PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF GEMESHA AND UFUTE SURFACE IRRIGATION SCHEMES IN KACHABIRA WOREDA SNNPRS - ETHIOPIA

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the comparative performances of two community-managed smallscale irrigation schemes at Kachabira Wereda SNNPRS-Ethiopia namely Gemesha with command area of 48 ha and Ufute with 40ha command areausinginternal and external performance indicators. Collecting primary and secondary data of each irrigation schemes has been carried out. Primary data collection included canal water flow measurement at diversion point, Soil moisture contents determination before and after irrigation, measurement of depth of water applied to the fields. The secondary data includes crop types, total yields, area irrigated per crop per season, incomes generated by the irrigation associations, investment costs and cost of production. In order to evaluate the irrigation water use efficiency of farmers at field level, nine farmer fields were selected from each irrigation schemes in relation to their location (from the head, middle and tail end water users).

From the analyses of the internal performance indicators, the conveyance efficiencies were61.15 and 65.63% ,application efficiencies were 58.75 and 71.7% Deep percolation ratios were 41.25 and 28.3%, Storage efficiencies were 98.65% and 98.4% and Irrigation uniformity were found to be 98.32 and 97.79% for Gemesha and Ufuterespectively. The results for physical sustainability indicator for irrigation ratio were 0.32 and 0.4 for Gemesha and Ufute irrigation respectively. Theoutputs per unit irrigation (OPUIA) were found as46, 868.75 and 46,145(Br/ha), Outputs per unit command area (OPUCA) were7,499 and 9,229(Br/ha), Output per unit irrigation water supply (OPUIS) were found as 4.39 and 3.80(Br/m3) and Output per unit water consumed (OPUWC) were found as 10.64(Br/m3) and 9.88(Br/m3)for Gemesha and Ufute irrigation schemesrespectively. From the analyses of the comparative performance indicators, the result of the ratios of RWS and RIS were 2.52 and 3.97 for Gemesha while 3.90 and 4.13 for Ufute irrigation projects, respectively. The result of Relative Irrigation Supply (RIS) for both irrigation schemes was higher than one this shows that there were over supply of water in both irrigation schemes for Gemesha and Ufute irrigation scheme respectively. In general, based on the assessment carried out, Ufute irrigation scheme performed better than Gemesha irrigation scheme. But there is still a room for improvement of the performance of both irrigation scheme