Watershed Management: A Strategy for Inclusive Growth in Fragile Ecosystems of India

A 370-ha watershed was developed by CSWCRTI in Tehri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand during 1975 to 1986. The ecosystem services provided by the watershed during three phases of the project, viz. Pre-Project (PP), Implementation Phase (IP), and Financial Withdrawal Phase (FWP) were assessed by employing the budgeting technique. The results have revealed that the provisionary services provided by the watershed increased by 4 to 5 times from PP to IP and reached the heights of 8 to 500 times during FWP. Among supportive services, runoff and soil losses decreased from 42 per cent to 14 per cent and from 11.1/ha/year to 2.0/ha/year, respectively. The indices of crop and forest diversity have improved. Increased soil fertility, sequestered carbon, reduction in forest dependency, rejuvenation of natural springs and drought mitigation were the indicators of improvement in regulatory services. The enhancement in cultural services has been witnessed in terms of reduction in out-migration, mitigation of agricultural risks, enhancement of social cohesiveness, empowerment of community to take appropriate decisions that ensure ecosystem integrity and make the watershed a model for the sustainable development of the region. The conservation of natural resources by adopting appropriate soil and water technologies in participatory watershed approach is the key for successful inclusive growth in agriculture in general, and high rainfall hilly areas in particular.