Irrigation and Water Resources Management Project, Irrigation Management Transfer, Component-B

Project Description

The Irrigation and Water Resource Management Project (IWRMP) is financed by the World Bank (WB), the Government of Nepal (GON), and Water User Associations (WUAs), and is being executed by Department of Irrigation (DOI). The IWRMP comprises four Components, A through D:
A – Rehabilitation and Modernization of Irrigation Infrastructure
B – Irrigation Management Transfer Reform
C – Institutional and Policy Support for Improved Water Management
D – Integrated Crop Water Management
The overall objective of Component B is to improve irrigation service performance and service delivery to selected irrigation systems in the Terai through the completion and consolidation of Irrigation Management Transfer (IMT) to the relevant Water Users Association (WUAs). The component is designed to address problems exhibited in large public irrigation schemes (Agency Managed irrigation Systems or AMIS) of below capacity performance, poor O&M, low cost recovery, and inadequate maintenance funds.
IWRMP Component B aims to transfer selected sub-areas of four irrigation systems to their respective Water Users Associations (WUAs). These sub-areas are located within the Kankai (7000 ha), Sunsari Morang (62000 ha), Narayani (37000 ha), and Mahakali (10800 ha) Irrigation Systems (KIS, SMIS, NIS, MIS respectively). All of them lie in the Terai (southern plains) of Nepal. The project intends to bring about improvements in irrigation service performance and service delivery through Essential Structure Improvement (ESI), and capacity development of the WUAs. Irrigation Management Transfer and essential Structural Improvements within selected sub-areas of Kankai, Sunsari Morang, Narayani and Mahakali Irrigation Systems, located within the Eastern, Central, Far Western Development Regions. These systems are presently under DOI Agency Management. Total Project Cost: $ 65 million, Component-B: $11.05 million

Assignment Description

The overall objective of the consulting services is to provide services for irrigation management transfer component of IWRMP. The service also ensure quality assurance and control at all stages of IWRMP component ‘B’ implementation by supporting planning, designing and system improving activities of sub projects (ESI- essential Structure Improvement Works such as headworks, main canal, branch canal, feeder canal, service road, aqueduct, river crossing, culverts, etc.), providing services to undertake specialist studies of management transfer and the strengthening of pre implementation activities like Institutional development of the department of irrigation as well as WUA and the post implementation activities such as water management and other support for achieving the project goal of IMT. In particular the consulting services will provide technical assistance to the department of irrigation for: • Improving quality of system design for improvement, construction supervision and monitoring and evaluation in accordance with the IWRMP guidelines for irrigation management transfer. • This component includes around 39,900 ha to be transferred in 4 Agency Managed Irrigation systems (AMIS) namely Kankai, Sunsari Morang, Narayani and Mahakali Irrigation Systems of eastern, central and far western development region for which competent management transfer expertise is needed. • Implementing programs for the sustainable development of water users associations by preparing management transfer plan (asset inventory, asset management plan, System O & M Plan, financial management plan etc). • Strengthening the institutional capacity of DOI and WUA involved in IWRMP implementation. Sub projects will be supported to pursue the adoption of sub project cycle formulated for IWRMP implementation on a sustainable basis through conducting trainings to all concerned staff, NGOs, WUA and other stakeholders. • Undertaking specialist studies related to irrigation management transfer under component 'B'.