1. Watershed management involves integrating land, water, and plant technologies within a drainage area to meet people's needs in a sustainable way. 2. The objectives of watershed management are to conserve soil and water, promote stable crop yields, develop non-arable lands, increase incomes, and restore ecological balance. 3. Key principles of watershed management include using land according to its capabilities, providing vegetative cover, conserving rainwater, draining excess water to storage structures, and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the ecosystem.

1. INTEGRATED WATERSHED MANAGEMENT
B.S. Nayak
Asst. Agronomist, AICCIP, Bhawanipatna
Watershed is defined as any surface area from which rainfall is collected and
drains through a common point. It is synonymous with a drainage basin or catchment
area. The size of watershed may vary from a few hectares to several thousands of
hectares and accordingly classified as micro, mini and macro watersheds. In fact,
watershed is a biological, physical, economic and social system. It is a land mass
bounded vertically by the area influenced by human activities and horizontally by the
water that drains into a point in the channel.
Watershed management is the integration of technologies within the natural
boundaries of a drainage area for optimum development of land , water and plant
resources to meet the basic needs of the people and animals in a sustained manner. It
is an integrated and multidisciplinary approach.
The objectives of watershed management are :
1. To effectively conserve soil, rain water and harness the surplus water to
create water sources in addition to ground water recharge.
2. To promote sustainable farming and stabilise crop yield by adopting
suitable cropping and crop management systems.
3. To cover non arable area effectively through afforestation, horticulture and
pasture land development based on the capability of the land.
4. To enhance the income of the individuals by adopting alternative
enterprises.
5. To restore ecological balance.
The principles of watershed management are :
1. Utilising the land according to its capability based on land use classification
2. Providing adequate vegetative cover during the rainy season.
3. Conserving as much rain water as possible at the place where it falls i.e. in-situ
conservation.
4. Draining out excess water with a safe velocity and diverting it to storage
structure (farm pond, tanks ) for future use.
5. Avoiding gully formation and putting up check dams at suitable places to
control soil erosion, to store rain water and recharge ground water.
6. Identifying a suitable cropping pattern for the watershed area.
7. Maximising productivity per unit area per unit time and per unit water.
8. Increasing cropping intensity and land equivalent ratio through intercropping
and sequence cropping.
9. Safe utilization of marginal and water lands through alternate land use systems
such as agro forestry.
10. Ensuring sustainability of the ecosystem benefiting the man-animal-plant-
land-water complex in the watershed.
11. Maximising the combined income from the interrelated and dynamic crop-live
stock-tree-labour complex over the year.
12. Stabilising the total income and cutting the risk of farmers during aberrant
weather conditions.
13. Improving infrastructure facilities with regard to storage, transportation and
marketing.

2. STEPS FOR PLANNING FOR WATERSHED MANAGEMENT:
1. Obtaining suitable imagery maps of natural resources like land, water and
vegetation through remote sensing.
2. Estimating the area covered by major crops, crop yield, area affected by pest
and diseases and drought conditions.
3. Identifying locations for field crops, structures like check dams, farm ponds,
diversion weirs etc.
4. Carrying out comprehensive planning for various soil and rainwater
conservation measures like mechanical, agronomical, agro-ecological and
forestry.
VARIOUS MEASURES FOR INTEGATED WATERSHED
MANAGEMENT
1. Contour trenching and afforestation is done in the upper reaches of the
watershed to slow down the run off.
2. At the base of the above mentioned area, diversion drain is provided to slow
down run off and divert it into a protected waterway which will lead to a
storage structure such as farm pond or tank.
3. Contour bunds or graded bunds are provided in the crop land to prevent soil
erosion and conserve rain water.
4. Summer ploughing of land is done along contour so that the soil is highly
absorbent of the initial rains.
5. All agricultural operations such as ploughing, harrowing, sowing crops are
done along contour to slow down run off.
6. Cropping systems suitable for the watershed area should be identified and
adopted.
7. All improved agronomic practices including seeds of improved drought
resistant varieties, appropriate seed rate, proper manures and fertilisers,
effective weeding etc. are carried out in the cropped area. INM and IPM has to
be practised.
8. Appropriate harvesting, storage and marketing of farm products has to be
done.
9. Agrostological measures have to be implemented in non-arable lands such as
waste lands and unproductive marginal lands. Pastures, horticultural plants and
other economic product yielding plants are planted in this area.
10. Agroforestry is the best method for controlling desertification in rainfed areas.
11. Gully control measures should be adopted by making masonry check dams
across broad and deep gullies. This will retain rain water and recharge wells
lower down. The stored water also provides drinking water for livestock and
for sustaining young plants in summer.
12. Groundwater potential zones have to be delineated and bores put up.
13. Open wells and bore wells should not be used for cultivation of paddy. Light
irrigated crops, horticultural crops, fodder grasses should be taken up.
14. Precise irrigation through drip or sprinkler systems should be practised to save
irrigation water. Pitcher or pot irrigation for fruit plants saves water.
15. Farm ponds of suitable size should be provided at all suitable locations and run
off impounded. This water can be used for life saving irrigation in case of a
drought.

3. 16. All improved implements should be used for preparatory tillage, seeding,
interculture, weeding, harvesting and post harvest operations.
17. All practices for supplementing the income of the farmers such as dairy, sheep
and goat farming, sericulture, poultry, small animal production (rabbits,
turkeys, guinea fouls etc.) should be taken up.
18. Establishing farmers’ service centres for custom hiring of farm machineries
and implements for ploughing, levelling, plant protection, harvesting,
processing etc. This will also provide employment opportunity for young men
of the village.