Performance Evaluation Of Medium And Small Scale Irrigation Schemes In Tiyo And Ziway-Dugda Districts Of Arsi Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia

Abstract

Irrigation Development Has Been Identified As An Important Tool To Stimulate Economic Growth And Rural Development, And Is Considered As A Cornerstone Of Food Security And Poverty Reduction In Ethiopia. While A Lot Of Effort Is Being Exerted Towards Irrigation Development, Little Attempt Is Being Made Toward The Performance Of Already Constructed Schemes. This Study Is An Attempt To Assess The Performance Of Purposively Selected Irrigation Schemes In Tiyo And Ziway Dugda District Of Arsi Zone, Oromia National Region State. To Evaluate The Performance Of The Irrigation Schemes And To Suggest Possible Interventions Of Enhancing Their Capacity, Internal And External Indicators Were Applied. To Realize These Objectives, Structured Household Survey, Group Discussions, Field Observations, Field Measurement And Literature Review Were Used In Data Collection. As Internal Indicators Conveyance, Application, Water Storage Efficiency, And Deep Percolation Ratio Were Used At The Head, Middle And Tail Reach Of Each Scheme. Moreover, External Indicators Of Agricultural Output, Water Supply, Water Delivery Capacity Were Used For Evaluating The Schemes. The Results Showed That The Conveyance, Application And Storage Efficiency Of 50 %,, 73 %, And 87.84 %, Respectively At Ketar, 71 %, 70 %, And 87.14 %, Respectively At Arata Chufa. Output Per Unit Irrigated Area, Per Unit Command Area, Per Unit Irrigation Supply And Per Unit Water Consumption As Agricultural Output Performance Were 140,356 Birr/Ha, 142,716 Birr/Ha , 10.75 Birr /M3 , 12 Birr/M3 Respectively At Ketar And 227,124 Birr/Ha, 195,326 Birr/Ha, 9.43 Birr/M3 And 16 Birr/M3 Respectively At Arata Chufa. Physical Indicators Revealed The Irrigation Ratio Of 1.01 At Ketar , 0.86 At Arata And 1.15 Of Sustainability Of Irrigated Area Were Found 1.43 At Ketar And 1.33 At Arata. The Water User Association?�?S Organizational Function And Legal Enforcement Bylaws Were Weak At The Two Schemes. These Also Attributed To Illegal Water Abstractions And Unfair Water Distributions In The Irrigation Schemes. These Result In Poor Irrigation Water Management Which Causes Inadequate Water For Production. The Efficiency Evaluation Showed That Each Irrigation Scheme Would Need Improvement Measures To Maximize The Performance. In General, In Irrigation Management And Practice, Frequent Performance Evaluation Should Be Conducted To Identify The Critical Level Of The Schemes.