A brief explanation of watershed management.

1. WATERSHED
MANAGEMENT
SubmittedTo: DrVikas Sharma
Submitted By: Akhil Bharti, Aaina Sharma

2. Watershed
 A watershed describes an area of land that contains a common set of
streams and rivers that all drain into a single larger body of water, such
as a larger river, a lake or an ocean
 A watershed is also known as a drainage basin. When rain sweeps over
a surface, it will eventually make its way to that central point
 The speed the water drains to the central point depends on various
factors such as type of soil, amount of plant life, and the steepness of
the terrain
 The boundary of a watershed is drawn by the natural landscape, such
as hills or mountain ridges. Gravity pushes water from the higher
mountains toward the lower reservoir

3. Diagram of a typical watershed

4. Classification of Watershed
Classification Size (ha)
Mini-watershed 10-100
Micro-watershed 100-1,000
Mili-watershed 1,000-10,000
Sub-watershed 10,000-50,000
Watershed 50,000-2,00,000

5. Importance of Watershed
■ About 60 per cent of total arable land (142 million ha) in India is rain-fed,
characterized by low productivity, low income and low employment
■ Rainfall pattern in these areas are highly variable both in terms of total
amount and its distribution, which lead to moisture stress during critical
stages of crop production and makes agriculture production vulnerable to
pre and post production risk
■ Watershed development program is therefore considered as an selective
tool for addressing many of these problems and recognized as potential
engine for agriculture growth and development in fragile and marginal
rain-fed areas
■ Watershed is a socio-political-ecological entity which plays crucial role in
determining food, social, and economical security and provides life support
services to rural people

6. Cont…
■ Management of natural resources at watershed scale produces multiple
benefits in terms of increasing food production, improving livelihoods,
protecting environment along with biodiversity concerns
■ Watershed management is a selective approach for considering the
vastness of the catchment area to operationalize any major scheme and for
proper planning and management of the natural resources for sustainable
development.
■ It comprehensively identifies the activities that affect the health of water
bodies within a watershed and helps to control water pollution.
■ Watershed basin stores runoff water thus help in recharging groundwater
with the help of processes like deep percolation

7. Benefits of Watershed
■ Water can be collected from a very large area specially in hilly areas with gentle slope
■ No major construction work or power is required for preparation of watershed as water is
automatically collected in Catchment Area or Basin with the help of runoff
■ Watershed is a very flexible method of water conservation as it can be of variable sizes
according to conditions of locality and amount of rainfall in the area
■ Watershed helps in prevention of flash flooding in low-lying areas by collecting runoff water
which is responsible for flash flooding
■ Water can be supplied to all the areas lying below its altitude without any sort of
power/energy as water will flow automatically with the help of gravity towards those areas
■ A watershed can also act as a source of employment to various people as people can go for
fish cultivation (Pisciculture) or may start boat facility for aiding other people to cross the
basin
■ Watershed can become a tourist spot which can help in further generation of employment
to various people as people can open their shops/businesses around it