The authors use original water user group (WUG) data from a reservoir irrigation system in China to examine the effect of water pricing policies on farmers’ water saving behaviors.
... See More + The introduction of volumetric water pricing at the group level, to replace area-based pricing, induces institutional change to prevent each member’s overuse of water when the volumetric price levels are moderate. Depending on the initial conditions, the multiple pathways of change lead to new institutional arrangements, with all of them contributing to water savings. However, when the price is set high enough, many farmers exit a WUG for private irrigation. This tendency is associated with an increased probability that the remaining members do not undertake institutional change and that they do not end up saving water. This may be due to the increased management difficulties among the remaining members whose fields are separated by former members who have now opted out for private irrigation across the WUG. As a result, authors do not find evidence that the reservoir water is saved at high volumetric price levels.
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The objective of the Third Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project for Kyrgyz Republic is to improving water supply and sanitation services for the target rural communities, and building up capacities of institutions in the water supply and sanitation (‘WSS’) sector.
... See More + Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures include: displaced persons as well as the residents of the host settlements should be provided with timely and relevant information, participate in consultations on resettlement options, and have opportunities to participate in planning, implementing, and monitoring of the resettlement activities. Appropriate and accessible mechanisms for administration and redress of grievances should be established for these groups; in new resettlement sites or in host communities, the necessary infrastructure and public services should be provided to improve, restore, or maintain accessibility and quality of service for the displaced persons and local residents. Alternative or similar resources to be provided to compensate the loss of access to common utility resources; the value of the labor invested in preparing agricultural land will be compensated at the average wage in the community for the same period of time. The rate used for land compensation should be updated to reflect values at the time compensation is paid; and fruit trees will be compensated to the owner by estimating the value of a seedling of a fruit tree considering the number of years needed to grow the tree to full maturity, and the cost of fruit crop produced by this tree within the indicated period.
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Development Objectives of the Plan Pazcifico: Water Supply and Basic Sanitation Infrastructure of Colombia are (i) to improve coverage and service quality of water supply and basic sanitation in urban areas in the municipalities of Tumaco and Guapi and (ii) to improve operational efficiency of the utilities in these two municipalities.
... See More + Although all these projects will result in significant environmental positive impacts, there are a few problems because of two solid waste landfills that can be mitigated with relatively standard measures.
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The paper analyses different existing and possible future agricultural land investment scenarios in the ON and shows how a volumetric water pricing system lead to a relatively more efficient valuation of agricultural water.
... See More + A uniform pricing system is considered as it is the simplest volumetric pricing model and may be more adapted for the ON presently using a per are flat rate. A bio-economic model, combining biophysical and economic considerations, is developed to simulate the likely impacts of LSIALs under two alternative water pricing systems: the current flat rate per hectare pricing and a volumetric pricing. A comparative analysis of the effects of the different pricing systems is undertaken in terms of efficiency of water allocation, environmental flow requirements and cost recovery. The paper provides evidence on the merits of volumetric water pricing while addressing some of the possible political economy implications of adopting such a pricing system. The paper is organized as follows. Section two describes the methodological framework used. The subsequent section presents the results and discusses how volumetric water pricing can help to address water management problems in the ON. The final section concludes the paper drawing out the policy implications of adopting a volumetric water pricing system.
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This article examines the effect of water pricing policies on farmers’ water saving behaviors, using original water user group (WUG) data from a reservoir irrigation system in China.
... See More + The introduction of volumetric water pricing at the group level, to replace area-based pricing, induces institutional change to prevent each member’s overuse of water when the volumetric price levels are moderate. Depending on the initial conditions, the multiple pathways of change lead to new institutional arrangements, with all of them contributing to water savings. However, when the price is set high enough, many farmers exit a WUG for private irrigation. This tendency is associated with an increased probability that the remaining members do not undertake institutional change and that they do not end up saving water. This may be due to the increased management difficulties among the remaining members whose fields are separated by former members who have now opted out for private irrigation across the WUG. As a result, we do not find evidence that the reservoir water is saved at high volumetric price levels.
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Policy Research Working Paper WPS7369 JUL 15, 2015
This note is a partial response to the above mentioned 2010 Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) evaluation. It covers the specific issues to be addressed in the Water supply and Sanitation (WSS) sector and in the irrigation sector in two distinct parts, because if WSS and irrigation have some common features, there are many distinctions to be made.
... See More + Among the various water-using sectors, that include navigation, fisheries, hydropower, rain fed agriculture, irrigated agriculture, WSS, and more generally 'the environment', cost recovery issues are of primary concern, and are the focus for this note, in the WSS and irrigation sectors. This preliminary background Note is divided in four parts: a 'history' of the call for financial sustainability and cost recovery and the parallel documenting of the lack of progress. This section ends with what this Note hopes to achieve in the face of what is clearly a deeply rooted problem; an outline of options to be considered for achieving financial sustainability of WSS service providers and recovering the costs of the WSS service through tariffs, i.e., from users and through subsidies; a discussion on what makes financial sustainability of irrigation projects different from WSS projects; and a summary of recommendations to teams involved in the identification, preparation, appraisal and supervision of water projects and of practical measures and actions that both the water sector board and the water anchor could take to help improve the Bank's track record in achieving and financial sustainability of the water projects it finances.
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Improved irrigation water pricing sufficient to cover Operation and Maintenance (O&M) and management costs for end-canal irrigation or tertiary facilities is a vital requirement for efficient irrigation service delivery and for sustainability of Water User Associations (WUAs).
... See More + This study investigates the key aspects of end canal water pricing for irrigation, including the composition of the water fee, water price determination, water fee collection, and water fee management. The aim of the study is to provide specific reference and guidance for policy making on irrigation water pricing and on related strengthening of farmer WUAs for better end-canal O&M. Based on the literature reviewed for China, this is the first study of its kind which is designed to support policy making on end canal water fee reform, and simultaneously to address both end-canal water pricing and WUA development in that context. The study focuses on water fees for end- canal or tertiary water facilities in Chinese Irrigation Districts (IDs).
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