National Water Resources Management Project

The proposed Project Development Objective is to enhance water resources management and irrigation service delivery for the benefit of water users and the nation as a whole.

It is expected that water management, and thus water use efficiency and productivity, will be improved throughout the water supply chain, from river basin to field level. There will be  improvements in the management of water resources for all river basins in thecountry and improvements in service delivery, water management and system maintenance at the off- and onfarm levels within irrigation and drainage systems. Key results will be:

(i) DWR assuming responsibilities of SWA, and establishing separate divisions for water resources management (WRM) and irrigation and drainage management (IDM);

(ii) water resources measured, quantified and recorded in a digital data management system;

(ii) river basin plans prepared for all river basins;

(iv) service delivery by the IDM division improved and increasingly meeting water users needs;

(v) WUAs and Federations of WUAs strengthened and providing improved levels of service to surveyed water users (including gender disaggregation where possible);

(vi) Maintenance expenditures for on- and off-farm systems increasing towards more sustainable levels; and

(vii) water use efficiency and productivity increased.