Experiences with users participation in demand management in the Faiyum Oasis, Egypt By Dr. Aard Hartveld (Irrigation Organization Expert, DHV, Egypt)  Eng. Abdel Hafiz Shalaby (Under Secretary of State MWRI Faiyum Governorate, Egypt) Abstract The Faiyum Irrigation System is a closed water management system. The water enters the Faiyum Oasis through two main canals. These two canals convey the water to 19 primary canals, which have lift gates at their intakes to regulate the water discharges. The primary canals divide the water through a network of fixed weirs at the intakes of secondary and tertiary canals proportionally to the tertiary systems. These tertiary units distribute the water to individual farmers through a weekly rotation system, which are managed by the irrigation communities themselves. A network of natural drainage canals lead to the two depressions of the Faiyum Oasis: Lake Qarun and Wadi Rayan. The closed water management system of Faiyum makes water budgeting and pollution control more important here compared to other irrigation systems in the Nile Valley and Delta. The Faiyum Irrigation System faces water shortages during the summer season due to horizontal expansion in the periphery of the Faiyum Oasis, and uncontrolled rice cultivation in the head reach of the system. Deliberate destruction of structures in the head reach and fallow land in the tail reach are symptoms of problems in coping with water shortages. The long-term strategy adopted for coping with the water shortages and pollution is enhancing local responsibilities in the O&M of the system. Water Users Organisations are formed for public owned canal and enter into a partnership with the Irrigation Sector to share in the O&M responsibilities. The paper presents the experiences with piloting WUOs’ involvement in water distribution and demand management through monitoring water distribution. Coping with water shortages in a proportional water distribution system requires demand-side rather than supply-side solutions. The demand-side solutions need to be based on proportional water duties rather than rice quotas. A concerted effort is needed of all stakeholders and in particular of the WUOs to work towards a constituency for a proportional water distribution, individual demand side solutions and local ownership of the operation rules of the public owned structures and waterways.