Loading...
Please wait, while we are loading the content...
Similar Documents
Multiple uses of water in the Kirindi Oya Irrigation System, Sri Lanka
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Bakker, Melle |
| Copyright Year | 2000 |
| Abstract | As water scarcity in the world intensifies, there will be an increasing pressure to transfer water from agricultural uses to municipal and industrial uses. It is not possible to predict the full impact of such actions with our current base of knowledge. Researchers, policy makers, and agency staff involved with water resources have too long focused on only one water use, either irrigation or domestic use when in fact, people have been using water in irrigation systems for many purposes. The study in Kirindi Oya showed that water is used not only for irrigating the field crop but also for livestock, fisheries, home garden cultivation, domestic uses, industries, and the environment. Agriculture, particularly paddy, is the largest consumer of water. Many other uses like fishing or bathing do not consume water, while others such as drinking and curd-pot making consume relatively small amounts of water. Because water is drawn directly from the irrigation system (canals and tanks) or indirectly (wells through groundwater recharge), there is a complementarity between these uses and field irrigation. However, when water becomes scarce, their interdependence increases and so do competition and conflict over water. This interdependence makes it very important to recognize the full spectrum of water uses in an irrigation system. Going beyond the sectoral boundaries will change our picture of irrigation systems and will have important implications not only for the management of water within the irrigation system but also for the broader water resources policy. INTRODUCTION ., Priorities for water resources allocation and development have been changing during the last decade. Irrigation, which was once seen as essential to ensure food security, is now seen as a "low-value" use of water compared to municipal, industrial, and even environmental uses. Often, irrigation no longer receives priority in the allocation of water or in funds for project development. In a growing number of cases all over the world, water is being transferred out of agriculture to meet the growing demand in other sectors like industry, often without agree ment of or compensation to farmers with irrigated land and water rights. The main reason to transfer water out of irrigated agriculture is the relatively low output per unit of water com bined with the fact that it is the biggest consumer of freshwater. On a global level, irrigation comprises 72 percent of the average per capita water diversions, with industrial and domestic 'Paper prepared for the National Conference on 'The Status and Future Direction of Water Research in Sri Lanka,' 4-6 November 1998, BMICH, Colombo. 2Associate Expert. International Water Management Institute. |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://publications.iwmi.org/pdf/H023553.pdf |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
