Ex-post Evaluation

1. Outline of the Project

Country:

Pakistan

Project title:

Project for Exploitation of Groundwater in the Province of Punjab

Issue/Sector:

Agricultural Engineering, Water Supply

Cooperation Scheme:

Grant Aid

Division in Charge:

Grant Aid Management Department

Total Cost:

1,303 million yen

Period of Cooperation

FY 1996

Partner Country’s Implementing Organization:

The Ministry of Agriculture of the Government of Punjab

Supporting Organization in Japan:

Related Cooperation:

1-1 Background of the Project

In the rain-fed agricultural fields and desert areas of the southern east, referred to as the Barani areas of Punjab, they relied on groundwater as the main source for irrigation water. In order to increase the amount of food produced, the Directorate General of Agriculture of the government of Punjab promoted farmland development and irrigation agriculture by providing equipment, lending service and building wells for the farming organization to develop new land and increase crop yields. However, six of the 16 power drilling rigs owned by the Directorate of Agricultural Engineering were in extreme disrepair, resulting in an insufficient number of rigs with waiting periods for farmers lasting several months to several years. To improve this situation, the government, recognizing the need to procure tube well drilling rigs and related equipment, requested Grant Aid from the government of Japan

1-2 Project Overview

For development of agricultural productivity in the Barani area of seven districts in Punjab, Grant Aid Program was implemented to procure 9 drilling equipments and peripheral equipment which are necessary for the construction of tube wells for irrigation water, thereby strengthening the setup for construction of tube wells of the Directorate General Agriculture of the government of Punjab.

(1) Overall Goal
1) To increase agricultural productivity.
2) To raise the standard of living of the local residents.

(2) Project Purpose
To improve the tube well drilling functions of the Directorate General Agriculture of the government of Punjab.

(3) Output
1) Tube well drilling equipment and the related facilities are maintained.
2) Training in the operation, repair, and maintenance of tube well drilling equipment is conducted.

(4) Input

Japanese Side:

1,303 million yen

Pakistan Side:

Land and facilities

2. Evaluation Team

Members of Evaluation Team

Abdul Razzaq Saleemi
Tahira Shaikh, Semiotics Consultants (Pvt.) Limited

Period of Evaluation

December 23, 2002 – January 31, 2003

Type of Evaluation:

Ex-Post Evaluation by Overseas Office

3. Results of Evaluation

3-1 Summary of Evaluation Results

(1) Impact
While the overall developmental impact of the project is limited at present, there is a high likelihood that continued activity will produce positive results.

Of the 419 tube wells drilled during the project, 251 have been successful. This is an approximate success rate of 60 percent. In the target Barani areas, where the Alluvium and Diluvium layers are thin, the Pliocene and Miocene sedimentary rock formations of the lower portion are extremely hard, and while the anticipated success rates at the time of planning were from 60 to 80 percent, the actual success rate was regarded to be fairly reasonable.

According to the Directorate General of Agriculture and local farmers, digging, pump installation, and the construction of one tube well cost Rs. 400,000; land development cost Rs. 2,500 per acre; and other costs were incurred for watercourse construction and other running expenditures. As the annual surplus income of farmers is only Rs. 8,000 to 27,000, and the cost of drilling tube wells was borne by the beneficiaries, construction of the wells were proceeded only to the extent that the farmers could afford. At the time of the evaluation, 113 of the 251 tube wells were operating and being used for irrigated agriculture. It takes four to five years to complete one tube well, and seven to eight years before it yields benefits. Also, in an approach in which the beneficiary bears the burden of the costs, farmers who cannot afford such fees may have difficulty enjoying the benefits of the projects.

Due to time constraints, the evaluation focused on 15 small-scale farmers who successfully drilled bore wells in the Chakwal and Attock areas. Of them, seven have not been able to afford the expense of procuring pumps and piping. The following describes the effects observed on the other eight farmers:

Source:Field data *=yields is dependent on rain – there could be no yield even 1PAK. Rp = 2.26 Yen

As shown in the table above, the majority of farmers started planting vegetables during the rainy months from October through March, in addition to the wheat. It also became possible to grow vegetables during the drier period from April to September, and cropping intensity (ratio of actual annual cropping acreage to cultivated acreage) increased to 100 percent. Wheat production output per acre also doubled. In addition, farmers began planting potatoes as a commercial crop.

Further, some farmers began selling cash crop vegetables along the roadside, generating proceeds of Rs. 20,000 to 32,000 per acre. Including revenue from wheat, a portion of the increased income is being allocated to new field development and the procurement of agricultural tools. In addition, while most farmers had previously used only compost manure, some farmers have begun applying chemical fertilizers to their irrigated crops.

Since the tube well evaluated here was located far from the village, there were no observable changes in the lives of residents in terms of the stable supply of clean drinking water. However, it was confirmed that the tube well was used by field workers and a number of nearby residents.

(2) Sustainability
During the four and a half years from 1998/1999 to June 2002/2003, the nine drilling rigs procured in the project produced just less than 100 tube wells annually, to exceed the initially planned figures at a total of 419, and an annual average of 10.3 tube wells per rig. It was more than the plan called for with the construction of eight tube wells per one drilling rig per annum.

(Source: Directorate General Agriculture of the Government of Punjab)

Of the 15 farmers interviewed in the Attock and Chakwal areas, 11 responded that the waiting period from the request to the actual tube well drilling was reduced from four months to one month.

Since the drilling rigs procured for the project were of the top drive type and the hammer function can be operated at full capacity, it was appropriate for drilling hard rock such as the tertiary sandstone and limestone in the target Barani areas. Now the equipment suited to each type of land could be used.

The Directorate General of Agriculture entrusts the maintenance of drilling rigs for large-scale repair to two of the three main equipment repair workshops in the province. This project also supplied the equipment repair workshop, and there are no problems with their technical skills and operation system, ensuring that the drillings rigs are always maintained in good condition. However, there are almost no spare parts remaining of those that were procured by the project, and a control of goods in stock will become important with due consideration for the time required to obtain spare parts in the future.

A minimum of one operator and one assistant is required for each well drilling rig. As of this evaluation, there were 41 staff members for nine pieces of equipment, including the supervisors and mechanics, indicating that the drilling rig work was being performed with sufficient staff and an adequate system. The drilling staff in each of the relevant regions was trained by Japanese experts in operations and maintenance when the project was implemented, so there are no problems with their technical skills. With the exception of a few employees who resigned, they are all currently employed. The experienced staff trains the inexperienced staff on site, thereby maintaining the quality of the technology.

The Directorate General of Agriculture relies on the provincial government for its budget, but a special budget is set aside for sufficiently operating and maintaining the drilling rigs and related equipment, and no problems can be found. Also, since the beneficiaries bear the costs, the provincial government’s responsibility for the well drilling work has been reduced. Using the nine drilling rigs, the well drilling revenue increased to Rs. 62.8 million from 1998/99 at the time of this evaluation, but these revenues are paid over to the provincial government and cannot be used by the Directorate General of Agriculture.

3-2 Factors that Promoted the Realization of Effects

(1) Factors Concerning the Planning
N/A

(2) Factors Concerning the Implementation Process
N/A

3-3 Factors that Impeded the Realization of Effects

(1) Factors Concerning the Planning
N/A

(2) Factors Concerning the Implementation Process
While it was raised among farmers that the beneficiaries’ responsibility for costs was heavy, the Directorate General of Agriculture says that it charges less for hiring a drilling rig than the private sector does and it also provides loans, which helps the farmers. However, according to the evaluation team, the drilling costs were almost the same as the private sector and the high interest for loans may be a burden for farmers.

3-4 Conclusion

Since procurement of the equipment, slightly less than 100 wells have been made annually. The budget is adequate for O&M costs, and the equipment is in good condition. Because the beneficiaries bear the cost in this approach, about 50% of the farmers who had a well drilled went through the process of equipping water pumps and distributing pipes and have been engaged in irrigated agriculture. And the rest of the farmers are on their way to equipping peripheral facilities. However, since good results were confirmed at the micro level at farms where the wells are already operable, there is a strong possibility that improvements will materialize if current activities are continued.

3-5 Recommendations

(1) Regarding projects in which the provincial government conducts land leveling for irrigation, to alleviate the burden the beneficiaries and provide loans for well construction, new measures to support the beneficiary-payment system should be considered such as special interest rates.

(2) They should consider building wells in each region and reducing the cost burden per farmer so that small farmers who are not able to pay the construction costs also have a stable supply of water.

3-6 Lessons Learned

The main factors contributing to the project’s effect were the experienced operators, who run the procured equipment and provide good equipment maintenance. The wells were drilled efficiently and the equipment was maintained in keeping with the operation records, which were kept by experienced staff so that the equipment could always be used at a moment’s notice. When the project was implemented, spare parts and consumable goods were adequately supplied. This kind of careful consideration would be effective in other equipment plans.

3-7 Follow-up Situation

N/A