THESIS ABSTRACT

Abstract

Irrigation water is one of the major inputs in enhancing agriculture productivity. In many rural and hilly areas of Nepal farmers already have their irrigation systems. However, many of them do not irrigate all the irrigable land. Wherever they cover all the irrigable land many of them do not facilitate year-round irrigation. This study was carried out to assess the status of selected irrigation systems explore the challenges and opportunities of lift irrigation in Indrawati Rural Municipality, Ward no 11, Sindhupalchowk District. The study was specially focused to assess the status of the existing surface irrigation systems encompassing their physical infrastructures, problems faced by farmers for year-round irrigation along with WUA’s performance on water distribution, operation and maintenance and resource mobilization. Besides, the study also assessed the cropping pattern and cropping intensity of the rain-fed area nearby the irrigated areas in the vicinity of the two irrigation systems. The challenges and opportunities of lift irrigation for ensuring year-round irrigation in the irrigated as well as non-irrigated areas were also studied. Primary data were collected through questionnaire survey, focus group discussion and key informant interviews. The secondary data were collected through project reports. From the study it is found that the Neupanetar Bodgau irrigation system is functioning fairly well. The Adhikaritar irrigation system needs major maintenance and rehabilitation. It is also found that both the systems do not run for all crop seasons. Adhikaritar IS does not run for monsoon season due to fear of landslides. Neupanetar Bodgau IS does not run in the spring season due to the non-availability of water at the source. Farmers of both the systems are willing to pay ISF. The collected ISF is only sufficient to pay the seasonal operators (dhalpas) only. The operation and maintenance, resource mobilization capacity of WUA is poor. Although the cropping intensity of Adhikaritar and Neupanetar is 193% and 203% respectively, the unirrigated land has lower cropping intensity of 140%. The research finds that the ward has all the favorable condition such as landscape, location and required supportive infrastructures such as electricity supply, sufficient Sunshine hour and road network and perennial water source to implement a new lift irrigation system. Development of lift irrigation system would provide assured year round irrigation to the additional command area of 111ha which has no irrigation facility at present. Lift irrigation is not only suitable for augmenting water there but is also recommended for other hilly regions where there is a possibility of landslides along the contour canal system.

Keywords

Irrigation systems, Lift irrigation, Status, Challenges, Opportunities.