Watershed management

Watershed management is the study of the relevant characteristics of a watershed aimed at the sustainable distribution of its resources and the process of creating and implementing plans, programs, and projects to sustain and enhance watershed functions that affect the plant, animal, and human communities within a watershed boundary. Features of a watershed that agencies seek to manage include water supply, water quality, drainage, stormwater runoff, water rights, and the overall planning and utilization of watersheds. Landowners, land use agencies, stormwater management experts, environmental specialists, water use surveyors and communities all play an integral part in watershed management.

The different objectives of watershed management programs are:

An integrated watershed management approach needs to be adopted and the soil and water conservation technologies and approaches need to be applied in field situations by the officer-trainees. The Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation (IISWC) director Pravin Shinagare said this while addressing a multi-disciplinary team of 20 officers from Odisha at the conclusion of a five-day training programme on soil and water conservation training-cum-exposure visit at the institute on Friday. The trainees were sponsored by the Institute on Management of Agricultural Extension, Bhubaneswar.

Mishra spoke on the concept, philosophy, importance of conserving natural resources through integrated watershed management. He advised the participants to give more thought on this mechanism. Speaking on the occasion, Plant Science head OP Chaturvedi stressed on importance of work in close collaboration with people and different agencies and not in isolation.He said that common property resources should be protected, conserved and utilised with community participation for their common cause and development. The HRD and Social Science division head Lakhan Singh motivated the officers to use past experiences and relate with existing agro-ecosystems. He highlighted the various factors promoting and inhibiting people's participation in watershed management. He said the commitment of villagers and officers towards watershed goal will make a difference in socio-economic transformation of people.

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