CSA Xpert

Participatory irrigation management (PIM) may be defined as the participation of farmers in the management of irrigation to bring sustainability to the system.The main objectives of PIM are to promote equitable distribution of water among its farmers, adequate maintenance of irrigation system, and efficient utilization of water ensuring ecological balance.PIM was introduced in Odisha under the Orissa Water Resources Consolidation Project (OWRCP) during 1995 in which water users associations (WUA) were formed.Later on, the WUA has been renamed as Pani Panchayats. Odisha Pani Panchayat Act-2002 came into force to give this programme a legal framework.The basic four-tire structure of PIM in Odisha includes : (i) Pani Panchayats (PP) at primary level consisting of several Chak Committees (CC) (ii) Distributary Committee (DC) at the secondary level (iii) A Project Committee (PC),at the project level, is a federation of all distributaries committees’ (iv) A State-Level Committee (SLC) to lay down policies for implementation of the Pani Panchayat programme.However, in lift irrigation projects it is a single-tier system i.e. Pani Panchayat.