Watershed Management - Jankari Store

Watershed Management

 The term "watershed" was used for "water division boundaries" introduced in 1920.  A watershed is an area of ​​land whose all runoff water passes through a single point.  The water falling in this area collects through a river or several of its tributaries and flows through a single place.

 Watershed management:-

 • Watershed management refers to the efficient management and conservation of surface and groundwater resources.

 • It involves the management of land surface and vegetation to conserve soil and water for immediate and long-term benefits to farmers, community and society.

 •In the broadest sense, it includes the conservation and regeneration and judicious use of all natural resources (such as land, by water, plants and animals) and human beings.

 Types of Watershed Management:-

 Watersheds are classified on the basis of drainage size and land use pattern.

 (i)  Macro watershed: 1000-10000 ha

 (ii) Micro watershed: 100-1000 hectares

 (iii) Mini Watershed: 10-100 Hectares

 (iv) Milli Watershed: 1-10 hectares

 Objectives of watershed management program:-

 

• Preventing soil erosion and conserving soil moisture and maintaining vegetative cover.

 •Management of drainage, salinity and alkalinity related problems

 • Raising the underground water level.

 • To improve the irrigation system to increase the yield.

 • To protect soil and water resources.

 • To use the land according to its capacity.

 • To make maximum storage of rain water as possible.

 • Revitalizing traditional methods of water conservation.

 • To conserve surplus water through various measures/methods.

 • Adoption of methods of ecological recharge such as pasture development, horticulture, agroforestry and renewables.

Components of watershed management program:-

 i.) Soil and Water Conservation

 ii.) Water Harvesting and Water Management

 iii.) Alternative Land Use System

 iv.) Crop Management

Approaches to Watershed Management Program:-

Two types of approaches have been adopted for watershed management.

• Integrated Approach: Under this, an attempt was made to integrate technology with natural resources.

• Community based Approach: Under this, importance was given to community participation.

 Process/stages of watershed management:-

 The work of watershed management is done in several stages.

 • In the first stage, the watershed area/region is identified.

 • In the second stage, the topography, climate, water circulation and manpower potential of the land are surveyed and evaluated in the identified area.

 • In the third stage, the work of observation is done. In fact, an attempt is made to know what are the resource requirements of the population of the identified area.

 • In the fourth stage, the work of planning is done considering the ecological potential of the state as a means of development.

 Work done towards watershed management in India:-

 • Many programs related to watershed management were started in India in the 1970s, but in the 1990s, efforts were made on a large scale.

 • Integrated Watershed Management Program launched.

 • In fact, the Drought Prone Areas Program (DPAP), the Desert Development Program (DDP) and the Integrated Wasteland Development Program (IWDP) were coordinated in the Integrated Watershed Programme.

 • National Water Harvesting Project for rainfed areas was started.

 • Watershed management project was run for shift farming areas.

 • Watershed Management Fund was set up.

Contribution of watershed management program:-

 • Increase in recharge of ground water.

 • Increase in the number of wells in water bodies.

 • Increase in cropping intensity and change in cropping pattern.

 • Reduction in soil erosion/erosion and increase in crop yield.

 • Reduction in drought and floods.

 • Provided more employment opportunities.

 •Protected rain water for irrigation and industrial use

 Conclusions:-

 Watershed is an essential in day to day life, a wide range of activities of daily living depends on adequate supply of water.  For example, agriculture and industry, power generation, inland transport, sanitation etc.  Therefore, to provide all these activities, it is necessary to create and manage the watershed.  Management of watersheds provides a means to achieve sustainable use of land and water.