Problems with drinking water amongst rural communities in India are increasing, especially during the summer months. Water shortages and poor water quality are affecting the health and farming activities of the rural poor. New approaches to water management are helping to address these problems at local levels. These approaches can also help with natural resource management problems and conflicts over access to water.

The Bharatiya Agro Industries Foundation (BAIF) for Development Research Foundation has introduced watershed development programmes in six states in India. Watershed development involves introducing measures for the conservation of soil, water and plants in both farmer-owned and community land. These measures increase the supply of water to local people and ensure the most efficient use of the water resources available in a region.

Watershed development is important for rural development in India. The number of programmes is increasing, and the Indian government invests over US$500m per year. Previous schemes have focused on developing water resources for improved irrigation and crop production, along with other water management measures such as tree planting. These have not been coordinated with efforts to improve domestic water supplies and sanitation. Combining these programmes could promote better water management at local levels and help to reduce rural poverty.

Key findings from projects in the six states include:

• The main causes of water scarcity are overuse of water sources under the ground (groundwater), and the absence of measures to recharge these groundwater supplies. Groundwater is used for both drinking water and irrigation, and there is little control over its use in many areas.
• There has been a focus on short-term relief measures rather than long-term solutions.
• Most schemes have not addressed water service issues. This is despite the fact that people interviewed identified a lack of water and a lack of sanitation as the most important issues.
• Sanitation has not been a priority: defecation outside remains common even where watershed development projects have been running for several years.

BAIF has managed schemes that promote the construction of water channels in farmers’ fields, water harvesting structures, new bore wells and hand pumps. Other schemes include the deepening of existing wells, planting trees on field boundaries, and training people to repair hand pumps.

Involving communities has been an important component of the project, and they are encouraged to implement and manage their own schemes. User groups were established to manage new projects, but their responsibilities did not include the management of groundwater – the key resource. There is no legal control over the use of groundwater resources. As a result, the positive impacts of water harvesting on domestic water sources are often only short-term.

BAIF’s programmes have produced positive results: in the areas in which they have operated, drinking water is now widely available. There have been increases in crop production, agricultural income and the amount of land under irrigation. The need to bring water in by tanker during droughts has been reduced. Rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge measures and farm ponds have improved surface water storage and groundwater levels.

BAIF has demonstrated that watershed development programmes aiming to increase the availability of water can be effectively combined with projects to improve the quality of rural water supplies. To continue this success it is necessary to:

• focus on improving wells for purposes other than just irrigation
• ensure that watershed development programmes carefully evaluate the impacts of irrigation on local people’s water supplies
• improve the efficiency of water supply when increased irrigation affects domestic water supplies
• build water harvesting structures in places where they can contribute to household domestic water needs.

Governments and Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) must work more closely to promote watershed development while protecting domestic water supplies. Local user groups must also be given more responsibility in managing their water supplies.

Source(s):
‘Integration of drinking water supply-sanitation and watershed development’ by Bharat Kakade, Himanshu Kulkarni, Adwaita Marathe, Kiran Petare, Ganesh Neelam and Pradeep Nagargoje, WHIRL Project Working Paper 5, Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, UK. Full document.

Funded by: DFID R7804

id21 Research Highlight: 17 May 2004

Further Information:
Bharat Kakade
BAIF Development Research Foundation
BAIF Bhavan
Dr. Manibhai Desai Nagar
Warje
Pune 411 052
India

Tel: +91 20 2523 1661
Fax: +91 20 2523 1662
Contact the contributor: bharatkakade@yahoo.com

Contact the contributor: baif@vsnl.com

BAIF Development Research Foundation, India

John Butterworth
Water Households and Rural Livelihoods (WHIRL) Project
Natural Resources Institute
University of Greenwich at Medway
Central Avenue
Chatham Maritime
Chatham
Kent ME4 4TB
UK

Tel: 44 (0)1634 880088
Fax: 44 (0)1634) 880077
Contact the contributor: j.a.butterworth@gre.ac.uk

Natural Resources Institute, Greenwich, UK

Other related links:
'Natural resource management and human health: the forgotten link?'

'Watershed management and poverty – time for a rethink?'

'Tapping into the problem: water shortages in Nigeria'

International Water Management Institute

Water Resources Management information from the World Bank

Water Conservation and Use in Agriculture