Willingness to pay for improved irrigation services in Mahaweli system H

The major features of the water supply and management policies adopted in Sri Lanka have been centralized planning though a public agency, supply augmentation, zero priced or under priced water and reliance on bureaucratic instruments for water supply. Bulk water allocation system has been implemented in Mahaweli system H as a pilot project since 2002 to find out a methodology, which can be used as a complete solution for water management problems in major irrigation schemes. The project provides a legal water right to users, but users have to actively participate and contribute for the sustainable operation and maintenance of secondary and tertiary canal system. The present study is aimed to estimate the value of current level of resource mobilization by farmers and farmers’ willingness to pay for sustainable irrigation system maintenance in order to provide improved irrigation services in the long run. The findings of the study show that the current level of resource mobilization varies from Rs 1450-2275 per/ha/annum (US$15-23) at 2005 prices. Further farmers are willing to pay Rs 599-890 (US$ 6-9) per/ha/year in addition to the current level of resource mobilization to ensure the long-term sustainability of infrastructure and to achieve improved irrigation services. The willingness to pay value is positively related to household income, farm size, location of irrigation canal and type of major crop cultivated. The willingness to pay expressed needs to be considered by policy makers for feasible policy formulations to meet the future cost escalations and to ensure sustainability of irrigation infrastructure.