Irrigation Management Transfer: Decentralizing Public Irrigation in Mexico

ABSTRACT

From 1950 the percentage of O&M costs paid by users declined from 95 per cent to 37 per cent in 1990. As a result of the shortage of funds the irrigation districts deferred maintenance, leading to a serious reduction in output and decline in the infrastructure. To solve this problem, in 1990 the government instituted a program of transferring management from the National Water Commission (CNA) to the water users. The transfer program in Mexico took off very quickly such that by the middle of 1996, more than 86 per cent of the 3.3 million ha of publicly irrigated land in the country had been transferred to joint management. Water user associations have proven capable of operating and maintaining the modules and water tar jffs collected by the users _in excess of US$170 million in 1994 and 1995 _have not only supported the module O&M activities but have also supported the majority of the O&M activities by CNA staff In order to sustain the transferred districts, the users need to establish an investment fund to cover emergencies and future development. In addition, it is necessary to clarify the water laws to protect agricultural rights.