Exam: Section 2 - Community participation

1. Describe the typical structure of a water users association. What are typical problems and pitfalls that can occur in organizing and maintaining such an association?

2. Describe five functions of a community water users association.

3. Describe five typical indicators that reflect strong community interest in a project.

4. Identify and describe two methods to assess community resources. Describe which method is more appropriate in your opinion and why.

5. A community has invited you to come and explain what is required to put together a basic irrigation system. Unfortunately, this community speaks an unusual tribal dialect, and you know only a few words in their language. Still, there you are, and the villagers are awaiting your explanation. Convey the information as best you can without using language.

6. You and your neighbor have built a very small irrigation system on your own, without consulting other people in the village. You had decided that this was okay, since the system was intended to water only your and your neighbor's gardens, and no one else seemed to express any interest in connecting into the system. Unfortunately, the canal to your neighbor's property overflowed during a recent flood and completely washed out his neighbor's garden, who also happens to be an important village leader. Not surprisingly, the flood also wiped out many other people's fields. The village leader, however, is irate, and blames you and your neighbor for the loss of crops. Your neighbor is hopelessly depressed and rarely comes out of his house. The village leader is telling others that they should be very careful about seeking your advice, since your canals obviously don't work. You decide that you clearly have a problem here, and you had better deal with it quickly. Describe the steps you would take to organize a solution to this problem.

7. Describe three techniques you would use to stimulate community interest in a project.