1. Irrigation Improvement Project: Developing Water Users Organizations
3.6
Irrigation Improvement Project: Developing Water Users Organizations

2. New Intervention on Water Resources Management
Decentralization water service delivery.
Involving users in planning and managing water projects and.
Encouraging stakeholders to contribute to policy formulation.

3. New organizations at three levels
Irrigation Council
Water Users Groups
Water Users Association

4. Methodology of IIP towards the formation of farmer organizations
WUGs (20-50 farmers) at the level of the tertiary/
secondary canals or ma’aqem served by the same
structure;
WUGs should have social cohesion, successful history of
O&M within their canals and demonstrated ability to work
together in a group to manage water;
WUAs at the level of the primary canals;
Irrigation Council at the level of the entire Wadi system
Formation of WUGs initiated on March 2002
Wadi Tuban

5. Formation of WUGs
Wadi Zabid
June 2003

6. Participation in Water Distribution
Traditional System
W. Zabid

7. Participation in Water Distribution
Traditional System
Wadi Tuban

8. Participation in Irrigation Management (PIM)
Modern System
Wadi Tuban

9. Participation in Irrigation Management
W. Hadramout
Advantages of Community Participation

10. Public Awareness Campaign in the Project villages
Village Meetings
Open Discussion

11. Direct Voting for WUG Representatives
W. Tuban
W. Zabid

12. Formation of WUAs Main Purposes of WUA Formation:
To ensure the WUA shall be to safeguard and promote the common interests of the users of land in the command area of the WUA with regard to irrigation and agriculture.
WUA Formation Steps: Preliminary Meeting; Election of Preparatory committee; Founding Meeting.
After the formation of WUA, a Farmer Design committee (FDC) has to be assigned for the purpose of defining priority ranking of rehabilitation needs and participate, agree in design and contribution.

13. Preliminary Meeting for forming Preparatory Committee

14. Founding Meetings for the WUAs in the project area
Wadi Tuban (June 1st, 2003)
Wadi Zabid (October 1st, 2003)

15. Direct Voting for WUA Bylaws
W. Tuban

16. Objectives of the Irrigation Council
To accelerate the formation of Irrigation Council, the IC Bylaws have been drafted, legally revised, discussed with the related parties, approved by the Project Steering Committee and authorize the Governors in both Lahej and Hudeidah governorates to issue the required resolutions for establishment of the ICs. Finally, the ICs in Tuban and Zabid were formed on August and September 2005 respectively. To track the activity of IC, Executive Procedures and O&M Manual for WUAs have been drafted and under discussion now by IC members in both wadis. ) 2005
Objectives of the Irrigation Council
Providing services which are related to the supply of irrigation water and which services shall benefit the water users at wadi level.

17. Main Tasks and Authority of the Irrigation Council
Setting a general policy for the whole wadi for achieving the demand of the water distribution program, monitor its distribution and increase its efficient use;
Approval and supervising the implementation of the annual irrigation plan;
Review and approve the annual maintenance plan;
Inspect the implementation of the annual O&M activities for all irrigation infrastructures, according to the approved plan;
Supervise the operation of diversion structures;
Represents the water users as a united organization;

18. Prepared by: Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation Irrigation Improvement Project PMU – Sana’a Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM)