Abstract:
This study was initiated to assess and evaluate the performance of Alewuha irrigation scheme using internal performance indices such as conveyance efficiency, application efficiency, deep percolation fraction, water delivery performance, maintenance indicators, and assessment of institutional and support services so as to recommend appropriate measures to improve the scheme management and performance. To realize these objectives, structured household survey questionnaires, interviews, group discussions, field observations and literature were used. For household survey questionnaires a total of 94 sampled households were randomly selected from head, middle and tail-end command area beneficiary farmers.
Collecting primary and secondary data of the irrigation scheme has been carried out by the study. Primary data collection included canal water flow measurements using current meter, moisture contents determination of the soils, measurement of depth of water applied to the fields using parshall flume. The required amount of water giving by using cropwat software was 520.96 l/s but the actual volume of water delivered to the main canal was 349 l/s. The secondary data collection has been carried out in collaboration with DAs and government officials.
Average conveyance efficiencies were 71.67 % and 59.46% of main and secondary canals of the scheme respectively. The average application efficiency was 49.99. The water delivery performance was about 66.99 %. The effectiveness of infrastructure computed as the ratio of number of functional to total number of structures is approximately 24.62 %, indicating the fact that nonfunctional and the average sustainability of irrigation scheme was about 47.78 %. So, the sustainability of the irrigation scheme is low. The overall results of the Alewuha irrigation scheme performance with respect to the indicators perform as relatively poor (34.01%).