Sustainability of Watershed Development Project A Case Study at Chinnatekur

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1 Indian J. Dryland Agric. Res. & Dev (1), Sustainability of Watershed Development Project A Case Study at Chinnatekur M.S. Rama Mohan Rao, Biswajit Mondal, M. Padmaiah, K.K. Reddy, M. Chandrappa Central Soil & Water Conservation Research & Training Institute, Research Centre, Bellary ABSTRACT : Sustaining watershed development programmes subsequent to withdrawal of external support is crucial for ensuring resource protection and resource use efficiency. The Chinnatekur watershed developed by Central Soil & Water Conservation Research & Training Institute, Research Centre, Bellary during supported till 1992 was re-assessed in for determining the changes that have taken place subsequent to withdrawal of support and identifying strategies for sustaining such programmes in future. In spite of increase in population, farming families and reduction in the per capita availability of land under dryland conditions the per capita returns improved by 115% during the support period and subsequently improved to 123%. Similarly the liability reduced from 69.78% to 37% during The impacts were more clear during the drought years than in normal years. Net returns in case of groundnut improved from Rs.1959 per ha to Rs.2248 per ha during support period and subsequently to Rs.3156 per ha. Consequent to improvement in fodder supply, milk production improved considerably and sale of milk improved by 100%. The number of wells during watershed project implementation and subsequently registered continuous increase resulting in reduction in the command area per well. Improved economy has resulted in better infrastructure deployment in terms of tractors, motors, and threshers, etc. Inspite of such improvement, resource management at the community level was found to be weak whereas at the individual level it was impressive as demonstrated by the increase in productivity. The social institutions built during the support period have not been sustained withered and failed to protect resources. The study has revealed that decentralized public administrative structures with reallocation of efforts to the level at which the problem is being experienced and linking them to the legally elected bodies at the village level is essential for sustaining the watershed development programmes. In a developing country like India, increasing food production is most important requiring prudence and patience to conserve and increase the use efficiency of resources for economic maximization of agricultural production through watershed development. Conservation of soil and water brings in many benefits such as green cover on wastelands, healthier forests, increased availability of moisture and nutrients in the soils and sustainable ground water levels. Where social and economic norms do not favour sustainable and equitable development, water development has the potential to become an instrument of social transformation, by bringing about the redistribution of water resources and opportunities for the poor (Turton and Bottral,

2 Sustainability of Watershed Development Project A Case Study at Chinnatekur ) Watershed management programme takes care of the above by alleviating poverty and providing livelihood, food, nutrition, employment and environmental security. The programmes so far undertaken conclusively proved that they have helped to: reduce erosion and nutrient losses significantly; improve availability of moisture to crops and yields ranging from 20 to 50% increase cropping intensity by 20 to 25% improve vegetation on community lands, thereby improving fuel and fodder availability; increase in areas under cash crops; promote 1 to 6m rise in water table levels and thus increase in area under irrigation: reduce migration and rural poverty; and resulted in high benefit cost ratio ranging from 1.2 to 1.8 and beyond. [(Das (1994); Rao & Chowdhary (1994); Kanchan chopra (1998), Hazra (1998) & Rao et al.., (2002)]. However, there is a growing feeling that a fundamental flaw, exists with cost benefit analysis as it ignores institutional arrangements which determine whether a project will be sustained once external support is withdrawn. Even under conditions of social benefits being more than social costs, every one does not gain. The losers may threaten the success of the project by refusing to comply with the rules of resource us (Mills, 1998). Hence there is a need to develop withdrawal strategy by the external agency to ensure sustainability of the programme. Accordingly, the Chinnatekur watershed implemented by the Central Soil & Water Conservation Research & Training Institute, Research Centre, Bellary during and monitored till 1992 was reassessed during for the changes that have taken place subsequent to withdrawal of the project for identifying appropriate strategies for sustainability of the programme. Description of the Area The selected watershed is situated at Chinnatekur, 12 km from Kurnool, on either side of the National Highway No.17, at N latitude, E longitude and between the altitudes of 363 and 390m above Mean Sea Level. The topography is highly undulating and the major soil groups are red and black soils. The general slope of the terrain rages from 0.5-3% in agricultural lands and 5-20% in hilly regions. The entire area drains into handri river, a tributary to Tungabhadra river through two major and several seasonal nalas. Climate in the watershed is semi-arid with a mean rainfall of 653.9mm Watershed works implemented To improve the productivity on sustainable basis, a comprehensive plan was formulated and implemented by matching the resource levels of the watershed with the needs of the people and restoring ecological balance by arresting land degradation through appropriate conservation measures both in arable and nonarable areas. Non-arable area In non-arable areas, staggered contour trenches of 4 x 1.0 x 0.5 m were constructed at 10 m horizontal intervals with equalizers of 0.25m. These trenches were half filled to form mounds on the down stream of contour trenches and plantation was done on the mounds with appropriate plant species. Afforestation was carried out in ha, apart from plantation on banks of Handri river sides of the roads, canals, railway lines and gully banks, covering a length of 11 km with appropriate species for the purpose of bio-mass production to meet fodder and fuel needs. Gully banks were protected by easing side slopes and dry revetment was provided. To prevent excess

3 6 M.S. Rama Mohan Rao, Biswajit Mondal, M. Padmaiah, K.K. Reddy, M. Chandrappa runoff draining from the hill slopes into arable lands below, a combination of 1936m long diversion drain, with a cross-section of 0.84 sq.m and 670m. long diversion bund having a cross-section of 0.36 sq.m. with a gradient of 0.3% was provided for safe disposal of runoff into natural drains. Fourteen rock fill dams, one arch weir, one nala bund and gabions were constructed across the gully at different places to enhance water storage and ground water recharge and arrest gully expansion. Arable area In arable areas, graded bunds were provided over an area ha connected to 717m long waterways with 159 nos. stone checks at appropriate places to arrest soil erosion and conserve rain water. Land shaping was done in 11ha area and graded border strips were formed in 2.13 ha area for uniform conservation of moisture and to facilitate efficient on-farm irrigation. Four farm ponds were excavated for runoff collection and use for supplemental irrigation. Land smoothening was carried out over an area of ha to remove local undulations. High-level canal was constructed for development of minor irrigation to create an additional irrigation potential of 124 ha. Fisheries was developed to improve the livelihood of the landless poor. Impact of watershed development Socio-economic survey was conducted by interviewing 101 randomly selected farm families, representing 21 percent of the total watershed families, across different land holdings. Data on demographic features, asset position, production, consumption, liabilities, etc. were collected during representing withdrawal period and in subsequent to withdrawal and analyzed to compare the status with pre-project period ( ). Across the years, there has been an increase in the population and number of families dependant on agriculture (Table 1). Literacy rate also changed over the period. Per capita holding of irrigated land increased from0.12 ha to 0.14 ha while dryland decreased from 0.32 ha to 0.23 ha. Consequent to watershed development, in spite of increase in population over time, the per capita net income (net returns from agriculture based on prices) increased from Rs to Rs per annum indicating and increase of 123 percent over pre-project figure (Table 2). The extent of liability of different categories of farm families during this period decreased from percent to percent of their net income generated from agriculture which indicated that the economic status of the people in the watershed has improved over time. Table 1 Population occupation literacy and land holding pattern in the project area Character Pre-project Withdrawal After Period state withdrawal ( ) ( ) ( ) Population (No.) Farming families (No.) Other occupation (No.) Literacy (%) Per capita land holding (ha) Irrigated land Dry-land

4 Sustainability of Watershed Development Project A Case Study at Chinnatekur 7 Table 2: Changes in per capita net returns from agriculture in the operational area of the chinnatekur water shed Period Per capita returns Extent of liability (Rs) (As % of income from agriculture) Pre-Project ( ) (114.7) NA Post-Project ( ) 6292(122.9) 37.25(-32.5) Figures in parentheses indicate percentage change over pre-project period Cropping intensity Due to introduction of soil and water conservation programme the cropping system and cropping intensity showed a change over the period (Table 3). Increased groundwater availability, due to construction of graded bunds and gully control structures, and adoption of improved package of practices for crops brought about significant improvement in the total cropped area. Area under double crop as well as relay crop increased, resulting in higher cropping intensity and the same was sustained even after the withdrawal of the technical support. Table 3 : Change in cropping intensity (%) in the Chinnatekur watershed Project area Period Rainfed crops Whole agriculture Pre-project ( ) Post-project a. During implementation period (1991) b. After withdrawal ( ) Crop production As a result of land treatment coupled with adoption of improved practices, the production level and productivity of major crops in the watershed increased over the years. The productivity levels in case of rainfed groundnut increased by 77 and 52 percent respectively for normal and below normal years, in the project implementation phase over pre-project period and the production level further improved by 88 percent (Table 4) subsequent to withdrawal. In case of sorghum the productivity enhanced by 124 and 45 percent for normal and below normal years in the project implementation phase and the same level was maintained even after the withdrawal. Table 4: Changes in productivity with (kg/ha) of major rainfed crops in the Chinnatekur watershed in relation to seasonal conditions. Crop pre-project project period After withdrawal Period (Avg.) ( ) Normal Below Below Normal (Normal years normal normal year year year) years ( ) ( ) Groundnut (76.9) (52.1) (76.9) (52.1) Sunflower Sorghum (124.30) (44.6) (121.9) (44.6) (Figures in parentheses indicate % increase over pre-project status)

5 8 M.S. Rama Mohan Rao, Biswajit Mondal, M. Padmaiah, K.K. Reddy, M. Chandrappa The data depicted in table 5 reveal that the total crop production and productivity groundnut pod equivalent (GNE) increased progressively over the period in the watershed. Changes in gross production (tones) were more prominent in case of irrigated crops. Productivity as weighted average for rainfed and irrigated agriculture increased steadily over the period. Table 5: Changes in gross production and productivity (as GNE) in relation to seasonal conditions in the Chinnatekur watershed project area Crop pre-project project implementation period After withdrawal Period ( to92-93 (Avg.) ( ) Normal Below Below Normal (Normal years normal normal year year year) years ( ) ( ) Production (Tonnes) Rainfed Irrigated Total Productivity (Tonnes/ha) Rainfed Irrigated Weighted avg. of Rainfed & irrigated Changes in net returns With the increasing level of production from agricultural crops, the net returns at (Rs. /ha) prices increased considerably over pre-project period. Significant changes were observed (Table 6) in case of vegetables to the extent of 170 and 374 percent, respectively, during the project implementation period and after withdrawal of the project, and in case of paddy to the extent of 91 and 82 percent during the same period. Increase in net returns from almost all other crops in both rainfed as well as irrigated areas were also noteworthy. Table 6: Changes in net returns (Rs./ha) from major crops during different periods of Chinnatekur watershed project area Crops Pre-project During project After withdrawal Period period (1984- ( ) ( ) 85 to ) Rainfed Ground nut (40.2) 3166(61.6) Sorghum (37.4) 1873(65.5) Vegetables (170.4) 5756(373.7) Irrigated Paddy (90.9) 23397(82.0) Groundnut (70.7) 5133(50.6) Vegetables (24.8) 23535(78.2) Cotton (36.7) 40107(41.1) (Figures in parentheses indicate percentage increase over pre-project period)

6 Sustainability of Watershed Development Project A Case Study at Chinnatekur 9 Productivity of different crops: The productivity levels of major agricultural crops from inside and outside the watershed for the year revealed that the productivity of all crops was higher inside the watershed (Table 8) proving decisively the benefits of soil and water conservation measures, as the differences were more prominent in rainfed crops (Rao and Chowdhary, 1994) Changes forming systems adopted The livestock survey in the area indicated that the number of livestock increased considerably which could be due to increased availability of feed and fodder and better economic condition of the farmers. The level of milk production, consumption and marketed surplus also increased substantially. However, local/indigenous breeds dominate the bovine population. A full-fledged veterinary hospital has been set up but not much attention was given to breed upgradation or other developmental activities in this sector indicating weak linkages with other line departments. Bullock labour utilization for farming activities declined due to increased use of machinery. Table 8 Changes in livestock population and farming system in the Chinnatekur Watershed project area. Particulars Pre-project period Post-project period ( ) ( ) 1. Livestock Nos. Bullock Cow Buffalo Sheep/goat Milk Production (ltr./yr.) No. of milking days Milk consumption(ltr./yr) Milk sold (ltr./yr) Bullock labour utilization (bullock days/pair/year) Impact on Employment generation Adoption of soil and water conservation practices increased the cropping intensity as well as crop yield, which in term lead to more labour requirement for agricultural production processes and other temporary works. The level of additional labour employed during the starting of the project for agricultural activities and temporary works were 20,100 and 22,523 mandays, respectively. During the period of to the average employment was mandays and 12,233 mandays for the same. In the year the level of employment declined due to use of tractors and threshers (Table-10)

7 10 M.S. Rama Mohan Rao, Biswajit Mondal, M. Padmaiah, K.K. Reddy, M. Chandrappa Table 10 : Employment generation during different periods of implementation of Chinnatekur watershed development area Period Man days per year Permanent Temporary Total (Agriculture) During starting of project ( ) Average of implementation period ( to ,233 50,703 After withdrawal Period ( ) Changes in groundwater utilization Implementation of conservation programmes resulted in considerable reduction in runoff and soil loss (Rao & Chowdhary, 1994). Further, the runoff retained against the conservation structures percolated to the lower layers influencing ground water recharge. The number of wells increased from 47 in the pre-project period to 120 during implementation period and then to 176 by increasing the command are (Table 11). The command area under each well was found to decrease after withdrawal phase indicating over exploitation of ground water resource. Tabel 11 Groundwater utilization in the Chinnatekur watershed during different periods of project implementation Particulars Pre-project period Post project After withdrawal ( ) No. of wells Area commanded (ha) a. Kharif b. Rabi Total Average commanded Area (ha) per well Changes in asset position Once the financial position of the farmer improves, he would invest in assets to safeguard his interests against undertainty and risks and to create basic infrastructure to sustain agricultural production. The data presented in table 12 depicts the changes in number of different modern implements such as tillers, tractors, electric motors, oil engines, wells, etc. during different periods of time. Table 12: changes in asset position of the farmers at Chinnatekur watershed over the years Particulars Years Tillers Tractors Nil 7 12 Electric motors Oil engines (pump set) Wells Threshers 0 1 5

8 Sustainability of Watershed Development Project A Case Study at Chinnatekur 11 Status of the programme after withdrawal Most of the interventions adopted for conserving soil and water in both arable and non arable lands are intact. However, in few cases the graded bunds were disturbed either due to division of land and /tractor working. Except nala bund most of the gully control structures remained intact. In general the activities which resulted in assured water for irrigation have been well protected and maintained, as one farm pond is used as pick-up well for irrigation and the other is converted into a well with digging of a bore well in it. Ridge canal formed for supplemental irrigation is well maintained. Few of the farmers have even leveled their lands using the border strip concept introduced and are irrigating their lands through lift irrigation from the drainage lie protected with structures. Management of Resources Resource management at the community level was found to be weak such as protection of vegetation in non-arable areas, up-keeping of the gully checks and nala bund, waterways and tank management for pisiculture. At the individual level, crop management practices such as intercropping, adoption of new varieties, use of fertilizers, shift towards more remunerative cropping systems and use of tank in the absence of external support the linkages of the community with the line departments is weak. Social Institutions The Watershed Association comprising people of the watershed, formed in 1989, functioned very well under external support by discouraging biotic interference in forest areas, providing custom wise services in hiring agricultural implements and power sprayers at nominal rents and managed tank for fish production. It was also involved in protecting pasture lands by encouraging grass cutting during rainy season and in preventing overgrazing. However after with drawl it could not function effectively and slowly withered due to lack of binding forces in the absence of local initiatives. It is evident from the above that in order to sustain the programme people need to be socially mobilized. It should not be equated with the formation of Watershed Committee, Watershed Association, User Groups or Self Help Groups, but as a process of organizing different interest groups in to a committee to move forward on a collective and democratic basis with clear roles as well as stakes in the sustainable management of watershed based livelihoods. This aspect becomes very essential when it comes to u se of ground water. As is observed in this watershed, over exploitation of ground water might result in wells to ensure sustainable water yield. In order to halt over exploitation and bring about equity, it is essential to form water use ring to coordinate its use and development by treating it is a common property. The above suggest a decentralized public administration structures with reallocation of efforts to the level at which the problem is being experienced and linking them to the legal elected bodies at the village level. This would ensure protection and efficient management of resources benefiting all sections of the community. The land users will then be in a position to fulfill their tasks their tasks as protectors of the land as well with simultaneous improvement in the crucial services such as rural extension services, information system and rural financial systems.

9 12 M.S. Rama Mohan Rao, Biswajit Mondal, M. Padmaiah, K.K. Reddy, M. Chandrappa References Das, D.C Watershed Management and Soil and Water Conservation. Ind. Farming citation not prop Hazre, C.R Biophysical Results of Watershed Rehabilitation in kharaiya Nala. Paper Presented at the National Workshop on Wasteland Development, Govt. of India, New Delhi April, Kanchan Chopra, 1998 Evaluation of Watershed Programmes in India A Review Presented at National Workshop on Wasteland Development, Govt. of India New Delhi April 1998 Mills, N.L Economic evaluation of wastelands: Methodological issues. Rama Mohan Rao, M.S. and Narayana Chowdhary, P Watershed Management for Sustainable Development. Pub. CS & WCR&TI, Research Centre, Bellary and D.R.D.A. Kurnool, A.P. Rama Mohan Rao, M.s. Adhikari, R.N. Math, S.K.N. Patil, S.L. Channabasappa, K Muralidhar, W. Reddy, K.K. Husenappa, V. and Chandrappa, M Evaluation of Watershed Development Programme Under River Valley Projects located in Karanataka. Approved for Publication in Jl. Of Ind. Water Resource Soc. Roorkee. UP Turton, C. and Bottral, A Water Resource Development in the Drought Prone Uplands ISSN: ODI