People Participation in Irrigation Projects: Changing Patterns of Himachal Pradesh in India

The concept of peoples’ participation in national economic development has gained renewed significance in recent years. This paper, using a case method of analysis, studies the charging patterns of peoples’ participation in irrigation projects of the Himalayan ranges in India and identifies factors which provide or retard participatory behaviour. Three case studies include (1) a century-old community irrigation system showing signs of impending breakdown; (2) a locally managed irrigation system which was handed over to the government for its maintenance and operation; and (3) an irrigation system sponsored by the government to encourage collective ownership and local participation. Through limited in scope, these case studies indicate that medium or long term participation depends on (a) the degree of dependence on the gains from the activity in which participation is required; (b) the degree of dependence on the group effort to achieve those gains; (c) the degree of certainty that the gains would be achieved; (d) the degree of certainty that the common sources would be managed properly; (e) the degree of certainty that the gains would be distributed equitably; (f) the degree of perceived or likely presence of the exploitative element; and (g) the degree of certainty that return would be commensurate with risk and investment, i.e. the opportunity cost of time and efforts.