Cultivating
Water
TI
Eldho and Anupam Singh explain the significance and fundamentals of
an integrated watershed management approach applied at the grassroots
In
the last few decades, a large number of water resources development
and watershed management projects were initiated in many third world
countries like India, for poverty alleviation and social development
of the people. But only few of them could achieve the targeted goals.
The failure of such development projects to bring the promised financial
return, have often contributed to the indebtedness of these countries,
increasing economic pressures and jeopardising the countries future
development efforts. The traditional local water harvesting systems
for agricultural production and water supply have suffered severe
neglect in India. In this article, effective alternative strategies
to water resources development resulting in sustainable project impact
in terms of geo-physical, environmental and socio-economical aspects
are discussed.
Integrated
watershed management approach
Integrated
watershed management approach (IWMA) is the process of utilisation,
development and conservation of land, water, forest and other natural
resources for continually improving livelihoods for communities in
a hydrologically independent region.
It
includes everything in a watershed, both human and non-human, and
believes in the holistic human development and natural resource management
aspects in the watershed concerned. The integrated watershed management
approaches have the following objectives (Singh et al, 2002)
-
Promote sustainable economic development through; optimum utilisation
of land, water and vegetation and provide employment and local capacity
building for income generation
- Restore
ecological balance through sustainable development of natural resources
and community participation in various activities
- Encouragement
of available low cost technologies for easy acceptance
- Improving
living conditions of the poor through more equitable resources distribution
(water rights) and greater access to income generating activities.
Use
of technology
Numerical
modelling, remote sensing and Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
techniques have emerged as powerful tools for watershed management
programmes. Using satellite remote sensing information, GIS and numerical
simulations, planners and policy makers can make effective decisions
to ensure a stable supply of water for food and the environment. Fig
1 shows a typical model for integrated watershed approach using modern
techniques such as GIS and remote sensing for resources mapping, project
identification and people participation for project identification
and implementation.
Methodology
In
an integrated watershed management approach, sustainable development
is achieved through various means. A number of activities like soil
and water conservation can be undertaken in the watershed system based
on the ridge to valley concept. The soil and water conservation treatment
and interventions include contour and staggered trenches, field bunding,
gully plugging and percolation tanks (Fig 2).
Water
harvesting for supplementary irrigation during low moisture periods
offers immense potential for the development of cultivable land, wasteland
and forestland. Small-scale check dams (storage capacity between 1000-2000
m3) for surface water harvesting can be constructed to supplement
irrigation on an average land area of 20-30 hectares.
Community
participation
People
in the watershed should be involved in developmental activities starting
from conception, planning, financing and maintenance. Village volunteers
identified by the community can act as internal catalyst, information
banks, service providers, knowledge disseminators and trainers. They
can provide help in monitoring and acts as a link between the project
implementing agency and the community. The local institutions such
as the Panchayats or co-operatives should be empowered and village
functionaries and farmers should be involved in agricultural extension
in order to create awareness, impart skills and share knowledge. Special
efforts should be made for ensuring women participation and empowerment,
as they are the backbone of society.
Water
regulation
A
self-regulatory community based watershed monitoring system is crucial
in IWMA. The local people should have a system of water management,
which takes into account the uncertainties of rainfall. Water should
be....
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