WATERSHED ( implications, management)

Meaning
Watersheds are natural hydrological entities that cover a specific aerial expanse of land surface
from which the rainfall runoff flows to a defined drain, channel, stream or river at any particular
point.Size of a watershed is governed by the size of the stream occupied by it and is of practical
importance in development programmes.
A systematic delineation of river basins was first attempted in 1949 by Central Water and Power
Corporation (CWPC) by which entire country has been delineated into 6 Water Resources
Regions which further were divided into 66 major river catchments. These delineations have
been extensively used in the planning and development of surface water resources of the country.
At Present, the drainage maps of Survey of India (SOI) on 1 : 250,000 scale are used as base
map for the delineation of basin, sub-basin and Watersheds and entire country has been divided
into 34 basins, 94 sub-basins and 3448 watersheds.
Implications
The watershed approach has become a pre requisite for any developmental programme, because
land and water resources have maximum interaction and synergic effect, when developed on
watershed basis. It is therefore, increasingly applied in various development programmes like
command area development,
soil and water conservation, flood control,
soil erosion control, river valley projects, land reclamation,
people and resource dynamics etc and equally important
for various hydro-power and irrigation projects,
assessment of ground water resource, pollution and artificial recharge studies.
For proper planning and execution of any development programme on watershed basis, it is
essential to have watersheds in the form of maps along with relevant attributes.
Steps taken by government/schemes

There are six major projects/programmes which together account for 70 % of funds and area
under watershed development programmes in the country and are intended to be taken up in rainfed and drought-prone areas especially predominated by SC/ST population and preponderance of
wasteland.
National Watershed Development Programme for Rainfed Areas

NWDPRA

Watershed Development in Shifting Cultivation Areas

WDSCA

Drought Prone Areas Programme (since 1973-74)

DPAP

Desert Development Programme (since 1977-78)

DDP

Integrated Wasteland Development Project (since 1989-90)

IWDP

Employment Assurance Scheme

EAS

Rainfed areas constitute about 57% of the total cultivated land(140.330million hectares) in the
country. It is characterised by
low levels of productivity and
low input usage as these areas were bypassed during green revolution period.
wide variation and instability in yields due to variability in rain.
Sustainable development for bulk of the rural poor living in these areas has been a major concern
placing them in highest priority list of government schemes via watershed development
approach.
National Watershed Development Project for Rainfed Areas (NWDPRA) scheme was launched
in 1990-91 in 25 States and 2 Union Territories based on twin concepts of
Integrated watershed management and
Sustainable farming systems.
It was later subsumed under the Scheme for Macro Management of Agriculture (MMA) from
2000-2001. Presently, being implemented in 28 States and 2 UTs on the basis of Common
Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects issued by National Rainfed Area Authority
(NRAA) placed under Ministry of Rural Development and Department of Land Resource.
DPAP, DDP & IWDP of the Department of Land Resources have been integrated and
consolidated into a single modified programme called Integrated Watershed Management
Programme (IWMP) since feb 2009 with changes encompassing
dedicated institutional structures,
livelihood being included as a component and
increase in project area to [1000ha-5000ha] range.
Financing
for IWMP & NWDPRA (both)
North-Eastern states

100% grant by centre

Other States and UTs

90:10 by Centre and state resp.

Union Government has established a Watershed Development Fund (WDF) during 2000 with
total cost of Rs.200 crore with 50:50 contribution by DAC and NABARD as matching
contribution. Objective of WDF is to promote participatory watershed development involving

Watershed Community, State Government Departments, Banks and NGOs. Presently, WDF
scheme is being implemented in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Karnataka,
Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh
and West Bengal. During 2006, after announcement of Prime Ministers Rehabilitation Package
in 31 distressed districts in States of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra, it was
decided to implement participatory watershed development programme in all these distressed
districts through WDF.
At present, a total number of 1356 watersheds have been selected comprising 585 in nondistressed districts of 13 States and remaining 773 watersheds under PMs package for 31
distressed districts in four states under WDF.
Implementing Agency
A State Level Nodal Agency (SLNA) has been constituted with professional support.
Projects are implemented by District Rural Development Agencies/Zilla Parishads (DRDAs/ZPs) through
Project Implementing Agencies (PIAs).
PIAs could be a Line Department (of the State Government), agricultural universities, research
institutions, government under- takings, Panchayati Raj Institutions or a reputed NGO. One PIA
normally handles 10-12 watershed projects covering an area of about 5000-6000 hectares. The PIA is
required to maintain a technical team of 4 experts called Watershed Development Team (WDT) and
individual projects (500 hectares) are planned and executed by the local people living in the watershed
area called the Watershed Association (WA) through an elected body called Watershed Committee (WC).
Watershed Committee (WC) will be constituted by the Gram Sabha for implementation of the project at
field level. This will comprise of at least 10 members. Half of which would be representatives of SHGs
and User Groups (UGs), SC/ST community, women and landless. One member from WDT would also
represent WC.

Activities Undertaken
1. Land Treatment
Land leveling, graded
Soil and Moisture Conservation
binding, contour bonding,
vegetative bonding, contour
cultivation, terracing,
bunding, trenching,
drainage line treatment,
gullies stabilization, gully
plugging, percolation tanks
and farm ponds.

1.1

Tree plantation in degraded

forests, Panchayat lands,
community lands, private

1.2

Afforestation

lands etc
In village community
Pasture Development
lands, pasture lands with
suitable grass and fodder
species, fodder cultivation.
Planting & sowing of
multi-purpose trees, shrubs,
grasses, legumes.

1.3

2. Production Activities

Introduction of suitable crops,

improved crop varieties, intercropping, contour cultivation and
crop management practices,
organic farming

milch cattle distribution,

establishment of milk cooperatives,
sheep rearing, fisheries, piggery,
poultry, bee-keeping etc

Cropping pattern

2.1

Sericulture

2.2

Horticulture

2.3

Live stock development

2.4

Setting up microenterprises.

2.5

3. Employment Generation

such as community buildings,

village roads etc.

Raising backyard
nurseries

3.1

Wage earning through

community assets

3.2

construction of check dams, water

harvesting structures, desilting of
village ponds, treatment of
drainage lines/ gullies, percolation
tanks

creation

To mitigate the adverse effects of

Cottage industries based
on bamboo, wood craft,
drought on crops and livestock.
cane craft etc
To control desertification.
To encourage restoration of
ecological balance and
To promote economic
development of village community

3.3

Conclusion

Thus the concept of watershed development is an integrated nurture with multi disciplinary
activities which enables multi-cropping, preventing soil run-off, regenerating natural vegetation,
rain water harvesting, recharging of the ground water table and the introduction of diverse agrobased activities which help to provide sustainable livelihoods to the assetless people residing in
the watershed areas through their active participation. 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. By capturing the Water Resources Management and improving the management of soil
and vegetation, Watershed Development will create conditions conducive to higher agricultural
productivity while conserving natural resources and thus promoting economic development of
village community.
1. List of Reference

http://agricoop.nic.in/dacdivision/NWDPRA8410.pdf
http://www.archive.india.gov.in/sectors/agriculture/index.php?id=7
http://rural.nic.in/sites/downloads/our-schemes-glance/SalientFeaturesIWMP.pdf
http://www.agritech.tnau.ac.in/agriculture/agri_majorareas_watershed_watersheddevelop.html
2. Name Kuldeep Prasad