Watershed implies an area of water filled land, which physically feeds a river system. It is also known as catchment. Ever river, rivulet and water channel has its own watershed or catchment area. The management of the area is most important to save the ecology of a river system.
Similarly, the water collected from tributaries and creeks should be brought under the management of watershed. The whole aim of management of watershed is to protect the plains under the command of every river from ravaging floods and save water for proper utilisation. The water is a State subject but without Union Government’s efforts, proper utilisation of the country’s water resources is not possible. The water collected from the basins of each river should be properly utilised for the benefit of basin- based population. Excess runoff during rainy season should not become a cause of destruction through flooding of the basin lands as now it is happening in north Odisha due to the torrential rains last week.
Watershed development programme is a Centre sponsored scheme to harvest rain water as far as practicable for intensive irrigation. Similarly, community pasture development for fishery and supply of drinking to every village are also included within this scheme. Through watershed management direct employment to the people, particularly residing in rural areas, is ensured. For proper implementation of the scheme, watershed areas of each State should be identified properly before any management plan is chalked out and implemented for the social benefits.
Another scheme now under implementation for management of watersheds of different States is Integrated Watershed Management Programmes (IWMP). Under the scheme, water harvesting structures are created for tackling drought in a drought prone area. Generally, watershed management programmes are carried out in hilly lands where water and soil conservation practices are followed to prevent soil erosion and ensure adequate availability of water. Similarly, the operations of river valley project and programme for rain fed areas cannot be undertaken without watershed development practices.
Watershed management is highly needed in all parts of the State. Koraput, Kalahandi and Balangir besides other western parts of the State, where the scheme for watershed management is profoundly in operation, all catchment areas of rivers and their basins should also be covered under the scheme. The project area includes either non-forest or dead soil devoid of soil nutrients and biological activities of the top soil. The scheme also emphasizes to take up watershed practices in common land. Common land means the lands which are generally river basins and very much vulnerable to floods and soil erosion. The whole idea behind the implementation of the scheme in the river basin area is to prevent erosions, save maximum amount of rain water, which otherwise flows down to ocean and increase the fertility of the soil.
Odisha is affluent in respect of wealth of water, but the conservation measure is too poor. It calls for proper utilization of water resources not only in the State but the whole of India through State wise missions.
In 23 districts of Odisha, there are 707,403 hectares of waste lands. Every land has its own potentiality and usefulness. We need to improve a land if it is less fertile and use it for the purpose it is best suitable. The designated waste lands can be brought under watershed managements.
The people of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh have learnt a great lesson from the Phailin and sub-sequent rainfall for last 16 days, which caused havoc for lakhs of people. We observed October 29 as International Day of “Disasters Mitigation”. The tropical countries are more prone to disasters and hence, the day assumes great importance for the inhabitants in these countries. Proper planning for tapping the natural resources can help prevent many disasters. Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are situated right on the seashore of the Bay of Bengal and are protected by the Eastern-Ghat hill ranges. Again, these three States are located to the northwest directions of the Andaman-Nicobar Islands and are prone to sea-based disasters of the Andeman sea. The Andaman sea is very near the equator and hence is prone to climatic disasters like frequent formation of low pressure. Again, the sea is situated in the northern hemisphere.
So these three States are influenced by more or less same climatic and geographic factors. When Odisha, Andhra Pradesh are fed by the rivers mothered by the Eastern Ghat,Tamil Nadhu’s rivers are fed by the Western Ghat hill ranges. However, the case of West Bengal is different as the rivers in the State are fed by the Himalayan tracts.
Recently, during the floods when all the rivers of Odisha were in spate, the neighboring Andhra Pradesh was thoroughly ravaged by the river system of Godavari. It’s high time the authorities in the three States took integrated plans for tackling the natural catastrophes and utilized their natural resources for a sustainable development of the region.
(The writer is a former senior forest officer and an environmentalist)