INTEGRATED WATERSHED MANAGEMENT IN DROUGHT PRONE AREAS

In line with the watershed approach, sound soil and water conservation measures are required to be taken up in all lands, particularly on priority in areas having erratic rainfall. In addition, these conservation structures are to be backed by scientific crop management. Keeping in view, the urgency of the program government has recently sanctioned watershed schemes for the propagation of the integrated watershed and dry land management technology, it has been observed that there is a still lack of trained staff for implementing the program at the grassroots level. Whereas most of the recent advances related to soil and water engineering and conservation agronomy are confirmed only in a few test books requiring sufficient background of basic sciences for understanding the implementations – sometimes much above the level of general field workers – only broad thumb rules are presently being circulated in the form of departmental handbooks.  This at times, has resulted in failures of soil conservation and water harvesting measures, and inefficient and uneconomic land uses; thus, defeating the very purpose of the program. Considering this precarious situation, there is an immediate need to have a manual describing the state-of-the-art in the field. An attempt has therefore been made, herein, to cover briefly all the aspects of the watershed program including design criteria of soil conservation works in simple language based on the experience of the model watershed program.

This monograph has been compiled by picking up different threads of watershed experiences lying in a scattered manner through the length and breadth of the country. Being first of its kind and containing a state-of-the-art conservation strategy, it is hoped that the publication would serve as a text /reference for students of undergraduate and postgraduate levels in different disciplines of Engineering and Agricultural Universities and a handbook for practicing Engineers.