Watershed Management
Abstract
Watershed Management The utilisation of natural resources, such as water and land, is today closely interlinked with the goals of sustainability and environmental appropriateness. The concept of watershed management has internationally gained significance following the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro (also known as the Earth Summit). Watershed management as a measure of development implies that the resources within a defined watershed should be utilised for the benefit of the local population and in harmony with the environment.
In this context, an integrated approach is applied: the watershed is understood as an ecological system which can only sustain as a unit. People are an integral part of the system, thus perceptions of resource utilisation have to be understood in the context of impacts on the environment. Planning and development are not carried out with the one-sided goal of satisfying any human need. Rather, the societal development goals are defined by the given environmental framework. Resources are only to be utilised as far as they are renewable, in order to preserve the basis of survival for future generations.
Conclusion
This approach suggest the integration of technologies within the natural boundaries of a drainage area for optimum development of land, water, and plant resources to meet the basic needs of people and animals in a sustainable manner. This approach aims to improve the standard of living of common people by increasing his earning capacity by oering all facilities required for optimum production (Singh, 2000). In order to achieve its objective, integrated watershed management suggests to adopt land and water conservation practices, water harvesting in ponds and recharging of groundwater for increasing water resources potential and stress on crop diversication, use of improved variety of seeds, integrated nutrient management and integrated pest management practices, etc
