ESTABLISHING WATER USER ASSOCIATIONS FOR O&M IN BILEHSAVAR-MOGHAN IRRIGATION SYSTEM

Bilehsavar-Moghan sprinkler irrigation system is located in Bileh-Savar and its villages’ proximity with a net area of 3100 hectares. The main irrigation system contains one 3 m3/s central pump station and 3 convenience concrete canals 21km length and minor irrigation system has 21 secondary pump stations along open channels to supply water for 21 irrigation units with an average area of 150 hectares. Field irrigation system is solid set sprinkler irrigation system. The whole area is divided into 1394 fields and 713 owners with the average of each field 2.2 hectares. Most of small fields do not have regular shape e.g. some of them are very long with 50m width and 1.5km length. Accordingly, operating a modern irrigation system is very complicated. Therefore, 21 water user associations (WUAs) and 2 rural co-operative companies established by incorporation of water users. The main purpose of co-operatives and W.U.A. is to teach farmers and group them for O&M modern sprinkler irrigation system and its accessories. In this article, 4-year experiences and conclusions will be covered.