Watershed Management

• A watershed is a geographic unit (a piece of land) that collects, stores, and

releases water. Collected water comes from rain, snow and fog. This water is
stored in lakes, ponds, sub-surface soil and geological formations.
• The stored water is then released through rivers, streams and ground water flow.
Thus, a watershed can be described as a land from where water drains into a
particular stream, river, lake, wetland, estuary and even the ocean
• Watershed is a natural system and all lands (and all humans, wildlife and activity
on that land) are part of one or other watershed. Being a natural system,
watersheds provide substantial benefits to people and the neighborhood when
they are kept in good condition. But individual or collective action directly affects
it.
• Depletion in the ground water table, drying of small streams after the
monsoons, floods, and the spread of desertification are some of the
consequences of an affected watershed.
• The watershed management program was started in India in 1999 to
control these adverse effects.
• It provides scientifically-based education to maintain the viable
natural resource management of agriculture production while
conserving, protecting and restoring watersheds to secure water both
in quality and quantity for drinking, agriculture and sanitation.
Watershed Management Program
• The method includes mapping of the watershed area, construction of a series of long
trenches and mounds along the hills to hold rain water and allowing it to percolate into
the ground.
• Plantation of trees and grass is done to enhance seeping of water to the ground and to
prevent water contamination and landslides.
• The main benefits of watershed management can be listed as follows:
(i) It recharges the ground water, potentially reducing water storage during dry spells.
(ii) It reduces severity of floods downstream by retaining water and releasing it during the
dry periods.
(iii) It protects stream banks and shore lines from erosion.
(iv) It improves water quality by breaking down, removing, using and retaining
nutrients, organic waste and sediments carried to the wetlands with run-off from
the watershed.
(v) It provides food and other products such as commercial fish and shell fish for
human use.
(vi) It provides fish and wildlife, including numerous rare and endangered species,
food, habitat, breeding
grounds and resting areas.
(vii) It increases opportunities for recreation, bird watching, photography and
outdoor education.
Case Study
• The City of Dawn: Auroville, the city of dawn, is situated about five kilometers
away from the sea 10 km north of Pondicherry and 150 km south of Chennai. It is
designed as a universal town where people from all over the world live in peace
and progressive harmony.
• About 35 years ago, Auroville was a desert land caused by 200 years of
deforestation and overuse. This barren land was exposed to wind and water
erosion with the fall of water tables, decreasing crop yield, and a deeply furrowed
erosion channel
• Herald Kraft, an expert in water conservation and watershed management of
Berlin, Germany, studied the situation and said that if water could be conserved
then construction of the city is possible.
• Kraft built two watersheds. Starting from the top of the watershed, bunds were
made around individual fields so that no water could overflow to another field.
• All the fields were protected from cattle grazing by planting thorny plants along
the bunds. Small dams were also made to stop the flow of water into valley.
• Plantation was done first on land. Indigenous tree species were used in seriously
degraded lands.
• As the vegetation started growing, the microclimate also changed. In this way,
with effective watershed management, Auroville has been transformed from a
desert into a lush and verdant jungle supporting a thriving diverse community of
people, plants and animals.
BEFORE AFTER
Wasteland Reclamation
• Wasteland reclamation is the process of turning barren, sterile wasteland into something
that is fertile and suitable for habitation and cultivation
• The formation of wasteland is nothing but the result of increasing overuse and abuse of
our land resource.
• Wasteland land can be classified as:
(i) Barren and uncultivable land.
(ii) Fallow land (Fallow land is a piece of land that is normally used for farming but that is
left with no crops on it for a season in order to let it recover its fertility)
(iii) Fallow and cultivable wasteland.
(iv) saline and alkaline land
(v) water eroded wasteland
• All types of wastelands should be reclaimed for productive use for:
(a) Meeting the constant demand for agricultural land for our ever growing
population.
(b) Afforestation to maintain ecological balance.
(c) Protection of natural resources.
• In India, the National Wasteland Development Board was established in 1985 to
formulate action plans to stop further land degradation. In 1992, the Board was
transferred under the Ministry of Rural Development with the formation of a new
department of Wasteland Development.
• Five districts in the country (under the state ministry) — Sundargarh, Purulia,
Almora, Bellary and Durgapur — have been chosen for the implementation of the
plan for reforestation and reclamation of degraded lands by the Ministry of
Environment and Forests.
 Case Study
• Biodiesel from Wastelands: Plantation of Jatropha curcas is a unique case of
wasteland reclamation. Jatropha curcas which produces oil-rich seeds is known
to survive in eroded land and requires limited amount of water, nutrients and
capital inputs. The Jatropha curcas trees not only grow in uncultivable wastelands
but also yield vegetable oil suitable for conversion into biodiesel. The concept of
substituting biodiesel produced from plantations from eroded soils for
conventional diesel fuel has gained widespread attention in India.
• Besides the use of Jatropha curcas trees as substitute of diesel, the following are
some of the other uses of the Jatropha tree:
❑To make soap, lubricants and candles.
❑It is a raw material for plastic and synthetic
❑fibres.
❑It is a raw material for medicines.