MEASURING SUSTAINABILITY: MONITORING & EVALUATION OF THE PERFORMANCE OF WATER USER ASSOCIATIONS

Participatory Irrigation Management (PIM) has been introduced in a large number of countries worldwide. In many cases much attention was given to establishing or developing water user associations (WUAs). Many resources have been spent on analyzing and standardizing an approach to introducing PIM. However few resources have been allocated to developing indicators for monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of the performance of WUAs. The sustainability of WUAs within the specific sociocultural context of the countries in which they have been introduced/developed requires more consideration. This paper consists of three consecutive themes. These themes are, (i) international experience with measuring performance of WUAs, based upon the experience of the author and other relevant case studies, (ii) common pitfalls for sustainability of WUAs, and (iii) main technical and institutional indicators for measuring WUA performance. The paper presents concrete and practical indicators for measuring WUA performance, and links these to the sustainability of WUAs and PIM. The objective of the paper and the presentation is to share these indicators and to generate discussion on the feasibility of the indicators in light of the specific socio-cultural circumstances in different countries. The paper finally presents institutional arrangements for M&E of WUA performance, such as Federations of WUAs, the role of national, regional and local authorities in measuring WUA performance and the maturing of PIM as a process of development. This paper puts forward a hands-on approach for policy makers, implementation experts, academics and consultants for ensuring and improving the sustainability of PIM.