Case Study : Modern Spate Irrigation in the Arsi Zone

Case Study : Modern Spate Irrigation in the Arsi Zone Presented by: John-Paul van den Ham Supervisors: Prof. Linden Vincent Dr. Frank van Steenbergen

Content • Research Questions • Study Area • Overview of research objects • Water Management • The Design • Operation & Field Application • Maintenance • Rights & Rules and Practice • Organization of Water Management • Sustainable Livelihood Analyses • Livelihood • Recommendations

Research Questions • Main research questions ; How is water management taking place in the new Dodota spate irrigation system and what are the impacts and effects for irrigation, soil conservation practices and production? Simplified Sub questions; • How will water allocation take place? Which areas are most severe? Who will manage and decide upon allocation? • Who is going to do the operation and maintenance? What kind of maintenance and means are required? Who is responsible for what? • How will water be applied to the field? According to which rules and bylaws is water division taking place? Who is and how are the fields going to be prepared? • What crops will be grown? Will there be a double crop season? • How are farmers going to improve their livelihood? Will they invest labour and money to improve their livelihood?

Study Area Source: IWMI, 2007 Source: Design Document, 2006

Research Objects

Water Management • Organizational aspects of people involved • Approaches and techniques of the design • Land and water rights • Fairness (equal water sharing) • Maintain a sustainable environment • Conflicts and conflict resolution (Mehari Haile, 2007 p.15).

Design • Design objective; Irrigation system for development and improvement of this drought prone area under Food Aid. (funded by ODPPC “Food security through development”) • Typically Spate (semi-perennial) using floods. • Based on elevation map • Design Characteristics; -MC & BC and DS are regulated by sluice gates -Proportional diversion to BC but not based on command area • Future plans: -Divert near rivers -Expend the irrigated area

Operation Headworks OGEE Weir • Rejection Structure • Flow Diversion Structure • Dropstructure (of-takes)

0.3m 0.4m 0.6m 1.2m 0.3m 0.5m Secondary Canal 0.02% Waterflow FC FC FC FC TC 0.05% Bund Bund Bund TC Contour Contour Field Application Tertiary Canal Field Canal Bunds 1.7m 1.3m 0.5m 0 Distance 300m -2

Maintenance • Sedimentation • Canalbed Erosion • Canal Bank Weeds • Canal Bed Weeds

Rights & Rules √ • The demarcation of land that is entitled to irrigation; • Rules on breaking of diversion bunds: • Proportion of the flow going to different flood channels and fields; • The sequence in which the different fields along a flood channel are watered; • The depth of irrigation that each field is to receive; • The practice regarding second water turns. (A. Mehari, F. Steenbergen and B. Schultz, 2007) √ √

Rules in Practice • Cattle in the Canals • Breaking the Canal • Breeching the Bunds • Upstream/Down- conflict

Organisation of Water Management

SLA

Livelihood • Participation in O&M • Education & training • Increased Yields • Acces to transportation • Market growth/Jobs

Recommendations • Water Management according to administrative and hydrological boundaries • Need for government support for Operation and Maintenance • Improved water rights and rules are necessary to achieve fair distribution • Focus on education of farmers and training of TC- and branch leaders • Creation of awareness • Creation of awareness by farmers, some crops are critical for irrigation (short irrigation interval and or sensitive for water stress) • Creation of awareness by farmers , since there will be an increase of agricultural land with the double season, thus there is need for more fodder and restricted free grazing areas • Monitoring and evaluation of water distribution for improvement

By John Paul van den Ham

Case Study : Modern Spate Irrigation in the Arsi Zone