100 more watersheds in drought-prone areas to be mapped

January 06, 2020 10:59 pm | Updated 10:59 pm IST - Bengaluru

Under the World Bank-funded Sujala project, over 2,500 watersheds were mapped and a Land Resource Inventory Atlas created.

Under the World Bank-funded Sujala project, over 2,500 watersheds were mapped and a Land Resource Inventory Atlas created.

The success of the World Bank-funded Sujala project, under which more than 2,500 watersheds were mapped and a Land Resource Inventory (LRI) Atlas created, has prompted the State government to take up a similar activity in 100 watersheds covering chronically drought-hit areas.

According to P.C. Ray, Commissioner of the Watershed Development, under Sujala III, an LRI Atlas was created for 14 lakh hectares, covering 44 taluks in 12 districts. The project, which was partially funded by the Centre, will come to an end in March 2020.

There still remains 52 lakh hectares of rain-fed watershed areas that need to be treated scientifically in the State. The government has now decided to sanction ₹500 crore over the next five years to cover 100 watersheds in as many taluks. “The project is likely to be officially launched on January 10 and work will start soon,” he said.

Mr. Ray also said that the project would be taken up in convergence with the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Yojana and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. “We will take it up with the help of non-governmental organisations. The tender process has been completed and we are evaluating them,” he said. Once finalised, the NGOs will take up awareness drives, community mobilisation and other activities by February, he added.

According to Rajendra Hegde, head of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research’s National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, the lead knowledge partner on the Sujala project, the LRI Atlas has helped provide farmers with parcel-wise specific advisory for watershed planning, soil and moisture conservation, and crop management for increasing productivity in rain-fed agriculture and horticulture. Of the over 2,500 watersheds already covered, treatment plans for 90 were developed on a pilot basis in 2016-17. “These will require at least two or three years to yield results,” he said.

Considering the fact that such a scientific inventory was the first of its kind in the country, the World Bank is keen on funding similar projects in other States. Already, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh had evinced interest. The project has also been hailed in one of the World Bank’s conclaves. “The World Bank felt this was the best solution for climate-smart agriculture. Representatives from many African nations, including Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Mozambique, and Tanzania, visited Bengaluru last month to learn about the Sujala project,” Mr. Hegde said.

Assisting farmers

The Watershed Development Department has created an LRI Atlas covering 14 lakh hectares in 44 taluks of 12 districts. This helps farmers chose crops suitable for cultivation after taking into account the site and soil characteristics.

To disseminate this information to all stakeholders, the department has developed a digital library and Decision Support System (DSS), including a mobile application. Currently, the department’s website is being redesigned, said P.C. Ray, Commissioner of Watershed Development. He said the DSS and app were yet to stabilise and would be available to the public in two weeks.

Under Sujala III, Land Resource Inventory Card was generated for every survey number generated. So far, over 3.35 lakh LRI cards have been distributed. LRI cards, he said, were an improvement on soil health cards.

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