ABSTRACT

Watershed is not simply the hydrological unit but also socio politicalecological entity which plays crucial role in determining food, social, and
economical security and provides life support services to rural people. The
criteria selecting watershed size also depend on the objectives of the
development & terrain slope. A large water shed can be managed in plain valley
areas or where forest or pasture development is the main objective. In hilly
areas or where intensive agriculture development is planned ,the size of
watershed relatively preferred is small.
This paper discusses the impacts of this watershed program on bio-physical,
socio-economic, environmental and ecological parameters. Results indicate that
due to watershed interventions the groundwater availability has substantially
increased which brought changes in cropping patterns with high value crops.
Significant increases in irrigated area, cropping intensity along with
diversification of crops from traditional to commercial cash crops were
recorded. The watershed program also significantly improved the socioeconomic status of the watershed community. It has increased the income and
reduced poverty of the people in the watershed. The watershed interventions
generated good employment opportunities and significantly reduced the
migration of both skilled and unskilled labor from the watershed village to
urban areas. It has also improved the environmental quality and ecological
status in the watershed. The watershed interventions increased the vegetative
index or greenery, reduced runoff, soil loss, and land degradations and
improved the bio-diversity in fragile ecosystems.

What is Watershed Management?

A watershed is an area of land that drains into a common water body, such as a
river or lake. A watershed can also be also known as a basin or a catchment. A
watershed is an ecosystem with complex interacting natural components.
Human activities have a direct influence on the quality and quantity of surface
water, groundwater and other natural resources in the watershed. Upstream
activities influence river flows and water quality downstream. Surface and
groundwater systems have a limited tolerance for stress, and long term problems
can develop that are costly and difficult to remediate. By its very nature,
watershed management must be integrated and address both water and the
related land resources that affect or are affected by water. Water includes floods
and droughts, surface water and groundwater, water supply and water quality.
Related land resources include streams, wetlands, forests, soil, fisheries, flora
and fauna. The premise that everything is connected to everything else lies at
the heart of watershed management. By understanding the natural functions of a
watershed before change occurs, harmful impacts on the system can be
identified so that prevention, remediation, or improvements can be incorporated
into management plans. Watershed management is not so much about managing
natural resources, but about managing human activity as it affects these
resources. The drainage area of the river provides the natural boundary for
managing and mitigating human and environmental interactions. Because
human activity includes actions by governments, municipalities, industries, and
landowners, watershed management must be a co-operative effort. Effective
watershed management can prevent community water shortages, poor water
quality, flooding and erosion. The expense of undertaking watershed
management is far less than the cost of future mediation. In this era of
unprecedented growth in Ontario, watershed management is an essential tool to
ensure the continued health, safety, and well-being of Ontarios residents.
The Watershed Management Process
The watershed management process can be seen as a continuum that includes
producing a plan, implementing the plan (act), monitoring the effectiveness of
the plan, and evaluating and updating the plan. This seemingly simple process,
is often difficult and complex to carry out. Despite the difficulties, the process is
valuable because it promotes a systematic and logical way of thinking and a
framework for making decisions with regard to water and land use. This section

briefly describes the process. The watershed partners (province, municipalities,

conservation authorities, aboriginals, private water users, the various other
interested parties and the general public) are involved in all aspects of the
management process. The process can be used for relatively straightforward
problems where only one or two participants are involved, as well as complex
problems involving a number of partners and participants and a large degree of
uncertainty..
Components of Watershed Management
Entry Point Activity is the 1rst formal project intervention which is undertaken
after the transect walk, selection and 1nalization of the watershed. It is highly
recommended to use knowledge-based entry point activity to build the rapport
with the community. Direct cash-based EPA must be avoided as such activities
give a wrong signal to the community at the beginning for various interventions.
Details of the knowledge-based EPA to build rapport with the community
ensuring tangible economic bene1ts to the community members are described
here.
Land and Water Conservation Practices
Soil and water conservation practices are the primary step of watershed
management program. Conservation practices can be divided into two main
categories:
1) in-situ
2) ex-situ management.
Those made within agricultural like construction of contour bunds, graded bund
terraces building, broad bed and furrow practice and other soil-moisture
conservation practices, are known as in-situ management.
These practices protect land degradation, improve soil health, and increase soilmoisture availability and groundwater recharge. Moreover, construction of
check dam farm pond, gully control structures, pits excavation across the stream
channel is known as ex-situ management .Ex-situ watershed management
practices reduce peak discharge in order to reclaim gully formation which
increases groundwater recharge and irrigation potential in watersheds.

Integrated Pest and Nutrient Management

Water only cannot increase crop productivity to its potential level without other
interventions. A balanced nutrient diet along with adequate moisture availability
and pest and disease free environment can turn agricultural production several
folds higher compared to unmanaged land. Integrated nutrient management
(INM)involves the integral use of organic manure, crop straw, and other plant
and tree biomass material along with little application of chemical fertilizer
(both macro and micro-nutrients). Integrated pest management (IPM) involves
use of different crop pest control practices like cultural, biological and chemical
methods in a combined and compatible way to suppress pest infestations. Thus,
the main goals of INM and IPM are to maintain soil fertility, manage pest and
the environment so as to balance costs, benefits, public health, and
environmental quality.
Crop Diversification and Intensification
The crop diversification refers to bringing about a desirable change in the
existing cropping patterns towards a more balanced cropping system to reduce
the risk of crop failure; and crop intensification is the increasing cropping
intensity and production to meet the ever increasing demand for food in a given
landscape.
Watershed management puts emphasis on crop diversification and
intensification through the use of advanced technologies, especially good
variety of seeds, balanced fertilizer application and by providing supplemental
irrigation.
Use of Multiple Resources
Farmers those solely dependent on agriculture, hold high uncertainty and risk of
failure due to various extreme events, pest and disease attack, and market
shocks. Therefore, integration of agriculture (on-farm) and non-agriculture (o/farm) activities is required at various scales for generating consistent source of
income and support for their livelihood.
For example, agriculture, livestock production and dairy farming.
Product or by-product of one system could be utilized for other and vice-versa.
In this example, biomass production (crop straw) after crop harvesting could be

utilized for livestock feeding and manure obtained from livestock could be
applied in held to maintain soil fertility. It includes horticulture plantation,
aquaculture, and animal husbandry at indivisible farm, household or community
scale.
Environmental and Ecological Effects of Watershed Interventions
During the watershed program, several measures were undertaken to minimize
runoff, soil loss, land degradation, and to improve surface and groundwater
resources, vegetative cover or greenery and other ecological factors. Increased
water availability resulting in increased cropping intensity, use of improved
crops and cropping systems and other improved inputs, afforestation,
plantation of horticulture plants, rehabilitation of degraded common lands
through silvipasture systems and several other watershed interventions
resulted in reduced runoff, soil loss, sedimentation and siltation of surface
water bodies. The remote sensing image taken before and during the
watershed program shows the impact of watershed interventions in improving
the vegetative cover. Due to watershed interventions, the annual runoff from
the watershed is reduced by 52% and soil loss by 64%. This indicates that the
watershed program is effective in conserving rainwater and controlling soil
erosion, thereby minimizing land degradation. Over grazing, over exploitation
and other anthropogenic factors resulted in severe problems of degradation
of common lands. To combat this hazard and maintain ecological balance,
watershed development program implemented a management system for the
rehabilitation of common land and biodiversity development through
silvipasture systems managed by the local communities.
This system converted the degraded wasteland in to valuable and beneficial
asset for community. The number of useful species of grasses and fodder
increased. Silvipastoral practices help in the conservation of vegetation, soil and
nutrients and provide forage, fuel and timber on sustainable basis to the
community.
Conclusions
The integrated watershed management program at watershed made significant
positive impact on water resources, rural livelihoods and environment and
ecology. The major impact of watershed program was on improved surface and

groundwater availability even during the critical periods of post-rainy and

summer seasons. Increased surface and groundwater availability resulted in
increased cropping intensity and diversification to more remunerative land use
systems involving livestock, horticultural and vegetable production.
Watershed program increased the productivity of most of the crops, resulting in
higher profit margin. It also significantly decreased the adverse impact of
drought and provided more food, water and fodder security to the community.
Due to watershed activities, the livestock population and their productivity
increased substantially particularly in the case of the marginal and small
farmers.The socio-economic status of population significantly improved due to
the impact of watershed program.The watershed program also increased the
income and reduced poverty of people in the watershed. The small and marginal
farmers got relatively greater benefits from the watershed activities. It increased
the working days of all categories of farmer; and achieved good success in
reducing the seasonal as well as long-term migration from rural to urban areas
by providing better employment opportunities to farmers within the village
itself. In summary the watershed program improved surface and groundwater
resources, minimized land degradation, reduced runoff and soil loss, enhanced
vegetative cover and improved ecological status; and finally brought prosperity
to the people in the watershed villages.
WATERSHED DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
Introduction
Watershed is a geo-hydrological unit of an area draining to a common outlet point. It is recognized as
an ideal unit for planning & development of land water and vegetation resources. According to 19992000 statistics a net sown area of 141.23 million hectare is under cultivation, out of which 84.58
million
hectare
is
rainfed
area.
Watershed Development as a means for increasing agricultural production in rainfed, semi-arid areas.
There are nearly 85 million hectares of land as rainfed area in the country. These areas were
bypassed by the Green Revolution and so experienced little or no growth in agricultural production for
several decades. By capturing the Water Resources Management and improving the management of
soil and vegetation, Watershed Development aims to create conditions conducive to higher
agricultural productivity while conserving natural resources.
Objectives

To mitigate the adverse effects of drought on crops and livestock.

To control desertification.
To encourage restoration of ecological balance and

To promote economic development of village community.

Water shed development originally managed by national wasteland development board under Ministry
of Environment and forest .It is now placed under Ministry of Rural Development and Department of
Land Resources. The main objective of this programme for development of waste lands in non-forest
areas, checking of land degradation, putting such waste land into sustainable use and increasing bio
mass, availability of fuel wood, fodder and restoration ecology etc. .Thus concept of watershed
development is a integrated nurture with multi disciplinary activities in the area. At present Ministry of
Rural Development and Department of Land Resources, Government of India funding watershed
development programmes under D.P.A.P., D.D.P., and Integrated Wasteland Development Plan
(I.W.D.P.) etc. This programme is intended to be taken up in rain-fed and drought-prone areas
especially predominated by SC/ST population and preponderance of wasteland. There are six major
projects/programmes in watershed development programme namely,
National Watershed Development Project for Rainfed Areas
(NWDPRA)
Watershed Development in Shifting Cultivation Areas (WDSCA)
Drought Prone Areas Programme (DPAP)
Desert Development Programme (DDP)
Integrated Wasteland Development Project (IWDP)
Employment Assurance Scheme (EAS)

These six projects/ programmes also account for about 70 percent of funds and area under
watershed
programmes
in
the
country.
Through various watershed development programmes, about 30 million ha. of land has so far been
developed at an expenditure of Rs.9343 crores, including external funding upto the end of IX Five
Year Plan. During X Five Year Plan about 11.4 million ha. is proposed to be developed at an outlay of
Rs.7440 crore. Besides, an area of 1.24 million ha. is likely to be treated under watershed
programmes at a cost of Rs.1872 crore through ongoing externa.lly aided projects.
Implementing
Agency
The watershed programme is being carried out in desert, drought prone and rain fed areas.
DRDA/Zilla Parishad selects the villages for development of watershed projects. Project
implementation agency is also selected by DRDA / Zilla Parishad. Besides, DRDA / Zilla Parishad,
there are other institutions through which this programme is being implemented like agricultural
universities, research institutions, government under- takings, non-governmental organizations etc.
Beneficiaries
i)
Local
resident
inside
the
of
the
watershed
area.
ii) Poor families specially SC/ST persons in rain-fed areas where economic condition of the people is

relatively less due to problems of less production, scanty rain and degradation of land.
iii)
Members
of
SHG
and
UGs.
iv) Usufruct right given to landless persons out of common resource management.
watershed development programme is peoples centered programme and peoples participation in the
programme has been made mandatory. The people have to form a watershed association and
watershed committee for each watershed project. Watershed association, comprising all adults
residing within a watershed project area. The committee is responsible for planning and development
of watershed project for its area while developing the plan for the area, the committee has to take
technical assistance from project implementation agency. Besides, the beneficiaries of the
programme have to give voluntary donations / provide contribution in terms of labour, raw material,
cash etc. for development activities and for operation and maintenance of assets created.
Information
available
About this programme, the detailed information is available with DRDA / Zilla Parishad
and Agricultural Department at District level and Panchayat Samiti at block level.
Funding
Agency
The Ministry of Rural Areas and Employment, Government of India, funds watershed development
schemes under Drought Prone Area Programme (DPAP), Desert Development Programme (DDP)
and Integrated Watershed Development Programme (IWDP). 50 per cent of funds under the
intensified Jowhar Rozgar Yojana (IJRY) and 50 per cent of Employment Assurance Scheme (EAS)
are given for watershed development projects. Adding the state governments contribution under these
centrally sponsored schemes it is expected that substantial funds would be available for watershed
development projects. The funds are being made available at the rate of 4000 per hectare for the
development of the area.
Activities
Undertaken
The activities undertaken in these programmes include soil and moisture conservation measures like
construction of check dams, water harvesting structures, desilting of village ponds, treatment of
drainage lines/ gullies, land levelling, bunding of farms, treatment of problem soils, agro-forestry, agrihorticulture, silvi-pasture, organic farming, use of bio-fertilizers, value addition and marketing of
produce through farmers groups, training & Capacity Building of stakeholders.
Land
Treatment
(a)
Soil
and
Moisture
Conservation:
Land leveling, graded binding, contour bonding, vegetative bonding, contour cultivation, drainage line
treatment, gullies stabilization, gully plugging, percolation tanks and farm ponds.
(b)
Afforestation:
Tree plantation in degraded forests, Panchayat lands, community lands, private lands etc.
(c)
Pasture
Development:
In village community lands, pasture lands with suitable grass and fodder species.
Production
Activities
Cropping Pattern

Introduction of suitable crops, improved crop varieties, inter-cropping, contour cultivation and
crop management practices;
Sericulture;

Horticulture;
Live stock development fodder cultivation, milch cattle distribution, establishment of milk cooperatives
Integration of other activities such as sheep rearing, fisheries, piggery, poultry, bee-keeping
etc.

Employment Generation Activities

Creating more employment through land based and productive activities;

Raising backyard nurseries;
Wage earning through community assets creation such as community buildings, village roads
etc.
Cottage industries based on bamboo, wood craft, cane craft etc.