Contents

Watershed Development
Integrated Watershed Management
Successful Case Study

PREAPARED BY
P.ANIL KUMAR
M.TECH(HYD&WRE)

Watershed Development
Limited water resources,more demand.

Watershed is the basic scientific unit.

Need for proper planning and
management.
Integrated watershed development
approach
Digital revolution
Recent advances in watershed

What is Watershed
A watershed or drainage basin is the area of
land that provides water to a stream, river,
reservior, lake etc.,
The word watershed is sometimes used
interchangeably with drainage basin or
catchment. Ridges and hills that separate two
watersheds are called the drainage divide. The
water resources of a watershed include surface
water--lakes, streams, reservoirs, and
wetlands--and all the underlying ground water.

Watershed

An example of Watershed (drainage basin)

WATERSHED Development
Watershed
Characteristics.
Hydrology of
watershed.
Watershed (ha)
50,0002,00,000
10,000-50,000
1,000-10,000
100-1,000
10-100

Classification
Watershed
Sub-watershed
Milli- watershed
Micro-watershed
Mini-watershed

WATERSHED Development
Parameters of Watershed
Size
Shape
Physiography
Climate
Drainage
Land use
Vegetation
Geology and Soils
Hydrology
Hydrogeology
Socioeconomics

Integrated Watershed Management

Large water resources development projects in India

have adverse socio-economic and environmental consequences.
consequences

The failure of such projects, contributed to indebtedness,

indebtedness
raising economic pressure and jeopardising future development.
Indiscriminate expansion of marginal lands and over-utilisation
of existing water resources for irrigation.

Traditional water harvesting systems have suffered sever neglect.

This type of development not only called into question

the adequacy of water resources schemes but triggered the urgent
search for more effective and appropriate management strategies.
Major response to follow Integrated Watershed Management Approach.

Concepts and Principles of IWM

Objectives:
Water has multiples uses and must be
managed in an integrated way.
Water should be managed at the lowest
appropriate level.
Water allocation should take account of the
interests of all who are affected.
Water should be recognised and treated as an
economic good.

Strategies:
A long term, viable sustainable future for
basin stake holders.
Equitable access to water resources for
water users.
The application of principles of demand
management for efficient utilisation.
Prevention of further environmental
degradation (short term) and the
restoration of

degraded resources (long term). .

Integrated Watershed Approach

1980

Low

1990

Watershed development program

Project success
Public participation
planning, design,
implementation

1970

Socio-economic,
water conservation,
participation

Socio-economic with
water conservation

High

Mainly water
conservation

Public Participation

IWM is the process of planning and implementing water and natural

resources an emphasis on integrating the bio-physical, socio-economic
and institutional aspects.

2000

IWA Modeling through

Advanced Technologies

Part 5: Successful Case Study

Catchment Area =
1800 km2

Jhabua Watershed: Case Study

Madhya Pradesh ( INDIA ), ~ altitude of 380 m to
540 m. Area 1800 sq.km
Highly undulating, sparsely distributed forest cover.
~ 57% arable land including cultivable fellow and
~ 18% notified as forest land.
Average rainfall ~ 750 mm per annum.

~ 20-30 events during June-September

~ Classified as drought prone region.
Moisture deficit during January
to May months each year.

Jhabua watershed: Case study

Major crops:
Maize, Cotton, Peanuts,
Soyabeans;
Gram, Black beans, Oil
seeds.
Predominantly tribal population, 92%
engaged in agriculture.
~ high seasonal migration
~ economically one of the
most backward district

Yearlyrainfalldeparturefromthemeanforrainfallstation
Jhabua

Seasonal
rainfall
departure
are
extremely
variable.

Development Issues

Subsistence of rainfed monocropping farming system

withlowagricultureproductivity
Undulating topography and soil erosion due to
overgrazingcausingdegradationofland.
High pressure of population on the agriculture land
leadingtosubstantialpovertycausingimmigration.
Absence of decentralized water resources and basic
infrastructurefacilities.
Degradation of forestry land due to absence of
communityinvolvementinprotectionoftheforest.

Planning & Implementation

AThreestepIWMAmodelapproach

1. Resources Mapping using Geographical

InformationSystem
2. AppropriateTechnology
3. ManagementInformationSystem

Resources mapping: Ground water dynamics

Total alluvium area= 18.5 km2

Channel porosity = 20%
Depth of wetting front = 4.0 m

Total storage capacity = 14.8 x106 m3.

AppropriateTechnology

Waterconservation
andgroundwater
rechargetechniques

Waterharvestingcum
supplementary
irrigationtechniquesin
Jhabua

Discussion
Success interventions reside in integration of appropriate technical and
managerial measures.
measures
Peoples participation in the entire process are most important.
The benefits of water harvesting and water conservation definitely reached.
Efficient utilisation of funds, only 10-15% spent on non-project costs.
Thus, IWM approach may be characterised by
Community management built on existing social structure,
structure
Project management drawn from village level organisations,
organisations
Joint forest management with community participation,
Self-help water user groups and community based banking institutions.
Limitation: 100% drought proofing for every water use can not be achieved.

Concluding Remarks
The integrated watershed management approach
have the following major components:
Promote sustainable economic development through optimum
utilisation of natural resources and local capacity building.
Restore ecological balance through community participation
and cost affordable technologies for easy acceptance.
Improving living conditions of the poorer through more equitable
resources distribution and greater access to income
generating activities.

Concluding Remarks
About 2-4 meter water level increase is observed in selected wells.
Watershed management can easily cope with climate change impacts.

The benefits of water harvesting and water conservation not only for
drinking water security but also for agriculture definitely reached.
Efficient utilisation of funds as only 10-15% of the total budget
spent on non-project costs.

Water security through IWM

QUERY
TIME

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