Support Programme for Irrigation Infrastructure Development, Gilgit

B.A. Khan and S.

INTRODUCTION

IT aim of this paper to highlight the role of social organizers in assisting fanner-managed

irrigationsystems

The

management stimulated by the intervention

of

the Aga Khan

Rural

Support Programme in Gilgit District This paper is based primarily

on

the experiences and observations of the authors made program is also operational in the District of the

areas

and District of the

North

Frontier Province.

DESCRIPTION OF THE AREA

the headquarters

of

the program. is located about kilometers

north

of Islamabad where the and the Himalayan ranges meet. The whole district lies in the

rain

shadow

(4 while

at higher elevations of approximately 4.575 meters feet) above sea level precipitation in

the Aga Khan Support Gilgit. Pakistan.

78

the form of snow, reaches 25.4 cm (10 inches). The topography of the area is such that the rivers flow in deep gorges far below the arable lands, most of which consist of alluvial fans. The perennial Nallahs (streams) and rivers in the northern areas of Pakistan are fed primarily by glacier melt while snow melt helps increase the runoff a hundredfold during short periods in the summer. Almost all the irrigation systems in these mountain areas depend on Nallahs which serve as tributaries of the main rivers. The variation in discharge between the minimum and maximum flows is extreme and occasionally the flow dries up completely or totally freezes in the winter. These enormous variations in water supply pose

a

challenge to the economic design of headworks. Most of the channels from the Nallahs in the region are gravity-fed.

The

success

of the channels depends on

a

combination of local wisdom and modem engineering techniques. Some villages even now

use

traditional of water flow for determining the correct gradients. Theoretically worked out gradients have, in most cases, resulted in failure. The velocities of small channels, calculated in the office, have no capabili- ties for silt-clearing or for minimizing the scouring due to variations in rock formations. Similarly, variations in climatic conditions such as freezing and thawing play

an

important role. One has to when to close the channel and when to reopen it without causing excessive damage during thawing. All this requires experience and local knowledge.

HISTORY OF IRRIGATION IN THE AREA

In the past the areas on both sides of the Himalayas and Hindukush ranges were ruled by local chieftains. The treasuries of the rulers depended heavily on the taxation of water and agriculture. It was in their interest that agriculture should flourish and

as a

result available land was exploited to the maximum. The pockets of population ruled by these chieftains weresecludedand hada very closed economy. The chieftains used their feudal authority to motivate and mobilize the people for construction and operation and maintenance of channels.

This arrangement was possible because a sufficient surplus of cheap labor was available. The local populace could be easily motivated to work without pay, in return for

a

piece of land to add to their declining resource base. In the late nineteenth century the British

took over the northern areas and opened access to the outside world by constructing roads, more lucrative job opportunities became available. Simultaneously,

an

increase in population put pressure on the existing arable land. Taxes on water and agriculture declined. The feudal lords could not sustain their authority under these conditions and in 1974, their control of the was formally abolished by the Government of Pakistan.

When the traditional rulers were removed no alternative for construction and operation and maintenance of channels was introduced by the government. As a result, no new channels were constructed and existing ones fell into disrepair. It was at this stage that the Aga Khan Rural

began

a

program of development of institutional and physical

The primary objective of the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme has to facilitate the development of and broad-based village organizations which would undertake a wide range of rural activities on a permanent and sustainable basis.

productive physical-infrastructure project which would increase the

incomes

of the majority of the constituents of the village organization. It was the process of collectively identifying, proposing, planning, and implementing a productive project. such

a

water channel, which strengthened the village organization, and started it on the path which ultimately led to managing development activities of the village. The water channel thus constructed served as an point for subsequent development work in the village in addition to the direct income which it generated.

The role of the

social

organizer in the process described above has been pivotal. He helped the village organization to conduct During the process of productive physical infrastructure project identification, he ensured that at least 75 percent of the members attended such meetings so that equitable sharing of resources was ensured. At this crucial stage the social organizer had to be vigilant and resourceful to obtain all the basic information of the village, through

a

rapid appraisal. Without this it would not have

been

possible to create an active and cohesive village organization.

The social organizer's during the survey and investigation of the project was equally important. He organized meetings and consulted village elders

to

obtain technical information such as flood levels, maximum and minimum discharges, and slides and stability of He conclusions. He facilitated meetings and exchanges of information between the technicians and villagers. While settling terms of partnership between the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme. and thevillageorganization

clearly described the responsibility of the village organization so that no ambiguity remained. The Aga Khan Rural Support Programme has given new meaning to the concept of participation of villagers in project implementation. Traditionally, government departments and other development agencies have defined participation as villagers' hypothetical cash contribu- tion through their unpaid labor in the project. In the Aga Khan Rural Support

participation involves the villagers' willingness to organize capital through savings, to agree to upgrade their skills, to undertake responsibility for identification. planning, and implementation of the project, and ultimately for management and operation and maintenance of the productive physical-infrastructure project

after

completion.

Once the terms of the partnership were settled and implementation started the social organizer helped teach maintenance of and keeping of muster rolls, and provided guidance in setting up stores and in maintaining machinery and equipment. He thus served

as a

liaison between the village organization and the Aga Khan

Rural

Support Programme. The social organizer helped the village organization in the submission of progress reports through

organization resolutions and arranged cash disbursements. The social organizer was, and remains,

a

contact between the village organization and the technical sections. Whenever

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In document Role of social organizers in assisting farmer-managed irrigation systems: Proceedings of a regional workshop of the Farmer-Managed Irrigation Systems Network held at Khon Kaen, Thailand from 15-20 May 1989 (Page 81-84)