Watershed moment

According to the figures provided by the state government,the programme has been successfully implemented in 4,741 villages and it is underway in another 4,560 out of the 22 semi-arid districts identified in the state.

Watershed development refers to conservation,regeneration and judicious use of all available natural resources. It involves treatment of water from the highest point (ridge) to the valley. Rain water is allowed to flow down the ridge through soil bunds and collected at different stages by building low-cost check dams,sunken pits,percolation tanks and farm ponds. Thiscauses increased groundwater recharge,increased soil water availability,increased water levels in the bore wells — all these leading to increased yield.

But the whole process requires community mobilisation — something that is easier said than done. “Convincing the villagers is the most difficult part. In many villages,we had to abandon the programme with villagers rejecting the programme outrightly,” said Kishan Das,Joint Commissioner,state rural development department.

As part of the preparatory phase,the villagers need to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding and show willingness for community action towards conservation of natural resources. They need to agree to give up portions of their land to be used by the entire community to build check dams,sunken pits,percolation tanks,etc. “Initially,we were not convinced and people too were not ready to give up their land. We thought that when the land was hardly yielding anything,then why not try it out,” said Laxmi (40) of Kothapally.

It took over two years for results to show,and it was only when the villagers saw water in their wells during the dry season that they begun believing in the watershed scheme. “We had to walk a long way to fetch drinking water. We were surprised to see that there was water in our wells even during summers,” said Bhagamma of Kothapally.

International Crop Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics pitched in with technical support. Advice about the nutrients to be fed to the soil and improved variety of seeds resulted in a significant jump in agricultural output.

“Earlier,we just grew local varieties of pulses and cotton. Now,we are getting improved varieties of seeds and apart from paddy,cotton and pulses,vegetables are being planted in a big way,” said Kahiru Nisa of Gottigaripally.

According to farmers,the yield per acre before the integrated watershed development programme was just 4-5 quintals. It has now increased to 10-11 quintals.

Survanna (35),of Kothapally,owns just one acre of land and her husband drives an auto. Earlier,the entire family used to migrate in search of work and now they get enough to remain in the village and send their three children to high schools in Hyderabad,65 km away.

However,the fate of the programme remains to be seen when the government withdraws from it. So far,the village community has the support of the government.

“We are hopeful that things will be smooth even after we withdraw as everything is managed by the community and the government has minimal intervention,” said K Vidyasagar,Special Commissioner,Rural Development,Andhra Pradesh.