Modern Irrigation Automation and Water Users Management in Tbilisi

Programme Overview

Modernising agricultural water infrastructure demands an integrated approach combining technological upgrading with robust local governance.⁣​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌⁣ This five-day course in Tbilisi provides irrigation practitioners with actionable competencies in automated canal discharge measurement, supervisory control and data acquisition systems, and institutional structuring for Water Users Associations. Participants examine technical automation configurations alongside community water governance mechanisms, ensuring that physical asset refurbishments deliver equitable, reliable, and transparent water allocations across diverse irrigation perimeters.

Engineers and public managers investigate operational supervisory control architectures, telemetry protocols, and canal gate automation principles. The curriculum bridges infrastructure delivery and on-farm utilisation through participatory irrigation management frameworks. Attendees evaluate methods to establish viable tariff methodologies, fee recovery mechanisms, and joint infrastructure maintenance agreements. Practical case analyses showcase how digital flow verification and structured water distribution schedules mitigate head-to-tail allocation disparities, operational water losses, and conveyance disputes in shared command areas.

Delivered through an operational lens, the course prepares public institutions and donor-funded project implementation teams to transition refurbished schemes into enduring operational realities. Delegates work through practical diagnostic tools, technical asset management protocols, and institutional charters aligned with internationally recognised basin management standards. Participants leave equipped to coordinate digital modernisation initiatives, reinforce farmer-led organisational capacities, and establish sound cost-recovery structures within public water agencies and operational water user bodies.

Large-scale capital investments in off-farm and on-farm network refurbishments often falter during the post-construction handover phase due to inadequate asset management systems and fragile local institutions.⁣​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌⁣ As major public investments, such as the US$102.9m Second Irrigation and Drainage Improvement Project, target the rehabilitation of extensive agricultural perimeters, implementing agencies must secure operational sustainability. Water authorities require immediate institutional and technological capability to transition from static, manual distribution regimes to automated control, transparent water accounting, and self-financing Water Users Associations capable of sustained infrastructure maintenance.

Delivered by Risalat Consultants International in Tbilisi, Georgia, it combines expert-led sessions, real cases and group work, so that participants can apply what they learn in their own institution.

The Programme Strengthens Institutional Capability

• Principles of canal modernisation: moving from manual upstream control to automated downstream and volumetric delivery
• Field telemetry, remote terminal units, and SCADA infrastructure components in open-channel conveyance
• Sensors and acoustic Doppler discharge measurement: installation, calibration, and data transmission standards
• Automated gate control mechanisms: overshot, undershot, and solar-powered smart actuating systems
• Failure analysis and fail-safe designs for automated hydraulic systems during electrical and communications outages
• Integration of flow measurement data into automated canal scheduling and hydraulic dispatch systems
• Crop water requirement computation using FAO-56 Penman-Monteith methodology linked to supply schedules
• Developing rotational, proportional, and on-demand distribution timetables across secondary canal reaches
• Climate and environmental risk assessment
• Adaptation and mitigation planning
• Sector strategies for energy, water and land
• Project design for climate and environmental goals

It is designed for irrigation engineers and hydrologists from basin management authorities, project implementation unit directors and technical officers on donor-financed water projects, supervisory control and data acquisition operations personnel at irrigation agencies and others who want practical, current skills in climate, environment and natural resources.

The Growing Importance of Modern Irrigation Automation and Water Users Management in Tbilisi

Climate change, environmental pressure and resource management now shape national plans, budgets and investment decisions. Financiers increasingly expect climate and environmental considerations to be built into projects from the start.

Institutions that can plan for climate risks, manage natural resources well and prepare sound proposals are better placed to protect services and to access the funding available for this work.

Organisations increasingly require professionals capable of:

• Assess climate and environmental risks to their services and assets
• Design projects that meet climate and environmental goals
• Prepare proposals that financiers can approve
• Measure and report results credibly
• Work with communities and partners across sectors

Strong climate, environment and natural resources systems help organisations:

• Protect services and infrastructure from climate risks
• Access climate and environmental finance
• Meet national and international commitments
• Use natural resources sustainably

This Modern Irrigation Automation and Water Users Management in Tbilisi programme brings these elements together in a practical format, so that participants understand not only what good practice looks like but also how to introduce it in their own setting, with the people and resources they have.

Who Should Attend This Modern Irrigation Automation and Water Users Management in Tbilisi Training?

This programme is designed for:

• Irrigation engineers and hydrologists from basin management authorities
• Project implementation unit directors and technical officers on donor-financed water projects
• Supervisory control and data acquisition operations personnel at irrigation agencies
• Institutional development specialists supporting participatory water user platforms
• Agricultural water user coordinators and scheme operational managers
• Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources departmental managers
• Canal network dispatchers and water distribution monitoring engineers
• Public works asset managers overseeing agricultural water conveyance systems
• Agronomists and extension specialists advising farmer-managed irrigation perimeters
• Climate change and environment officers
• Energy, water and agriculture sector staff
• Planning and policy officers

The programme suits experienced professionals as well as those moving into new responsibilities. Groups that mix institutions and countries are encouraged, because participants learn a great deal from each other’s experience.

Modern Irrigation Automation and Water Users Management in Tbilisi Training Objectives

Upon successful completion of this Modern Irrigation Automation and Water Users Management in Tbilisi Training, participants will be able to:

• Design supervisory control and data acquisition system architectures for primary and secondary irrigation canal networks
• Formulate participatory governance models that strengthen legal, operational, and administrative structures of Water Users Associations
• Calibrate automated water measurement equipment, flumes, and telemetry stations to ensure accurate volumetric monitoring
• Establish transparent irrigation service fee calculation models and financial mechanisms to improve cost recovery rates
• Structure routine, preventative, and emergency maintenance programmes for modernised gates, pumps, and conveyance structures
• Implement equitable water distribution scheduling algorithms to eliminate head-to-tail supply disparities across irrigation schemes
• Draft multi-stakeholder operational agreements defining asset transfer boundaries between public water agencies and user organisations
• Explain the main climate and environmental challenges for their sector
• Assess climate and environmental risks to services and assets
• Plan adaptation and mitigation measures

Each objective is practised during the programme through exercises, cases or group work, so that participants leave able to do it, not only to describe it.

Programme Contents and Structure

Modern Irrigation Automation and Water Users Management in Tbilisi Training Methodology

The training employs an applied, practitioner-led instructional approach combining expert technical lectures, institutional policy analyses, and collaborative problem-solving exercises. Participants evaluate real-world infrastructure scenarios from modernised irrigation schemes across Central Asia and the Caucasus. Daily sessions incorporate hands-on workshops where delegates draft operational frameworks, calibrate mock flow datasets, and formulate asset management plans. Facilitated peer discussions encourage inter-agency knowledge transfer, allowing participants to directly tailor international best practices in canal automation and participatory governance to their home operational contexts.

The programme combines:

• Expert-led sessions on current practice
• Regional and international case studies
• Group work and practical exercises
• Simulations and role plays where relevant
• Discussion of participants' own challenges
• Peer learning across institutions and countries
• Practical tools and templates to take back to work
• Daily reflection and action planning

Before the programme, a short pre-assessment helps the facilitators understand each participant’s role and priorities, so that examples and exercises can be adjusted to the group.⁣​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌⁣ Each day ends with a short reflection in which participants note what they will apply at work.

Expected Outcomes

Upon completion of this Modern Irrigation Automation and Water Users Management in Tbilisi Training, participants will be able to:

• Specify technical requirements for automated canal monitoring, telemetry, and SCADA infrastructure in irrigation schemes
• Develop legally viable Water Users Association constitutions, governance frameworks, and dispute-resolution processes
• Formulate operational water distribution schedules that secure equitable delivery across secondary and tertiary canals
• Design volumetric and area-based Irrigation Service Fee models with robust collection and financial reporting controls
• Create comprehensive asset handover frameworks that delineate state agency and user association maintenance duties
• Establish operational key performance indicator matrices to benchmark hydraulic efficiency and institutional viability
• Assess climate and environmental risks
• Plan adaptation and mitigation measures

Participants leave with a personal action plan and practical tools they can use in their institution from the first week back. Institutions that send several participants can use the programme to agree shared methods and templates across teams, which makes improvements easier to sustain.

Institutional Application of Modern Irrigation Automation and Water Users Management in Tbilisi Training

This programme supports organisations in strengthening:

• Climate and environmental planning
• Project design
• Access to finance
• Results measurement
• Stakeholder involvement

Participants return with practical tools to improve:

• Risk assessments
• Concept notes
• Results frameworks
• Monitoring systems
• Partnership arrangements

The programme is built so that learning moves from the classroom into the institution. Participants work on their own processes and documents where possible, and leave with an action plan that their managers can review and support.

Regional Relevance & Application

Europe

European institutions apply climate, environment and natural resources within detailed regulatory frameworks and reform agendas. Participants from Europe can compare their practice with colleagues from other regions and test how established methods work under different conditions.

Africa

Across Africa, ministries, agencies and project teams working in climate, environment and natural resources increasingly operate alongside donor-financed programmes that expect clear systems and evidence. The programme helps participants adapt good practice to the institutions and resources they work with.

Middle East

In the Middle East, national development strategies and diversification plans place growing demands on climate, environment and natural resources. Participants explore how to build the capability these plans need inside public bodies and companies.

Asia

Institutions across Asia combine rapid growth with ambitious modernisation programmes. Participants from Asia can share their experience of scaling systems quickly and learn from approaches used elsewhere.

Pacific

Small island and Pacific states face particular constraints of size, distance and capacity. The programme highlights practical, proportionate approaches to climate, environment and natural resources that suit smaller institutions.

Holding the programme in Tbilisi, Georgia brings participants together away from their daily pressures, so they can compare how climate, environment and natural resources is handled in different settings. The same programme can also be delivered in-house for one institution, in its own country or online, with cases taken from its current work.

Host Country Profile – Georgia

Programmes, Workshops, Exposures, Training Courses in Tbilisi, Georgia by Risalat Consultants International

Studying away from their own country gives participants time to focus, a fresh view of their own institution and the chance to build a network with colleagues from other countries.

Modern Irrigation Automation and Water Users Management in Tbilisi Training Deliverables

Participants receive support before, during and after the programme, so that preparation, learning and follow-up form one continuous experience.

Before the Programme

• Participant Pre-Assessment
• Modern Irrigation Automation and Water Users Management in Tbilisi Readiness Assessment
• Modern Irrigation Automation and Water Users Management in Tbilisi Resource Pack
• Preparatory Reading Materials
• Complimentary Visa Support & Advisory

During the Programme

• Airport Pickup & Welcome Assistance
• Accommodation with Breakfast
• Welcome Networking Dinner
• Risalat Training Kit (Bag, Bottle, Mug, T-Shirt, Cap, Passport Cover, Pens, Notebook, Magnet & Keychain)
• Comprehensive Modern Irrigation Automation and Water Users Management in Tbilisi Training Manual
• Climate Risk Screening Checklist
• Options Appraisal Template
• Concept Note Template
• Results Measurement Template
• Practical Workshops & Simulations
• Group Discussions & Peer Learning
• Daily Lunch and Refreshments
• Full Access to Training Venue Facilities
• Mini Pad / Tablet with Digital Learning Materials
• Field Visit (where applicable)
• Entertaining City Tour

After the Programme

• Certificate of Completion
• Risalat Programme Participation Recognition Award
• Post-Training Reference Materials
• Funding Readiness Checklist
• Monitoring and Reporting Template
• Post-Training Support & Follow-Up Guidance
• Programme Report

Institutions can also request a tailored in-house version of this programme, delivered at their premises or online. Request a proposal.

Common Challenges in Modern Irrigation Automation and Water Users Management in Tbilisi, And How This Training Helps

How can institutions assess climate and environmental risks to their services and assets?

The programme addresses this directly on the first day (Automated Canal Infrastructure and Supervisory Control Architecture), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions design projects that meet climate and environmental goals?

The programme addresses this directly on the second day (Hydraulic Modelling, Flow Verification, and Volumetric Water Scheduling), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions prepare proposals that financiers can approve?

The programme addresses this directly on the third day (Water Users Association Institutional Frameworks and Participatory Governance), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions measure and report results credibly?

The programme addresses this directly on the fourth day (Financial Sustainability, Tariff Formulation, and Fee Collection Systems), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions work with communities and partners across sectors?

The programme addresses this directly on the fifth day (Asset Handover, Asset Management Protocols, and Long-Term Operations), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where does the Modern Irrigation Automation and Water Users Management in Tbilisi programme take place?

It runs from 12 Apr 2027 to 16 Apr 2027, in Tbilisi, Georgia. The registration deadline is shown at the top of this page.

Who should attend?

The programme is designed for irrigation engineers and hydrologists from basin management authorities, project implementation unit directors and technical officers on donor-financed water projects, supervisory control and data acquisition operations personnel at irrigation agencies, institutional development specialists supporting participatory water user platforms, and others who want practical skills in climate, environment and natural resources.

Will I receive a certificate?

Yes. Participants who complete the programme receive a Certificate of Completion from Risalat Consultants International.

Can this programme be delivered for our institution only?

Yes. We can deliver a tailored in-house version at your premises, in another city or online, built around your own cases. Use the proposal request on this page.

Do I need prior experience in climate, environment and natural resources?

No specialist background is required beyond experience in a related role. A short pre-assessment helps the facilitators adapt the sessions to the group.

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