Watershed Management

Watershed is a geographical area of land where all the surface water whether coming through rainfall or melting of snow drains to a common outlet point, such as a river, lake, or ocean. Watershed management is the conservation and restoration of natural resources like soil, water, vegetation and ecosystem within a watershed area. The identification of problems in a watershed and framing a plan involves participation of all the stakeholders including local communities, government, non- government organisations and private entities. Government has undertaken various initiatives for watershed development including a sub-scheme under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayi Yojana (PMKSY). PMKSY 2.0 launched a new activity, Springshed development, to overcome the issues of water scarcity in hilly regions. Other initiatives are also there to build rain water harvesting structures and to conserve water with the involvement of local communities like Haryali Watershed Project and Neeru-Meeru in Andhra Pradesh. Watershed management has shown many achievements in conserving the ecosystem and improving the life of local people. Despite its various achievements, it faces many challenges like lack of legislation, lack of collaboration between stakeholders etc. These issues can be overcome by enhancing community participation and strengthening governance.

The roots of watershed management in India is in the rich history of the country in traditional water conservation practices. Historically, India used many water conservation methods like stepwells, tanks (reservoirs), and traditional irrigation techniques, which were developed to capture, store, and manage water for agricultural and domestic use. In the 20th century many water related issues arose like water scarcity, soil erosion, deforestation, and land degradation due to population growth, agricultural expansion, and unsustainable land use practices. In the 1950s, the first watershed management programme 'Community Development Program' was launched in India. It included components related to soil and water conservation. In the 1980s, the 'Watershed Development Project' was launched by the Government of India. Overtime, the strategy of watershed management in India has been changed from top-down, government-led initiatives to more participatory, community-driven approaches.

Watershed management is a holistic approach to conserve and manage natural resources within a specific geographic area defined by the boundaries of a watershed. It involves integrated strategies to protect soil, water, vegetation, and ecosystems while promoting sustainable land use & agricultural practices, and community development. Watershed management aims to address water-related challenges, mitigate environmental degradation, and enhance resilience to climate change and also support the well-being of communities living within watershed boundaries.

• Watershed is a geographical area of land where all the surface water whether coming through rainfall or melting of snow drains to a common outlet point, such as a river, lake, or ocean. It is also known as a drainage basin or catchment area.
• Characteristics of a Watershed
  • Boundary : The boundary of a watershed is defined by ridgelines, hills, mountains or any other high points, where water flows in different directions.
  • Drainage patterns : Water follows specific drainage patterns in a watershed with smaller streams and tributaries converging to form larger rivers and eventually flowing into a main water body, such as a lake or sea.
  • Connectivity: All the water within a watershed is interconnected. Any activity in one part of the watershed impacts the water and land area downstream in other parts of the watershed.
  • Role: Watersheds play an important role in the hydrological cycle, It regulates the flow of water, recharges the groundwater, and sustains the aquatic ecosystems.

Types of watershed: Watersheds are divided into 5 types based on the size

1. Mini watershed : Watershed area is 1-100 hectare.
2. Micro watershed : Watershed area is 100-1000 hectare
3. Milli-watershed : Watershed area is 1000-10,000 hectare.
4. Sub watershed : Watershed area is 10.000-50,000 hectare
5. Macro watershed : Watershed area is more than 50,000 hectare.

Watershed management: Watershed management is a comprehensive approach to manage and protect the natural resources in a specific geographical area of watershed. It involves integrated planning, conservation of natural resources, and sustainable use of land, water and vegetation. It works towards both protecting and enhancing the quality of natural resources like land and water.

• Water resource protection : Watershed management works towards the conservation of water resources and enhances its quantity, quality and availability within the watershed.
• Soil conservation : It implements measures to prevent soil erosion, sedimentation, and degradation within the watershed. The watershed management works towards increasing the soil fertility and productivity through measures like contour ploughing, terracing, cover cropping etc.
• Sustainable land use : Watershed management involves sustainable land use practices. To realise optimal productivity of land resources many agriculture techniques like conservation agriculture, agroforestry, rotational grazing, and land-use planning are promoted within the watershed.
• Groundwater recharge : Increasing ground water levels in the water scarce areas is one of the major goals of the watershed management.
• Ecosystem restoration : Watershed management aims to restore and preserve the natural habitats, biodiversity, and ecological functions of watersheds.
• Community engagement : The planning in the watershed management involves the participation of local communities. It promotes the collaboration between local communities, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private sector entities for fostering local ownership, empowerment, and support for watershed management initiatives.

• Holistic approach : Watershed management should take a holistic approach considering all aspects of the watershed, including water resources, soil conservation, forest management, agriculture.
• Single system approach : Watershed management should be based on natural boundaries of the area rather than the political boundaries. Watershed should be treated as a single unit.
• Long-term perspective : The activities for watershed management should be developed with a long-term perspective to ensure the sustainable use of natural resources.
• Management of available resources : Watershed management involves the effective utilisation of available resources. For example, Rain water harvesting and effective irrigation practices.
• Sustainable development : Sustainable use of resources is one of the major principles of watershed management which involves the conservation of natural resources like water, soil etc.
• Flexibility : Watershed management should have a flexible approach which means it should be adaptable to changing conditions and new information and able to modify the management practices accordingly.
• Social justice : Watershed management should work towards equitable distribution of benefits and resources among all sections of the community.

1. Watershed Delineation : The first step in watershed management is defining the area of watershed. The boundaries of the watershed are defined using geographic information systems (GIS) and topographic maps. The physical, biological, hydrological, and socio-economic features of the watershed, including land use/land cover, soil types, vegetation, water bodies, climate, population, and economic activities are analysed to understand the particular watershed.
2. Engagement of stakeholders : After analysing the characteristics of that watershed, stakeholders, including local communities, government agencies, NGOs, private sector entities, and indigenous groups are engaged through participatory approaches such as stakeholder workshops, group discussions and community meetings.
3. Identification of the problems : Through collaboration of all the stakeholders, the problems of the watershed are identified. A comprehensive assessment of water-related challenges, environmental degradation, and natural resource constraints such as water scarcity, soil erosion, water pollution, deforestation is done.
4. Objective formulation : According to the issues identified in the area achievable goals and objectives for watershed management are framed.
5. Development of strategy and Planning : A comprehensive watershed management plan outlining strategies, interventions, and actions is developed to achieve the identified goals and objectives.
6. Implementation of plan : The watershed management plan is implemented as per the strategy framed by mobilizing resources, building partnerships, and coordinating activities among stakeholders.
7. Monitoring : The progress of the watershed management plan is regularly monitored
8. Capacity building : The training, education, and outreach activities are conducted to empower local communities. They are given knowledge, skills, and resources to actively engage in watershed management and effectively utilise the improved quality and quantity of natural resources.

1. Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayi Yojana, 2015 (earlier Integrated Watershed Management Program (IWMP), 2009)
   • Government of India launched the Integrated Watershed Management Program as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme in 2009.
   • It was formerly known as Watershed Development Project.
   • It is implemented by The Department of Land Resources, Ministry of Rural Development.
   • Aim : To conserve the degraded natural resources like water, soil and vegetation within the watershed by preventing soil erosion, collecting rainwater and recharging groundwater and introducing modern agriculture practices to provide sustainable livelihood to the local communities.
   • Target : To encompass 55 million hectares of rain-fed land by 2027.
   • In the world it is the 2nd biggest watershed development program after China’s. ( World Bank report, 2014)
   • Funding pattern of the scheme is 90:10 shared between centre and state government.
   • The programme was subsumed into the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayi Yojana in 2015 along with Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP) and On-Farm Water Management (OFWM) scheme.
   • The PMKSY 1.0 was concluded in 2022 with many achievements -
     • The Ground water level has been increased upto 3m.
     • The area under cultivation has been increased by upto 30%
     • In the watershed areas, the farmer’s income has been increased by 70%.
     • Cropping intensity in the area has been increased by upto 18%.
   • PMKSY 2.0 was launched in 2021. A new activity ‘Springshed development’ was introduced under the watershed component of PMKSY 2.0. It will reduce the issue of water scarcity in the Himalayan states during the dry season. The development of springshed will counter the problems of ecological degradation and landslides in the fragile Himalayan ecosystem.
2. Micro watershed development projects : Micro watershed development projects are the initiatives aimed at sustainable management and conservation of natural resources within small geographic areas known as micro watersheds. These projects are usually taken in arid or semi-arid regions vulnerable to drought or water scarcity. The conservation measures under micro watershed development projects include construction of rain water harvesting structures, contour bunds, trenches, groundwater recharge structures such as percolation tanks, dug wells, and check dams.
   Some of the micro watershed projects initiated in India :-
   • Drought Prone Area Programme (DPAP): It was launched in 1973 to address the challenges of drought and water scarcity in arid and semi-arid regions of India. The programme includes watershed development interventions aimed at improving soil moisture retention, groundwater recharge, and agricultural productivity in drought-prone areas.
   • Desert Development Programme (DDP) : It was launched by government in 1995 to address the challenges of desertification, land degradation in arid and semi-arid regions of the country. It was launched for hot desert areas of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana and cold desert areas of Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.
     • DDAP and DDP were also subsumed under the watershed development component of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayi Yojana alongwith Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP).
   • Haryali Watershed Development Project : It is a Centrally sponsored project of Government of India with the aim to enable rural communities to conserve water resource for irrigation, afforestation and drinking purposes. It is being executed by the Gram panchayats with the participation of local communities.
   • Neeru-Meeru (Water and You) Program : This is the program of Andhra Pradesh government under which many rainwater harvesting structures like tanks, dug out ponds (Jihad), check dams, etc are built with community participation to conserve the water.
   • Tamil Nadu's Mandate for rain water Harvesting Structures : Tamil Nadu has mandated the rain water harvesting structures in all the buildings.

• Watershed management enhances the quality of water by reducing the water pollution.
• It conserves natural resources in the area like water, soil and vegetation.
• By involving the local communities in planning, the watershed management empowers them to adopt more sustainable practices which eventually lead to increase in their incomes.
• It increases soil productivity in turn increasing agricultural production by increasing the availability of water and soil fertility.
• It promotes inclusive and sustainable growth.

• Project related issues : The poor planning, poor project design, financial constraints and lack of understanding about upland and lowland areas have undermined the watershed management projects.
• Lack of legislative support : There is no national law related to the watershed management in India. It is one of the constraints in effective implementation of the watershed programmes.
• Limited institutional capacity : Weak institutional capacity at the local, state, and national levels hinders effective implementation, coordination, and monitoring of watershed management programs. Even the Self Help Groups are also not involved in the watershed management plans.
• Land use conflicts : Conflicting land use demands like agriculture, urban expansion, industrial development, and infrastructure projects, create competition for land and water resources within watersheds. It is a major challenge for the watershed management plans.
• Lack of community participation : Lack of awareness, social cohesion, and empowerment among communities reduces their ability to engage effectively in water management planning.
• Inadequate monitoring : Inadequate monitoring and evaluation hinders the assessment of impacts, outcomes and effectiveness of the water management plans.
• Reserved forests not included : Reserve forestlands are not included in the watershed management due to absence of any agreement between the rural and the forest department.

Watershed management is a critical approach to address water-related challenges, conserving natural resources, and promoting sustainable development in India. Despite its various achievements, it faces many challenges. These issues can be overcome by enhancing community participation and strengthening governance. Some of the sustainable practices can also be taken alongwith the watershed management for the sustainable development of the region like afforestation, terracing, contour farming for soil and water conservation, planting more and more trees, agronomic practices like crop rotation and organic farming, proper grazing practices for llivestock management and promotion of renewable energy in the area. Also, adequate monitoring and evaluation, capacity building, and knowledge sharing are essential for enhancing the effectiveness and sustainability of watershed management initiatives.