Abstract:
Performance of Tilkwonz and Qamide Irrigation Scheme of Tach_Gaint district, in South
Gondar zone, Ethiopia were evaluated using some selected comparative indicators, classified
into four groups, namely, water-use ,On farm water management, physical performance and
Organizational indicators by International Water Management Institute (IWMI). Overall
activities in primary data collected included: field observation, interviewing beneficiary farmers‟
group discussions, discharge measurements in the canals. In addition to primary data, secondar y
data were collected from the secondary sources (different reports) such as total yields, area
irrigated per crop per season or per year, crop types, and cropping pattern, irrigation schedule,
fee collection, bylaw etc. CROPWAT 8.0 model and GIS software were used to analyze the data.
The result of this study revealed that, the overall main canal water delivery efficiencies of
Tilkwonz and Qamide SSI schemes were 88% and 84%, respectively.
The ratios of relative water supply 1.08, 1.3 and the relative irrigation water supply 0.98, 1.09
were calculated at both SSI schemes respectively. This implied that the amount of water supplied
was sufficient for the water demand of the schemes. Output per unit irrigated area values of
3063.55$/ha and 2478.56$/ha were calculated at Tilkwonz and Qamide SSI schemes,
respectively. Furthermore, the output per unit command area of Tilkwonz (2827.894$/ha) was
1.4 fold higher than the value of Qamide (2015.899$/ha). Water productivity indicators such
as, Output per unit irrigation water supplied (OPUIS), Output per unit irrigation water
delivered (OPUID) and Output per unit water consumed (OPUWC) values of 0.78$/m3,
0.88$/m3 and 0.53$/m3in Tilkwonz, and 0.68$/m3,0.81$/m3and 0.55$/m3 in Qamide
schemes were calculated, respectively.
The original irrigable areas were declined by 8% in 10years and 19% in 5 years operation
periods in Tilkwonz and Qamide schemes, respectively. The main reasons for low output
production in Qamide scheme relative to Tilkwonz scheme were low irrigation intensity, Land
slop Factor and Negative attitude of some farmers on irrigation. Generally the performance of
Tilkwonz is slightly better than Qamide SSI schemes.
. Overall, the performance indicators showed that both Tilkwonz and Qamide irrigation
schemes were in need of intensive management and infrastructural improvements in order
to increase productivity and enhance sustainability of the schemes.