with land share from 0.05 to 100.

REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA8 II. DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING IRRIGATION SYSTEMS Irrigation of the country has a centuries-old history At present those irrigation systems are maintained that were constructed in II century B.C.

REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA9 DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING IRRIGATION SYSTEMS (continued)

REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA10 DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING IRRIGATION SYSTEMS (continued)

REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA11 DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING IRRIGATION SYSTEMS (continued) Irrigation system of the country were constructed mainly during the Soviet Union 70 reservoirs with total conservation zone of 1.1 billion m3, km main and off-farm canals, km of on-farm network, 400 of pump stations, 2000 of artesian and deep wells were constructed Due to low prices for energy automatic irrigation prevailed and annually to deliver 1.5 billion m3 of water 600 mln km/h of energy was used

REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA12 DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING IRRIGATION SYSTEMS (continued) Declaring in 1991 country’s independence and land privatization, irrigation systems transferred to chargeable irrigation Due to the low payments collection and permanent lack of funds, technical condition of irrigation systems was becoming worse each year In mid 90-s with the assistance of the World Bank and Internation Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) “Irrigation Systems Rehabilitation” Program was developed Implementation of the program was the responsibility of “Irrigation systems programs implementation bureau (PIB) Under the program the urgent works on rehabilitation of emergence areas of irrigation systems were undertaken In the process of implementation of the first program, it was already clear that irrigation systems rehabilitation alone would not resolve arisen problems on provision liable system

REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA13 DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING IRRIGATION SYSTEMS (continued)

REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA14 DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING IRRIGATION SYSTEMS (continued)

REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA15 DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING IRRIGATION SYSTEMS (continued)

REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA16 DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING IRRIGATION SYSTEMS (continued)

REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA17 DESCRIPTION OF EXISTING IRRIGATION SYSTEMS (continued)

REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA18 III. START OF MANAGEMENT REFORMS 1.Along with Irrigation systems Rehabilitation program establishment of water users cooperatives started 2.Under the program 100 cooperatives serving ha were established. 3.With technical and consultancy support from the PIB, water users cooperative provided normal maintenance of on-farm irrigation systems and water distribution among farmers 4.Most cooperatives provided 75%-80% collection of water payments 5.Inspired with cooperatives’ success, the Government created additional 200 community-based cooperatives under one Resolution 6.Cooperatives did not justify themselves and collapsed

REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA19 START OF MANAGEMENT REFORMS (continued) main reasons of failure of cooperative.  Lack of needed financial, consultancy and technical assistance to cooperative  High maintenance costs due to small serving areas ( ha)  Lack of relating law and legal base, resulted in cooperatives helpless and defenseless condition  Strong negative influence to cooperative from local state structures  Lack of professional staff  Cooperatives chairmen were appointed, not elected

REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA20 IV. IRRIGATION SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM To perform the tasks under the program the following actions were taken Develop a concept of establishing new water users associations (WUAs) and approval of the Law on Water Users Associations. (the Law was approved by the Parliament on 4 June, 2002) In accordance with the Law on WUAs and Federations of WUAs on the National level a WUAs and FWUAs regulating Council managed by Vice Prime Minister was established By the Government Resolution, the functions of Executive Directory of WUAs and FWUAs Regulating Council was given to Irrigation systems PIB

REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA21 IRRIGATION SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (continued) In state sector, due to institutional reforms, instead of many organizations, there was established one, and later by principle of intake basins – four organizations “Djrar”, that maintain and operate large strategic reservoirs, headworks and strong pump stations To establish WUAs and transferring to them irrigation functions, in 2002 temporary maintaining organizations were created, they operated and maintained only secondary irrigation systems Government approved prototypes of Agreement on transfer of main means for self utilization and maintenance of WUAs, Contract on water delivery, Statute of WUAs and FWUAs, and Rules of water supply and irrigation water use

REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA22 IRRIGATION SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (continued) After aproving the Law on WUAs, establishment of associations started at once and by the beginning of irrigation season of WUAs were created After aproving the Law on WUAs, establishment of associations started at once and by the beginning of irrigation season of WUAs were created Success of re-established WUAs and unsuccessful activities of temporary state organizations accelerated the process of WUAs creation and already by the beginning of irrigation season of WUAs were established Success of re-established WUAs and unsuccessful activities of temporary state organizations accelerated the process of WUAs creation and already by the beginning of irrigation season of WUAs were established Secondary and tertiary irrigation systems, according to the Government and local state authorities decision, were given to WUAs for operation and maintenance for 25 years Secondary and tertiary irrigation systems, according to the Government and local state authorities decision, were given to WUAs for operation and maintenance for 25 years As a result, the only state organizations in the irrigation systems were 4 organizations “Djrar” on reservoir level Irrigation management on secondary and tertiary irrigation systems in the country was denationalized, i.e. transfer from governmental structures to WUAs

REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA23 V. WUA ACTIVITIES AND EXISTING PROBLEMS Major indicators of WUAs activities in the breakdown of years

REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA24 V. WUA ACTIVITIES AND EXISTING PROBLEMS The main criteria of WUAs success may the following  Signing individual agreements of water delivery with consumers and introduction of Institute with liability for breakage into WUAs  Daily technical and consultancy work of support group, that had been functioning under development program  Introduction of software for water estimation on all levels, from main canals to water-users. The software provides data on each water user – amount of received water, costs, payments, etc.

REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA25 WUA ACTIVITIES AND EXISTING PROBLEMS (continued)   Participation (co-financing) of water users in procurement of vehicles, equipment and machinery for associations, and for construction and overall repair of on-farm network   Participation of WUA members at meetings of Representatives and, if necessary, on Administrative Council   Participation of Administration members, water users representatives and specialists of WUA directory on training courses with 10 modules, organized and conducted under the program by international and local specialists

REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA26 The main problems to be solved on the way of WUAs establishment  Inactivity of water users in WUA management  Unsatisfactory work of administrative council, Audit Committee and Disputes Settlement Committee  Unsatisfactory technical condition of received for maintenance irrigation systems  Discrepancy of existing on-farm network with privatized land shares  Lack of new technologies and low level of irrigation methods of water users  Power-consuming irrigation and high energy costs in water prime costs  Lack of professional staff in WUA WUA ACTIVITIES AND EXISTING PROBLEMS (continued)

REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA27  Continue of consultancy and organizational assistance for more active participation of water users in WUA management  Strengthen organizational, administrative and functional capacities of WUAs  For organization of more effective maintenance and operation of main systems establish Federations of WUAs (FWUAs)  Continue technical re-equipment of WUAs on the basis of co- financing and works on overall repair of on-farm network VI. STRATEGY OF FURTHER WUA DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT REFORMS

REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA28 STRATEGY OF FURTHER WUA DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT REFORMS (continued) 5. Provide organizational assistance and technical equipment to created FWUAs and governmental organizations “Djrar” 6. For more effective training of irrigation systems staff and water users create Republican Training Centre with three regional branch offices and equip them with new training technologies 7 Provide necessary conditions (preconditions) for creating “Professional Irrigation Associations”, that would present the interest of WUAs in state authorities

REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA29 THANKS