Background

Water is the basic necessity for agricultural production and for progress. In India, 70% of the cropping area is dependent on rainfall, but hardly 35% of the rainwater is used effectively while the remaining 65% runs off to the sea, causing severe soil erosion, flooding of rivers and siltation of water bodies. Over 25% of the villages are not able to provide year-round water supply and over 75% of the available water sources do not meet the WHO quality standards, due to pollution. Lack of good quality water at the doorsteps of villagers causes hardships to women and increases incidence of illness due to several water-borne diseases.

Programme Objective

As Rural India cannot prosper without conservation of all the available water resources, Water Resources Development is a major component of Rural Development. The primary objective is to ensure safe drinking water and efficient use of water for improving agriculture and livestock production, to benefit weaker sections of rural communities.

Programme Coverage

Presently, the programme is spread over 960 villages covering 248841 ha owned by over 97,000 families in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. These programmes have been supported by the Government of India, NABARD, State Governments and other donor organisations.

 

Programme Approach

Ridge-to-Valley Approach : Technically, watershed treatment measures are initiated from the highest level and progressively move downward, where the upper catchment areas including forest area if any and lands of marginal farmers located usually on the ridges and upper reaches, are treated first. This results in reduction in velocity of water, soil conservation and prevention of silt deposition in water harvesting structures on the down stream site.
People's Participation : The community has to be at the forefront of the programme. Various initiatives are taken to create ownership of the programme by the community. The programme is planned and designed with the active participation of land owners and the implementation is done by watershed committees represented by all sections of the community.