I. WATERSHED PROJECTS.
Thottiyapatty/Dasilnaikanoor/Kakayampaty
‘Making Running water Walk’

Conjunctive Use of Water for Tree

Growing Watershed Location Map

SEVAI Founder, K.Govindaraju, started his mission with villagers’ interaction in interior villages, Lead a team of gradates and undertook a research study on Rural Cumulative Poverty in 412 villages in Tamilnadu in 1975 and a report was brought out on findings. A monograph had been brought out under the technical support of the Administrative Staff College; Hyderabad for assessing the cumulative poverty hit villages and selected poorest of the poor villages and initiated development intervention based on the study.

Interaction With Community And Baseline Survey

View of Thottiyapatty before Watershed / PRA Process

The objectives of SEVAI are employment, environment, and enlightenment. The SEVAI believes that the village as a human settlement, a socio-economic entity, with an identity and history of its own, which has grown as a result of interaction with a particular eco system, should not only survive in modern society, but also should grow in strength. ‘Watershed development has been conceived basically as a strategy for protecting the livelihoods of the people inhabiting the fragile ecosystems experiencing soil erosion and moisture stress”. Man and his environment are interdependent.

The changes in the environment directly affect the lives of the people depending on it. A degraded environment means a degraded quality of life of the people. Environmental degradation can be tackled effectively through the holistic development of the watershed. A watershed provides a natural geo- hydrological unit for planning any developmental initiative.

• Watershed development and management implies an integration of technologies within the natural boundary of a drainage area for optimum development of land, water and plant resources, to meet the people's basic needs in a sustained manner.

• This watershed is an area from which runoff resulting from precipitation flows past a single point into a large stream, river, lake/ pond. Each watershed is an independent hydrological unit. It has become an acceptable unit of planning for optimum use and conservation of soil and water resources.

• The concept of integrated watershed development refers to the development and management of the resources in the watershed to achieve higher sustainable production without deterioration in the resource base and any ecological imbalances.

• This concept requires the formulation and implementation of a package of programmes with activities for optimum resource use in the watershed without adversely affecting the soil and water base or life supporting system.

• The concept assumes more importance in the context of planning for sustained development.

• Watershed development aims at preventing watershed degradation resulting from the interaction of physiographic features. It eliminates unscientific land use, inappropriate cropping patterns and soil erosion, thereby improving and sustaining productivity of resources leading to higher income and living standards for the inhabitants in the watershed area.

• It therefore involves restoration of the ecosystem, protecting and utilizing the locally available resources within a watershed to achieve sustainable development.

• Rainfall failure occurs once every 3 to 5 years and is usually below 50% of the average annual rainfall of the region. During periods of rainfall failure, the groundwater level lowers since fluctuations in the water table levels depend on the rainfall when both surface and groundwater availability becomes critical.

• Drought begins to prevail and there is difficult to cope up with the water demand during this period. Similarly, in some locations or areas water shortage is observed just before the rainy season commences. These two situations can be managed if suitable soil and moisture conservation measures are systematically implemented on a small watershed basis. • There are always strong links between soil conservation and water conservation measures. Many actions are directed primarily to one or the other, but most contain an element of both. Reduction of surface runoff can be achieved by constructing suitable structures or by changes in land management.

• Further, this reduction of surface runoff will increase infiltration and help in water conservation. Water/soil conservation process.

Water/soil conservation process

• Watershed is defined as a geohydrological unit draining to a common point by a system of drains. All lands on earth are part of one watershed or other. Watershed is thus the land and water area, which contributes runoff to a common point. Water is essential for all life and is used in many different ways - for food production, drinking and domestic uses. It is also part of the larger ecosystem on which bio diversity depends.

• Precipitation, converted to soil and groundwater and thus accessible to vegetation and people, is the dominant pre-condition for biomass production and social development in dry lands.

• The amount of available water is equivalent to the water moving through the landscape. It also fluctuates between the wet and dry periods.

• Irrigation potential which exists in Tamilnadu is much more than the presently irrigated area for food security.

• A variety of essential soil moisture and water conservation technologies adopted to reduce the cost of irrigation, extend it throughout and promote sustainable small-scale irrigation on a watershed basis in the PVF supported watersheds will be documented.

• Watershed technologies are essential especially in drought-prone areas. Even though drought is a purely natural calamity caused by the failure of (monsoon) rain, it can be minimized by careful planning and operation.

• During good rainy years, excess rainwater should be stored in the soil and also underground using suitable soil moisture conservation measures and water harvesting structures on a watershed basis. This stored water can subsequently be used for irrigation.

Farm Manure / Vermin Compost / Milk Production

The word watershed refers to a “contiguous area draining into a single water body or a water course” or “it is a topographical area having a common drainage”. This means that the rainwater falling on an area coming within a ridgeline can be harvested and will flow out of this area thorough single point. The term watershed development encompasses additional dimensions like equity, sustainability, gender and peoples participation. It has become a trusted tool for the overall development of the village and people living within a watershed area.

 Objectives of watershed management implemented in SEVAI in

Dasilnaickanoor/Thottiyapatty/Kakayampatty cluster.
 

The different objectives of watershed management programmes achieved are:

1. To control damaging runoff and degradation and thereby conservation of soil and water.

2. To manage and utilize the runoff water for useful purpose.

3. To protect, conserve and improve the land of watershed for more efficient and sustained production.

4. To protect and enhance the water resource originating in the watershed.

5. To check soil erosion and to reduce the effect of sediment yield on the watershed.

6. To rehabilitate the deteriorating lands.

7. To moderate the floods peaks at down stream areas.

8. To increase infiltration of rainwater.

9. To improve and increase the production of timbers, fodder and wild life resource.

10. To enhance the ground water recharge, wherever applicable

Activites of watershed in SEVAI

• Actualize the vast untapped growth potential of Indian agriculture

• Strengthened rural infrastructure to support faster agricultural development

• Promoted value addition, accelerate the growth of agro enterprises among self help groups

• Created employment in rural areas

• Secured a fair standard of living for all agriculturalists and SHGs

• Discouraged migration to urban areas and face the challenges arising out of economic liberalization and globalisation.

• Resource mobilisation for sustainablity such as soil, farm equipment, loans and packages of practice of different crops.

• Improvement of the Quality soil is one of the most important farming inputs.

• High yields and good produce can be achieved only when the right type of soil is used for a certain crop.

• Agriculturalists / individual entrepreneurs -setting up of small dairy farms for milk production.

• Popularization of new technologies/tools/techniques for commercialization/ adoption.

• Introduction of new concepts to improve farming systems.

• Upgradation of skills by exchange of technical know-how.

• Development of agriculture and allied sectors by better farming practices and cropping patterns, judicious use of water by introducing drip irrigation system, yield enhancement etc. as a result the village where nearly three- fourth population was below poverty line, has become self sufficient and is surplus in food grains, today.

• Development of managerial skills and capability among people with low level of education, exposure and training.

• Enough scope for women for self development.

• An appreciable change in the attitude of the people with high degree of moral standards and ethics.

• Over all improvement in the quality of life of the people, and conservation and use of the natural resources in a very sustainable manner.
   

The broad range of initial community mobilization and organization activities is as follows:

• Conducting formal and informal meeting among the watershed community

• Conducting awareness campaign through audio visual aids and folk songs and theatre

• Preparation of audio visual aids for the awareness campaigns

• Conducting Benchmark and Socio-economic Surveys to obtain baseline data

• Conducting Participatory Rural Appraisals (PRAs) in all three selected watersheds

• Capacity Building activities imparting training in technical, managerial, financial areas

• Formation of Watershed Association and Committees

• Formation of User Groups

• Facilitation for preparation of participatory Perspective Watershed Development Plan

• Conducting managerial and technical training to the established local level institutions

• Formation and development of Self Help Groups

• Conducting Participatory Evaluation based on established Performance Indicators

• Facilitating post-project management and sustainable project activities.

• Training in community mobilization and agriculture

Watershed management practices

1. Interms of purpose

2. To increase infiltration

3. To increase water holding capacity

4. To prevent soil erosion

5. Method and accomplishment

1. Increasing House Hold Income

2. Improving Agriculture Productivity.

3. Improving Vegetative Cover.

4. Increasing Milk and Horticulture Production.

5. Increasing Fodder and Fuel availability.

6. Reducing Soil Erosion & Runoff to Improve Water Availability.

7. Enhancing Quality and Life of Village Communities.

8. Use of land, water and vegetation according to its capability we can changes in knowledge, skills, attitudes for enhancing resource use efficiency and improvement in socio-economic and ecological conditions

In brief various control measures undertaken by SEVAI are:

1. Vegetative measures & Strip cropping

2. Pasture cropping

3. Grass land farming

4. Wood lands

5. Engineering measures

6. Contour bunding

7. Terracing

8. Construction of earthen embankment

9. Construction of check dams

10. Construction of farm ponds

11. Construction of diversion

12. Gully controlling structure

13. Rock dam

14. Establishment of permanent grass and vegetation

15. Providing vegetative and stone barriers

16. Construction of silt tanks dentension Influence of soil conservation measures and vegetation cover on erosion, Runoff and Nutrient loss.

17. Rainwater harvesting is the main component of watershed management.

Agro forestry and periodic maintenance of water soil conservation measures

SEVAI has completed the following RWH projects in three watersheds:

• 12 check dams

• 21 percolation tanks

• 118 farm ponds

• 218 gullies repaired

• 15 underground tanks.

Watershed impact of three watersheds:

• Actualize the vast untapped growth potential of Indian agriculture

• Strengthened rural infrastructure to support faster agricultural development

• Promoted value addition, accelerate the growth of agro enterprises among self help groups

• Created employment in rural areas

• Secured a fair standard of living for all agriculturalists and SHGs

• Discouraged migration to urban areas and face the challenges arising out of economic liberalization and globalisation.

• Resource mobilisation for sustainablity such as soil, farm equipment, loans and packages of practice of different crops.

• Improvement of the Quality soil is one of the most important farming inputs. High yields and good produce can be achieved only when the right type of soil is used for a certain crop.

• Agriculturalists / individual entrepreneurs -setting up of small dairy farms for milk production.

• Popularization of new technologies/tools/techniques for commercialization/ adoption.

• Introduction of new concepts to improve farming systems.

• Upgradation of skills by exchange of technical know-how.

• Development of agriculture and allied sectors by better farming practices and cropping patterns, judicious use of water by introducing drip irrigation system, yield enhancement etc. as a result the village where nearly three- fourth population was below poverty line, has become self sufficient and is surplus in food grains, today.

• Development of managerial skills and capability among people with low level of education, exposure and training.

• Enough scope for women for self development.

• An appreciable change in the attitude of the people with high degree of moral standards and ethics.

Over All Improvement in The Quality of Life of The People and Conservation

Improved Economy with Gender Perspective

• Rain Water Harvesting through open wells, development of small water harvesting structures as low – cost farm ponds, nullah bunds, check dams, percolation tanks.

• The impact of such activities is a reduction in runoff rain water in open fields, increase in water level, increase in area under cultivation and curbing of top soil erosion.

• Renovation and de-silting of tanks / ponds, augmentation of water sources. This has resulted in filling irrigation gap, increase in water storage capacity, dry land cultivation being brought under wet land cultivation, conversion from single crop area to double crop area, increase in water in nearby wells and in tank itself (2-3 times) Social forestry and orchard plantations. While afforestration has lead to increase in green cover and improvement in the ecosystem, the planting of orchards has brought more wastelands under plantation with an increase in intercrop area.

• The most significant advantage is the appreciation of land value under herbal cultivation. Land development and reclamation including in-situ soil and moisture conservation measures. Principally activities undertaken include reclamation of degraded and undulated wastelands to level land through land leveling thereby brought under cultivation with earthen bunding on sides.

• This has controlled soil erosion, lead to increase in moisture retention capacity, increased wasteland brought under cultivation, conversion of dry land to wet land, increase in production and subsequent increase in land value indicating increase in income. Minor / Major / diversion check dams and stone bunding structures.

• These minor civil structures mode of locally available materials helps in arresting top soil erosion as they are laid in slopes with over 10 percent gradient. As a result of such measures, there is increase in moisture retention in catchments areas, increase in production, conversion of wasteland into cultivable land and additional vegetative cover.

Executive Summary of the watershed
Thottiyapatty/Dasilnaickanoor and Kakayampatty.

• A watershed 412 ha in three micro watersheds 25 km south of Kulitalai in Manaparai Road, in Karur District, Tamilnadu.

Problem

• Low erratic rainfall averaging 700 mm per year, and recurrent droughts;

• Soil erosion resulting in a reduction of cultivable land and the abandonment of severely eroded areas;

• Infertile sandy soils with very low water retention and storage capacity;

• Reduction in plot sizes due to land allocations to the homeless, population growth and inheritance laws;

• Low crop yields and frequent failure due to drought;

• Degraded communal grazing land due to overstocking;

• Lowered water table because of over-exploitation;

• Acute scarcity of fodder and fuelwood;

• Seasonal migration of human and livestock populations;

• Change from mix cropping to single crop system.

Intervention

• Introducing the management of natural resources - soil, water, vegetation and animals for increased production through an integrated sustainable production system over the whole watershed;

• Field testing of nationally developed dryland farming technologies;

• Increasing awareness among rural people to encourage participation in the new system.

Achievements

• Land protection using multi- purpose shelter belts against wind and water erosion;

• Reclamation of 120 ha of wasteland through gully stopping;

• Improved and sustainable source of fuel wood from shelterbelt pruning;

• Increased yields from intercropping drought-tolerant high yielding crops with fast- growing, multi-purpose trees;

• Increased acreages (3-4 times) of irrigated commercial crops and double cropping because of improved water harvesting;

• Improved dairy output resultant on increased fodder availability;

• Higher incomes through produce, sales and employment opportunities - poverty alleviation;

• Improved housing, access to education, nutrition and health.;

• Improved vegetation cover and biodiversity. overall achievements

• A rise in groundwater level;

• Recognition of the value of the integrated management of natural resources widely recognized by government ministries with the consequent policy that dry land areas be based on watershed-based integrated management.;

• Replication in other areas of Rajasthan and also Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana;

• Development of an instruction manual for other users.