Walking
with water
TAJ
takes a trip to Khapoli to practically establish the success of the
integrated watershed management approach
A
comprehensive watershed development programme has been seen as the
means to achieve the goal of sustainable development at the community
level. To achieve some of the objectives of sustainable development,
the NGO Rural Commune (RC) along with Shedashi Wavoshi Watershed Development
Committee (VWC), has been implementing the Comprehensive Watershed
Development programme since March 16, 1994. The Indo-German Watershed
Development(IGWD) and Nabard, Mumbai provides financial support for
the project.
The
following is a progress report made under different heads of the programme.
Technical
Work
Area
Treatments – In this category, different types of treatments are given.
They are:
Terrace
Bund Improvement (TBI)
This
activity is carried on land having 1-5 per cent slope. Almost 307.15
hectares of land has been completed. TBI treatment has been implemented
in various villages under the project area and the cultivators from
these villages have been cultivating rice, vegetables, fruits, wheat
and groundnut. They are also cultivating tur, vala, harbara, and cereals.
Grassland
with trees
This
treatment has been done in forestland, common land as well as in private
lands. The treatment is carried out in the 3-10 per cent slope category.
Through the awareness programmes the farmers were encouraged to prepare
the plots for fodder development. In these plots 18 different grass
spices have been planted. The tree plantation in these plots includes
fruit trees, nitrogen-fixing plants, fodder trees, fuel and timber
varieties. Small amount of grass is kept for cattle feed and few
grasses are kept for preparation of seeds for the next year. All these
seeds are collected and kept at the Central Seed Conservation Centres
in the campus.
Reforestation
Conducted
in forestland having 5-15 per cent slope. The treatments given before
plantation are staggered trenching and contour trenching to ensure
the water availability for the trees in this area, stone pitching,
plantation of grasses on the upper side of this trench, digging pits
for plantation of trees, application of manure and fertiliser and
watering of the plants. Trees planted so far are of local forest variety
including fuel, fodder, fire wood trees, fruits, timber and we are
also including local medicinal plants and forest varieties.
Agro-horticulture
This
is practiced on a private land having 10-25 per cent slope. The work
undertaken under this treatment includes contour trenching, stone
pitching, plantation of grasses on the upper side of this trench,
digging pits for plantation of trees, filling pits, transporting planting
material, plantation, weeding, application of manure and fertiliser
and watering of the plants.
To
increase the economic status of farmers, under this treatment different
kinds of fruit trees are planted. There was a local demand for grafted
varieties of mango. Therefore, grafted varieties were bought from
the Academy of Development Science (ADS), Karjat. Under this treatment
the NGO has undertaken a programme of growing grafted varieties of
mango in Central Nursery and training the local farmers for it.
Drainage
line treatments
Various
treatments, which were planned under this category, to control velocity
of water and to some extent soil erosion, have been completed. Under
this treatment technical aspects have been used.
Gully
plugs
Almost
all the gully plugs proposed in the project have been completed. These
gully plugs have been effective in controlling soil erosion and reducing
widening and deepening of gullies. Vegetative growth has also been
taken place along the gully areas, which has strengthened the gully
plugs. Bamboo trees have been planted along the gully plugs, which
have grown well and are effective in checking velocity of water and
soil erosion.
VWC
members, along with the technical staff, undertook the assessment
of 4030 gully plugs. After an internal assessment it was realised
that due to velocity of water some gully plugs has been damaged and
others have been filled up with soil. Therefore, the VWC committee
and technical staff members have decided to do regular supervision
of these treatments. The damaged gully plugs were repaired with the
help of local people.
All
the 300 nala plugs proposed have been completed. RC has found that
nala plugs are really effective in their own ways. Inside the nalla
plug where soil has been trapped, vegetative growth has taken place.
This has helped to minimise the velocity of water. RC think that
stabilising the banks with stone pitching and vegetative growth can
accomplish this...
contd...
TO
READ FURTHER... SUBSCRIBE TO
YOUR COPY TODAY!!!
