Some detail about Ground water and watershed management ,its significane , effects and remedial mesures.

2. Groundwater and Watershed
Management
 CONTENTS:
 Groundwater
 Watershed
 Types of watershed
 Watershed management
 Objectives of watershed management
 Components of Watershed Management
 Measures taken up for management of watershed
 Importance /Advantages of water shed management.

3. Groundwater
 What is groundwater?
 Groundwater is fresh water (from rain or melting ice and snow)
that soaks into the soil and is stored in the tiny spaces (pores)
between rocks and particles of soil. Groundwater accounts for
nearly 95 percent of the fresh water resources.
 It can stay underground for hundreds of thousands of years, or
it can come to the surface and help Fill Rivers, streams, lakes,
ponds, and wetlands (Environmental protection Agency,
U.S.A)

4. Groundwater Zones

5. Meaning of Watershed
 The word “watershed” introduced in 1920 was used for the
“water parting boundaries”.
 Watershed is that land area which drains or contributes runoff
to a common outlet.
 A watershed is an area that supplies water by surface or
subsurface flow to a given drainage system or body of water,
be it a stream, river, wetland, lake, or ocean (World Bank
2001).
 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.

6. Watershed
 Watershed is the hydro-geological unit of area from which the
rain water drains through a single outlet.
 When rain falls on the mountains, it flows down through small
streams./rivulets/rivers etc.
 The entire area which supplies water to a stream or rivulet or a
river at a particular point in its flow is called the watershed or
catchment area or drainage basin of that particular point.
 The top of the watershed is called hill or ridge portion.
 The ridge-line partitions one watershed from another, or can be
said to be the boundary of the watershed.

7. Watershed

8. Mississippi and Indus River Watershed

9. Types of watershed
 Watersheds could be classified into a number of groups. They
can be classified on the basis of size, shape, drainage system
and land use pattern. types of the watershed are the following;
 Macro watershed (> 50,000 Hectare )
 Sub-watershed (10,000 to 50,000 Hectare)
 Mille-watershed (1000 to10000 Hectare)
 Micro watershed (100 to 1000 Hectare)
 Mini watershed (1-100 Hectare)

10. Watershed Management
 Watershed management plays a vital role in reducing soil
erosion and water conservation.
 Watershed management means the process of creating and
implementing plans, programs and projects to maintain and
improve watershed functions that affect the plant, animal and
human communities within a watershed boundary
 Watershed management is not so much about managing natural
resources, but about managing human activity as it affects
these resources.

11. Watershed Management
It involves management of land, water, energy and
greenery integrating all the relevant approaches
appropriate to socioeconomic background for a
pragmatic development of a watershed.
Greening of the watershed through proper
management of land water and energy resource.

12. Objectives of Watershed Management
 The main goal of Watershed Management is to establish the
sustainable management of natural resources to improve
the quality of living for the population is to be
accomplished by the following objectives:
 To control damaging runoff and degradation and thereby
conservation of soil and water. Improvement and restoration of
soil quality and thus, raising productivity rates.
 To protect and enhance the water resource originating in the
watershed. Supply and securing of clean and sufficient drinking
water for the population .
 To increase infiltration of rainwater.
 To improve and increase the production of timbers, fodder
and wild life resource

13. Objectives of Watershed Management
 To enhance the ground water recharge, wherever applicable.
 To manage the watershed for beneficial developmental
activities like domestic water supply, irrigation, hydropower
generation etc.
 To minimize the risks of floods, droughts and landslides.
 Rainwater harvesting and recharging
 Growing greenery – trees, crops and grasses

14. Components of Watershed Management
 Components of Watershed Management
 The three main components in watershed management are
land management, water management and biomass
management.
 1. Land Management
 2. Water Management
 3. Biomass management
 1. Land or soil Management
 Land characteristics like terrain, slope, formation,
moisture, infiltration rate and soil capability are the major
determinants of land management activities in a watershed.

15. Soil conservation techniques
 Contour farming/Bunds
 Gully control
 Reclamation of alkaline soil
 Green carpeting

16. Components of Watershed Management
 2. Water Management
 The broad interventions for water management are
listed below;
 Rain Water Harvesting
 Ground Water Recharge
 Maintenance of Water Balance
 Preventing Water Pollution

17. Rain Water Harvesting
 Rainwater harvesting forms the major component of
water management. The rainwater collected can be
recharged into the ground. Roof top water harvesting,
diversion of perennial springs and streams in to storage
structures, farm ponds etc. are the methods widely used
for rainwater harvesting.

18. Components of Watershed Management
 3. Biomass Management
 Major intervention areas for biomass management are
indicated below;
 Eco-preservation
 Biomass Regeneration
 Forest Management & Conservation
 Plant and other vegetation Protection
 Increased Productivity of Animals

19. Various measures taken up for management
 Various measures taken up for management include following:
 1. Water Governance Aspect:
 Identify and promote appropriate institutions/organizations and
develop support mechanisms in each of selected watershed to enhance
the desired watershed management for sustainable water resources
development, uses and conservation
 2. Water harvesting:
 Proper storage of water is done with provision for use in dry seasons in
low rainfall areas. It also helps in moderation of floods.
 3. Afforestation and agro-forestry:
 In watershed development, Afforestation and crop plantation play a
very important role. They help to prevent soil erosion and retention of
moisture. In high rainfall areas, woody trees are grown in between
crops to substantially reduce the runoff and loss of fertile soil.

20. Various measures taken up for management cont…
 5. Mechanical measures for reducing soil erosion and
runoff losses:
 Several mechanical measures like terracing, bunding,
contour cropping, strip cropping etc. are used minimize
runoff and soil erosion particularly on the slopes of
watersheds. Bunding has proved to be a very useful method
in reducing runoff, peak discharge and soi loss.
 7. Public participation:
 People’s involvement including the farmers and tribal is
the key to the success of any watershed management
program, particularly the soil and water conservation.
People’s cooperation as well as participation has to be
ensured for the same.

21. Advantages of watershed approach
 Environmental friendly
 Saves time and money
 Greater people’s participation

22. ANY QUESTION OR COMMEMNT
Prepared by
Mohammad Haroon