Abstract
A good water users’ organization (WUO) is a significant factor in the practical success of an irrigation project. The major duties of WUOs are to operate and maintain their irrigation facilities and to perform the financial and organizational management. This paper analyzes the history and present situation of three WUOs in the Chao Phraya Delta, Thailand which have been awarded for their successful activities: namely, two pilot integrated water user groups (IWUGs) and one pilot water users’ association. The results of a field survey and questionnaire revealed the users’ past experience, methods of irrigation management, and social mobilization efforts. The main results of our analysis are as follows: (1) among the three WUOs, only the IWUG Sao Hi Unity Agriculture Irrigation (IWUG SHUAI) can be regarded as a successful case in terms of long-term management, (2) as a pumping irrigation project, the IWUG SHUAI entails an upfront electricity cost, which gives farmers added impetus to organize a management system and budget, and to learn from past failures, and (3) in contrast, the member farmers in the gravity irrigation projects lack the impetus to realize the necessity of a common management budget, a situation which can be improved only by the education of the leaders and clear explanation to the member farmers.
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Acknowledgments
The authors express their gratitude to all KKOM officials, KPSHOM officials, and RROM officials, for their valuable help, support, and cooperation. We would also like to express our gratitude to Mr. Sompong Bangtrakul, Mr. Autthaporn Thiengthae, Mr. Thumanoon Ampanchai, Mr. Prateep Klomlith. Special thanks are due to all farmers in the 18R canal, the 1R Sao Hi canal, and the 1R-24R canal for their kind cooperation during the field survey.
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Teamsuwan, V., Satoh, M. Comparative analysis of management of three water users’ organizations: successful cases in the Chao Phraya Delta, Thailand. Paddy Water Environ 7, 227–237 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10333-009-0168-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10333-009-0168-8