Contents preface (VII) introduction 1—37

6.4.9. Water Delivery System
Water delivery systems can be of three types: (i) Demand-based,

(ii) Continuous, and

(iii) Rotational (also known as warabandi).
Of these three, the warabandi system (Sec. 5.11) seems to be the most feasible and offers many advantages. It has been defined (19) as a system of equitable water distribution by turns according to a predetermined schedule specifying the day, time, and duration of supply to each irrigator in proportion to land holdings in the outlet command. Both the Irrigation Commission of 1972 and the National Commission on Agriculture of 1976 saw warabandi, with fixed times but taking water throughout the 24 hours, as a means of tackling waste of water at night (1). The procedure for estimating the entitlement of a farmer varies in details. For example, in UP and north-western states, the entitlement is based only on the area of the farm whereas in Maharashtra and other southern states, the farmer has to seek approval for irrigation of specific areas for specific crops (8). Some studies have indicated that the warabandi system, although efficient and acceptable to the farmers, does not result in equitable distribution primarily due to the losses in the watercourses. These losses may cause about 25 to 40 per cent reduction in the share of water of the farmer in the tail-end reach. While determining the schedule, some weightage should be given to the time allotment for tail-enders to compensate for the losses.

Another promising system of water delivery is through water cooperatives which purchase water in bulk and then distribute it among their member farmers. One example of this distribution is the Mohini Water Cooperative Society near Surat which is considered the first successful irrigation cooperative in Gujarat (20).