The role of institutional diversity in sustainable water use: Performance comparison among water user organizations

The aim of this study was to compare the performance of water user organizations (WUOs) in the agricultural sector in terms of their managerial efficiency. A survey was carried out across the study area to evaluate 67 WUOs, including irrigation cooperatives, municipalities, village legal entities (VLEs) and water user associations (WUAs). The findings were then used to create a management performance index. It has been determined that municipalities excel in terms of physical performance, irrigation cooperatives in enterprise and social performance and WUAs in institutional and investment performance. The general management performance index revealed that the most successful WUOs in the Konya closed basin were WUAs. Therefore, proposals have been put forward to begin institutionalization processes in other institutions to attain the successful institutionalization in WUAs. Additionally, the shift towards prepaid systems is recommended to mitigate collection problems, while water should be priced according to the full cost method. Finally, supporting the use of alternative energy sources for irrigation is crucial.