Page 346 - Industrial Wastewater Treatment, Recycling and Reuse

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beneficiaries will help greatly for the optimal upkeep of the irrigation system
and efficient utilization of irrigation water. The participation of farmers in
irrigation management is formulated through the constitution of Water
Users’ Associations (WUAs). The aims of the WUAs are to (i) promote
and secure distribution of water among users, (ii) ensure adequate mainte-
nance of the irrigation systems, (iii) improve efficiency and economic utili-
zation of water, (iv) optimize agricultural production, (v) protect the
environment, and (vi) ensure ecological balance by involving the farmers
and inculcating a sense of ownership of the irrigation systems in accordance
with the water budget and operational plan. The WUAs are formed and
work on the basis of executive instructions and guidelines laid down by each
state government. There is no central legislation or legal instrument in this
regard. However, the one state that has passed legislation exclusively for
farmer participation in the management of irrigation systems is Andhra Pra-
desh. A total of 55,500 WUAs were constituted in India covering an area of
10.23 million ha.
The National Groundwater Recharge Master Plan provides a nation-
wide assessment of the groundwater recharge potential and outlines the
guiding principles for an artificial groundwater recharge program. The plan
estimates that through dedicated recharge structures in rural areas and roof-
3
top water harvesting structures in urban areas a total of 36 km can be added
to groundwater recharge annually. The master plan follows two criteria for
identifying recharge: availability of surplus water and availability of storage
space in aquifers. Investments in the program would therefore be driven by
the potential available for groundwater recharge, and not by the need for
recharge. Thus, the three states-Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Tamil
Nadu, which together account for over half of India’s threatened ground-
water blocks, receive only 21% of funds, whereas the states of the
Ganges-Brahmaputra basin, which face no groundwater overdevelopment
problems, receive 43% of the funds. If implemented successfully, this
recharge program will be able to add a significant quantity of water to India’s
groundwater storage, but it will not provide much help in the areas that are
most in need of help.

7.5.3 Finances
At present there is no uniform set of principles in fixing water rates. The
water charges vary from state to state, project to project, and crop to crop.
The rates vary widely for the same crop in the same state depending on