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Watershed development in India. 1. Biophysical and societal impacts

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Abstract

This paper recommends a revision of watershed development policy in India in relation to the planning of development interventions involving agricultural intensification and rainwater harvesting following biophysical and societal impact studies carried out on two watershed development projects in Karnataka. A need for changes in policy has arisen in response to progressive catchments closure at the basin level and declining volumes of water flowing into village level reservoirs (known locally as tanks). Flow reductions have occurred largely as a result of increased agricultural intensification over the past 10–15 years. Field levelling, field bund construction, soil water conservation measures, farm ponds, the increase in areas under horticulture and forestry and the increased abstraction and use of groundwater for irrigation are all contributing factors to reduced flows. Planning methodologies and approaches, which may have been appropriate 20 years ago for planning water harvesting within watershed development projects, are no longer appropriate today. New planning approaches are required which (1) take account of these changed flow conditions and (2) are also able to take account of externalities, which occur when actions of some affect the livelihoods of others who have no control or influence over such activities and which (3) contribute to the maintenance of agreed minimum downstream flows for environmental and other purposes.

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Notes

  1. The method, called the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) method was developed in the USA and has been adapted to various regions in India, based on soil type. It determines runoff based on a series of curves which are based from gauged flow and rainfall records in India (Tideman, 1998).

Abbreviations

BIRDS:

Bijapur integrated rural development society an NGO for the Inchigeri area

CLUWRR:

Centre for land use and water resources research

DANIDA:

Danish international development agency

DFID:

Department for international development

EXCLAIM:

EXploratory, climate, land, assessment, and impact, management tool

HYLUC:

HYdrological land use change

JSYS:

Jala samvardhane yojana sangha, a World Bank program responsible for implementing the Karnataka community based tank management project

KAWAD:

Karnataka watershed development society

NGO:

Non-governmental organisation

SCS:

Soil conservation service

SHG:

Self-help-group.

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Acknowledgments

The research was funded under the Forestry Research Programme (ZF0176) of the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID). The views expressed are not necessarily those of the DFID Forestry Research Programme.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CLUWRR, University of Newcastle, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK

    Ian Calder, Charles Batchelor & Emma Bishop

  2. Civil Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, India

    Ashvin Gosain

  3. JSYS, Bangalore, India

    M. S. Rama Mohan Rao

  4. Social development consultant, Hyderabad, India

    M. Snehalatha

Authors
  1. Ian Calder
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  2. Ashvin Gosain
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  3. M. S. Rama Mohan Rao
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  4. Charles Batchelor
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  5. M. Snehalatha
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  6. Emma Bishop
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ian Calder.

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Readers should send their comments on this paper to BhaskarNath@aol.com within 3 months of publication of this issue.

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Calder, I., Gosain, A., Rao, M.S.R.M. et al. Watershed development in India. 1. Biophysical and societal impacts. Environ Dev Sustain 10, 537–557 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-006-9079-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-006-9079-7

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