This paper analyzes successful factors and develops theory/concept for the activation of the Water Users' Organizations (WUOs) in the Modernization of Water Management System (MWMS) project in Thailand. The main successful factors are as follows: (1) improvement of irrigation facilities with the farmers' participation;(2) providing an opportunity for discussions with farmers to enable the adjustment of water allocation through the establishment of an Integrated Water Users' Group (IWUG) in the early stages of the project; (3) holding monthly meetings of the IWUG; (4) developing, operating, and monitoring the water allocation plan in cooperation with both farmers and government officials. That is to say, initiation of the facilities' improvement and the establishment of the WUOs were performed concurrently. Moreover, the farmers participated from the beginning of the planning stage to the management stage. The MWMS project contributed to create a system that farmers can acquire and use irrigation water with reliability. Through this system, farmers could have ownership in their facilities, and then they participated in the operation and maintenance spontaneously. The most important thing is to give priority to a joint study process between the farmers and government officials for producing mutual understanding and building a good confidential relationship.K. Shioda ( ) The Modernization of Water Management System Project,
This study aims to investigate recent practices on water allocation and cultivation in the Upper East Bank of the Chao Phraya Delta in Thailand, by using data collected by RID local offices, questionnaires, and analyses of satellite images. As a result, we have identified the advantage that upstream areas of irrigation canals have enjoyed, namely the preferential water allocation over the downstream areas. This advantage was strongly associated with the intensive cropping patterns of rice: the upstream areas were estimated to conduct almost continuous rice cultivation throughout a year. In addition, the intensive rice cultivation would partly be supported by water from private shallow wells, which were mostly concentrated in the upstream areas of main canals. Those shallow wells would be used at the beginning of the dry season and in drought years, when farmers could not expect water supply from irrigation canals. The result indicated that the conjunctive use of surface and ground water would be practiced in this region.
The conventional trapezoidal-shaped concrete-lined ditch (trapezoida1 diteh) has been used for tertiary irrigation canals (irTigation ditches) in Thailand. The Modernization of Whter Management System Project in Thailand (MWMS Project) introduced the U-shaped reinforced-concrete flume mmufactured on the assembly 1ine (U-shaped flume) into Thai1and for the first time as an irrigation ditch. Advantages and disadvantages of the two types efconcrete ditches are compared. Thus farl only dirt ditches have been constructed in deep-water rice areas aiid fioating rice areas; therefore, experimental constmction of concrete imgation ditches, which are submerged under water for a leng period in the latter halfof the rainy season, were conducted for testing of suitable type and construction method. The results indicate problem-free construction ef both types of concrete ditches using normal constructionmethods.
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