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🛠️ Watershed Development Programs in India

Evolution of watershed programmes from DPAP to PMKSY-WDC, key institutions, success stories (Ralegan Siddhi, Sukhomajri), and impacts of watershed development.

Watershed development programmes in India evolved from drought relief models to integrated natural resource management frameworks with community participation and livelihood outcomes.

Watershed Development: Concept

A watershed is a hydrological unit — an area of land that drains to a common outlet (stream, river, or lake). Watershed development is an integrated approach to managing land, water, vegetation, and human activities within this unit for:

  • Sustainable agricultural productivity
  • Groundwater recharge and conservation
  • Reduction in soil erosion and siltation
  • Improvement in rural livelihoods

Unlike single-purpose irrigation or flood control projects, watershed development treats the entire landscape as a system — addressing upstream causes of downstream problems.

Evolution of Watershed Programmes in India

India's watershed development journey spans six decades, evolving from fragmented soil conservation efforts to a unified, participatory national mission.

1960s: Early Soil Conservation

  • Ministry of Agriculture initiated soil conservation schemes under Five-Year Plans
  • Focus: physical soil conservation structures (bunds, terracing) without community participation
  • Limited impact; top-down implementation

1974–1985: DPAP and DDP

  • DPAP (Drought Prone Areas Programme, 1973–74): covered 70 drought-prone districts; area-based development
  • DDP (Desert Development Programme, 1977–78): arid zones of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana; sand dune stabilization, water harvesting
  • Both programmes multi-sectoral but lacked integrated watershed approach

1989: NWDPRA

  • NWDPRA (National Watershed Development Project for Rainfed Areas): first unified watershed approach
  • Treated entire micro-watersheds; combined soil, water, crop management
  • Implemented in 25 states; 16.3 million ha target
  • Limitations: low community participation; contractor-driven construction

1994: Hanumantha Rao Committee

  • Reviewed watershed programmes; recommended participatory approach
  • Key reform: shift from contractor model to community self-help model
  • Watershed Development Teams (WDT) for community mobilization
  • Watershed Committees (WC) for local governance and fund management

1999: Integrated Watershed Development Programme (IWDP)

  • Separate programme for wastelands; implemented by Department of Land Resources
  • Emphasized community participation and convergence

2008: Common Guidelines

  • Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects (2008): unified all central watershed schemes under one framework
  • Standardized: project cost per ha, project duration, governance structure, entry point activities
  • Introduced Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) and independent watershed development agencies

2015: PMKSY-WDC (Current Programme)

Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana — Watershed Development Component replaces all earlier watershed schemes.

PMKSY-WDC: Current National Watershed Programme

Overview

  • Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Rural Development, Dept of Land Resources (DOLR)
  • Total outlay: Rs 50,740 crore (12th Plan + 15th Finance Commission)
  • Target: 1.5 Mha treatment per year; 1678+ sanctioned projects
  • Area coverage: covers ~49 Mha rainfed and degraded land across India

Implementation Structure

  • Project batch size: minimum 1000 ha per project
  • Project duration: 4–5 years
  • Project cost: Rs 12,000/ha (general areas); Rs 15,000/ha (hilly and tribal areas)
  • Funding ratio: 60% Central + 40% State; 5% for project management; 5% community contribution (in kind or cash)

Participatory Governance

  • WDT (Watershed Development Teams): NGO/government agency; community mobilization, training, facilitation
  • WC (Watershed Committees): elected community body; manages funds; implements activities
  • UGs (User Groups): beneficiary groups organized by activity (SHG for women, farmer groups for water harvesting)

Activities Funded

  • Soil and water conservation structures (check dams, bunds, farm ponds)
  • Land development (leveling, bunding)
  • Afforestation and pasture development
  • Livelihood activities (animal husbandry, SHG income generation)
  • Capacity building and entry point activities

Predecessor: IWMP

  • IWMP (Integrated Watershed Management Programme, 2009–2015): immediate predecessor to PMKSY-WDC
  • Implemented 8,214 projects across India; treated 39 million ha

Key Research Institutions in Watershed Development

ICAR-CRIDA (Hyderabad)

  • Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture
  • Primary research mandate: dryland and rainfed farming technology
  • Develops contingency crop plans for 672 districts
  • Watershed hydrology research; soil-water-crop management models

ICRISAT (Hyderabad)

  • International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics
  • SAT (Semi-Arid Tropics) watershed research — Hyderabad campus (Kanchanbagh)
  • Participatory watershed research; crop improvement for dryland crops

CAZRI (Jodhpur)

  • Central Arid Zone Research Institute
  • Desert watershed management; sand dune stabilization; water harvesting in arid zones
  • Technology for Rajasthan, Gujarat desert regions

CSWCR&TI (Dehradun)

  • Central Soil and Water Conservation Research and Training Institute
  • Research on hilly watershed management; terracing design; soil erosion modeling
  • Sukhomajri success story originated from CSWCR&TI research

Landmark Success Stories

Ralegan Siddhi, Maharashtra (Anna Hazare)

  • Location: Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra (semi-arid)
  • Pre-development condition (1975): barren watershed; severe land degradation; no groundwater; acute poverty; alcohol dependency
  • Intervention: Anna Hazare mobilized the village community in a comprehensive watershed development effort:
    • Contour trenches, bunds, check dams constructed by community labor
    • Complete ban on tree cutting, open grazing, and alcohol
    • Drip irrigation introduced when water table recovered
  • Post-development outcome (by 1990s):
    • Water table rose from 30 feet to 10 feet
    • Irrigation expanded to 1000+ acres (from near zero)
    • Per capita income increased from Rs 225/year to Rs 2,500/year
    • Village became self-sufficient in food grains and export-surplus in vegetables
  • Significance: became the national model for participatory watershed development; inspired thousands of village-level replication efforts across India

Sukhomajri, Haryana (P.R. Mishra / CSWCR&TI)

  • Location: Shivalik hills foothills, Haryana
  • Problem: severe runoff and sediment load from Shivalik hills damaging downstream Sukhna Lake (Chandigarh)
  • Intervention (1975 onwards, led by P.R. Mishra, CSWCR&TI):
    • Water harvesting structures (percolation dams) in upper watershed
    • Water distributed equitably through Water Users' Associations — each family gets equal share
    • Community rules for grazing: no free grazing on treated hillsides; grass auctioned; proceeds fund maintenance
    • Afforestation of degraded hillsides
  • Outcomes:
    • Sediment load to Sukhna Lake reduced by 95%
    • Well water levels in village rose; irrigation expanded
    • Biomass production on hills increased 10× (due to protection)
    • Village income doubled; milk production increased with better fodder
  • Significance: demonstrated that equitable benefit sharing and community rules are as important as physical structures; influenced national watershed guidelines (Hanumantha Rao Committee)

Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyan, Maharashtra (2015–2019)

  • State-level programme to make Maharashtra drought-free
  • Scale: 25,130 villages treated; Rs 9,500+ crore invested
  • Activities: deepening and widening of streams, construction of cement and earthen stop dams, farm ponds, contour bunding
  • Impact: significant groundwater recharge in treated villages; cropping intensity improved

Quantified Impacts of Watershed Development

Well-implemented watershed development programmes consistently show:

Parameter Impact
Runoff reduction 25–50% reduction in peak runoff
Groundwater table 30–40% increase in water table depth
Crop yield 30–40% increase in rainfed crop yields
Cropping intensity 20–25% increase (additional Rabi crop possible with recharged wells)
Farm income Rs 3,000–5,000/ha/year increase
SOC increase +0.1–0.2% over 5–10 years

Challenges in Watershed Development

  1. Post-project maintenance: structures deteriorate after project funding ends; no community mechanism for repair
  2. Elite capture: wealthier farmers with more land and wells capture disproportionate share of water benefits
  3. Equitable benefit sharing: downstream farmers benefit more from water; upstream farmers bear construction costs
  4. Degraded land complexity: severely degraded lands require 10–15 years to recover — short project cycles insufficient
  5. Climate change: shifting monsoon patterns challenge project design assumptions

Summary Cheat Sheet

Scheme Period Area Treated (Mha) Nodal Ministry Key Features
DPAP 1973–1999 ~18 Agriculture Drought-prone areas; multi-sector
DDP 1977–1999 ~8 Agriculture Desert zones; sand dune stabilization
NWDPRA 1990–2000 16.3 Agriculture First unified watershed; rainfed areas
IWDP 1995–2009 ~5 Rural Dev (DOLR) Wastelands focus; community participation
IWMP 2009–2015 39 Rural Dev (DOLR) Common Guidelines; 8214 projects
PMKSY-WDC 2015–present 49 (target) Rural Dev (DOLR) Unified; Rs 50,740 cr; 1678+ projects

References

2 sources • [1] [2]

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