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| Title |  |
Benefits and Second Generation Problems of Irrigation Management Transfer in Colombia . | ||
| Author | Luis E. Quintero-Pinto | |||
| Organisation | Economic Development Institute, now part of the World Bank Institute. | |||
| Year | ||||
| Summary/ Introduction |
Management transfer in
Colombia was unusual, in that it was initiated by farmers
rather than by government initiative. Since the first two
schemes were transferred in 1976, 16 of the 24 medium and
large schemes in the country, covering about two-thirds
of the quarter-million hectares under such irrigation,
have been transferred to local associations to manage.
Many of the remaining schemes are expected to be
difficult to transfer and the process appears to have
stagnated. In 1991, a national federation of water user associations was formed to represent association interests. This federation has secured national recognition for itself and a seat on the top land development policy-making council in the country, but has not been active in providing services to its member associations. A new law passed in 1993 gave legal status to water user associations and outlined both their responsibilities and the supporting and monitoring obligations of the national irrigation agency, INAT. Water user associations enter into contractual relationships with INAT for management, but not ownership, of system facilities. One very problematic feature of this relationship is the provision for ownership of assets which specifies that even assets such as heavy equipment purchased by the association with its own funds remain the property of the government. Results of the transfer program include more flexible irrigation plans and cropping patterns. Unit costs of maintenance are said to have dropped, and transferred systems are more likely to follow a regular maintenance schedule than are those administered directly by INAT. In terms of finances, user managed districts receive only about one-quarter of their O&M costs as subsidies, on average, while INAT-administered districts receive subsidies covering nearly 90% of their costs. Association-managed districts have gained control over the form and frequency of their fee payments and have greater flexibility in dealing with defaulters. Administration of the transferred schemes requires fewer staff, and has generated more local employment. Still, a number of second generation problems have emerged. These include several important legal deficiencies such as the rules on asset ownership and the cumbersome procedures and high fees involved in securing a legal water right. Fee levels, now set by associations, are not keeping pace with inflation, and the result is deferred maintenance and a failure to accumulate funds for equipment replacement and rehabilitation. Financial management is a critical area for the success of the associations, but skills in this area are deficient and little or no training has been provided. Little operational data is being collected making performance assessment difficult, and water is seldom delivered and charged for volumetrically, though plans call for this. Accumulating deferred maintenance and inadequate mechanisms for capital fund accumulation point toward severe future operational problems. INATs role has changed significantly in the wake of the transfer of the management of two-thirds of its medium and large irrigation schemes to users, but the agency has not yet received a clear new mandate nor reorganized itself to carry out its new functions, particularly its support responsibilities to the associations. User associations are themselves facing serious potential problems due to their underfunding and lack of dynamism. The national federation of user associations has an extremely important potential role to play in revitalizing and supporting the associations, but has yet to seized and acted on this potential. |
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Complete document (155k) |
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