Achivements upto March 2018
Sustained and well-planned efforts of WALMI during last 34 years have contributed
significantly in the overall development and improvement in irrigation water management
& irrigated agriculture in Maharashtra. Some of the important indicators are as
below:
Total training courses for professionals
|
2220
|
Officers & staff trained
|
88879
|
Farmers' training courses
|
493
|
Farmers trained
|
59768
|
Training of trainers (national level)
|
3
|
Seminars/workshops organized
|
626
|
Publications (in English/Marathi)
|
78
|
Video films produced
|
116
|
VCDs produced
|
20
|
Computer software developed
|
29
|
Action Research studies completed
|
23
|
Consultancy jobs completed
|
52
|
- Increased awareness about and adoption of integrated approach to IWM particularly
in the area of Irrigation Scheduling crop water requirements etc.
- Project appraisal reports are prepared based on more scientific methods (NIR,IRR.).
WALMI trained engineers feel confidant in preparing these reports and compliances
of remarks on the same.
- Improvement in execution of On-Farm Development works i.e. Field Channel and Land
leveling works in the command areas. Based on the classroom teaching and field experience,
Govt. has entrusted the work of revising old OFD manual to the Institute and the
same has been completed. This revised OFD manual has been published by Govt.
- Adoption of scientific water application methods in the field by large number of
farmers (from wild flooding to Border, Basin and furrow methods). The approach and
techniques developed and practiced by the Institute for training farmers in the
command areas through off-campus and on-campus training, demonstration on Institute’s
farm, farmers study tours is highly useful for increasing water use efficiency as
revealed through impact evaluation of training programs. The evaluation indicates
that there an increase in the yield of major irrigated crops to the extent of 35
to 95%. So far the Institute has imparted training to 44421 farmers and about 70000
farmers have visited the Institute during last 10 years.
- There is a contribution of the Institute by way of training to farmers in increasing
area under Drip Irrigation from 430 ha in 1986 to 1,93,000 ha in 2001 in addition
to extension services of Agriculture Department.
- Adoption of improved water allocation based on net irrigation requirements, irrigation
scheduling i.e. deciding frequency-depth-duration based on soil-crop-climate database
and water application methods like border/basin etc. in irrigation projects like
Jayakwadi, Upper Penganga, Loni, etc. by Irrigation Department.
- Crop diversification in Pench Irrigation Project i.e. Rabi Paddy was replaced by
crops like Wheat, Gram, Mustard, etc. increasing areas from 15000 ha to 28000 ha.
Similarly Rabi Paddy was replaced by Groundnut and Pulses in Minor Irrigation Projects
of Sindhudurga District of Konkan Region.
- Increased use of computers in IWM because of continuous training and inhouse software
development for IWM. The Institute has developed about 29 computer programmes related
to IWM like Preliminary Irrigation Programme, Rotational Water Supply, Flow measurement,
Assessment & Recovery, Canal design, Estimation of Crop Water requirement by Modified
Penman Method etc. The Institute is instrumental in introducing computer culture
in Irrigation Department.
Assisting ID in establishment and running of Water Users Cooperative Societies through
training of officers, farmers, office bearers of Societies, feedback to Department
for facilitating organizational changes. Separate cell on PIM is working. The Institute
is assisting Govt. in drafting PIM Act & Rules. The package for volumetric supply
to WUAs which includes different flow measuring devices, their design & selection,
evaluation & improvement, data keeping etc. has also been developed. The Institute
has developed 5 Video Films/ CDs, published 3 books and Notes, two simulation games,
Radio-talks, Training of trainers programme, research stdudies etc. related to PIM.
All this has resulted in motivating the officers and farmers in the State for PIM.
Formation and successful functioning of WUAs including federal WUA in the command
of Waghad Project, WUAs in other command areas is the result of WALMI’s training
and demonstration input.
- National Level Workshop on Participatory Irrigation Management and Volumetric measurement
is organized at WALMI, Aurangabad from 2-3 July, 2004 as a part of the Institute’s
training programme for 2004-05. Experts, NGOs & officials working in this field
were invited.
- The Computerized Information Center on IWM has been developed in the library of
the Institute, which includes database of books, articles, case studies, IWM Institutions,
Govt. Circulars on IWM etc. The Quarterly Bulletin called WISWAM is made available
to the users which helps in making available the upto date information / knowledge
to them.
- Professional Assistance given to Maharashtra Water and Irrigation Commission (Commission’s
Report submitted to Government in 1999).
- WALMI has served as Host Institute of Global Water Partnership’s South Asia Technical
Advisory Committee (GWP-SASTAC) for the period from January 1999 to March 2003.
- National and International Organizations like CWC, MOWR, WAPCOS, CBIP, ITIS, Indo
Dutch project, WHO, etc. organized their programmes in WALMI, Aurangabad using professional
expertise and facilities of the institute.
- CBIP, New Delhi organized 4th International R& D Conference on Water and Energy
for 21st Century at WALMI, Aurangabad from 28-31 Jan. 2003.
- Efforts to change attitudes of functionaries through training on Personality Development,
Stress Management and Yoga.
- Providing consultancy services to different state/ national level organizations
(I.D. (GOM), GOI, WAPCOS, INCID, Cooperative Sector, Forest Dept., Agril. Universities).
- Institute’s then President, Shri P.R. Gandhi and First Director, Shri
H.V. Dhamdhere were awarded prestigious National level “Shanti Mohan Yadav Memorial
Award” in 1984 for successful launching of WALM.