Water User Associations in Drained and Irrigated Areas for More Sustainable Land and Water Management: Experiences from Poland and Ukraine

Roman Kuryltsiv, Małgorzata Stańczuk-Gałwiaczek () and Robert Łuczyński
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Roman Kuryltsiv: Department of Cadastre of Territory, Lviv Polytechnic National University, 79013 Lviv, Ukraine
Małgorzata Stańczuk-Gałwiaczek: Faculty of Geodesy and Cartography, Warsaw University of Technology, 00-661 Warsaw, Poland
Robert Łuczyński: Faculty of Geodesy and Cartography, Warsaw University of Technology, 00-661 Warsaw, Poland

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 15, 1-40

Abstract: The level of participation and performance of water user associations (WUAs) in drained and irrigated areas is influenced by many factors. This paper aims to identify the main challenges to the functioning and performance of these associations in Poland and Ukraine using the methodology of international comparative analysis. We examined legal, organizational, and financial framework of WUAs performance in Poland and Ukraine based on selected case study areas. The results of the study indicate that creation of WUAs in both countries can be assessed as beneficial for sustainable water development in general. However, it is found that the actions intended to bring benefits can actually exacerbate the problem of drought and water shortages. Research shows that the lack of complete documentation on the layout of the drainage networks plays a huge constraint factor that can lead to problems with controlling the reconstruction of drainage networks and significant deterioration of water relations. Another significant problem is the restriction of the scope of WUA activities in Poland to those types of actions subsidized by the state, while lacking financial resources for other necessary activities.

Keywords: water user associations; drainage and irrigation systems; rural areas; Poland; Ukraine; financial support; sustainable water management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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