PACT, Lucknow.
The state of Uttar Pradesh though is endowed with plentiful water resources both surface and underground with vast fertile tract of land but its ever increasing population and the challenges being faced in mostly disjointed and unorganized sectoral development and management process in various use sectors e.g. Drinking, Agriculture, Industrial etc. The development and management of this precious resource is now becoming a matter of concern. The State adopted a progressive water policy in 1999 to ensure that the development and management of water resources would meet the overall development perceptions of the state. To achieve the objectives of the State water policy, Government of Uttar Pradesh has received a credit from IDA towards the cost of Uttar Pradesh Water Sector Restructuring Project through Government of India. The UPWSRP envisages a comprehensive programme of reforms in Management of State s Water resources in general and irrigation, drainage and ground water in particular. The Development objectives of the UPWSRP are: (i)To set up an enabling institutional andpolicyframework for water sector reforms in the Statefor integrated water resources management; and (ii)To initiate irrigation and drainage subsector reforms in the State to increase and sustain water and agricultural productivity. The first phase of the UPWSRP started in 2002 and is closing on 31-10-2010. The project has been implemented through structured components for the water sector and irrigation and drainage sub-sector reforms initiatives. With in the ambit of water sector reforms apex water institutions namely State Water Resources Agency (SWaRA), State Water Resources Data Analysis Center (SWaRDAC) and UP Water Management and Regulatory Commission (UPWaMReC) have been established and are jUnctional. Jaunpur Branch Sub-Basin Development andManagement Board (JBSDMB) has also been established. In addition social and environmental assessment of the delineated Ghaghra Gomti Basin along with environmental managementplan is in place. A Decision support system has been developedfor optimal water allocation, considering alljUnctional parameters, on a basin/sub basin concept. The irrigation and drainage subsector reforms initiatives have focused on all issues related to irrigation and drainage services. Capacity building of UPID for modernization of its technical, administrative and managerial capacity, restructuring of the departmentfor its efficientjUnctioning and down sizing to improve fiscal performance along with modem tools for its business process have been broadly achieved. Community participation for system evaluation andfinalization of physical implementation proposals has been a new and special feature of the project. A major managementprocess change has been introduced by initiatingparticipatory irrigation management conceptfor which a newAct and rules are in place. Agriculture intensification and diversification along with plansfor conjunctive use of water have shown very encouraging results both in terms of productivity and diversification in the demonstration fields. Social development for women and management of ground water by way of selfhelp groups have added value to the project operations. Augmentation of natural water resources through Rain Water Harvesting structures and development of Wetland/water bodies has received community appreciation. A system of monitoring and evaluation of the project and its impact assessment with World Bank guided financial management and procurement has been a special feature. The project initiative has given a sense of confidence and has created anew culture for water resources development and management encompassing all domains of water resource related issues. The department is now in a position to up scale the project learning's and sustain the new processes. The detailed writeup is presented in two parts.
