PRICING IRRIGATION WATER IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES1

ABSTRACT Alternative combinations of water pricing and regulations are possible in allocating irrigation water. The best combination will depend on the value of water, ability to control deliveries, desire to subsidize agriculture, ownership traditions, crops grown, return flows, drainage problems, staff training, ability to collect fees, the number of farmers involved, etc. Marginal cost pricing is just one possible alternative and it is more a way of thinking about prices rather than a set system. The possibilities for achieving an equitable and efficient distribution of water are improved if some form of marginal cost pricing is included in the system of water charges.     

COST ANALYSIS OF WATER AND WASTE WATER TREATMENT PROCESSES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES1

ABSTRACT: Mathematical modeling techniques are used to develop predictive equations for cost of water and waste water treatment processes in developing countries utilizing socioeconomic, environmental, and technological indicators. Predictive equations are developed for each of the three regions (Africa, Asia, and Latin America) for construction, operation, and maintenance costs of slow sand filter, rapid sand filter, stabilization lagoon, aerated lagoon, activated sludge, and trickling filter. Data analysis indicated that cost of water treatment processes is a function of technological indicator (percentage of imported materials), population, and the design capacity. The variables which gave the best correlation for waste water treatment cost were population, design flow, and the percentage of imported waste water disposal materials.     

INCOME AND PRICE ELASTICITIES OF DEMAND FOR WATER IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES1

ABSTRACT: The income and proce elasticity of demand for domestic water is estimated for Penang Island, Malaysia. A cross-sectional analysis of a random sample of 1400 households indicated an income-elasticity of zero for low-income families (per capita income less than US$300) and an elasticity of 0.2-0.4 for higher-income families. A time-series analysis of a subsample of individuals of varying income levels suggests a short-run price elasticity of -0.1 to -0.2. The implications of these results for demand forecasting are discussed.     

EVALUATION OF A LARGE SCALE IRRIGATION SYSTEM – DAIMCHEH,IRAN1

ABSTRACT: A study was conducted to evaluate the existing furrow irrigation system of Karun Agro Industry, a sugar cane plant in Daimcheh, Iran. Although the system is only eight years old, design and operational problems have reduced its efficiency by 50 percent. Lack of skilled irrigation workers, inadequate control of irrigation water, and problems with night irrigation have resulted in substantial revenue losses for the plant. This study evaluates the existing irrigation system, and recommends modifications and improvements to increase its efficiency. Final recommendations include the use of various irrigation methods, improvements to the existing system, and cancellation of night irrigation.     

IMPACT ON GROUNDWATER RESOURCES OF CONVERSION FROM FURROW TO DRIP IRRIGATION1

ABSTRACT A model is developed to analyze the groundwater conservation and depletion effects of converting sugarcane irrigation from the furrow to the drip method. The results do not support the commonly held notion that more efficient use of irrigation water will release scarce water supplies for metropolitan growth.     

MEASURING CONSUMER SURPLUS BENEFITS OF WATER SUPPLY EXTENSIONS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES1

ABSTRACT: For investments in water mains serving new households, consumer surplus benefits may far outweigh those measured by revenues recoupled from user fees. While consumer surplus might be capitalized in the value of sites with access to mains, empirical attempts to measure such capitalization have not proved inveriably successful. In this note an alternative technique based upon the direct estimation of the demand curve is applied. An analysis of Penang Island, Malaysia indicates that the consumer surplus benefits are one and one-half times greater than the revenues recoupled through user fees. The applicability of this technique to cost-benefit analysis of water supply investments is discussed.     

REUSE OF DOMESTIC WASTEWATER FOR IRRIGATION IN ARID ZONES: A CASE STUDY1

ABSTRACT: The domestic sewage of the city of Beer-Sheva, Israel, which is located in an arid region, is treated in a series of facultative ponds. The treated effluent is stored temporarily in an open surface earthen reservoir (about 0.5 ± 10⁶ m³ in volume) and then used for irrigation. The effluent is applied via sprinkler and trickle irrigation systems. The main crops irrigated are cotton, wheat, alfalfa, and corn. Total cotton yield is over 5500 kg/ha, and the wheat grain yield is over 7500 kg/ha. The amount of effluent applied is about 6500 m³/ha for cotton (including preplant irrigation), and the wheat receives about 4500 m³/ha via irrigation and an additional 2000 m³/ha from precipitation. Due to the nutrient content in the effluent, the above yields are obtained without any additional fertilization.     

ALLOCATION MODEL FOR IRRIGATION WATER COST: CASE STUDY OF THE NILE VALLEY IN EGYPT1

ABSTRACT: An allocation model for irrigation water cost, based on the Use of Facilities method, is presented. The model is developed for large-scale irrigation systems which may include multipurpose reservoirs, irrigation control works, pump stations and irrigation canals of various orders. The model accounts for the water conveyance losses as well as the water gains in the irrigation canals, and their effects on irrigation cost. It is applied to the irrigation distribution system of the Nile Valley in Egypt, which contains the High Aswan Dam, 16 irrigation structures, 12 pump stations, and numerous irrigation canals. The irrigation water cost at 29 areas representing the Nile Valley is determined.     

WATER SUPPLY COSTS FOR SMALL PRIVATE UTILITIES1

ABSTRACT: This paper examines the cost of water supply for small and mid-sized private water utilities. An econometric approach was employed in which data on utility costs and characteristics were used to estimate a total water supply cost function from which average and marginal costs were derived. The results suggest that although average and marginal costs decline with output, the rate of decline rapidly approaches zero, and unit costs therefore appear to remain relatively constant over a wide range of output. Implications of the results for pricing policy are examined.     

RUNOFF IMPOUNDMENT FOR SUPPLEMENTAL IRRIGATION IN TEXAS1

ABSTRACT: The current increase in the demand for water by municipal, industrial, and other users is likely to result in approximately one-third less water being available for agricultural use in Texas by the year 2000. As water supplies diminish, the rainfall excess needs to be used more efficiently. Large amounts of runoff occur in the eastern part of Texas that could be collected in small impoundments and utilized for crop production. Farmers in water-surplus basins or subbasins can apply for a permit to divert surface water into small on-farm impoundments to be used for supplemental irrigation. The costs for runoff collection and two supplemental irrigations, which amount to a total of 4 in./yr., are estimated to be approximately $60/acre/year. Depending upon the crop produced, the estimated increase in gross income from supplemental irrigation ranges from about $80 to more than $100 per acre annually.     

THE ECONOMIC VALUE OF GROUND WATER RECHARGE FOR IRRIGATION USE1

ABSTRACT: Artificial recharge as a means of augmenting water sup plies for irrigation is a management alternative which policy makers in ground water decline areas are beginning to consider seriously. A conceptual model is developed to evaluate the economic benefits from ground water recharge under conditions where the major water use is irrigation. The methodology presented separates recharge benefits into two components: pumping cost savings and aquifer extension benefits. This model is then applied to a Nebraska case to approximate the value of recharge benefits as a function of aquifer response. discount rate, and commodity prices. It was found that recharge benefits vary from less than $2 to over $6 an acre foot recharged.     

RESIDUAL POWER AND ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY OF A SOLAR POWERED IRRIGATION SYSTEM1

ABSTRACT: The problem of nonmatching irrigation and solar power production seasons creates the problem of what to do with the surplus power. The economic law of opportunity cost dictates that substitution for currently commercially purchased power is the best use for this power. This law also allows for new power using enterprises that satisfy specific criteria to be used on the farm before sale of the residual to a local public utility can be considered. Economic and Financial Evaluation of the solar powered irrigation system show that the price of commercially purchased power must reach 9.5 cents per Kwh before the system is feasible under the ideal assumption of complete use of the residual power to substitute for commercially purchased power.     

OPTIMIZATION OF WATER RESOURCES FOR IRRIGATION IN EAST JORDAN1

The paper describes an approach towards optimal allocation of surface and ground water resources to three agricultural areas in the Jordan Valley under conditions of scarce water supply. The optimizing model allocates water from three main rivers, each with reservoir storage, and from two ground water sources to three irrigation regions. Productivity of irrigation water, expressed as the net present value of the regional agricultural output, but allowing for crop water deficits, is first maximized using nonlinear programming. The allocation process then adopts techniques of linear programming to determine the least cost alternative based on the unit cost of water from each resource at each destination, as it varies with time.     

A MODEL FOR ACHIEVING CONSISTENCY FOR COST SHARING IN WATER RESOURCE PROGRAMS1

ABSTRACT: Three basic principles of responsibility have influenced the Federal/non-Federal cost sharing rates for water resources programs (1) full payment by beneficiaries (2) exclusive Federal assumption of costs and (3) joint Federal/non-Federal sharing. The efforts to determine appropriate cost sharing rates have resulted in several hundred complex arrangements involving contributions, user charges and direct sales based on many variations of payment terms. This basic present value model was developed to determine the non-Federal cost shares which are expected to be paid for 32 different functional purposes emanating from Federal water resources programs and projects for both implementation and OMR stages. The model introduces the concept of a composite (implementation plus OMR) cost share as a focus developing appropriate cost sharing rates for the private, public and mixed outputs produced through public water resources investments. The model can be used as a focus for policy decisions on cost sharing which seek to achieve consistent and equitable cost shares for purposes provided while maintaining an efficient allocation of resources within water programs.     

ESTIMATING THE DEMAND FOR IRRIGATION WATER IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY OF CALIFORNIA1

ABSTRACT: This paper computes estimates of the demand for surface irrigation water directly from disaggregated profit functions for fields in the San Joaquin Valley of California. It finds that treating delivered surface water and pumped ground water as separate, imperfectly substitutable inputs to production matters a great deal. We find substantial ranges of inelastic demand for delivered water, and thresholds across which demand then becomes highly elastic. The results imply that moves toward freer water markets could lead to large quantities reallocated from agriculture to urban uses in the Western U.S., but would require large price increases and would induce extensive ground water mining and major changes in cropping patterns. While these results are dependent on our particular model and simplifying assumptions, evidence exists that they may be robust.     

MOTIVATING REDUCTIONS IN DRAIN WATER WITH BLOCK-RATE PRICES FOR IRRIGATION WATER1

ABSTRACT: Increasing block-rate prices for irrigation water were implemented during 1989 in a 10,000-acre irrigation district in California's San Joaquin Valley. The program motivated improvements in irrigation practices that reduced the volume of water delivered to farm fields and the volume of drain water collected in on-farm drainage systems. The ratio of net crop water requirements to field deliveries increased from 0.65 in 1988 to 0.73 in 1989. The volume of drain water collected at a subset of 20 drainage systems was reduced by 351.1 acre-feet (11.5 percent). Estimated loads of salt, boron, and selenium were reduced by 2,407 tons (11.0 percent), 3.33 tons (11.0 percent), and 0.07 tons (9.2 percent).     

EVALUATING DIRECT BENEFIT ESTIMATION PROCEDURES FOR IRRIGATION PROJECTS: A SIMPLIFIED APPROACH1

ABSTRACT: An integral part of evaluating the net benefits generated by an existing or proposed irrigation project is the assessment of the associated impacts in commodity markets. Traditionally, these impacts have been measured by either assuming no change in commodity prices and calculating net returns to project farmers, or by allowing commodity prices to fall in accordance with a given elasticity of demand and subtracting commodity production costs from the associated area under the commodity demand curve. In either case, it is implicitly assumed that supply is perfectly inelastic. This article establishes that traditional approaches to measuring direct benefits are biased. Formulae are presented for calculating the maximum absolute and relative error which may result from using these techniques as a function of project size. Direct benefit estimates are then evaluated for three irrigation projects in Nebraska, illustrating how these results can be used to improve project evaluation procedures.     

WATER CONSERVATION METHODS IN URBAN LANDSCAPE IRRIGATION: AN EXPLORATORY OVERVIEW1

ABSTRACT: The increasing use of irrigation for urban landscapes is causing new demands for efficient watering systems. Conservation techniques for irrigated agricultural fields cannot be applied to urban landscapes without amendment. This paper attempts to review methods of urban landscape water conservation in the context of the diversity and complexity of urban landscapes and the demands upon them for quality of the urban environment. A development's initial site layout and planting design fundamentally determine how much irrigation water will be required; the complexity and creativity inherent in urban design open a number of specific possibilities for reducing water demand. Irrigation hardware is then designed to deliver the required volume of water to the specified landscape efficiently by implementing a number of physical and operational principles. Maintenance of the finished development involves monitoring results and making adjustments as the plantings grow and develop. The potential for conserving urban irrigation water is large. Effective conservation need not compromise other qualities of the urban environment such as aesthetics, screening, or shade. Urban design can address both the kinds of landscapes people need, and minimal consumption of irrigation water.     

TRENDS IN WESTERN UNITED STATES AGRICULTURE: IRRIGATION ORGANIZATIONS1

ABSTRACT: From 1940 to 1978, irrigated acreage in the Western United States increased by over 150 percent, irrigated acres per farm increased by 204 percent, and the number of irrigation organizations grew by 31 percent. Understanding the factors affecting these trends (in the structure of irrigated agriculture) is the key to formulating policies for efficient allocation and transfer of water in the west. Four variables that impact the composition of irrigation organizations are farm size changes, organizational efficiency, intersectoral competition for water, and governmental policies. The conclusions show that from 1940 to 1978, the total number of irrigated farms and organizations declined, and the average farm size increased, and larger management oriented organizations such as districts and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation have become more prevalent. With respect to total quantities of water delivered, districts have increased over 50 percent since the 1959 Census and over 100 percent since the 1950 Census, while unincorporated mutuals have declined by approximately 20 percent. Future organizational structure tends to be moving in the direction of more management control as opposed to user control. Changes in water use, delivery, investment, transfers, and laws will continue to change the structure of irrigation organizations and institutions in the west.     

IMPROVING IRRIGATION WATER MANAGEMENT IN THE INDUS BASIN1

ABSTRACT: Over half of the water delivered from the canal system to the watercourses managed by the farmers is not made available to the farmers' crops in Pakistan. Most of this water loss is due to loss of water through the banks of the watercourses. Lack of maintaining these banks and lack of cleaning the watercourse is a result of inadequate organization of the 10 to 150 farmers who use the watercourse, and a deficiency of knowledge concerning the amount of their water which is being lost. Various methods of watercourse improvement have been evaluated including concrete and masonry linings and simple earthen improvements of the ditches with concrete control structures, junctions, and turnouts. With the cost of labor low in Pakistan, the earthen improvements with concrete structures appear to be the best investment. Farm water management improvement programs have been implemented in most of the provinces which include this type of watercourse improvement, land leveling and advice to the farmers on how and when to irrigate his crops to optimize his production. The rate at which personnel can be trained to help the farmers implement these improved water management practices is limiting the rate of implementation.