December

SUDIPTA DAS U110117

2, 2010

Watershed Management:-
Everyone lives in a watershed. A watershed is the land area drained by a river/stream system. Rain
falls and snow melting from fields, forests, rooftops, and lawns, parking lots, and streets flows toward
a lake or river and forms a watershed. Smaller drainage areas — the component parts of a watershed
— are called sub-watersheds. Watersheds are separated from each other by high land elevations called
the watershed divide.
Planning of watershed development involves an integrated approach upon physiographic and
hydrologic characteristics which include construction of soil conservation works on crop lands;
Construction of structures, like check dams, Nalla bunding, contour bunds, Gully plugging,
percolation tanks, development of rainwater harvesting and construction of wells etc.
Human activities on land have a direct and cumulative impact on water and other natural resources
within a watershed. Upstream activities influence river flows and water quality downstream.
Channelizing rivers, removing riparian vegetation along watercourses, paving recharge areas, filling
in wetlands, and consuming groundwater at rates faster than it can be replenished can have severe,
and in some cases, irreversible effects on natural systems. These effects in turn affected the bio-
diversity.
Pollution of watershed usually impairs water quality, degrade aquatic and terrestrial habitat,
contribute to a loss of biodiversity, contaminate underground aquifers, and increase risks of flooding
and erosion damage.
At the heart of watershed management is the underlying philosophy that "everything is connected to
everything else." Watershed components are interrelated and interdependent, like the links of a chain
or the spokes of a wheel. Damage to any one watershed component runs the risk of damage to all. The
health of upstream components directly determines the health and function of areas downstream.
Ministry of Agriculture’s proposal of National Watershed Development Projects focuses on aspects
from the angle of agriculture environment, forests and rural development and heavy investment is
envisaged for macro level development. Pilot projects for Watershed Development in Rain fed areas
in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra have already been implemented
with World Bank assistance. This is a long term development, whereas watershed development at
micro level will lead to quick results in increasing the water availability and leading to sustainable
development. Presently, there are several externally aided projects sponsored by the Central
Government and funded by the World Bank and other Organisations which are going on in various
parts of the country. Some State Governments namely Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Orissa and Rajasthan have also started watershed development programmes on their
own, with some success as at Jhabua in Madhya Pradesh. In this connection, it is worth mentioning
that watershed development in drought prone areas needs involvement of both Government and Non-
Government agencies using Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) as an interface between the
Government and the local village communities for revival, restoration and development of the
watersheds. Examples of Ralegaon-Shindi, Adgaon, Rendhar, Sukhomajri, Tejpura, Nalgaon,
Daltonganj, Sidhi, Jawaja and Alwar show that Voluntary organizations and Non-Government
Organisations can play a major role in the watershed development and management.

The following are the reasons why watershed management is an ecosystem management:-

Through management by watersheds, the Forest Service will go a long way toward resolving such
issues and preventing their recurrence by taking strong action. Management by watersheds is also at
the core of the agency's goals of ecosystem management and land stewardship.

 By placing a major emphasis on a structured program that maintains healthy watersheds and
restores ailing ones, the Forest Service can once again assume the high ground of being the
champion for the wise and balanced use of land and resources for the good of future generations.

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SUDIPTA DAS U110117
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 The watershed is a basic ecosystem. It synthesizes inputs of water and energy with its physical,
chemical, and biotic systems (geology, soils, terrain, and vegetation) to produce an array of
landforms and stream channels and a range of stream flow and sediment yield characteristics. The
balanced range of conditions sustained by the hydrologic function of a healthy watershed
includes:
 Integrity of stream flow such that the magnitude and frequency of floods and base flows is not
upset. Healthy watersheds behave like a "sponge" and exhibit high rates of infiltration that
result in minimum surface runoff. Most precipitation soaks into the soil, which tends to retard
flooding, recharge ground water, and regulate stream flow.

 Integrity of the fluvial system expressed as stable stream networks and channels and a balance
between runoff and sediment yield. In healthy watersheds, the stream network is not
expanding through gully erosion, streams are not aggrading nor degrading, channel form is
maintained over time, and stream banks are well vegetated.

 Integrity of water quality and aquatic habitat. Healthy watersheds exhibit healthy streams that
support productive, diverse, and stable populations of aquatic life and display a balanced
range of habitat features such as depth of pools, composition of substrate, and sequence of
pools and riffles.

Factors making Environmental Development Sustainable:-

Sustainable development means pursuing economic prosperity, fiscal responsibility, environmental
quality, cultural enrichment and social equity, all at once. For municipalities, it means making
financially sustainable strategic decisions and implementing operational changes that support broader
social, economic, cultural and environmental objectives. Sustainable development has three divisions,
economic, environmental, and social.
Sustainable Community Planning
Municipal planning plays a key role in making sustainability possible. Without proper long-term
commitments and strategic investments, we cannot plan for and make the necessary changes that will
support a strong economy, clean environment and safe streets for our cities and communities.
Ecosystem Management
An ecosystem approach to management recognizes the interrelated nature of air, land, water and
living organisms. Ecosystem management develops effective partnerships that define units of
management by using natural boundaries, such as watersheds, instead of geopolitical boundaries and
departmental divisions. This approach considers the natural environment, society and economy, and
incorporates the broader concepts of sustainability.
Pollution Prevention
Pollution prevention should be at the centre of programs and policies delivered by all orders of
government. The fundamental idea is that environmental pollution is best prevented or reduced at the
source which in turn reduces the release of contaminants into the environment. This is important as
pollution can impair ecosystem integrity, present risks to human health, and compromise the
competitiveness of Canada’s cities and communities. Pollution that cannot be prevented should be
recycled, treated and disposed of in an environmentally sound manner. Pollution prevention can be
supported by implementing policies and programs that reduce or eliminate the creation of pollutants
through increased efficiency in the use of raw materials, energy, water, or other resources, or by the
protection of natural resources through conservation initiatives. The “polluter pays” principle requires
that the costs associated with environmental clean-up be borne by the parties responsible.
Full-Cost Accounting

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Full-cost accounting integrates the internal and external costs to the environment of activities,
operations, products and services. External costs include the environmental impacts of consuming a
good or service. These external costs should be incorporated into municipal tax rates, so that
consumers see the full cost of providing a service. Full-cost accounting should also reflect each
community’s particular challenges and cost considerations. For example, rural, remote and northern
communities have a limited ability to generate revenue.
Partnership
Municipalities must be fully engaged as partners in deciding on a national vision to achieve Canada’s
environmental and sustainable development objectives. As partners, municipal governments need
policy consistency and certainty, as well as a streamlined approach to regulatory and administrative
requirements. Municipal governments also need long-term, stable and predictable funding to support
these mutually beneficial objectives.
Measurement and Reporting
All citizens must have access to information on environmental conditions, including local data on
water quality and quantity, air quality, contaminated sites, and point and non-point sources of
pollution. Environmental conditions must be measured regularly, and the results used as baseline data
to benchmark progress toward stated objectives.

The sustainable development debate is based on the assumption that societies need to manage three
types of capital (economic, social, and natural), which may be non-substitutable and whose
consumption might be irreversible. In brevity it can be said that while it is possible that we can find
ways to replace some natural resources, it is much more unlikely that they will ever be able to replace
eco-system services, such as the protection provided by the ozone layer, or the climate stabilizing
function of the Amazonian forest. In fact natural capital, social capital and economic capital are often
complementarities. A further obstacle to substitutability lies also in the multi-functionality of many
natural resources. Forests, for example, not only provide the raw material for paper (which can be
substituted quite easily), but they also maintain biodiversity, regulate water flow, and absorb CO 2.

Another problem of natural and social capital deterioration lies in their partial irreversibility. The loss
in biodiversity, for example, is often definite. The same can be true for cultural diversity. For example
with globalization advancing quickly the number of indigenous languages is dropping at alarming
rates. Recognising that some of the earth’s resources are finite and therefore must be used responsibly
by each of us, some important points to be taken care of, are as follows:-

o Understanding the interconnections between the social, economic and environmental spheres
o Considering probable and preferable futures and how to achieve the latter
o Appreciating that economic development is only one aspect of quality of life
o Understanding that exclusion and inequality hinder sustainable development for all
o Respecting each other
o Appreciating the importance of sustainable resource use – reduce, repair, reuse, recycle – and
obtaining materials from sustainably managed sources
o Meeting basic human needs
o The achievement of equity and social justice
o The promotion of social self-determination and cultural diversity
o The maintenance of ecological integrity”
By the year 2200 there will be a lot more people living on this planet then there are now.
Estimates range anywhere from 15 to 36 billion people. Where will these people live?
How will they live? The answer is sustainable development. Sustainable development,
"meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their own needs.”