Application of Value Engineering to Identify and Solve Irrigation Water Allocation Problems

Periodic assessment and monitoring of the functionality of irrigation scheme components is the popularly known approach for identifying and fixing existing or looming problems. For example the widely used quantitative metrics for irrigation water allocation performance assessment include equity, adequacy, and reliability of water supply. However, a qualitative metric that is seldom applied particularly in Nigeria is the value engineering method. A value engineering method is problem identification and solving approach commonly used to analyze the level of functionality of a given system or its components. The approach comprised the following phases; problem identification, system functionality analysis, creation, evaluation and development of value alternatives. A value engineering approach was applied to identify and solve the water allocation problem at Watari Irrigation Project (WIP), Kano Nigeria. Eleven (11) major problems related to water allocation were identified, and 27 solutions (ideas) were suggested, screened and reduced to 13 by the irrigating management experts. Five (5) value alternatives (VA) from the finally screened ideas were formed by putting 2 or 3 ideas as an integrated solution for a given problem. The 5 value alternatives include repairing water conveyance infrastructures, dredging water conveyance infrastructures, improving on-farm water management, conducting policy dialogue and alteration and creating awareness and sensitization campaigns. After scoring these value alternatives using a scale of 0 to 10 by another set of irrigation experts, dredging water conveyance infrastructures is having the highest score of 8.19 and hence, it requires urgent attention from the relevant authority.