Paper - Integrated Water Management
B.H. Jain, Chairman,
Jain Irrigation Systems Limited, Jalgaon
Abstract
India receives 420 million ha meter (mhm) of rainwater per annum. Of this, 180 mhm flows as run off. It is estimated that 70 mhm can be used by making requisite storage. This can be achieved by adopting appropriate integrated water management measures including watershed development. Maharashtra State has been divided into about 1500 watersheds by the Groundwater Survey and Development Agency (GSDA) for assessment of status of ground water potential and its exploitation.
The integrated water management involves planning at village or group of villages level in a watershed area, and preparation of an integrated map for land and water use in the area covered by watershed. The map will indicate the scope, area where watershed development can be carried out. Soil conservation measures to prevent and check sheet erosion of topsoil, water conservation measures to prevent free flow of rainwater and conserve the same wherever possible so that it permeates into substrata and recharges the ground water in the watershed area are to be carried out. Planting trees, grass species along the hill slopes and wastelands to prevent soil erosion, construction of percolation tanks, check dams, gully plugs in the upper reaches of the stream etc will form part of soil and water conservation measures. Involvement of NGO in the execution of the project under the supervision of GramPanchayat and overall technical and financial assistance by the state are suggested. Medium and minor irrigation projects may be integrated with watershed development as backward integration wherever necessary complemented by micro irrigation network as its forward integrating plank. In microirrigation, water is applied directly to the plant’s root zone through emitters in trickles maintaining soil moisture close to field capacity preventing the plant from experiencing stress for water. The water use efficiency is increased the growth, yield and quality of the crop are optimized. The other advantages like economy in water, labour and cultivation costs and its effective use in undulating, hilly terrain are enumerated. The paper discusses in detail the benefits of watershed development, its problems and limitations, and also why the emphasis should be shifted from major dams to micro watershed and to micro irrigation. Harnessing modern technology with bold policy initiatives to solve some of the problems encountered are indicated. It is emphasized that the approach should be total and not piecemeal.
