Assessing the Environmental Benefits of Watershed Development: Evidence from the Indian Semi-Arid Tropics

Abstract

Many environmental benefits result from watershed interventions in the semi-arid tropics. Environmental benefits may be defined as the condition and process through which ecosystems sustain and fulfill human life, including the provision of food and other goods. The spillover effects of these benefits range from an increase in household welfare condition to ecosystem sustainability. An attempt is made in this paper to assess these benefits in the context of Indian Semiarid tropics using primary data collected from two micro watersheds (Rajasamadhiyala and Shekta watersheds). Results indicate that groundwater availability has substantially increased and soil conservation has brought changes in cropping patterns with high-value crops. Rainwater harvesting through check dams, causeway cum check dams, percolation tanks, farm ponds and earthen bunds have significantly increased water storage capacity and water availability along with doubling the production of major crops. Significant increases in irrigated area, cropping intensity along with diversification of crops from traditional to commercial cash crops were recorded in the watersheds. Assessing the environmental benefits accrued from the watershed development approach may lead to the identification of 'keystone elements' in a landscape that have a substantial impact by providing multi-functions. The integrated watershed management practices adopted in the two micro watersheds substantially improved the sustainability in these watersheds. Using available methods we have assessed the environmental benefits of micro watersheds in the Indian semi-arid tropics.

A watershed approach to managing rainfed agriculture in the semiarid region of southern Mali: integrated research on water and land use

“…Natural resource management at the watershed scale (groundwater recharge for example) produces multiple benefits such as increasing food production, improving livelihoods, protecting the environment, addressing gender and equity issues along with biodiversity concerns (Rockström and Barron 2007;Rockström et al 2010;Wani et al 2011;Sun et al 2016). The focus of a watershed program is not on individual farm productivity; rather, it considers the landscape and involves hydrological processes and the monitoring of land use practices (Swallow et al 2001;Berg et al 2016).…”

Opportunities to Build Groundwater Resilience in the Semi‐Arid Tropics

“…Degradation of agroecosystems and declining groundwater sustainability are major concerns for agricultural development in many poor regions of India where rural livelihoods depend directly on management of land and water resources (Rockström et al 2004; Reddy et al 2007; Wani et al 2011a, 2011b). The volcanic hard rock aquifer in peninsular India is characterized by low‐storage capacity and poor specific yield (0.01 to 0.03), and is subjected to poor groundwater recharge due to low rainfall and high evapotranspiration (ET) demands (Maréchal et al 2006; Rao et al 2006; Shah 2009).…”

Up‐scaling potential impacts on water flows from agricultural water interventions: opportunities and trade‐offs in the Osman Sagar catchment, Musi sub‐basin, India

“…On the other hand, there are several positive consequences of watershed development programmes both at the upstream and downstream ends. Investments in land management increase green water use and improve crop productivity upstream, while at the same time prevents flooding, and soil and nutrient loss downstream (Rockström et al ., ; Wani et al ., , ; Garg et al ., ), thus giving a positive impact to water quality (Sreedevi et al ., ). In this paper, the impacts of agricultural water management (AWM) interventions on water flows and sediment loss are studied in the Osman Sagar catchment, in the Musi subbasin of the Krishna basin in India.…”