Preparatory Phase Evaluation

Transcription

1 Preparatory Phase Evaluation of Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP VII) Watersheds of Sulthanpet and Kinathukadavu Blocks in Coimbatore District Report Prepared for, Tamil Nadu Watershed Development Agency, Chennai Study team M. Chinnadurai, R. Balasubramanian, S. Murali Gopal, B. Swaminathan, N. Kalidass Department of Agricultural Economics Centre for Agricultural and Rural Development Studies Tamil Nadu Agricultural University Coimbatore 2013

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3 Foreword During the past six decades of planned development, India has achieved spectacular increase in food grain production. Green revolution enabled us to enter into new era in input use. The use of high yielding variety seeds, fertilizers, plant protection chemicals have stepped up manifolds and so is the yield. Development of major and minor irrigation projects have gone up. But still, the overall gains have not been equitably shared by the farming community. This is mainly because two thirds of agriculture in our country is under rainfed. The availability of water for irrigation would emerge as a critical bottleneck in the years to come. It has been estimated that the requirements of ground water actually exceed its availability for irrigation by nearly 30 per cent. It has become obvious that at the existing rate of recharge of ground water there could only be exploitation of it in several states and by 2020 as much as 71 per cent of irrigated area is likely to be from ground water sources. Closely related to this is the problem of degradation of land in the rainfed areas. The rate of degradation of land in rainfed areas in the 1990s is likely to have increased more than twice the rate observed in 1980s, basically on account of lack of soil and water conservation measures. This calls for the more urgent and need based intervention of government agencies like Tamil Nadu Watershed Development Agency (TAWDEVA). But it has also been observed that so far soil and moisture conservation through watershed development has not even covered even 10 per cent of rainfed areas needing treatment. The acute famine for drinking water usually experienced in several parts of the country, despite a series of favourable monsoons preceding it, only shows that awareness needs to be built among masses on water conservation issues. The existing interventions for drought proofing should be proceeded to neutralize the overall processes of degradation of natural resources underway in the rural areas. This calls for a thorough reappraisal of our agricultural policies with a view to evolve an overall policy framework that provides adequate incentives and opportunities for conservation measures through watershed development and for judicious use of scarce water resources in rainfed areas. Study Team M. Chinnadurai R. Balasubramanian S. Murali Gopal B. Swaminathan N. Kalidass 1

4 Acknowledgement The preparatory phase evaluation study of IWMP in IWMP VII Watersheds of Sulthanpet and Kinathukadavu blocks in Coimbatore was conducted by the Centre for Agricultural and Rural Development Studies (CARDS), Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. We sincerely acknowledge the support given by the implementing officials of IWMP VIIWatersheds in the Sulthanpet block of Coimbatore district. We like to acknowledge the beneficiaries for they were patient enough to participate in the one to one interviews and group discussions. We also like to thank TNAU and TAWDEVA for providing us the necessary ambit and succour. 2

5 CONTENTS CHAPTER TITLE Pg. Chapter I INTRODUCTION The Beginning Need for Evaluation Preparatory Phase Evaluation Objectives of Evaluation Scope of Evaluation Methodology Period of study Tools of Analysis... 6 Chapter II PROFILE OF THE STUDY AREA Coimbatore district: At a glance Climate Rainfall Soil Type Land Use Pattern Irrigation Cropping Pattern Livestock Population Profile of Sulthanpet and Kinathukadavu Blocks Climate of the study area Rainfall of the study area Soil Types in the study area Profile of the Watersheds Source of irrigation in the study watersheds Land use pattern Cropping pattern Occupational pattern Size of the holdings Livestock Wage rates Chapter III COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION The underpinning of watershed approach to IWMP Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) Benchmark survey Community Based Organizations Accounts at WC level Details of Cash Registers maintained at WC level Details of Self Help Groups (SHGs) Details of User Groups (SHGs) Conductance of Gram Sabha Meetings in the study watersheds The procedure of meetings conducted Exit protocol Community mobilization and training

6 Chapter IV IMPLEMENTATION OF WATERSHED PROGRAMME Operational Procedures and Implementation Release of Funds Execution of Works EPA Activities Watershed Treatment Activities Budget spread over various types of works Monitoring and Review Chapter V IMPACT OF WATERSHED DEVELOPMENT Evaluation of Physical Watershed Activities Impact of EPA Activities Impact of Watershed Treatment Activities Impact of Participatory Approaches Impact of Households Participation Opinion on overall impact of watershed activities Beneficiaries responses on visits by implementing authorities Beneficiaries responses on constraints in the adoption Chapter VI CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Some common observations Overall Performance score of implementation Recommendations Entry Point Activities Watershed treatment activities Village level institutions Summary Sheet Reference Annexure I Annexure II Success Story

7 List of Tables Table Name of the Table Pg. 1 List of watersheds surveyed in IWMP VII batch ( ) 4 2 Land Use Pattern in Coimbatore district 12 3 Area under principal crops in Coimbatore district 15 4 Description of soil series in the Sulthanpet and Kinathukadavu blocks 17 5 Details of the study watersheds in IWMP VII batch 17 6 Source wise area irrigated in the watersheds of IWMP VII batch 21 7 Source wise area irrigated in the watersheds of IWMP VII batch 21 8 Land use pattern in the watersheds ( ) 22 9 Livestock particulars in the watersheds ( ) Performance Score of IWMP VII watersheds Details of accounts maintained at WC level in Pachapalayam - II Details of accounts maintained at WC level in Vadasithur Details of accounts maintained at WC level in Arasampalayam Details of accounts maintained at WC level in Mettubavi - I Details of accounts maintained at WC level in Mettubavi - II Details of accounts maintained at PIA level in IWMP VII watersheds Details of registers maintained in the study watersheds Details of Self Help Groups in the study watersheds Details of User Groups formed in the watersheds of IWMP VII Details of formal meetings arranged in the study watersheds Details of informal meetings arranged in the study watersheds Details of PRA meetings arranged in the study watersheds Details of Training and Exposure visits in the study watersheds Entry Point Activities carried out in the study watersheds Different types of activities carried out in the study watersheds Details of watershed treatment activities implemented during Frequency of visits by the implementing officials Constraints in the adoption of watershed development activities Overall Performance Score of Implementation in the study area 54 List of figures Figure Name of the Figure Pg. 1 Overall objectives of IWMP 2 2 Block location map of Coimbatore district 8 3 The Weather Particulars of Coimbatore district in Season-wise rainfall distribution in Coimbatore district 10 5 Map showing Pachayapalayam - II and Arasampalayam watersheds 18 6 Map showing Mettubavi I & II (M) and Vadasithur (A) watersheds 19 7 Budget spread over various types of works in the study watersheds 40 5

8 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 The Beginning A watershed can simply be defined as any surface area from which rainfall is collected and drained to a common point. Each watershed has a unique combination of inherent conditions, use and management, and the response to flow and water quality is highly variable and complex. Watersheds serve as effective natural units to monitor the processes that influence the integrity of the functioning ecosystem (Chinnadurai et al, 2011). Presently, agricultural and rural development in India is facing a plethora of challenges. The linkages of agricultural development with poverty eradication, sustainable use of the natural resources and international trade have become more pronounced. The close ties of agriculture with nature subject itself to the problems of drought, flood, cyclone, pests and disease infestation. Declining soil and land fertility, growing dependence on chemical fertilizers and pesticides only aggravate the problems of environmental degradations. The time is ripe for the country to concentrate efforts on conservation aspects towards sustaining the growth momentum. The country should also take stock of the opportunities posed by development, within the overall context of ensuring the food security. Moreover the demand for agricultural output is increasing due to ever increasing population and growing industrial demand for raw materials. The increased output could come either by increasing the area under cultivation or by increasing the productivity of the enterprises as well as resources. Land and water therefore, are of critical importance. The frontier of extensive cultivation is almost closed in the resource rich areas. However there exists scope for bringing the wastelands under plough. It is well known fact that India shares more than 16 per cent of the world population, in only 2 per cent of the total geographical area of the world. Naturally, the pressure on the land is often beyond its carrying capacity. Therefore, the productive lands are in the constant process of various degrees of degradation and are fast turning into wastelands. At present, approximately million hectare of the land is lying as wastelands in India. A large portion of the rainfed areas (65 per cent of arable land) in India is characterized by low productivity, high risk and uncertainty, low level of technological change and vulnerability to degradation of natural resources. The rainfed region houses a sizable number of unemployed, poverty ridden and undernourished population. The majority (about 65 per cent) of the population in the region is depending on agriculture, which is still under subsistence and prone to weather and market uncertainties. Ironically, the rainfed areas were also by-passed with respect to investment on infrastructure and technology intervention when compared to irrigated areas. 6

9 Broadly, the rain fed areas are confronted with two major technical and water-related problems: (i) heavy and intense rainfall and surface run-off during the monsoons leading to soil erosion and siltation / pollution of water bodies in downstream; (ii) severe drought in the summer season leading to acute scarcity of water for post-rainy season crops. These two extreme eventualities need to be managed for enhancing agricultural productivity, augmenting income and to prevent degradation of soil and water resources. The watershed programme was initiated with the mandate of overcoming such anomalies in the country. It was viewed as a key programme, which could meet the emerging and complex challenges of rainfed area such as deplorable poverty, huge unemployment and acute degradation of natural resources. The programme was reckoned as a catalyst to bring the products of green revolution in the rainfed areas. Thus the programme is expected to benefit the poor farmers dependent on marginal areas and to bridge the yawning gap between irrigated and rainfed areas. Figure 1. Overall objectives of IWMP The Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) was taken up to reduce the severity of drought especially in dry lands and to bring them under productive use through soil conservation and other water resource development activity such as construction of major and minor check dams, percolation ponds, renovation of tanks, farm ponds, developing agroforestry plantation, horticulture, tree plantation, home-stead plantation and capacity development of the locals. 7

10 As Figure 1 reveals the main objectives of the IWMP are (i) to promote overall economic development and improvement of the socio-economic conditions of rural poor people in the programme areas through optimum utilisation of resources, (ii) generation of employment and (iii) augmentation of income generating activities. Further, it also aims at encouraging restoration of ecological balance in the village through simple, easy and affordable technological and sustained community action (peoples' participation). All these would result in overall uplift of poor and disadvantaged sections of the community. 1.2 Need of Evaluation Monitoring and Evaluation on regular basis is essential from project management point of view as it allows to cross check the status of the project, identify drawbacks and strengths, offer paths of correction/revision, gain knowledge, build expertise and share experiences within and between the various groups of actors and stakeholders. While monitoring involves routine assessment of progress and status of various ongoing activities, evaluation on the other hand is a periodic assessment of achievement in accordance with the objectives Preparatory Phase Evaluation In a watershed development programme, a preparatory phase would aid to build appropriate mechanisms for adoption of participatory approach and empowerment of local institutions viz. Watershed Committee (WC), Self-Help Groups (SHGs), and User Groups (UGs). The main role of Watershed Development Team (WDT) would be in facilitating various conservational and developmental activities. Generally, in a preparatory phase the following activities are to be expected to be completed by the authorities within the time-frame: Hydro-geological survey of the watershed to map out zones of potential groundwater recharge, storage and sustainable groundwater utilization. Baseline surveys needed for preparation of Detailed Project Report (DPR), selection of sites and beneficiaries. Preparation of the DPR, including activities to be carried out, selection of beneficiaries and work-sites and design and costing of all works and ensuring that the interests, and priorities of women and socially disadvantaged communities get included. Taking up entry point activities to establish credibility of the Watershed Development Team (WDT) and create a rapport with the village community. The entry point activities, inter-alia, will include: (i) works based on urgent needs of the local communities such as revival of common natural resources, drinking water, development of local energy potential, augmenting ground water potential (ii) repair, restoration and upgradation of existing common property assets and structures may be 8

11 undertaken to obtain optimum and sustained benefits from previous public investments and traditional water harvesting structures and (iii) productivity enhancement of existing farming systems to help in community mobilization and rapport. Initiating the development of Village level institutions such as Watershed Committees (WCs), Self- Help Groups (SHGs) and User Groups (UGs) and Capacity Building of different stakeholders on institutional and work related aspects. Environment building, awareness generation, and generating participatory responses Building up a network of technical support agencies. Working out detailed resource-use agreements (for surface water, groundwater and common/forest land usufructs) among User Group members in a participatory manner based on principles of equity and sustainability. Participatory monitoring of progress and processes at fixed intervals Objectives of Evaluation It has been already seen that Preparatory Phase Evaluation critically examines the potential results in order to improve the effectiveness of the ongoing project by providing guidance for further course of implementation. Consequently corrective actions can be taken more quickly. Keeping this in mind, the evaluation was conducted for the following objectives: To assess the performance of various Entry Point Activities (EPA) executed under IWMP watersheds; To study the various aspects of programme implementation such as community organization, watershed treatment activities, training, operational procedures To study the impact of the watershed treatment/development activities on biophysical, socio-economic and participatory aspects; and To identify the problems encountered during implementation and suggest possible solutions for effective implementation of the watershed programme. With these objectives in view, the present evaluation has been taken up in five watersheds of IWMP VIIin the Sulthanpet block of Coimbatore district as given in Table1. Table 1. List of watersheds surveyed in IWMP VII batch ( ) Sl.No. Name of the Watershed Area covered (ha) 1. Pachapalayam - II Vadasithur Arasampalayam Mettubavi - I Mettubavi - II 1450 Total Area (ha.) 5526 Source: Project Implementing Agency, IWMP VII ( ), Coimbatore 9

12 1.3 Scope of Evaluation Preparatory Phase Evaluation encompasses various aspects including assessment of institutional mechanism, and physical and financial targets. Thereby it can holistically assess the project at the beginning itself to rectify deficiencies and to reorient its implementation to programme objectives. 1.4 Methodology Evaluation of planned development work would mean that features and process will have to be described and explained in relation to the plan or plans of that work. The preparatory phase evaluation of VII Batch of IWMP watersheds in Sulthanpet and Kinathukadavu blocks of Coimbatore district was carried out in two phases viz., (i) Gathering information from project implementation Agency, (PIA), discussion with PIA and watershed functionaries, Presidents, Secretaries, WDT members of the watersheds and (ii) field study about the watershed activities implemented in the watersheds, impact and feedback details from beneficiaries about the watershed development activities right from the process up to the implementation of the preparatory phase. The Study team from the Department of Agricultural Economics, Centre for Agricultural and Rural Development Studies of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, visited all the five watersheds spread over Sulthanpet and Kinathukadavu blocks of Coimbatore district. This was to make the team to acquaint themselves with the area, activities / treatments of the watersheds, role of the watershed functionaries and the level of participation and co-operation of the locals in implementing the programme. Subsequently field visits were also carried out to collect all the information required for the preparatory phase evaluation. The team held discussions with PIA, District Watershed Development Agency officials and Watershed Development Team to make them conversant about the programme execution. All the necessary information pertaining to the programme, participatory rural appraisal, beneficiaries list, community organization, funding sources, activities / treatment details, area map and route map showing the location of works, brochure on training, model estimates for certain works were received from project implementing agency. The information and data so collected through discussions with the watershed functionaries, observation by the team and field survey for impact study were tabulated in the MS Excel programme. The analyses were carried out by using average and percentage analysis and the evaluation report was prepared by using the results obtained. 10

13 1.5 Period of study The study was conducted as per the norms fixed by the TAWDEVA during the months of July and August of It is to be noted that all the watersheds and all the entry point activities as well as watershed treatment activities of watershed were covered in this study. 1.6 Analytical Tools Apart from percentage analysis and summary statistics that were followed for analyzing the data, the method of Performance Evaluation Indicator (PEI) was also employed in this evaluation study as given below, In order to assess the performance, the following PEI scores were used for different aspects of the implementation of the watershed programmes, Key Comment on performance Score Excellent-E > 90 % achievement as per plan 9.5 Very Good-VG 80 to 90 % achievement as per plan 8.5 Good-G 60 to < 80 % achievement as per plan 7.0 Satisfactory-S 50 to < 60 % achievement as per plan 5.5 Poor-P < 50 % achievement as per plan 4.0 Source: Guidelines to IWMP Evaluation,

14 CHAPTER II PROFILE OF THE STUDY AREA The preparatory evaluation study also covers the impact of the project activities. Thus the impact could be assessed effectively with the understanding of the study area. With this in view, the description of the study area is discussed in this Chapter in terms of study district and the study watersheds. 2.1 Coimbatore District: At a glance Coimbatore district, popularly known as the Manchester of South India, is in the western agro-climatic zone of Tamil Nadu. The district has undulating topography sloping towards west to east with small hillocks at few places having an altitude ranging from 171 to 1,525 meters above mean sea level. The average annual rainfall is in between mm received in about 20 to 30 rainy days. The area of the district is 7469 sq.km. The district lies between and north latitude and between and east longitude. In the year 2011, Coimbatore had population of 3,458,045 of which male and female were 1,729,297 and 1,728,748 respectively with a sex ratio of 1000 females for 1000 males. The population density for 2011 was 731 people per sq. km. With more than 75 per cent population getting urbanized the literacy rate remained as high as per cent. For administrative purposes, the district has been divided into three revenue divisions, nine taluks, 20 blocks and 481 revenue villages. The block location map of Coimbatore district is given in Figure Climate Coimbatore has a pleasant, salubrious climate due to its proximity to thickly forested mountain ranges and the cool breeze blowing through the Palghat gap which makes the consistently hot temperatures pleasant. Under the Köppen climate classification, the city has a tropical wet and dry climate, with the wet season being from October to December due to the northeast monsoon. The mean maximum and minimum temperatures vary between 35 C (95 F) and 18 C (64 F). The variations in the temperature pattern and rainfall distribution are given in Figure Rainfall Due to the presence of the mountain pass, more elevated parts of the district benefit from the south-west monsoon in the months from June to August. After a warm, humid September, the main monsoon starts from October lasting till early November. These monsoons are brought about by the retreating monsoon. The average annual rainfall is around 700 mm (27.6 inches) with the North East and the South West monsoons contributing to 47% and 28% respectively to the total rainfall. 12

15 Figure 2. Block location map of Coimbatore district 13

16 Figure. 3 Weather particulars of Coimbatore district in Total rainfall and its distribution is an important factor for crop cultivation. The rainfall distribution of Coimbatore district is shown in Table 2 and Figure 4. The total annual rainfall of the district was mm. during the triennium ending The annual rainfall of Coimbatore district in the recent years was marginally higher than that of the State average. The distribution of the rainfall showed that a large share of the rainfall was received during south west monsoon. Declining trend was noticed in the share of north-east monsoon rainfall from per cent to per cent in the periods under report, as given table 2. However the share of hot weather period which was per cent during the triennium ending increased to per cent during , a significant increase by 27 per cent. Figure 4. Seasonal rainfall distribution in Coimbatore district 14

17 2.1.3 Soil Type The soil is predominantly black, which is suitable for cotton cultivation, but in some parts red loamy soil is also found. The soils of Coimbatore district can be broadly classified into 6 major soil types viz. Red calcareous - non-calcareous, Black Soil, Alluvial, Colluvial Soil, Brown Soil, and Forest Soil. About 60 per cent of the district is covered by red soils, of which red calcareous soil is predominant. They occupy most parts of Palladam, Coimbatore, Mettupalayam and Udumalpet taluks. Medium to deep red calcareous soils are found mainly in Pollachi and Udumalpet taluks. Parts of Palladam, Avinashi and Udumalpet taluks are occupied by red non-calcareous soils. The highlands in Coimbatore, Palladam and Avinashi taluks are mostly occupied by the black soils, which are dark gray to grayish brown in colour. The Alluvial soils are found in small patches along the Noyal river mainly in the upper reaches. The Colluvial soils are found mainly in Chinnathadagam and Chitrachavadi sub-basins and as scattered patches at the foothills of the Anaimalai Land Use Pattern Land is an important input not only for agriculture but also for non-agricultural activities. However, the quantity of land is fixed. Therefore its distribution among the various uses is crucial. Land use pattern in Coimbatore district is presented Table 3. Table 2. Land Use Pattern in Coimbatore district Sl. No. Triennium ending (in ha) Percentage changes Particulars Total Geographical area Forests Barren and uncultivable lands Land put to Non-agricultural uses Cultivable waste Permanent Pastures Miscellaneous tree crops Current Fallows Other fallow lands Net area sown Area sown more than once Total Cropped area Note: Figures in parentheses indicate per cent to total geographical area Source: Season and Crop Report of Tamil Nadu, and , Department of Economics and Statistics, Government of Tamil Nadu, Chennai. 15

18 The total geographical area of the district is 7.47 lakh ha. Forest is an important component of the land use for maintaining the ecological balance and for rainfall. It could be seen from the table 3 that the share of forest in the total geographical area was almost per cent in the two periods studied. Though this was higher than the State average of around 17.0 per cent, it was less than the norm of per cent required to maintain the ecological balance. The share of net sown area to the total geographical area was per cent during the triennium ending The share of net sown area for Tamil Nadu State was also about per cent. Therefore it is necessary to intensify the cultivation of available land for improving agricultural production. But Table 3 shows that the area sown more than once dropped by nearly 6 per cent during triennium ending This is a cause for concern. Being an industrial district, the land put to non-agricultural uses was as high as per cent in Another important area in land use is the wasteland i.e. area under cultivable waste and other fallow lands. In Coimbatore district wasteland formed 2.16 per cent during the triennium ending which increased to per cent during the triennium ending This poses to be a formidable challenge. For the State as a whole, wasteland formed a higher share of around 14.0 per cent. The concept of watershed development gains importance in bringing these lands under vegetative cover Irrigation The effective use of land for productive agriculture depends on the water supply. Coimbatore is predominantly a well irrigated area. It has 528 km length of canal. This might be due to the Parambikulam- Aliyar projects. The district has 77 tanks of which 44 have an ayacut more than 40 ha. The district has open wells solely for irrigation and another 2336 wells supplementing other sources. Coimbatore is known for water mining. With 28,311 tube wells apart from 2751 dug cum bore wells and more than 100 bore wells, the picture of mining is much obvious Cropping Pattern The total area under food and non-food crops was 3.48 lakh ha. during the triennium ending and it declined to 3.28 lakh ha during the triennium ending registering a decline of 5.76 per cent between the two periods considered. Area under food crops formed around per cent and non-food crops around per cent. Among the food crops, coconut occupied a major share of per cent of total cropped area and registered an increase of per cent from that of triennium ending level. Among cereals, cholam occupied about per cent of the total cropped area followed by maize. Maize is gaining importance as a raw material for poultry feed and other industrial uses. The share of pulses was only 8.41 per cent during the triennium ending and it showed a declining trend. Cotton which was an important crop of the district lost its glory and 16

19 the area declined over years and stood at 1.23 per cent of the total cropped area during the triennium ending Similarly, area under groundnut also declined over years and its share in the total cropped area was only 5.39 per cent during the period Sugarcane declined from 3.15 per cent ( ) of cropped area to 2.59 per cent in Table 3. Area under principal crops in Coimbatore district (Area in ha) Crop Triennium ending Percentage changes Paddy (4.63) (2.04) Cholam (25.57) (23.44) Maize (4.60) (6.53) Total cereals (35.08) (32.21) Green gram (1.37) (1.24) Total pulses (10.30) (8.41) Total food grains (45.38) (40.62) Sugarcane (3.15) (2.59) Banana (1.97) (3.06) Tomato (1.37) (1.57) 8.10 Total Vegetables (2.95) (4.00) Cotton (5.06) (1.23) Groundnut (9.82) (5.39) Coconut (14.09) (31.75) Fodder crops (1.90) (0.85) Total food crops (56.86) (55.22) Total non food crops (43.14) (44.78) Total food & non food crops (100) (100) Note: Figures in parentheses ( ) indicate per cent to total cropped area. Source: Season and Crop Report of Tamil Nadu, and , Department of Economics and Statistics, Government of Tamil Nadu, Chennai. 17

20 2.1.7 Livestock Population Livestock often serve as the main source of disposable incomes in drylands. The population of total livestock in the district was lakhs during the livestock census, Of this nearly 33 per cent were cattle. The population of buffaloes was 40,912. The farmers normally maintain sheep and goat as a source of supplementary income. The population of sheep in Coimbatore district was 2.06 lakhs while that of goats was 2.86 lakhs. Farmers also maintain backyard poultry for regular cash-flow. The poultry population in the district was lakhs as per 2004 livestock census. 2.2 Profile of Sulthanpet and Kinathukadavu Blocks The Integrated Watershed Management Programme VII lies within the administrative boundary of Sulthanpet of Sulur taluk and Kinathukadavu block under Kinathukadavu taluk in Coimbatore district. The description of the study area is arrived by compiling the available information of the blocks ranging from details of rainfall, climate, soil, land use pattern, operational holdings, source of water supply, irrigated area, cropping pattern and livestock population. Sulthanpet lies between to north latitude and between to East longitude whereas Kinathukadavu lies between 10'58'N and 11 1 N latitude and from 77'52'E to 77'54'E longitude. With an area of 29,575 ha, it has 20 panchayats and 20 revenue villages whereas Kinathukadavu comprises 40 panchayats and 35 revenue villages. The total population of the Sulthanpet block of 69,262 includes 34,390 female and 15,161 belonging to SC/ST communities whereas Kinathukadavu consists of 1,04,228 population with people belonging to SC/ST communities (Census, 2011) Climate of the study area The minimum temperature of C was observed during North East Monsoon period whereas the maximum temperature of C was observed in Summer Period. The average relative humidity was 75 percent. The maximum wind velocity of 2.82 km / hour was observed in South West Monsoon Period. The average pan evaporation was 90 mm per month. The average sunshine hours per day ranged from 5.20 hours in North East Monsoon Period to hours in Summer Period. The relative humidity was high in the morning hours (88 per cent) as compared to evening (58 per cent). The evaporation loss was the lowest in November and maximum in March Rainfall of the study area On an average, the blocks receive 640 mm of rainfall in a year. Maximum rainfall is received from North-East monsoon. However the blocks fall under very low rainfall zone. Long term ( ) mean seasonal and annual precipitation ratio is given as below, 18

21 Block Winter Summer SWM NEM Annual Sulthanpet Kinathukadavu Source: Records of the Executive Engineer (AE), AED, Coimbatore Soil Types in the study area The block is characterized red loam, sandy coastal alluvium, red sandy soil and calcareous soil. Nitrogen is the major deficient macro-nutrient and ferrous, zinc and manganese are the most deficient micronutrients. In this block, due to different stages of weathering of parent material, the soil types are met with in combination of Inceptisol, Alfisol and Entisol. The description of the soil series is given in Table 5. Table 4. Description of soil series in the Sulthanpet and Kinathukadavu blocks Sl.No. Soil series Description Suitable crops 1 Inceptisol Red or brown or grey soil with Suited for commonly surface horizon more developed grown crops than sub surface. 2 Alfisol & Entisol The red or brown soils having accumulation of illuviated clay in sub surface horizon. Source: Records of the Executive Engineer (AE), AED, Coimbatore 2.3 Profile of the Watersheds Annual crops with shallow root systems come up well IWMP VII batch ( ) of Sulthanpet and Kinathukadavu blocks include watersheds namely Pachapalayam - II, Vadasithur, Arasampalayam, Mettubavi - I and Mettubavi II. The general details of these watersheds are given in Table 6. Table 5. Details of the study watersheds in IWMP VII batch in the study area Watershed Code Location Pacha palayam - II Vadasithur Arasam palayam Mettubavi - I Mettubavi - II 5A2B5a2f3 5A2B5a2g1 5A2B5a2f2 5A2B5ag6 5A2B5a2g7 77'52'E to 10'59'N 77'54'E to 10'59'N 77'54'E to 11'1' N 77'52'E to 11'1'N 77'52'E to 10'58'N Block Sulthanpet Kinathukadavu Kinathukadavu Kinathukadavu Kinathukadavu Taluk Sulur Kinathukadavu Kinathukadavu Kinathukadavu Kinathukadavu Total area (ha) Soil depth (m) Infiltration Rate Poor Poor Poor Poor Poor Avg. Slope 2.6 % 2.6 % 2.6 % 2.6 % 2.6 % Avg. depth: well 25 m 25 m 25 m 25 m 25 m 19

22 Watershed Pacha palayam - II Vadasithur Arasampalayam Mettubavi - I Mettu bavi II Avg. depth: bore 245 m 245 m 245 m 245 m 245 m Annual 640 (mm) 640 (mm) 640 (mm) 640 (mm) 640 (mm) Rainfall Number of beneficiary farmers / farm beneficiaries Small Marginal Others Landless Labourers P A Figure 5. Map showing Pachayapalayam - II (P) and Arasampalayam (A) watersheds 20

23 V M Figure 6. Map showing Mettubavi I & II (M) and Vadasithur (A) watersheds Source of irrigation in the study watersheds The area irrigated by different sources is given in Table 7. It could be noted that the net irrigated area work out to be 596 ha in the IWMP VII batch of Sulthanpet and Kinathukadavu blocks of which open wells contribute to nearly 90 per cent. Among the watersheds, Arasampalayam possess the maximum area under irrigation with ha altogether followed by Mettubavi-II (116.5 ha) and Vadasithur ( ha). Table 6. Source wise area irrigated in the watersheds of IWMP VII batch Particulars Pachapalayam II Vadasithur Arasampalayam Mettubavi -I Mettubavi - II No. NIA No. NIA No. NIA No. NIA No. NIA Open well Bore well Tanks Source : Records of the Executive Engineer (AE), AED, Coimbatore, Note: NIA Net Irrigated Area (ha) 21

24 This status has to be correlated along with the status of groundwater development in the Sulthanpet and Kinathukadavu blocks, which when seen presents a worrisome picture to deplore, thereby necessitating the role of watershed agencies (Table 8). Table 7. Source wise area irrigated in the watersheds of IWMP VII batch Sl.No. Particular Groundwater Status ( Ha m) Sulthanpet Kinathukadavu 1 Net Groundwater availability - Present Existing gross draft for irrigation uses Existing gross draft for domestic, industrial uses Existing gross draft for all uses Allocation - domestic & industrial use up to Net groundwater availability for future irrigation Source: Records of the Executive Engineer (AE), AED, Coimbatore Land use pattern The land use pattern prevailed in the study area of Sulthanpet and Kinathukadavu blocks are presented in Table 9. Among the components of land use category, current fallows accounted for 36 per cent of the geographical area during the indicating the extent of wastelands in the area. It was further observed that net area sown occupied only 31 per cent of the total area. Land put to non agricultural uses occupied second position with a share of six per cent of the geographical area. There was no area reported under forests. The analysis of land use pattern revealed the predominance of wastelands and also their scope for improvement. Table 8. Land use pattern in the watersheds of IWMP VII batch ( ) (Area in ha) Pacha Vada Arasam Mettu Mettu Classification palayam - II sithur palayam bavi - I bavi - II Forest Barren and uncultivable land Land put to non-agricultural use Cultivable waste Permanent pastures Miscellaneous tree crops Current fallows Other fallow lands Net area sown Net irrigated area Gross irrigated area Source : Records of the Executive Engineer (AE), AED, Coimbatore 22

25 2.3.3 Cropping pattern Cholam was recorded as major crop in the watersheds as it accounted for more than 32 per cent of the total cropped area. The next major crop was pulses with an area of nearly 27 per cent followed by groundnut (8 per cent). The other notable crops in the watersheds include tomato, bhendi, and fodder crops Occupational pattern Nearly 70 per cent of the community forms the bulk of working force in the watersheds. Of them a little less than 32 per cent were actively engaged in agriculture as a vocation. At the same time, 25 per cent of the population strictly worked in non-agriculture sector, while the remaining was found to tussle between agricultural and non-agricultural works Size of the holdings From the farmers surveyed during field visits, it was found that the average size of farm-holding of the watershed was 1.09 hectares. It could be concluded that majority of the farmers were under the category of marginal and small farmers Livestock The livestock population in both Sulthanpet and Kinathukadavu blocks are given in Table 10. The major livestock component in the study area was cow. The population of sheep and goats was remarkably present in Arasampalayam watershed numbering around 240. Buffaloes were noticed in only Vadasithur and Arasampalayam watersheds. Table 9. Livestock particulars in the watersheds ( ) Livestock Pacha Arasam Mettu Mettu Vadasithur palayam - II palayam bavi - I bavi - II Cow Buffalo Draught animals Sheep and goats Poultry Others Total Source: Project Implementing Agency, IWMP VII batch in Coimbatore district Wage rates The wage rates for agricultural operations were found varied between Rs.200 to Rs.350 for male and Rs.100 to 200 for female. But since the daily income from non-agricultural sectors (like construction works) were much higher, a considerable shift of population towards non-agricultural ventures even during harvest times was generally observed in the study area 23

26 CHAPTER III COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS IN WATERSHED DEVELOPEMNT Watershed models are being developed giving priority to the empowerment of the community and the stakeholders so that the projects operate not as a supply driven project but as a demand-driven project. Earlier experiences from the various watershed projects have indicated that a straightjacket approach will not yield desired results and a mix of individual and community based interventions are essential. Multi-disciplinary teams are involved to provide all the technical expertise to solve the problems at the community level. The benefits are transparent and distributed well among the community members including women. As a result, the level of participation has improved. This approach, ensured participation and the watershed gets to be considered as an entry point for improving the livelihoods of the people. 3.1 The underpinning of watershed approach to IWMP The watershed approach has conventionally aimed at treating degraded lands with the help of low cost and locally accessed technologies such as in-situ soil and moisture conservation measures, afforestation and through a participatory approach that seeks to secure close involvement of the user-communities. The broad objective was the promotion of overall economic development and improvement of the socio-economic conditions of the resource poor sections of people inhabiting the programme areas. Many projects designed within this approach, at different points of time, were taken up by the Government of India. The Drought Prone Area Programme (DPAP) and the Desert Development Programme (DDP) were brought into the watershed mode in The Integrated Wasteland Development Programme also aimed at the development of wastelands on watershed basis. Other major programmes implemented through this approach were the 'National Watershed Development Project for Rainfed Areas' (NWDPRA) and the 'Watershed Development in Shifting Cultivation Areas' (WDSCA) of the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA). While the focus of these programmes may have differed, the common theme that underpinned their structure has been the basic objective of land and water resource management for sustainable development of natural resources and community empowerment. Prof. Hanumanta Rao Committee, constituted by the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) studied the implementation and impact of the Drought Prone Area Programme and Desert Development Programme all over the country and recommended a common set of operational guidelines, objectives, strategies and expenditure norms of watershed development projects integrating these programmes under the Minister of Rural Development (MoRD). Accordingly, 24

27 the guidelines of Watershed Development were framed and brought into force with effect from 1 st April 1995 and subsequently reformulated the guideline by 2001.Currently the common guidelines were issued by the Government of India to implement the programme which mandates constitution of a separate agency at the State level as well as district level to effectively implement and monitor the IWMP programme. The concept of Watershed Association and Watershed Committee at the village level was given strength for implementing the projects under these programmes. Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) were also empowered and necessary financial and administrative powers were given for self-governance particularly in planning, implementation and management of economic development activities in rural areas. The institutional frameworks of Watershed Association and Watershed Committees for the implementation of Watershed Development Programmes are being perceived as parallel bodies, with very little coordination between them and the Gram Panchayats / Gram Sabhas. With the devolution of necessary powers, the Gram Panchayats / Gram Sabha are expected to perform far better than the Watershed Associations / Committees since they are: i. equipped with statutory rights and mandate for natural resource planning, ii. have potential to plan according to people s wishes and integrate watershed management into wider development activities, iii. have capacity to draw on the services of the departments in an integrated manner and press for political pressure on line departments at higher levels, iv. potentially equipped with the powers to impose local taxes or user charges, and v. committed to reservations for representation of women and weaker section as per the Constitutional provisions. Thus, it was felt necessary to bring in suitable modifications and amendments to the existing institutional framework for implementation of Watershed Development Programmes so that the Ministry of Rural Development can fulfil its constitutional obligation of empowering PRIs. With this objective, the Prime Minister of India launched a new initiative called HARIYALI on 27 th January 2003, which sought to empower the PRIs both administratively and financially in the implementation of the Watershed Development Programmes of the Ministry of Rural Development. Accordingly, the Ministry modified the existing provisions and brought out Guidelines for the new initiative. These Guidelines were called the guidelines for hariyali and were applicable to Integrated Wastelands Development Programme, Drought Prone Areas Programme and Desert Development Programme being notified by the Government of India. 25

28 The programme was designed in such a way that it encourages peoples participation in all the stages of project implementation. The programme activities, therefore have to be evaluated at different stages in order to have clear understanding about the status of implementation and the impact on soil-moisture conservation by undertaking the works viz., contour bunding, land levelling, summer ploughing; drainage line treatment activities such as construction of major and minor check dams, retaining wall and gully control measures; water resource development measures through percolation pond, renovation of tank, cattle pond and farm pond, afforestation and pasture development through developing social forestry, avenue plantation, fruit plantation, fodder development and other activities such as coirpith compost training, sericulture, homestead plantation, formation of self help groups and other community organizational activities. 3.2 Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) Participatory rural appraisal (PRA) is a label given to a growing family of participatory approaches and methods that emphasize local knowledge and enable local people to make their own appraisal, analysis, and plans. The purpose of PRA is to enable development practitioners, government officials, and local people to work together to plan context appropriate programs. Thereby ensuring people s participation right from the beginning to the end of any activity carried out is the basic premise of IWMP. Also the level of participation of village community in various stages of planning, strategy evolution, implementation, supervision, monitoring depends mainly on the commitment, from the people towards the programme. Such PRA exercises will help (i) to collect the information on socio-economic, demographic and cultural life of the selected watershed area, (ii) to understand various problems faced by villagers in general and problems related to farming in particular, (iii) to identify existing natural and physical resources for agricultural and wasteland development, (iv) to formulate an action plan taking into account of the available resources. During the evaluation study, it was found that PRA exercises were getting conducted in all the study watersheds of IWMP VII viz. Pachapalayam II, Vadasithur, Arasampalayam, Mettubavi I and Mettubavi-II. It was also noted during evaluations that people actively participated and appraised the situation and the ground level condition of farming and also the local livelihood problems faced by them. The problems were then prioritized by the farmers themselves according to the nature of the consequences. Techniques selected by the watershed officials to analyze the nature of the problem were: Informal and formal discussions Resource Mapping Transect walk 26

29 Seasonality analysis Venn diagram Focus Group discussions SWOT analysis 3.3 Benchmark survey Baseline data forms the basis of any watershed development plan. It was good to find that in the watersheds of IWMP VII, the benchmark data on socio-economic and biophysical data were collected much before the programme getting implemented. The details were included in the Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) and the same were produced and were verified at the time of evaluation. Table 10. Performance Score of IWMP VII watersheds Particulars Status Performance (YES/NO) Score PRA exercise conducted Yes 9.5 Baseline data collected and documented Yes 9.5 Livelihood action plan with timeline prepared Yes 9.5 Production system enhancement plan with timeline prepared Yes 9.5 Consolidated action plan prepared Yes 9.5 DPR is prepared as per the framework Yes 9.5 DPR is integrated in the district Perspective plan No 4.0 Convergence plan prepared No 4.0 Approved by SLNA Yes 9.5 AAP is part of DPR Yes 9.5 Whether net planning has been done Yes 9.5 Entry of physical and financial target and achievement record Yes 9.5 DPR is integrated and updated with the IWMP-MIS Yes 9.5 Source: Field Study and observations 3.4 Community Based Organizations During evaluations it was observed that at the district level, DWDA is the nodal authority for implementation of all the area development programmes under the supervision and guidance of the State Government and the Government of India. It approves the action plan of the projects. The Project Officer, DWDA maintained the accounts of watershed projects and signs all statutory papers such as utilization certificates (UCs), Audited Statements of accounts, progress reports and Bonds. At the field level, the Gram Panchayats implemented the projects under the overall supervision and guidance of Project Implementation Agency (PIA), DWDA, Coimbatore. 27

30 The PIA provided necessary technical guidance to the Gram Panchayat for preparation of development plans for the watershed through Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) exercise. It carried out its duties through a multi-disciplinary team designated as the Watershed Development Team (WDT). The WDT consisted of four members one from the disciplines of agriculture, engineering and social sciences, as per the guidelines. Gram Panchayats executed the works under the guidance and control of the Gram Sabha. The Gram Panchayat carried out the day-to-day activities of the project and were responsible for coordination and liaison with the Watershed Development Team and the DWDA to ensure smooth implementation of the project. Gram Panchayat undertook watershed development works and also realized payments for the same. It maintained a separate account for the watershed project and all receipts from DWDA were credited to this account. This account was operated jointly by the Gram Panchayat Chairman and Secretary. The Gram Panchayat Secretary convened meetings of the Gram Panchayat and Gram Sabha for carrying out all their decisions. He/she maintained all the records and accounts of project activities. The Gram Panchayat has appointed one or two volunteers to provide assistance to the Gram Panchayat Secretary in the implementation of activities as per the action plan /treatment plan of the watershed project. The volunteers were paid honorarium. It was also found that though as per the guidelines, the Watershed Committees (WCs) were formulated in all the study watersheds; they in turn were not registered under Societies Registration Act, But it was very well noted that the WCs had representatives from User Groups (UGs), Self-Help Groups (SHGs), Watershed Development Team (WDT) and other farm beneficiaries. 3.5 Accounts at WC level In the study watersheds, WCs maintained separate bank accounts to receive funds for watershed projects. Actually four different accounts were getting maintained viz. (i) Watershed Project Account, (ii) Farm Production System (FPS) account, (iii) Revolving fund account, and (iv) Watershed Development Fund (corpus) account. The details of the bank accounts maintained are given in Tables 12 to

31 Table 11. Details of accounts maintained at WC level in Pachapalayam II watershed Sl.No Bank A/c details A/c No. Opening Amt. Date (Rs.) Date Closing Amt. (Rs.) 1 Administrative A/c Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil 2 Project A/c ,888 3 FPS A/c Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil 4 Revolving fund A/c Watershed ,618 Development Fund A/c Note: Account in State Bank of India, Chettipalayam, Coimbatore; FPS: Farm Production System; Source: PIA, IWMP VII batch ( ), Coimbatore Table 12. Details of accounts maintained at WC level in Arasampalayam watershed Sl.No Bank A/c details A/c No. Opening Amt. Date (Rs.) Closing Amt. Date (Rs.) 1 Administrative A/c Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil 2 Project A/c ,569 3 FPS A/c Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil 4 Revolving fund A/c Watershed Development ,898 Fund A/c Note: Account in State Bank of India, Chettipalayam, Coimbatore; FPS: Farm Production System; Source: PIA, IWMP VII batch ( ), Coimbatore Table 13. Details of accounts maintained at WC level in Vadasithur watershed Sl.No Bank A/c details A/c No. Date Opening Amt. (Rs.) Date Closing 1 Administrative A/c Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Amt. (Rs.) 2 Project A/c ,653 3 FPS A/c Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil 4 Revolving fund A/c ,000 5 Watershed Development Fund A/c ,242 Note: Account in State Bank of India, Chettipalayam, Coimbatore; FPS: Farm Production System; Source: PIA, IWMP VII batch ( ), Coimbatore 29

32 Table 14. Details of accounts maintained at WC level in Mettubavi - I watershed Opening Closing Sl.No. Bank A/c details A/c No. Amt. Amt. Date Date (Rs.) (Rs.) 1 Administrative A/c Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil 2 Project A/c ,484 3 FPS A/c Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil 4 Revolving fund A/c Watershed Development ,510 Fund A/c Note: Account in State Bank of India, Chettipalayam, Coimbatore; FPS: Farm Production System; Source: PIA, IWMP VII batch ( ), Coimbatore Table 15. Details of accounts maintained at WC level in Mettubavi - II watershed Opening Closing Sl.No. Bank A/c details A/c No. Amt. Amt. Date Date (Rs.) (Rs.) 1 Administrative A/c Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil 2 Project A/c ,109 3 FPS A/c Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil 4 Revolving fund A/c ,996 5 Watershed Development Fund A/c ,943 Note: Account in State Bank of India, Chettipalayam, Coimbatore; FPS: Farm Production System; Source: PIA, IWMP VII batch ( ), Coimbatore Table 16. Details of accounts maintained at PIA level in IWMP VII watersheds Sl. No. Bank A/c details A/c No. Date Opening Amt. (Rs.) Date Closing Amt. (Rs.) 1 PIA account Note: Account in Indian Bank, Raja Street, Coimbatore; FPS: Farm Production System; Source: PIA, IWMP VII batch ( ), Coimbatore. 3.6 Details of Cash Registers maintained at WC level As per the guidelines, all the study watersheds were observed maintaining different records and registers. They included WC resolution register, measurement book, receipt book, payment vouchers, stock register, cash book, material forms, ledger, intent of WC for the release of funds, record of NRM, FPS, WDF (corpus fund) and revolving fund and all maps related to Watershed projects. 30

33 Table 17. Details of registers maintained in the study watersheds Sl. No. Particulars P V A M I M II 1 Cash book (5 Nos.) 2 Contingencies registered under NRM + FPS (2 Nos.) 3 Watershed Committee Resolution register 4 Assets register 5 Revolving fund repayment register 6 Measurement book 7 Intent register for release of funds 8 Maps related to watershed projects Note: P: Pachapalayam - II, V: Vadasithur, A: Arasampalayam, M I- Mettubavi I, M II- Mettubavi II 3.7 Details of Self Help Groups (SHGs) Self Help Group is a homogeneous group with affinity among themselves, voluntarily formed to save whatever amount they can conveniently save out of their earnings and mutually agree to contribute to a common fund of the group from which small loans are given to the members for meeting their productive and emergent credit needs at such rate of interest, period of loan and other terms as the group may decide. Self-Help Groups (SHGs) were formed in the watershed area under study with the help of WDT from amongst landless/asset less poor, agricultural labourers, women, SC/ST persons and the like. All these groups had been found homogenous with common identity and interest. Table 18. Details of Self Help Groups in the IWMP - VII watersheds Watershed No. of groups No. of members Pachapalayam - II 5 12 Vadasithur 6 48 Arasampalayam 9 24 Activities Tailoring, Cow rearing Tailoring works Renting out cooking materials Year of start Whether functioning* Yes Yes Yes Mettubavi - I 1 12 Cow rearing Yes Making Mettubavi - II Yes coconut Chips Note: * whether functioning at the time of survey Source: Project Implementing Agency, IWMP VII watersheds ( ), Coimbatore The Gram Panchayats in the study watersheds were helped by the watershed officials to set up a revolving fund of Rs. 1 lakh as seed money for vocational development of Self-Help Groups (SHGs). Each SHG was granted Rs.24,000 for undertaking income generating 31

34 activities. It was also made sure that the seed money was recovered from the SHG members in a maximum of six instalments on monthly basis. It was also found that the recovered money was reinvested in the same or other SHGs. 3.8 Details of User Groups (SHGs) It was encouraging to find User Groups (UGs) getting constituted in the watershed area with the help of WDT. The Groups were found to be very homogeneous of persons mostly directly benefited by each work/ activity and only included those having land holdings within the watershed area. Each UG consisted of landholders who were likely to derive direct benefits from a particular watershed work or activity. In the study area, the UGs were responsible for the operation and maintenance of all the assets created under the projects through which they derive direct or indirect individual benefits. Table 19. Details of User Groups formed in IWMP VII watersheds Number of No. of Whether Name of the watershed Year of start groups formed members functioning* Pachapalayam - II Yes Vadasithur Yes Arasampalayam Yes Mettubavi - I Yes Mettubavi - II Yes Note: *whether functioning at the time of survey Source: Project Implementing Agency, IWMP VII watersheds ( ), Coimbatore It was also well noted that the UGs were not defined for any specific intervention. It was disturbing to note that in some cases the beneficiaries themselves were not aware whether they belong to a UG or not. But it cannot be denied, at the same time, that all these UG members were found being attentive in all the formal and informal meetings, PRA exercises and WC meetings. 3.9 Conductance of Gram Sabha Meetings in the study watersheds The Gram Sabhas in the study watersheds conducted regular meetings to approve the watershed development plans. Moreover monitoring and review of progress, approval of statement of accounts, formation user groups, resolving differences / disputes between different User Groups / Self-Help Groups or amongst members of these groups, approving arrangements for the collection of public / voluntary donations and contributions from the community and individual members, laying down procedures for the operation and maintenance of assets created and approving the activities that can be taken up with the money available in the watershed development funds were all made possible only by conductance of such meetings. 32

35 3.9.1 The procedure of meetings conducted in the study watersheds Following the guidelines for meeting is as much as important as the conductance of a meeting itself. Thus, during evaluations, it was made sure whether the guidelines- inter alia were followed by the implementing officials in the arrangements for meetings. To the utmost satisfaction of the evaluation team, it was found that meetings of Gram Sabhas were usually convened for preparation of the action plan on the basis of the detailed PRA exercises. After general discussion, the Gram Panchayat prepared a detailed Action Plan / Treatment Plan for integrated development of the watershed area under the guidance of the WDT members and submitted the same to the PIA. The WDT utilized various thematic maps relating to land and water resources development in preparation and finalization of the action plan. This Action plan was submitted to the PIA for approval. The approved plan is the basis for release of funds, monitoring, review, and evaluation by the DWDA. The Action plan was prepared for all the arable and non-arable land including degraded lands, government and community lands and private lands. While preparing the detailed action plan, technical requirements and feasibility of appropriate biophysical measures were carefully worked out by the WDT after proper consultation in the gram sabha meetings for long-term sustainable interventions for the entire area of the watershed. The Action Plan is the outcome of the gram sabha meetings. It was found that in the study watersheds, the following were included in the action plan prepared, i. Physical targets to be achieved (year wise) under the projects and the road map for achieving these targets; ii. Definite time frame for each major activity ; iii. iv. Technologies interventions for the proposed activities; Specific success criteria for each activity; and v. A clear Exit Protocol. After the approval of the detailed action plan by the DWDA, the PIA implemented it in full swing through the Gram Panchayats with active supervision of the WDT members Exit protocol While preparing the detailed action plan the Gram Panchayast, under the technical guidance of WDT, also evolved proper exit protocol for the watershed development project. The exit protocol specified a mechanism for maintenance of assets created and utilization of the Watershed Development Funds. Mechanism for equitable distribution and sustainability of benefits accrued under the watershed development project has also been clearly spelt out. 33

36 Table 20. Details of formal meetings arranged in the study watersheds Name of the watershed Number Issues Average Discussed Participation (%) Pachapalayam - II Vadasithur Arasampalayam Mettubavi - I Mettubavi - II Source: PIA, IWMP VII watersheds ( ), Coimbatore Table 21. Details of informal meetings arranged in the study watersheds Name of the watershed Number Issues Average Discussed Participation (%) Pachapalayam - II Vadasithur Arasampalayam Mettubavi - I Mettubavi - II Source: PIA, IWMP VII watersheds ( ), Coimbatore Table 22. Details of PRA meetings arranged in the study watersheds Name of the watershed Number Issues Average Discussed Participation (%) Pachapalayam - II Vadasithur Arasampalayam Mettubavi - I Mettubavi - II Source: PIA, IWMP VII watersheds ( ), Coimbatore Thus it could be seen that in order to effectively implement the watershed development activities, the WC periodically conducted meetings at watershed levels. Different issues were discussed and the resolutions were also properly recorded in the Watershed Committee Resolution Register. On an average, at least once in a month a meeting was conducted and more than half of the stakeholders made up to the meetings without fail Community mobilization and training It was well noticed that the community mobilization and training were regarded as prerequisites for initiating development works in the study area. Sensitization and orientation training on watershed project management were imparted for all concerned functionaries and elected representatives at the district, block and village levels. 34

37 Trainings and Exposure visits Training and exposure visits are very vital as they build the mandatory capacity among the stakeholders in the watershed. It was found that the study watersheds were very active in leveraging necessary trainings to the stake holders. Especially the SHGs were given exposure in these trainings to improve living standards. The exposure visits concentrated on various techniques and technologies on dry land management and the beneficiaries were very much affirmative during the evaluation about the profound impact that such exposures left on them. Table 23. Details of Training and Exposure visits in the IWMP - VII watersheds Sl. No. Watershed Target Achievement 1 Awareness camps conducted (Nos.) Exposure visits conducted (Nos.) Workshops / training conducted (Nos.) Total Persons trained (Nos.) Farmers and landless trained (Nos.) Women trained (Nos.) WDT members trained (Nos.) WC /GP members trained (Nos.) Expenditure (Rs / lakh) Source: PIA, IWMP VII watersheds ( ), Coimbatore Note: WC watershed Committee, GP Gram Panchayat, WDT Watershed Development Team 35

38 CHAPTER IV IMPLEMENTATION OF WATERSHED PROGRAMMES 4.1 Operational procedures and implementation The implementation of the watershed activities started with the opening of the project account in The account was found to be operated jointly by Watershed Committee Chairman and a member of Watershed Development Team. Watershed Development Team member had to sign all the cheques for the release of funds from the bank account opened. Moreover, as per the guidelines, watershed development fund account was also found opened in all the watersheds wherein the contributions from the beneficiaries were being deposited to take up the maintenance works after the completion of the project. All the accounts, registers and records including bills were kept at the respective watershed offices and they were verified during preparatory phase evaluation. 4.2 Release of funds For the release of funds all the study watersheds were made to follow certain procedures very aptly. First of all, a watershed committee should send a proposal seeking release of funds to District Watershed Development Agency. This has to be forwarded by a Watershed Development Team member. Joint Director of Agriculture (the Project Officer) has to scrutinize before the approval of District Watershed Advisory Committee for the release of funds directly to the project account operated by the watershed committees. In the study watersheds neither the watershed officials nor the members of WC reported any kind of problem regarding the release of funds. But in some study watersheds timely release of funds was found to be a matter of concern. Guidelines were also strictly followed in each voucher/bill getting signed by the watershed secretary and chairman and only then the bill was passed by PIA. Even at this juncture, necessary verifications and check measurements were made by the Watershed Development Team (WDT) members. It was also good to find that the PIA and the officials from the District Watershed Development Agency verified the watershed project works and activities on timely basis through regular field visits. 4.3 Execution of work The approved items of activities that were discussed in the gram sabha meetings, were then implemented by the respective WC with the help of WDT members. No specific criterion was adopted for the selection of beneficiaries but generally it was tried to ensure that maximum number of beneficiaries get covered in a single activity. It was also made sure that 36

39 the decision for selection of beneficiaries was taken up in watershed committee meetings for which the meeting proceedings were prepared and maintained. 4.4 Entry Point Activities in the study watersheds Entry Point Activities get generally included so that to develop better rapport between the Project Implementing Agency (PIA) and villagers. It is a sort of confidence building mechanism. This would facilitate the beneficiaries to involve with a stronger commitment. In the study watersheds, all the entry point activities were found, to mobilize all stakeholders of the community; to create community assets to be maintained; to elicit the willing participation of the communities; to be useful in breaking the ice and to win the trust and confidence of the people On discussing with villagers, it was evident that local communities had appreciated all these efforts. The details of the entry point activities in the watersheds are given in Table 24. As the entry point activities were found to be popular among the villagers, it is suggested that in the future projects also such EPA should be given attention so that to make the villagers to participate with greater involvement in all the watershed treatment activities. Moreover careful and planned EPA benefitting a large number of intended beneficiaries could also influence the locals to feel the ownership of any kind of developmental activities undertaken. Table 24. Entry Point Activities carried out in the IWMP VII watersheds Particular Drinking water Augmentation Pacha palayam II No. Amt. (Rs.) Vadasithur No. Amt. (Rs.) Arasam palayam No. Amt. (Rs.) Mettubavi-I No. Amt. (Rs.) Mettubavi-II No. Amt. (Rs.) Threshing floor Pipe culvert Note: Amount in lakh Rs. Source: PIA, IWMP VII ( ), Coimbatore 4.5 Watershed Treatment Activities in the study watersheds Though it is only a preparatory phase in the implementation of IWMP VII batch watersheds, several watershed treatment activities were also taken up to conserve in situ soil and moisture, to develop water resources potential, to increase green cover in the watershed area and to to restore ecological balance. Generally the watershed treatment activities can be 37

40 classified in to activities under Natural Resource Management (NRM), Farm Production System (FPS) and Livelihood Support System (LSS). The details of various watershed activities implemented in the study watersheds are given in table 25. Table 25. Different types of activities carried out in the study watersheds Sl. No. Watershed Activities Pacha palayam II Vada sithur Arasam palayam Mettu - bavi I Mettu - bavi II 1 Entry Point Activities Drinking Water Augmentation Threshing floor 2 Natural Resource Management Channel renovation Check dam X X Retaining wall X X X Crop Demonstration X X X X X 3 Farm Production System Horticultural Plantation X X X X X 4 Livelihood support System Revolving fund for SHGs Source: Project Implementing Agency, IWMP VII watersheds ( ), Coimbatore It could be found that major activities under watershed treatment activities include channel renovation, channel clearance and construction of check dams. The activities under FPS were also carried out for the common benefit of watershed farmers. Works were also carried out to mobilize soil and water conservation measures. In the long run this would result in enhancing groundwater recharge and in improving agricultural productivity in the study watersheds. During field visits, all the activities were visited for observation, data collection and evaluation. Opinions of the villagers were also obtained through interviews. The information on target and achievement of each activity has been compiled in Table

41 39

42 4.6 Budget spread over various types of works in the study watersheds In the study watersheds it was found that, among all the watershed treatment activities, supply channel renovation was allocated maximum funding (37 per cent) in the preparatory phase of implementation followed by check dam construction (24 per cent), retaining wall construction (18 per cent), and drainage works (9 per cent). The component of Livelihood Support System was also allocated a funding of 3 per cent in the overall budget. Figure 8. Budget spread over various types of works in IWMP VII watersheds 4.7 Monitoring and Review The mechanism of monitoring and review was also found good in the study watersheds. The Gram Panchayat usually submitted a quarterly progress report to the PIA after getting scrutinized and approved by the WDT. The PIA then submitted quarterly progress report to the DoLR through the State Government. At district level, DWDA monitored the implementation of the projects. It could be well said that with the independent preparatory phase evaluation, mid-term and final evaluation would provide reasonable insights for the development of watersheds and to improve the livelihood aspects of the locals with the objective of attaining sustainability as the grassroots level. 40

43 Plate 1. Drinking Water Augmentation (EPA) in Arasampalayam watershed Plate 2. Evaluating Check Dam in the Mettubavi I watershed 41

44 Plate 3. Evaluation of GRL, an entry point activity, in Vasithur Watershed Plate 4. Evaluation of NRM activity: Retaining Wall in Pachapalayam II watershed 42

45 Plate 5. Evaluation of Supply Channel in Mettubavi II watershed Plate 6. Evaluation of Supply Channel renovation in Arasampalayam watershed 43

46 CHAPTER- V IMPACT OF WATERSHED DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES The various aspects of evaluation involved in a preparatory evaluation include general particulars of the watersheds, peoples participation, details of works executed, convergence with other schemes and line department activities, impact assessment and preparedness level for the post project period. Impact evaluation of all the watersheds in IWMP VII phase of Sulthanpet block in Coimbatore district was taken up in terms of these technical and general categories. Technical evaluation was done through a set of bio-physical, socio-economic and institutional indicators. In addition to the existing bench-mark data, impact evaluation was also based on field visits by the evaluation team, discussion with farmers and other farm beneficiaries, talks with concerned officials and information provided by the PIA. 5.1 Evaluation of physical watershed activities Impact of Entry Point Activities Entry point activities are those sub-project interventions that are first identified by villagers during the initial awareness raising campaign carried out by the implementing agency. In keeping with the strategy for building local organizational capacity, the entry point activities in the study watersheds would arraign positivity in the locality. This would in turn establish trust among the stakeholders which forms the first step to gain their confidence. Experience from a number of programs suggested that through entry point activities that are not specifically related to management of natural resources can also be effective in catalyzing the formation of a local institution. The assumption was that, once the local level institutional framework was put in place, subsequent activities that were directly related to sustainable management of natural resources could be more effectively planned and implemented. Nevertheless, in the study area EPA served the purpose of providing immediate results to prioritized needs of the villagers thereby galvanizing the spirit of collective action Impact of Watershed Treatment Activities Though the project was only in preparatory phase, several soil and water conservation measures such as check dams, horticultural development and channel clearance were already put in place by the implementing officials. The inquiry with the farmers about the potential would-be impacts of these activities revealed that they were quite convinced and were very much affirmative in the first place. Farmers were obvious that only such measures could enhance soil-moisture holding capacity, prevent runoff losses and increase water levels leading to improvements in soil physical conditions apart from supporting livelihood standards. 44

47 5.1.3 Impact of Participatory Approaches in the study watersheds Participatory approaches help in organizing individuals (stakeholders) to influence and share control over development initiatives, and the decisions and resources which affect them were carried out by the implementing agents of the study watersheds of IWMP in full swing. The watershed officials were of the opinion that through these intensive face-to-face approaches with the locals over a period of time, a critical consciousness has emerged attributing to wider social, economic, political and environmental conditions facing rural communities. It was evident in the study watersheds that the individuals were empowered through a process of capacity building measures Impact of Households Participation in watershed management Peoples participation in watershed development programme plays a crucial role in the success of it. In the study watersheds it was obvious to see that PIA had taken all good efforts to improve community participation. Reach out was the key mantra. Such community participation could very well be treated as an indicator to collective action. In all the study watersheds, farm households were seen as members in watershed institutions like Watershed Committee (WC), User Groups (UG) and Self-Help Groups (SHGs) which can be very well regarded as the pillars-of-support of watershed management. Such participation only indicated that farm households show inclination towards planning, attending meetings and training all key requisites which in the long run would be leading to the sustainability of the project itself. 5.2 Beneficiaries responses on visits by implementing authorities In the run-up of Integrated Watershed Management Project it was important for the implementing officials to pay visits to the fields of beneficiaries in which they had carried out several activities of the scheme, so that the beneficiaries would be in sync with the developments of the scheme. During evaluation, the beneficiaries and the locals of the watersheds were queried about the frequency of visits made by the implementing officials in a given month and the results are presented in Table 27. Table.27 Frequency of visits by the implementing officials Sl.No. Watershed Visits / month 1. Pachapalayam - II 2 2. Vadasithur 2 3. Arasampalayam 2 4. Mettubavi - I 2 5. Mettubavi - II 2 Source: Responses during field visits, August

48 5.3 Beneficiaries responses on constraints in the adoption of watershed activities In the preparatory phase of the project apart from carrying out entry point activities, the authorities have also implemented certain watershed treatment activities. Moreover in many of the gram sabha meetings that the officials arranged, the opinions of the locals were also sought after making them fully aware of what the watershed activities are going to deliver them. Thus it could be very well assumed that the locals or the beneficiaries have very good knowledge about the activities of IWMP VIIin the study area. It was considered meaningful to ascertain major constraints faced by the locals that may hinder them watershed benefits or realizing their utilities. A sample of 12 respondents from each watershed was randomly selected for this purpose. It was found that there were four major constraints viz., small land holding; inadequate labour supply; lack of technical support and irrelevant technologies in the localities. As it could be seen from Table 28, among all the constraints, the inadequate supply of labour emerged to be the top-most constraint of the locals followed by small sized land holdings. It is to be noted that a certain faction of beneficiaries did feel that some technologies introduced were irrelevant. Table 28. Constraints in the adoption of watershed development activities Sl.No. Watershed Small land holding Inadequate labour supply Lack of Technical support Irrelevant technologies 1 Pachapalayam - II Vadasithur Arasampalayam Mettubavi - I Mettubavi - II Note: Sample size: 12 for each watershed Source: Responses elicited during field visits, August

49 CHAPTER- 6 CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS Preparatory Phase Evaluation was carried out in Pachapalayam II, Vadasithur, Arasampalayam, Mettubavi - I and Mettubavi- II watersheds of IWMP VII batch in the Sulthanpet and Kinathukadavu blocks of Coimbatore district by the evaluation team of the Department of Agricultural Economics, Centre for Agricultural and Rural Development Studies, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. 6.1 Some common observations The evaluation team did observe some common observations that were obvious because of the approach of the implementing officials of IWMP VI. These observations revealed that in the study watersheds activities were being carried out as per the guidelines. Approach of IWMP VI Purpose Nature of Task Role of Field Agents Control over Decisions Role of Information Accountability Characteristics and skills of Field Agents Outcomes Observations Local capacity building; creating and strengthening groups to achieve self management. Coordinated action over a prolonged period of time. Facilitator, catalyst, organizer, liaise with technical agencies. Parameters established by agency; decisions made and owned by community through process of negotiations. Technical information introduced as and when needed. To community as a whole Community organizing, facilitating, with technical know-how, high on social acceptability Empowered groups managing services, group cohesion cooperation, empowerment, effectiveness, and efficiency 6.2 Overall Performance score of implementation in the study area Performance is a measure of achievement. They go a long way to ensure whether a project would serve its intended benefits. In this evaluation study, Performance Evaluation Indicators (PEIs) have been arrived at by contemplating and analyzing the data obtained on different aspects of the implementation of the watershed programmes. It was found that though there were variations in terms of performances of individual activities as well as in terms of individual watersheds, overall the performance levels were satisfactory as given in Table

50 Table 29. Overall Performance Score of Implementation in the study area Watersheds EPA VLI PIA CB DPR WW FU Total Score Avg. Score Pachapalayam II Vadasithur Arasampalayam Mettubavi I PEI Very Good Very Good Very Good Very Good Mettubavi II Excellent Very Overall Good Note: > 8.5 : Excellent; : Very good; 5.5-7: Good EPA: Entry Point Activities; VLI : Village Level Institutions; PIA: Project Implementing Agency; CB : Capacity Building; DPR : Detailed Project Report; WW :Watershed Works; FU : Fund Utilization and (PEIs): Performance Evaluation Indicators 6.3 Recommendations Though there were variations in performances in terms of achievements and local participation, the conclusions and recommendations therein drawn here however are applicable to all the watersheds in the study area Entry Point Activities: One of the impressive performances of almost all the watersheds in the study area was the excellent implementation of entry point activities by the authorities. Mostly, the provision of drinking water facilities through bore wells with hand pump/sintex tanks had enormous impact among the beneficiaries. It was encouraging to note that the watershed authorities took enough measures to see that even the disadvantaged get benefitted from the EPA. This deserves appreciation. At the same time, careful planning needs to be done to see that the EPA benefits the farming community more than the common people who are not involved in farming operations. Works which can be carried out by other funds (like renovation of school compound wall) should not be encouraged with IWMP funds. Every effort should be made to make sure that the activities of IWMP actually serve the purpose of sustainability. It is need to be ensured that the name boards should be put in place so that the identity of the IWMP VIIprojects could not be compromised. Moreover uniformity has to be ensured in the naming of the watershed activities in the form of uniform colour, style, letters and content so that all the activities of the project in the watersheds could be easily located. 48

51 6.3.2 Watershed treatment activities It was found that the structures like check dams receive much appreciation from the beneficiaries. Apart from this activity, renovation of channels and drains had also been carried out in the study watersheds. During evaluations, many farmers complained about the prevailing water scarce conditions. As such is the case, the farm ponds assume very crucial importance, as these ponds help the farmers to provide one or two life irrigation for their crops. Hence, it is suggested that more number of farm ponds may be constructed wherever possible. It is suggested that as percolation ponds help in a big way for groundwater recharge, possibilities for construction of these structures may be explored in the watersheds. Similarly, as the check dams play key role in preventing water erosion and help in groundwater recharge, these structures could be thought of wherever possible in the future Village level institutions The village level institutions such as WC, UGs and SHGs were all formed in watersheds according to the guidelines. The study finds mixed evidence of collective efforts in watershed development. There is certainly cooperation among watershed beneficiaries during project implementation. But the villagers participated in meetings and PRA exercises. However, it was also found that such meetings were not well defined for any intervention. Some members of the UGs were unaware of their roles and responsibilities in implementation of the watershed development activities. Increasing awareness and providing clear information about rights and responsibilities will likely make for more empowered and involved stakeholders. The WC members and UGs should be given adequate training on maintenance of accounts, records and registers. Moreover no specific criterion was adopted for the selection of beneficiaries but generally it was tried to ensure that maximum number of beneficiaries get covered in a single activity. It was also made sure that the decision for selection of beneficiaries was taken up in watershed committee meetings for which the meeting proceedings were prepared and maintained. It has been observed that one of the important issues in village level institutions is that a mechanical way of formation of various community based organizations takes place. Often, the PIA and WDTs struggle to identify these UGs as they do not have clear knowledge on the likely beneficiaries of a particular intervention. Hence, it is suggested that the UGs may be formed after the construction of any rain water harvesting structures like percolation pond, check dam, renovation of tanks and farm ponds. 49

52 6.4 Summary Sheet Sl. No. Preparatory Phase Evaluation of IWMP VI watersheds in Sulthanpet & Kinathukadavu blocks in Coimbatore Comment 1 Preparation of DPR Very Good 2 Selection of worksites Good 3 Selection of beneficiaries Good 4 Maintenance of watershed development records Good 5 Maintenance of accounts at WC/ PIA and UG level Very Good 6 Constitution of WC as per the mandate Very Good 7 Build-up of network technical support Good 8 Periodic conductance of Gram Sabha meetings Good 9 Organizing training and exposure visits Good 8 Status quo of Entry Point Activities Very Good 9 Status quo of Watershed Treatment Activities Very Good 10 Participation of User Groups Good 11 Condition of the structures constructed Good 12 Maintenance of the structures Good 13 Awareness among beneficiaries about IWMP Good 14 Overall Physical Achievement of the project Good 15 Overall Financial Achievement of the Project Good 16 Overall utilization of the project Good 17 Overall impact of the project so far Very Good 18 Overall Performance of DWDA Very Good 50

53 Reference Chinnadurai, M. (2011) Mid-Term Evaluation Study on IWDP V and VI watersheds in the Tiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu. Department of Agricultural Economics, Centre for Agricultural and Rural Development Studies, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. Elumalai, G. (2006) A manual for Participatory Irrigation Management in Tamil Nadu. Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India, New Delhi. Lannerstad, M. (2008) Pumped Out: Basin Closure and Farmer Adaptations in the Bhavani Basin in Southern India. River Basin Trajectories: Societies, Environments and Development, CAB International. Mohanakrishnan, A. (2001) History of Irrigation Development in Tamil Nadu. Indian National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage, Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India, New Delhi. Murali Gopal, S and Swaminathan, B. (2013) Group Dynamics in Enhancing the Efficiency of Agricultural Marketing for placing the Farmers in a Higher Plane. Manual prepared for the Capacity Building Programme for Agricultural Officers of Tamil Nadu, Department of Agricultural Economics, Centre for Agricultural and Rural Development Studies, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. Suresh Kumar, D and Palanisami, K. (2009) An Economic Inquiry into Collective Action and Household Behaviour in Watershed Management. Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics, 64 (1):

54 Annexure I Sl. No. Particulars P II V A M I M II 1 Baseline survey conducted 2 WC registered 3 WDT members formed Women participation 4 Community organizer 5 Entry point activities 6 Accounts at WC level Watershed project account Farm Production System account Revolving fund 7 Watershed development records to be maintained Watershed committee records WC resolution register Measurement book Receipt book Payment vouchers Stock register Cash book Material form Ledger (WSC) Intent of WSC for the release of funds Record of NRM, FPS, WDF revolving fund Any other measures prescribed by DWDA/PIA/DWC 8 PIA/WDT records Cash book Ledger Stock register All maps related to Watershed project M & E register Copy of DPR/ annual plan of watershed Records relating to auditing and accounts Bimonthly review/ performance report on WS,WC, WDT 9 Annual action plan 10 WDF account as fixed deposit 11 Charted account annually 12 Internal auditing 13 WC compromise at least 10 members of SHG, UG, SC/ST, FW One member of WDT WC rented office of Rs. 500/- per month Secretary of the WC selected from member of gram sabha Note: P II: Pachapalayam II, V: Vadasithur, A: Arasampalayam, M I: Mettubavi I, M II: Mettubavi II 52

55 Annexure II Success Story School students getting regularly supply of potable water from GLR component of IWMP VII What else could better explain the success of an Entry Point Activity than the benefit that the school students reap? With the Ground Level Reservoir (GLR) component of IWMP VII the watershed officials have managed to arrange regular supply of water to the students Girls Secondary school of Pachapalayam village. About 170 girl students study in this school and they had no source of potable water supply. They had to cross the street to have water for even washing their lunch boxes. Apart from the distance the girls have to cross, with a busy village road, the plying vehicles were also a bother to them. When the matter was discussed in the gram panchayat meetings about carrying out EPA works in the watershed, the top-most priority was given unanimously to the installation of water facility. Now this installation also serves potable water. While establishing this set-up, the officials have also managed to extend an extra pipeline for toilet facility. It was indeed a much publicized work and it really worked in favour of watershed officials as the villagers became very much aware about the scheme components. 53