A Watershed is a basin-like landform defined by ridgelines and highpoints that descends into lower elevations and stream valleys. It is a geo-hydrological unit of land that drains at a common point. Therefore, the land area that provides water to a river or a loake may be called a 'watershed'. We manage watersheds and the water they produce to provide for agriculture, industry, human consumption, flood control and recreation.
Watershed Development refers to the conservation, regeneration and judicious use of the natural resources as well as the human resources within the watershed area. Watershed Management aims to develop a balance in the environment with the natural resources on one hand and the human beings and other living forms on the other.
The environment does not recognise people-determined boundaries and so a watershed seems to be the perfect natural environmental unit to develop a planning initiative. The environment directly impacts the livelihood of the people and as such any poverty mitigation programme or efforts to improve the SoL of people should be in terms of improving the quality of the environment.
The term watershed management is synonymous to water and soil conservation with the only difference that water shed management focusses on flood protection, moisture control and maximising crop diversity and output. It implies the interactions of ecological, economic and social indicators. It improves living standards by providing earning opportunities and providinf freedom from the fear of floods and droughts by effectively managing the available resources.
Principles of watershed management:
- In-situ water conservation
- Rain water harvesting for supplemental irrigation
- Minimising the silting up of tanks, reservoirs and lower fertile soil
- Alternate land use systems to manage marginal lands
- Protective vegetative cover throughout the year
- Protecting the fertile top soil
- Providing better transport, market linkage and market access to the farmers thus improving their earning capcity
- Improving infrastructural facilties like storage godowns, irrigation projects etc
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