A watershed is a geo-hydrological unit where all water that falls as rain or snow drains into a common outlet, such as a river, lake, or reservoir. Watershed Management is the process of implementing land use practices and water management techniques to protect and improve the quality of the water and other natural resources within a watershed. In the Indian economy, it is viewed as a strategy for holistic rural development, especially in rain-fed areas which constitute about 51% of India’s net sown area.
Core Objectives and Components
Watershed management transitions from simple water harvesting to a “ridge-to-valley” approach involving several key components:
- Soil and Moisture Conservation: Techniques like contour trenching, bunding, and terracing to prevent topsoil erosion and increase water percolation.
- Water Harvesting: Construction of check dams, farm ponds (Khet Talai), and percolation tanks to store runoff.
- Vegetative Measures: Afforestation, social forestry, and pasture development to stabilize the soil and increase biomass.
- Livelihood Diversification: Integrating animal husbandry, pisciculture, and agro-forestry to reduce the farmer’s sole dependence on rain-fed crops.
Evolution of Watershed Programs in India
The administrative framework for watershed development has evolved from fragmented departmental schemes to integrated national missions.
| Period/Program | Nodal Agency | Focus Area |
| Drought Prone Areas Programme (DPAP) – 1973 | Ministry of Rural Development | Mitigating the impact of drought on livestock and crops. |
| Desert Development Programme (DDP) – 1977 | Ministry of Rural Development | Controlling desertification and restoring ecological balance. |
| Integrated Wastelands Development (IWDP) – 1989 | Ministry of Rural Development | Development of wastelands on a watershed basis. |
| Hariyali Guidelines – 2003 | Ministry of Rural Development | Empowering PRIs (Panchayati Raj Institutions) to execute projects. |
| Neeranchal National Watershed Project – 2016 | Ministry of Rural Development | World Bank-assisted project to support PMKSY-Watershed. |
Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) and PMKSY
In 2009-10, three major programs (DPAP, DDP, and IWDP) were merged into the Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP). In 2015, IWMP was integrated as the Watershed Development Component (WDC) of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY).
Key Features of WDC-PMKSY
- Common Guidelines: Following the Parthasarathy Committee recommendations, the program emphasizes a decentralized, multi-disciplinary approach.
- Institutional Structure: Managed by the National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA) and State Level Sanctioning Committees (SLSC).
- WDC-PMKSY 2.0: Launched for the period 2021-2026, it focuses on spring-shed development in the Himalayan regions and use of satellite imagery for real-time monitoring through the Srishti and Drishti portals.
Economic and Environmental Benefits
- Groundwater Recharge: Consistent implementation leads to a rise in the water table by 2–3 meters on average in treated areas.
- Crop Intensity: Enables farmers to shift from single-cropping (Kharif only) to double-cropping (Kharif and Rabi), significantly increasing the Cropping Intensity Index.
- Mitigation of Migration: By creating local employment and improving farm productivity, it reduces distress migration from rural to urban areas.
- Carbon Sequestration: Increased green cover contributes to India’s climate goals (NDC) by creating additional carbon sinks.
Success Stories and Models
Several grassroots movements have demonstrated the transformative power of watershed management:
- Ralegan Siddhi & Hiware Bazar (Maharashtra): Led by Anna Hazare and Popatrao Pawar respectively, these villages transformed from drought-stricken areas to prosperous self-sufficient economies through continuous contour trenches and bans on water-intensive crops like sugarcane.
- Sukhomajri (Haryana): Known for being the first village in India to be self-sufficient in water through small dams and social fencing.
- Pani Panchayat (Maharashtra): Introduced by Vilasrao Salunke, emphasizing equitable water distribution where even landless laborers have a right to water.
Challenges in Implementation
- Sustainability: Structures often fall into disrepair once the government funding cycle ends due to lack of community ownership.
- Scientific Planning: Inadequate use of hydro-geological mapping often leads to the construction of check dams in inappropriate locations.
- Upstream-Downstream Conflict: Disputes often arise between farmers at the “ridge” (top) and “valley” (bottom) regarding water rights.
- Climate Change: Extreme rainfall events are increasingly overwhelming small-scale watershed structures designed for moderate rain.
Facts and Trivia for UPSC Prelims
- Ridge-to-Valley Approach: The fundamental principle where treatment starts from the highest point (ridge) to the lowest point (valley) to reduce the velocity of water.
- NRAA (National Rainfed Area Authority): An expert body established in 2006 to provide knowledge inputs for systematic development of rain-fed areas.
- REWARD Project: (Resilient Watershed for Agricultural Resilience through Innovative Development) is a World Bank-aided project currently being implemented in states like Karnataka and Odisha.
- Neeranchal: A specific technical assistance program by the World Bank to improve the delivery of the IWMP (now PMKSY-Watershed).
- Bhuvan-IWMP: A geo-spatial application developed by ISRO to monitor the progress of watershed projects using satellite data.