Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) is
a modified programme of erstwhile Drought Prone Areas Programme (DPAP), Desert
Development Programme (DDP) and Integrated Wastelands Development Programme
(IWDP) of the Department of Land Resources. This consolidation is for optimum
use of resources, sustainable outcomes and integrated planning. The scheme was
launched during 2009-10. The programme is being implemented as per Common
Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 2008. The main objectives of the
IWMP are to restore the ecological balance by harnessing, conserving and
developing degraded natural resources such as soil, vegetative cover and water.
The outcomes are prevention of soil erosion, regeneration of natural
vegetation, rain water harvesting and recharging of the ground water table. This
enables multi-cropping and the introduction of diverse agro-based activities,
which help to provide sustainable livelihoods to the people residing in the
watershed area.
The salient features of IWMP are as below:
(i) Setting up of Dedicated Institutions with
multi-disciplinary experts at State level - State Level Nodal Agency (SLNA),
District level - Watershed Cell cum Data Centre (WCDC), Project level - Project
Implementing Agency (PIA) and Village level - Watershed Committee (WC).
(ii) Cluster Approach in selection and preparation of
projects: Average size of project - about 5,000 ha.
(iii) Enhanced Cost Norms from Rs. 6000 per ha. to
Rs.12,000/ha. in plains; Rs.15,000/ ha in difficult/hilly areas
(iv) Uniform Funding pattern of 90:10 between Centre &
States.
(v) Release of central assistance in three installments (20%,
50% & 30%) instead of five installments.
(vi) Flexibility in the project period i.e. 4 to 7
years
(vii) Scientific planning of the projects by using IT, remote
sensing techniques, GIS facilities for planning and monitoring &
evaluation
(viii) Earmarking of project funds for DPR preparation (1%),
Entry point activities (4%), Capacity building (5%), Monitoring (1%) and
Evaluation (1%).
(ix) Introduction of new livelihood component with earmarking
of project fund under Watershed Projects i.e. 9% of project fund for
livelihoods for assetless people and 10% for production system &
micro-enterprises
(x) Delegation of power of sanction of projects to States.
The following criteria may broadly be used in selection and
prioritisation of watershed development projects:
a. Acuteness of drinking water scarcity.
b. Extent of over exploitation of ground water resources.
c. Preponderance of wastelands/degraded lands.
d. Contiguity to another watershed that has already been developed/
treated.
Common Guidelines for Watershed
Development Projects 33
e. Willingness of village community to make voluntary contributions,
enforce equitable social regulations for sharing of common property resources, make
equitable distribution of benefits, create arrangements for the operation and
maintenance of the assets created.
f. Proportion of scheduled castes/scheduled tribes.
g. Area of the project should not be covered under assured
irrigation, with relaxation for over exploited blocks.
h. Productivity
potential of the land.
Preparatory
Phase
The
major objective of this phase is to build appropriate mechanisms for adoption
of participatory approach and empowerment of local institutions (WC, SHG, and
UG). WDT will assume a facilitating role during this phase. In this phase, the
main activities will include:
a. Taking up entry point activities to establish credibility of the
Watershed Development Team (WDT) and create a rapport with the village
community. The entry point activities, inter-alia,
will include:
i. Works based on urgent needs of the local communities such as revival
of common natural resources, drinking water, development of local energy
potential, augmenting ground water potential etc.
ii. Repair, restoration and upgradation of existing common property assets
and structures (such as village tanks) may be undertaken to obtain optimum and
sustained benefits from previous public investments and traditional water
harvesting structures.
iii. Productivity enhancement of existing farming systems could also be
an activity that helps in community mobilization and building rapport.
b. Initiating the development of Village level institutions such as
Watershed Committees (WCs), Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and User Groups (UGs) and capacity
building of different stakeholders on institutional and work related aspects. Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 35
c. Environment building, awareness generation, undertaking of
intensive IEC activities, creating involvement and participatory responses.
d. Baseline surveys needed for preparation of Detailed Project Report
(DPR), selection of sites and beneficiaries. Every effort must be made to
collect gender-disaggregated data to adequately reflect the situation and
priorities of women.
e. Hydro-geological survey of the watershed to map out zones of potential groundwater recharge,
storage and sustainable groundwater utilisation.
f. Building up a network of technical support agencies.
g. Preparation of the DPR, including activities to be carried out,
selection of beneficiaries and work-sites and design and costing of all works,
ensuring that the interests, perceptions and priorities of women, dalits,
adivasis and the landless are adequately reflected in the DPR.
h. Working out detailed resource-use agreements (for surface water, groundwater
and common/forest land usufructs) among User Group members in a participatory
manner based on principles of equity and sustainability.
i. Participatory monitoring of progress and processes.
Preparation
of DPR: DPR preparation is a crucial activity at the district level, which is
to be facilitated by the WDT for an identified project area. The technical inputs
in the form of resource maps and cadastral maps have to be made available at
local level. It is necessary to capture the entire database of DPR in a
systematic manner as a structured document at the initial stage itself. Common Guidelines for
Watershed Development Projects
DPR
preparation requires a strong PRA exercise and comprehensive beneficiary level
database separately for private land and community land development with linkages
to the cadastral database. This will facilitate spatial depiction of the action
plan. The DPR should include, among other things, the following:
a. Basic Information on Watershed including rainfall, temperature,
location including geographical coordinates, topography, hydrology,
hydrogeology, soils, forests, demographic features, ethnographic details of
communities, land-use pattern, major crops & their productivity, irrigation,
livestock, socio-economic status etc.
b. Details of expected/proposed User Groups & Self Help Groups,
master tables for private land / common land activities, contribution to
watershed development funds, information on soil and land-use, existing assets related
to water harvesting, recharging and
storage etc. needs to be provided plot-wise.
c. Problems Typology of the Watershed including an account of the
major problems requiring intervention from the perspective of enhancing
livelihood potential/carrying capacity as well as conservation and regeneration
of resources.
d. Description of Proposed Interventions (physical and financial,
including time-table of interventions) along with technical details and
drawings certified by the WDT.
e. Detailed Mapping exercises. Common
Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 37
f. Institutional mechanisms and agreements for implementing the plan,
ensuring emphasis on participatory decision-making, equity and sustainability of
benefits, and post-project sustainability.
g. Expected Outcomes and Benefits, especially with respect to
livelihoods for different segments, benefits to women and
regeneration/conservation of resources, etc.
The DPR will be prepared by the WDT for integrated development of
the watershed area with active participation of the Watershed Committee (WC).
The WDT should utilize various thematic maps relating to land and water
resources in the preparation and finalization of the DPR. This DPR shall
necessarily include the clear demarcation of the watershed with specific
details of survey numbers, ownership details and a map depicting the location
of proposed work/activities for each year.
The DPR for the watershed shall be in tune with the District Perspective
Plan.
The
permissible works relating to soil and moisture conservation under MGNREGS, BRGF,
and Artificial Ground Water Recharge must complement the micro watershed plan.
District agricultural plans may also be consulted while formulating the District
Perspective Plans.
This
DPR will be a part of the MIS from which details will be arranged into various
layers on GIS as a monitoring, management, accounting and analytical tool
besides serving as a source of information and a link to the state level data cell
in the SLNA and National Data Centre. The DPR may be summed up using a standard
planning tool such as Logical Framework Analysis (LFA) that includes goals,
purpose, outputs, activities, inputs, challenges and measurable indicators of
progress. Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects
The overall responsibility for the
preparation of a technically sound and high quality DPR would lie with the
Project Implementing Agency (PIA). After approval by the Gram Sabha, the PIA
shall submit the DPR for approval to the WCDC/ DRDA/DP. Alternatively, the
mechanism of approval and implementation of projects by district level
committee / collector may continue to prevail.
Each watershed has unique
characteristics and problems. Its treatment and management would therefore
require careful consideration of various site specific factors like topography,
nature and depth of soil cover, type of rocks, water absorbing capacity of land,
rainfall intensity, land use etc. All works must be planned in a
location-specific manner, taking into account the above factors along with
local demands and socio-economic conditions of the watershed.
The ridge-to-valley principle with multi tier sequenced approach
has been indicated in detail at Preface on Para 9(IX).
Watershed
Works Phase
This
phase is the heart of the programme in which the DPR will be implemented.
Some
of the important activities to be included in this phase are:
a. Ridge Area
Treatment: All activities required to restore the health of the catchment area
by reducing the volume and velocity of surface runoff, including regeneration
of vegetative cover in forest and common land, Common
Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 39 afforestation,
staggered trenching, contour and graded bunding, bench terracing etc.
b. Drainage line treatment with a
combination of vegetative and engineering structures, such as earthen checks,
brushwood checks, gully plugs, loose boulder checks, gabion structures,
underground dykes etc.
c. Development
of water harvesting structures such as low-cost farm ponds, nalla bunds,
check-dams, percolation tanks and ground water recharge through wells, bore wells and other measures.
d. Nursery raising
for fodder, fuel, timber and horticultural species. As far as possible local
species may be given priority.
e. Land
development including in-situ soil and moisture conservation and drainage
management measures like field bunds, contour and graded bunds fortified with
plantation, bench terracing in hilly terrain etc.
f. Crop
demonstrations for popularizing new crops/varieties, water saving technologies
such as drip irrigation or innovative management practices.
As
far as possible varieties based on the local germplasm may be promoted.
g. Pasture
development, sericulture, bee keeping, back yard poultry, small ruminant, other
livestocks and micro-enterprises.
h. Veterinary
services for livestock and other livestock improvement measures
i. Fisheries development
in village ponds/tanks, farm ponds etc.
j. Promotion and propagation of non-conventional energy saving
devices, energy conservation measures, bio fuel plantations etc. 40 Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects
Consolidation
and Withdrawal Phase
In this phase the resources
augmented and economic plans developed in Phase II are made the foundation to
create new nature-based, sustainable livelihoods and raise productivity levels. The main objectives
under this phase are:
a. Consolidation and completion of various works.
b. Building the capacity of the community based organizations to
carry out the new agenda items during post project period.
c. Sustainable management of (developed) natural resources and
d. Up-scaling of successful experiences regarding farm production
systems/ off-farm livelihoods.
An indicative
list of various activities during this phase is given below:
Consolidation of various works
a. Preparation of project completion report with details about status
of each intervention;
b. Documentation of successful experiences as well as lessons learnt
for future use.
Management of developed natural resources
a. Improving the sustainability of various interventions under the
project;
b. Formal allocation of users right over common property resources
(CPRs);
c. Collection of user charges for CPRs; Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 41
d. Repair, maintenance and protection of CPRs;
e. Sustainable utilization of developed natural resources;
f. Involvement of gram panchayat/corresponding institutions (as a
governance
body) in
addressing the above aspects.
Intensification
of farm production systems/off-farm livelihoods
a. Up scaling of successful experiences related to above aspects
through revolving fund under the project as well as credit and technical
support from external institutions;
b. Promotion of agro-processing, marketing arrangements of produce
and similar off – farm and informal sector enterprises.
c. Farmers may also be encouraged to develop non pesticidal
management, low cost organic inputs, seed farms and links with wider markets to
fetch competitive price.
Project management related aspects
a. Participatory planning, implementation and monitoring of activities
to be carried out during consolidation phase;
b. Terminal evaluation of project as per the expected outcomes.
Federations
could be formed at the level of a cluster of villages in order to support
economic activities at scale. These would further strengthen and activate the
linkages established with external resource agencies for knowledge, credit, input
procurement, sale of local produce, carrying on processing activities to the 42 Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects point of exports. In these activities, bankability of activities
will be attempted. At the same time, local-level institutions are expected to
reach maturity and exit protocols become operative for the PIA. The Watershed
Committees (WCs) may use the Watershed Development Fund for repair and
maintenance of structures created in Phase II.
The
classification of activities in the three phases must not be understood in a rigid
manner. Many of the Phase III activities may even start in many watersheds during
Phase I and/or II itself. Phasing of activities needs to have an internal logic
and integrity that must flow through the entire action plan. This will depend on
a host of factors such as the prevailing initial conditions, needs and possibilities
in each village, response of the community etc. Such flexibility must be built
into the action plan and is to be seen as a distinguishing feature of these guidelines.
