PRIVATE SECTOR SERVICES IN OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE OF SUFI CHAI IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE NETWORKS

摘要

Poor management of the irrigation networks by the government in the past few decades, thernsuccessful experience of some countries in attracting the participation of farmers in operationrnand maintenance of networks, the positive and effective results gained by the private sector,rnare among the factors influencing the assignment of the management of 12,000 ha of SufirnChai Irrigation and Drainage Networks to private sector and using the cooperatives in waterrndistribution management in the network. The East Azerbaijan Regional Water Authorityrnorganized water users’ cooperatives for the exploitation of the modern networks in 2004,rnand assigned the management of Sufi Chai Irrigation and Drainage Networks to the privaternsector in 2009. Since then, four contractors have been active in the network operation andrnmaintenance and five contractors in restoration works.rnPrivate companies have made irrigation subcontracts with 38 Water Users’ Cooperativesrnconveying the water up to the intake and delivering it to the Cooperative in terms of volume.rnCooperatives are in charge of managing the water distribution among water users. Supervisionrnon the performance of provisions of the contract was done by the representative of the Ownerrn(East Azerbaijan Regional Water Authority) and for a while, by Mahab Ghods ConsultingrnEngineers. Among the advantages of private contractor are reduced political interferencernin water affairs; clear understanding of the problems in water allocation, conveyance,rndistribution and use; active and effective presence of qualified staff in fulfilling the obligationsrnand reducing the duties undertaken by the government, which has given them time to planrnfor water resource development at the country scale.