Find out about watershed development and how it benefits an area?
nomenclature "Hariyali Guidelines".
3. In the meanwhile, emerging issues of ground water recharging
and
convergence to create a critical mass of investments demanded
innovative
guidelines. At the advent of the Eleventh Plan period, our main
challenge is to
move the nation decisively in the direction of "inclusive
growth". Rainfed areas
of 85 million hectares out of the 142 million hectares of net
cultivated area, have
suffered neglect in the past. High untapped productivity and
income potential
exists in these areas.
4. An insight into the rainfed regions reveals a grim picture of
poverty, water
scarcity, rapid depletion of ground water table and fragile
ecosystems. Land
degradation due to soil erosion by wind and water, low rainwater
use efficiency,
high population pressure, acute fodder shortage, poor livestock
productivity,
underinvestment in water use efficiency, lack of assured and
remunerative
marketing opportunities and poor infrastructure are important
concerns of
enabling policies. The challenge in rainfed areas, therefore, is
to improve rural
livelihoods through participatory watershed development with
focus on
integrated farming systems for enhancing income, productivity
and livelihood
security in a sustainable manner.
5. The National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA) has been set up in
November
2006, keeping in mind the need to give a special thrust to these
regions. A close
analysis of various types of rainfed situations would reveal
that soil and water
conservation, watershed development and efficient water
management are the
key to sustainable development of rainfed areas. The watershed
approach has Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects
5
been accepted as a major theme for development of rainfed areas
with a view to
conserving natural resources of water, soil and vegetation by
mobilizing social
capital. Various studies have pointed out the central
preoccupation of watershed
development projects with soil and water conservation and
relative neglect of
issues relating to balanced use of natural resources and
livelihoods.
6. In order to assess the performance of various ongoing
projects /
programmes of watershed development, a series of evaluation
studies have
been conducted by ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research)
Institutes,
State Agriculture Universities (SAUs), National Remote Sensing
Agency (NRSA)
etc. Besides, impact assessment studies were carried out by the
Ministry of
Agriculture, Ministry of Rural Development, Planning Commission,
ICRISAT
(International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid
Tropics) and the
Technical Committee constituted by the Department of Land
Resources (DoLR).
These studies support the observation that in several
watersheds, the
implementation of the programme has been effective for natural
resource
conservation by increasing the productivity of the land,
bringing additional area
under agriculture, employment generation and social upliftment
of beneficiaries
living in the rural areas. But these successes have been
sporadic and intermittent. The overall impact at the state and
national levels has generally
been inadequate. Additional demand and supply driven
socio-economic and risk
managing paradigms are emerging.
7. It is in this context that in coordination with the Planning
Commission, an
initiative has been taken to formulate "Common Guidelines for
Watershed Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects
6
Development Projects" in order to have a unified perspective by
all ministries.
These guidelines are therefore applicable to all watershed
development projects
in all Departments / Ministries of Government of India concerned
with
Watershed Development Projects.
8. Out of the total geographical area of the country of 329 MH,
about 146
MH is degraded and 85 MH is rainfed arable land. This includes
degraded land
not only under private ownership, but also the one with the
departments of
panchayat, revenue and forest. All these lands are prioritized
for development
under various watershed development projects under these
guidelines. During
the 11
th
Five Year Plan, major thrust would be laid on developing the
untreated
areas.
9. These Guidelines broadly indicate a fresh framework for the
next
generation watershed programmes. The key features of this new
unified
approach can be broadly outlined as follows:
I. Delegating Powers to States: States will now be empowered
to
sanction and oversee the implementation of watershed projects
within
their areas of jurisdiction and within the parameters set out in
these
guidelines.
II. Dedicated Institutions: There would be dedicated
implementing
agencies with multi-disciplinary professional teams at the
national, state
and district level for managing the watershed programmes.
III. Financial Assistance to Dedicated Institutions: Additional
financial
assistance would be provided for strengthening of institutions
at the Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 7
district, state and national level to ensure professionalism in
management
of watershed projects.
IV. Duration of the Programme: With the expanded scope and
expectations under this approach, the project duration has
been
enhanced in the range of 4 years to 7 years depending upon
nature of
activities spread over 3 distinct phases viz., preparatory
phase, works
phase and consolidation phase.
V. Livelihood Orientation: Productivity enhancement and
livelihoods shall
be given priority along with conservation measures. Resource
development and usage will be planned to promote farming and
allied
activities to promote local livelihoods while ensuring
resource
conservation and regeneration. The new approach would
systematically
integrate livestock and fisheries management as a central
intervention
and encourage dairying and marketing of dairy products. In the
rainfed
areas, the animal resources become a major source of income for
the
people. When effectively integrated with the Watershed
Development
Projects, a comprehensive animal husbandry component would
contribute
significantly to ensuring a better and sustainable livelihood
for the people
of the rainfed areas.
VI. Cluster Approach: The new approach envisages a broader
vision of
geo-hydrological units normally of average size of 1,000 to
5,000 hectares
comprising of clusters of micro-watersheds. If resources and
area exist
additional watersheds in contiguous areas in clusters may be
taken up. Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects
8
However smaller size projects will be sanctioned in the
hilly/difficult
terrain areas.
VII. Scientific Planning: Special efforts need to be made to
utilize the
information technology and remote sensing inputs in planning,
monitoring
and evaluation of the programme.
VIII. Capacity Building: Capacity Building and training of all
functionaries
and stakeholders involved in the watershed programme
implementation
would be carried out on war footing with definite action plan
and requisite
professionalism and competence.
IX. Multi Tier Approach: There would be a multi tier ridge to
valley
sequenced approach, which should be adopted towards the
implementation of the Watershed Development Projects. The
higher
reaches or the forests are actually where the water sources
originate. The
approach, therefore, will be to identify an area, and first look
at the forest
and the hilly regions, in the upper water catchments wherever
possible.
When suitable treatment is undertaken, with the support of the
Ministry
of Environment and Forest, or from the States' forest programmes
or
other sources, then the hardest part of the watershed is
tackled. Forest
department is managing structures such as check dams,
contour-bunds
etc. to arrest the erosion and degradation of the forests, which
in turn,
actually benefit the lower tiers. Thus, in the upper reaches,
which are
mostly hilly and forested, the onus of implementation would
mainly lie
with the Forest Departments and the Joint Forest Management
Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 9
Committees (JFMC).
The second tier is the intermediate tier or the slopes, which
are just
above the agricultural lands. In the intermediate slopes, the
Watershed
Management approach would address all the necessary issues by
looking
at all the best possible options including treatment, cropping
pattern,
horticulture, agro-forestry etc.
As to the third level of the plains and the flat areas, where
typically, the
farmers are operating, there would be a large concentration of
labour
intensive works. The watershed development process would be
synergized with the employment generating programmes such as
the
National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), Backward
Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) etc thus providing strong
coordination.
10. These guidelines coupled with the flexibilities inherent in
them would
provide an enabling framework for the planning, design,
management and
implementation of all watershed development projects in the
country. As soon as
these Common Guidelines are approved, they will apply to all
schemes
concerned with watershed development of all departments of
Government of
India.
New watershed projects will be implemented in accordance with
these
Common Guidelines with effect from 1
st
April 2008. Already sanctioned and on
going projects will follow previous guidelines. For
interpretation of any of the
provisions of these guidelines, the NRAA will be the final
authority. If any
modification in any of the provisions of these Guidelines is
contemplated by any Common Guidelines for Watershed Development
Projects 10
of the Nodal Ministry, then such modification would need to be
ratified by the
Executive Committee of the NRAA.
2. Guiding Principles
11. The common guidelines for Watershed development projects are
based
on the following principles:
I. Equity and Gender Sensitivity: Watershed Development
Projects
should be considered as levers of inclusiveness. Project
Implementing
Agencies must facilitate the equity processes such as a)
enhanced
livelihood opportunities for the poor through investment in
their assets
and improvements in productivity and income, b) improving access
of
the poor, especially women to the benefits, c) enhancing role of
women
in decision-making processes and their representation in the
institutional
arrangements and d) ensuring access to usufruct rights from
the
common property resources for the resource poor.
II Decentralization: Project management would improve with
decentralization, delegation and professionalism. Establishing
suitable
institutional arrangements within the overall framework of
the
Panchayati Raj Institutions, and the operational flexibility in
norms to
suit varying local conditions will enhance decentralisation.
Empowered
committees with delegation to rationalise the policies,
continuity in
administrative support and timely release of funds are the
other
instruments for effective decentralization.
III Facilitating Agencies: Social mobilisation, community
organisation, Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects
11
building capacities of communities in planning and
implementation,
ensuring equity arrangements etc need intensive
facilitation.
Competent organisations including voluntary organizations
with
professional teams having necessary skills and expertise would
be
selected through a rigorous process and may be provided
financial
support to perform the above specific functions.
IV. Centrality of Community Participation: Involvement of
primary
stakeholders is at the centre of planning, budgeting,
implementation,
and management of watershed projects. Community
organizations
may be closely associated with and accountable to Gram Sabhas
in
project activities.
V. Capacity Building and Technology Inputs: Considerable
stress
would be given on capacity building as a crucial component
for
achieving the desired results. This would be a continuous
process
enabling functionaries to enhance their knowledge and skills
and
develop the correct orientation and perspectives thereby
becoming
more effective in performing their roles and responsibilities.
With
current trends and advances in information technology and
remote
sensing, it is possible to acquire detailed information about
the various
field level characteristics of any area or region. Thus, the
endeavour
would be to build in strong technology inputs into the new
vision of
watershed programmes. Common Guidelines for Watershed
Development Projects 12
VI. Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning: A participatory,
outcome
and impact-oriented and user-focused Monitoring, Evaluation
and
Learning system would be put in place to obtain feedback and
undertake improvements in planning, project design and
implementation.
VII. Organizational Restructuring: Establishing appropriate
technical
and professional support structures at national, state, district
and
project levels and developing effective functional partnerships
among
project authorities, implementing agencies and support
organizations
would play a vital role.
3. Technology Inputs
12. Technology enables us, inter-alia, to strengthen programme
management
and coordination, undertake activity based project planning,
formulate action
plans, streamline sanctions and release of funds, create useful
data bases,
assess actual impacts of projects, make effective
prioritizations, prepare
sophisticated DPRs, document best practices and case studies and
facilitate the
free and seamless flow of information and data.
13. Thus, the endeavour would be to build in strong technology
inputs into the
new vision of watershed programmes. At the State and National
levels, core GIS
facilities, with spatial & non-spatial data, would be
established and augmented
with satellite imagery data received from NRSA, ISRO and Survey
of India. All
the GIS layers for various themes would be overlaid having a
geo-referenced Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects
13
base layer up to the level of village boundaries in the first
instance. This core
GIS data may be given controlled access/distribution over
network for local
project planning. Application software for web-enabled
integrated watershed
development, spatial & non-spatial data standards and
meta-data would also be
worked out. Once such a knowledge base is in place, it would be
possible to
define watershed project boundaries with assignment of
unique-identification
(unique-id) to each project. It would also be possible to map
treatment area
with respect to their respective administrative formations in
terms of villages,
blocks and districts.
14. Remote sensing data would be utilized for finalizing contour
maps for
assessment of run-off and for identifying structures best suited
for location of
projects. This would result in cost and time optimization in
project
implementation. Technology would also contribute immensely in
assessing the
actual impact of various programs in a given area. Due to
availability of latest
remote sensing techniques, it is now possible to assess periodic
changes in geohydrological potential, soil and crop cover, run-off
etc in the project area.
15. Information connectivity would be extended to all the
districts and project
implementation agencies. This Watershed information network
would reach right
up to the project areas. Each District and State centre would be
equipped with
IT and domain professionals with desired skills. Thus technology
inputs would
bring about a paradigm shift in the implementation and
management of the area
development programmes. Common Guidelines for Watershed
Development Projects 14
16. A National Portal will be created which will host the data
generated for all
watershed projects in the entire country. Inputs will be
compiled from all
concerned Ministries / Departments including Ministry of Rural
Development /
Ministry of Environment and Forest / Ministry of Agriculture.
The National Portal
will be commissioned and maintained by the NRAA.
4. Institutional arrangements at National, State and
District
levels
Following the spirit of the Guiding Principles, appropriate
institutional
arrangements would be made at various levels for effective and
professional
management of watershed development projects.
4.1. Role of National Rainfed Area Authority
17. National Rainfed Area Authority (NRAA) would, inter-alia, be
responsible
for:
a. Supporting the process of preparing strategic plans for
watershed based
development projects at the state and district level keeping in
view
specific agro-climatic and socio-economic conditions.
b. Assisting in the preparation of state specific technical
manuals for the
multi-disciplinary and integrated approach required for
implementation of
these projects together with the standards and specifications
etc.
c. Supporting State Level Nodal Agencies in identifying
resource
organizations and establishing capacity building arrangements.
Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 15
d. Facilitating action research relevant to watershed
development
programme in different agro-climatic regions.
e. Conducting studies, evaluation and impact assessment from
time to time
so that the benefits of these are available for improving the
quality of
watershed management projects.
f. Facilitating convergence of different schemes and projects of
Government
of India which are having similar objectives.
g. Accessing additional funds from other sources including
private sector,
foreign funding agency, etc and facilitate its use to fill up
critical gaps in
the programme as well as upscale successful experiences
through
innovative organizations at field levels.
h. Acting as an effective coordinating mechanism between all
bodies/
organizations/ agencies/ departments/ ministries etc who are
involved in
watershed programmes.
i. Organizing regional and international conferences, seminars
and
workshops, study tours, and information sharing.
j. Providing technical knowledge inputs and expertise.
k. Such other activities as may be decided by the governing body
of NRAA /
Government from time to time.
4.2 Institutional arrangements at the Ministry Level
18. Whereas each Ministry is free to set up its own mechanism to
oversee
watershed development programmes, it shall also have the option
to set up a Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects
16
Nodal Agency at the central level in the Department for managing
and
implementing watershed development projects. These nodal
agencies will
comprise of professional multi-disciplinary experts experienced
in the fields of
agriculture, water management, institution and capacity building
etc.
19. The Nodal Agency at the central level in the Department /
Ministry,
among others, will perform the following important
functions:
a. Facilitate allocation of the budgetary outlay for the
projects among the
States keeping in view the criteria as specified in the
Guidelines.
b. Interact with State and District Level Agencies, facilitate
and ensure
smooth flow of funds to the District Watershed Development Units
as per
the fund flow norms as well as recommendations from the State
Level
Nodal Agencies.
c. Actively support capacity building programmes at all
levels.
d. Strongly support, augment and initiate Information, Education
and
Communication (IEC) activities with modern IT inputs.
e. Ensure close monitoring through on-line systems.
f. Establish suitable systems for field visits, monitoring,
social audits and
impact assessment through interaction with state and district
level
agencies for effective implementation of the projects at ground
level.
g. Prepare a panel of evaluators or evaluation agencies and
undertake
evaluation studies, impact assessment studies and such other
evaluation
tasks as deemed fit from time to time. Common Guidelines for
Watershed Development Projects 17
h. Support as well as facilitate participation in national,
regional and
international conferences, seminars and workshops, study tours,
research
/ field studies and information sharing.
i. Act as an effective coordinating mechanism between all
bodies,
organizations, agencies, departments, Ministries etc. which are
involved in
watershed programs.
j. Undertake all such activities which are useful for the
purposes of ensuring
that watershed programmes become major vehicles for the overall
and
all-round development of rainfed areas in the country.
20. The Funding support for the Nodal Agency at the central
level will come
primarily from the budget of the respective Department /
Ministry after suitable
review of the existing staff and infrastructure already
available and actual
requirement. It may also receive support from other Institutes
and Agencies
both national and international, corporate entities, and such
other organisations
which seek to support programmes on watershed mode.
4.3 National Level Data Centre and National Portal
21. The National Data Centre and National Portal under the
overall aegis of
the NRAA would be a national level facility for extending,
storing and generating
watershed and land resource information, data and knowledge. The
National
Data Centre (NDC) would collate summary data for the entire
country, archival
data, data for programme and fund flow management. This centre
is planned to
be equipped with various GIS thematic layers for cadastral,
watershed, soil, land
use, socio-economic parameters, habitation etc. It shall have
application support Common Guidelines for Watershed Development
Projects 18
for area development programmes, rural employment, land use
planning, master
data for integrated layers, and high end GIS data for district
level planning and
monitoring.
4.4 State Level Nodal Agency
22. A dedicated State Level Nodal Agency (SLNA) (Department /
Mission /
Society/ Authority) will be constituted by the State Government
having an
independent bank account. The state should be given the
flexibility to utilise or
strengthen an existing state level
agency/department/organisation. Central
assistance for SLNA will be transferred directly to the account
of SLNA and not
into the State Government budget.
23. The SLNA will sign an MOU with the Departmental Nodal Agency
setting
out mutual expectations with regard to performance, timelines
and financial
parameters including conditions related to release of funds to
SLNA. The SLNA
will be required to review the programme and provide enabling
mechanism to
set up State Data Cell and ensure regular reporting to the
Central Government/
Nodal Agency at the central level in the Department. There would
be multidisciplinary professional support team at the State level
to implement the
programme.
24. The Development Commissioner / Additional Chief Secretary /
Agricultural
Production Commissioner/ Principal Secretary of the concerned
department or
their equivalent nominated by the State Government will be the
Chairperson of
the SLNA. The State Level Nodal Agency will have a full-time CEO
who may be a
serving Government officer on deputation or appointed on a
contract of not less Common Guidelines for Watershed Development
Projects 19
than three years with the State Level Nodal Agency. Such a
contract will set out
the terms and conditions of engagement as well as clearly
defined goals against
which the performance of the CEO will be closely monitored.
25. The SLNA would consist of one representative from the NRAA,
one
representative from the Central Nodal Ministry, one
representative from
NABARD, one representative each from the State Department of
Rural
Development, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and allied sector,
one
representative from Ground Water Board and one representative
from an
eminent voluntary organization and two professional experts from
research
institutes / academia of the state. There will be also
representation from NREGA,
BRGF and other related implementing agencies at the state level.
The SLNA
will sanction watershed projects for the State on the basis of
approved
state perspective and strategic plan as per procedure in vogue
and
oversee all watershed projects in the state within the
parameters set
out in these Guidelines.
26. A Team of 4 to 7 professional experts will assist the State
Level Nodal
Agency. This team will be selected by the State Level Nodal
Agency either on
deputation from experts available from the line departments or
in case such
experts are not available, they may be engaged on contract basis
from the open
market by a transparent process. Their disciplines will,
inter-alia, include
agriculture, water management, capacity building, social
mobilisation,
information technology, administration and finance/ accounts,
etc. A requisite
number of administrative staff will support this team of
experts. Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects
20
27. The main functions of the SLNA will be to:
a. Prepare a perspective and strategic plan of watershed
development
for the state on the basis of plans prepared at the block and
district
level and indicate implementation strategy and expected
outputs/outcomes, financial outlays and approach the Nodal
Agency at
the central level in the Department for appraisal and
clearance.
b. Establish and maintain a state level data cell from the
funds
sanctioned to the States, and connect it online with the
National Level
Data Centre.
c. Provide technical support to District Watershed Development
Units
(DWDU) throughout the state.
d. Approve a list of independent institutions for capacity
building of
various stakeholders within the state and work out the overall
capacity
building strategy in consultation with NRAA/Nodal Ministry.
e. Approve Project Implementing Agencies identified/selected by
DWDU/
District Level Committee by adopting appropriate objective
selection
criteria and transparent systems.
f. Establish monitoring, evaluation and learning systems at
various levels
(Internal and external/ independent systems).
g. Ensure regular and quality on-line monitoring of watershed
projects in
the state in association with Nodal Agency at the central level
and
securing feedback by developing partnerships with independent
and
capable agencies. Common Guidelines for Watershed Development
Projects 21
h. Constitute a panel of Independent Institutional Evaluators
for all
watershed projects within the state, get this panel duly
approved by
the concerned Nodal Agencies at the central level and ensure
that
quality evaluations take place on a regular basis.
i. Prepare State Specific Process Guidelines, Technology Manuals
etc in
coordination with the Nodal Ministry/ NRAA and operationalise
the
same.
28. The Funding support for the State Level Nodal Agency and the
state level
data cell will come primarily from the budget of the Department
of Land
Resources, Ministry of Rural Development after suitable review
of the existing
staff and infrastructure already available and actual
requirement. It may also
receive support from other Institutes and Agencies both national
and
international, corporate entities, and such other organisations
which seek to
support programmes on watershed mode. Each State Level Nodal
Agency and
state level data cell will be provided with an initial capital
grant to meet
establishment costs and a recurring grant per annum to meet its
annual
expenses. The actual amount would depend upon the level of staff
and
infrastructure already available and the actual requirement.
Till such time, SLNA
is set up, the existing arrangement regarding sanctioning of
project and flow of
fund will be continued. However, all out efforts should be made
by the States to
set up SLNAs within a period of 6 months.
4.5 District Watershed Development Unit (DWDU)
29. In districts, where the area under the watershed development
projects is Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects
22
about 25,000 hectare, a separate dedicated unit, called the
District Watershed
Development Unit (DWDU) will be established at the district
level, which will
oversee the implementation of watershed programme in each
district and will
have separate independent accounts for this purpose. Where the
area under
Watershed Development Projects is less than approximately 25,000
hectare, the
projects will be implemented in accordance with the existing
arrangements.
However, in such cases one officer shall be exclusively
appointed within the
DRDA either on contract or on deputation to coordinate watershed
projects at
the district level. DWDU will function in close co-ordination
with the District
Planning Committee. There will also be a representation in DWDU
for NREGA,
BRGF implementing agencies at the district level. Alternatively,
the mechanism
of approval and implementation of project by the District Level
Committee /
collector may continue to prevail.
30. DWDU will be a separate unit with full time Project Manager
and 3 to 4
subject matter specialists on Agriculture/ Water Management /
Social
Mobilisation/ Management & Accounts appointed on the basis
of their
qualification and expertise on contract/deputation/transfer etc.
The Project
Manager, DWDU would be a serving government officer on
deputation or would
be recruited from open market by means of a transparent process.
If he/she is a
serving Government officer, his/her posting will be done by the
State
Government. If open market recruitment is necessary, this will
be done by the
SLNA. The Project Manager, DWDU will sign a contract (for a
period not less
than three years) with SLNA that will spell out well-defined
annual goals, against Common Guidelines for Watershed Development
Projects 23
which his/her performance will be consistently monitored. The
arrangements for
setting up/ strengthening the DWDUs/District Data Cell will be
financially
supported by the Government of India after review of available
staff,
infrastructure and the actual requirement.
31. The functions of DWDU will be as follows:
a. Identify potential Project Implementing Agencies (PIAs)
in
consultation with SLNA as per the empanelment process as decided
by
the respective state governments.
b. Take up the over all responsibility of facilitating the
preparation of
strategic and annual action plans for watershed development
projects
in respective districts.
c. Providing professional technical support to Project
Implementing
Agencies (PIAs) in planning and execution of watershed
development
projects.
d. Develop action plans for capacity building, with close
involvement of
resource organizations to execute the capacity building action
plans.
e. Carry out regular monitoring, evaluation and learning.
f. Ensure smooth flow of funds to watershed development
projects.
g. Ensure timely submission of required documents to SLNA /
Nodal
Agency of the Department at central level.
h. Facilitate co-ordination with relevant programmes of
agriculture,
horticulture, rural development, animal husbandry, etc with
watershed
development projects for enhancement of productivity and
livelihoods.
i. Integrate watershed development projects/ plans into District
Plans of
the district planning committees. All expenditure of watershed
projects
would be reflected in district plans. Common Guidelines for
Watershed Development Projects 24
j. Establish and maintain the District Level Data Cell and link
it to the
State Level and National Level Data Centre.
4.6 Role of Panchayati Raj Institutions at district and
intermediate
levels
32. The full responsibility of overseeing the watershed
programme within the
district will lie with the DWDU which will work in close
collaboration with the
District Planning Committee (DPC). The DPC will provide full
governance support
to the programme. The DPC will approve the perspective and
annual action
plans relating to watersheds projects in the district. DPC will
integrate the
watershed development plans with over all district plans and
also oversee its
implementation. DWDU will help the DPC in providing oversight
and ensuring
regular monitoring and evaluation of the programme. The District
Panchayat /
Zilla Parishad will have an important role of governance in
matters relating to
the co-ordination of various sectoral schemes with watershed
development
projects, review of progress, settling disputes etc. Where the
Panchayat system
is not in operation, this role will be played by the
DWDU/District Autonomous
Councils.
33. Similarly, Intermediate Panchayats have an important role in
planning the
watershed development projects at the intermediate level. They
can also provide
valuable support to PIAs and Gram Panchayats/ Watershed
Committees in
technical guidance with the help of their subject matter
specialists. Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects
25
5. Institutional Arrangements at Project Level
5.1 Project Implementing Agency (PIA)
34. The SLNA would evolve appropriate mechanisms for selecting
and
approving the PIAs, who would be responsible for implementation
of watershed
projects in different districts. These PIAs may include relevant
line departments,
autonomous organizations under State/ Central Governments,
Government
Institutes/ Research bodies, Intermediate Panchayats, Voluntary
Organizations
(VOs). However, the following criteria may be observed in the
selection of these
PIAs:
They should preferably have prior experience in watershed
related aspects or
management of watershed development projects.
They should be prepared to constitute dedicated Watershed
Development
Teams.
35. Voluntary Organizations (VOs) will have an important role in
the
programme and their services will be utilized substantively in
the areas of
awareness generation, capacity building, IEC and social audit
among others. As
far as direct implementation of the programme is concerned,
Voluntary
Organizations (VOs) with established credentials may be chosen
as PIAs on the
basis of detailed criteria as enumerated below.
35.1 The Voluntary Organizations (VOs) would need to satisfy the
following
criteria to be selected as PIA:
a. Should be a registered legal entity of at least 5 years
standing.
b. Should have had at least 3 years of field experience in the
area of Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 26
community based Natural Resource Management and livelihood
development.
c. Should not have been blacklisted by CAPART or any other
Department of
Government of India or State Government.
d. Should be equipped with a dedicated, multidisciplinary team
with gender
balance.
e. Should furnish three years balance sheet, audited statement
of accounts
and income returns. All accounts of the organization should be
up to date.
f. Should furnish the profile of its Board of Directors.
g. Should have successfully implemented projects
independently.
35.2 It will be subjected to the following conditions:
(i) At any point of time, one VO cannot be assigned more than
10,000 ha
area in a district.
(ii) At any point of time, one VO cannot be assigned more than
30,000 ha
area in a State.
(iii) In any case, not more than 1/4
th
of the total Projects at a time in a State
to be implemented by VOs.
36. Selected PIAs will sign a contract/MOU with the concerned
DWDUs/ District
Level Committee as referred in para 29 that will spell out
well-defined annual
outcomes, against which the performance of each PIA will be
monitored each
year and evaluated on a regular basis by institutional
evaluators from a panel
approved by the SLNA / Departmental Nodal Agency at the central
level.
37. Each PIA must put in position a dedicated watershed
development team
(WDT) with the approval of DWDU. The WDT will be hired on
contract / Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects
27
deputation / transfer etc for a term not exceeding the project
period. The
composition of the WDT will be indicated in the contract/ MOU.
No programme
funds for DPR and watershed works under any circumstances should
be released
to either the PIA or Watershed Committee (WC) unless the
composition of the
WDT has been clearly indicated in the MOU/ contract and the team
members are
fully in place.
5.2 Roles and Responsibilities of the PIA
38. The Project Implementing Agency (PIA) will provide necessary
technical
guidance to the Gram Panchayat for preparation of development
plans for the
watershed through Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) exercise,
undertake
community organization and training for the village communities,
supervise
watershed development activities, inspect and authenticate
project accounts,
encourage adoption of low cost technologies and build upon
indigenous
technical knowledge, monitor and review the overall project
implementation and
set up institutional arrangements for post-project operation and
maintenance
and further development of the assets created during the project
period.
39. The PIA, after careful scrutiny, shall submit the Action
Plan for Watershed
Development Project for approval of the DWDU/DRDA and other
arrangements.
The PIA shall submit the periodical progress report to DWDU. The
PIA shall also
arrange physical, financial and social audit of the work
undertaken. It will
facilitate the mobilization of additional financial resources
from other
government programmes, such as NREGA, BRGF, SGRY, National
Horticulture
Mission, Tribal Welfare Schemes, Artificial Ground Water
Recharging, Greening
India, etc. Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects
28
5.3 Watershed Development Team
40. The WDT is an integral part of the PIA and will be set up by
the PIA. Each
WDT should have at least four members, broadly with knowledge
and
experience in agriculture, soil science, water management,
social mobilisation
and institutional building. At least one of the WDT members
should be a
woman. The WDT members should preferably have a professional
degree.
However, the qualification can be relaxed by the DWDU with the
approval of
SLNA in deserving cases keeping in view the practical field
experience of the
candidate. The WDT should be located as close as possible to the
watershed
project. At the same time, it must be ensured that the WDT
should function in
close collaboration with the team of experts at the district and
state level. The
expenses towards the salaries of the WDT members shall be
charged from the
administrative support to the PIA. DWDU will facilitate the
training of the WDT
members.
5.4 Roles and Responsibilities of WDT
41. The WDT will guide the Watershed Committee (WC) in the
formulation of
the watershed action plan. An indicative list of the roles and
responsibilities of
the WDT would include among others, the following.
a. Assist Gram Panchayat / Gram Sabha in constitution of the
Watershed
Committee and their functioning.
b. Organizing and nurturing User Groups and Self-Help
Groups.
c. Mobilising women to ensure that the perspectives and
interests of
women are adequately reflected in the watershed action
plan.Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 29
d. Conducting the participatory base-line surveys, training and
capacity
building.
e. Preparing detailed resource development plans including water
and soil
conservation or reclamation etc. to promote sustainable
livelihoods at
household level.
f. Common property resource management and equitable
sharing.
g. Preparing Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the consideration
of Gram
Sabha.
h. Undertake engineering surveys, prepare engineering drawings
and cost
estimates for any structures to be built.
i. Monitoring, checking, assessing, undertaking physical
verification and
measurements of the work done.
j. Facilitating the development of livelihood opportunities for
the landless.
k. Maintaining project accounts.
l. Arranging physical, financial and social audit of the work
undertaken.
m. Setting up suitable arrangements for post-project
operation,
maintenance and future development of the assets created during
the
project period. Common Guidelines for Watershed Development
Projects 30
6. Institutional Arrangements at the Village Level and
People's Participation
6.1 Self Help Groups
42. The Watershed Committee shall constitute SHGs in the
watershed area with
the help of WDT from amongst poor, small and marginal farmer
households,
landless/asset less poor agricultural labourers, women,
shepherds and SC/ST
persons. These Groups shall be homogenous groups having common
identity
and interest who are dependent on the watershed area for their
livelihood. Each
Self Help Group will be provided with a revolving fund of an
amount to be
decided by the Nodal Ministry.
6.2 User Groups
43. The Watershed Committee (WC) shall also constitute User
Groups in the
watershed area with the help of WDT. These shall be homogenous
groups of
persons most affected by each work/ activity and shall include
those having land
holdings within the watershed areas. Each User Group shall
consist of those who
are likely to derive direct benefits from a particular watershed
work or activity.
The Watershed Committee (WC) with the help of the WDT shall
facilitate
resource-use agreements among the User Groups based on the
principles of
equity and sustainability. These agreements must be worked out
before the
concerned work is undertaken. It must be regarded as a
pre-condition for that
activity. The User Groups will be responsible for the operation
and maintenance
of all the assets created under the project in close
collaboration with the Gram
Panchayat and the Gram Sabha. Common Guidelines for Watershed
Development Projects 31
6.3 Watershed Committee (WC)
44. The Gram Sabha will constitute the Watershed Committee (WC)
to
implement the Watershed project with the technical support of
the WDT in the
village. The Watershed Committee (WC) has to be registered under
the Society
Registration Act, 1860. The Gram Sabha may elect/appoint any
suitable person
from the village as the Chairman of Watershed Committee. The
secretary of the
Watershed Committee (WC) will be a paid functionary of the
Watershed
Committee (WC). The Watershed Committee (WC) will comprise of at
least 10
members, half of the members shall be representatives of SHGs
and User
Groups, SC/ST community, women and landless persons in the
village. One
member of the WDT shall also be represented in the Watershed
Committee
(WC). Where the Panchayat covers more than one village, they
would constitute
a separate subcommittee for each village to manage the watershed
development
project in the concerned village. Where a watershed project
covers more than
one Gram Panchayat, separate committees will be constituted for
each Gram
Panchayat. The Watershed Committee (WC) would be provided with
an
independent rented office accommodation.
45. The Watershed Committee will open a separate bank account to
receive
funds for watershed projects and will utilise the same for
undertaking its
activities. The expenses towards the salaries of the WDT members
and
Secretary of Watershed Committee (WC) shall be charged from
the
administrative expenses under the professional support to the
PIA. Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 32
6.4 Secretary, Watershed Committee
46. The Secretary of the Watershed Committee (WC) will be
selected in a
meeting of the Gram Sabha. This person would be an independent
paid
functionary distinct and separate from the Panchayat Secretary.
He would be a
dedicated functionary with no responsibilities other than the
assistance to the
Watershed Committee (WC) and would work under the direct
supervision of the
President of Watershed Committee (WC) and would be selected on
the basis of
merit and experience. The expenses towards the honorarium to be
paid to
Secretary of Watershed Committee (WC) will be charged from the
administrative
support to the PIA. The Secretary will be responsible for the
following tasks:
a. Convening meetings of the Gram Sabha, Gram Panchyat,
Watershed
Committee for facilitating the decision making processes in the
context
of Watershed Development Project.
b. Taking follow up action on all decisions.
c. Maintaining all the records of project activities and
proceedings of the
meetings of Gram Panchayat, Watershed Committee (WC) and
other
institutions for Watershed Development Project.
d. Ensuring payments and other financial transactions.
e. Signing the cheques jointly with the WDT nominee on behalf of
the
Watershed Committee.
6.5 Role of Gram Panchayat
47. The Gram Panchayat would perform the following important
functions: Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects
33
a. Supervise, support and advise Watershed Committee from time
to
time.
b. Authenticate the accounts/ expenditure statements of
Watershed
Committee and other institutions of watershed project.
c. Facilitate the convergence of various projects/ schemes to
institutions
of watershed development project.
d. Maintain asset registers under watershed development projects
with a
view to retain it after the watershed development project.
e. Provide office accommodation and other requirements to
Watershed
Committee.
i. Allocate usufruct rights to deserving user groups/ SHGs over
the
assets created.
7. Criteria for selection of watershed projects
48. The following criteria may broadly be used in selection and
prioritisation
of watershed development projects:
a. Acuteness of drinking water scarcity.
b. Extent of over exploitation of ground water resources.
c. Preponderance of wastelands/degraded lands.
d. Contiguity to another watershed that has already been
developed/
treated.
e. Willingness of village community to make voluntary
contributions, enforce
equitable social regulations for sharing of common property
resources, Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects
34
make equitable distribution of benefits, create arrangements for
the
operation and maintenance of the assets created.
f. Proportion of scheduled castes/scheduled tribes.
g. Area of the project should not be covered under assured
irrigation.
h. Productivity potential of the land.
8. Project Management
49. The major activities of the Watershed Development Projects
will be
sequenced into (I) Preparatory, (ii) Works and (iii)
Consolidation and withdrawal
Phase. In view of the expanded scope and expectations under the
watershed
development programme, the project duration could be in the
range of four to
seven years depending upon the activities and
Ministries/Departments. The DPR
should mention the detailed justification for the proposed
project duration. The
project duration may be spread over 3 different phases as
decided by the Nodal
Ministry and as given below:
Phase Name Duration
I Preparatory Phase 1-2 years
II Watershed Works Phase 2-3 years
III Consolidation and Withdrawal Phase 1-2 years
8.1 Preparatory Phase
50. The major objective of this phase is to build appropriate
mechanisms for
adoption of participatory approach and empowerment of local
institutions (WC, Common Guidelines for Watershed Development
Projects 35
SHG, and UG). WDT will assume a facilitating role during this
phase. In this
phase, the main activities will include:
a. Taking up entry point activities to establish credibility of
the Watershed
Development Team (WDT) and create a rapport with the village
community. The entry point activities, inter-alia, will
include:
i. Works based on urgent needs of the local communities such
as
revival of common natural resources, drinking water,
development
of local energy potential, augmenting ground water potential
etc.
ii. Repair, restoration and upgradation of existing common
property
assets and structures (such as village tanks) may be undertaken
to
obtain optimum and sustained benefits from previous public
investments and traditional water harvesting structures.
iii. Productivity enhancement of existing farming systems could
also
be an activity that helps in community mobilization and
building
rapport.
b. Initiating the development of Village level institutions such
as Watershed
Committees (WCs), Self- Help Groups (SHGs) and User Groups (UGs)
and
Capacity Building of different stakeholders on institutional and
work
related aspects.
c. Environment building, awareness generation, undertaking of
intensive IEC
activities, creating involvement and participatory
responses.
d. Baseline surveys needed for preparation of Detailed Project
Report (DPR),
selection of sites and beneficiaries. Every effort must be made
to collect Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects
36
gender-disaggregated data to adequately reflect the situation
and
priorities of women.
e. Hydro-geological survey of the watershed to map out zones of
potential
groundwater recharge, storage and sustainable groundwater
utilisation.
f. Building up a network of technical support agencies.
g. Preparation of the DPR, including activities to be carried
out, selection of
beneficiaries and work-sites and design and costing of all
works, ensuring
that the interests, perceptions and priorities of women, dalits,
adivasis
and the landless are adequately reflected in the DPR.
h. Working out detailed resource-use agreements (for surface
water,
groundwater and common/forest land usufructs) among User
Group
members in a participatory manner based on principles of equity
and
sustainability.
i. Participatory monitoring of progress and processes.
51. Preparation of DPR: DPR preparation is a crucial activity at
the district
level, which is to be facilitated by the WDT for an identified
project area. The
technical inputs in the form of resource maps and cadastral maps
have to be
made available at local level. It is necessary to capture the
entire database of
DPR in a systematic manner as a structured document at the
initial stage itself.
52. DPR preparation requires a strong PRA exercise and
comprehensive
beneficiary level database separately for private land and
community land
development with linkages to the cadastral database. This will
facilitate spatial
depiction of the action plan. The DPR should include, among
other things, the Common Guidelines for Watershed Development
Projects 37
following:
a. Basic Information on Watershed including rainfall,
temperature, location
including geographical coordinates, topography, hydrology,
hydrogeology, soils, forests, demographic features, ethnographic
details
of communities, land-use pattern, major crops & their
productivity,
irrigation, livestock, socio-economic status etc.
b. Details of expected/proposed User Groups & Self Help
Groups, master
tables for private land / common land activities, contribution
to watershed
development funds, information on soil and land-use, existing
assets
related to water harvesting, recharging and storage etc. needs
to be
provided plot-wise.
c. Problems Typology of the Watershed including an account of
the major
problems requiring intervention from the perspective of
enhancing
livelihood potential/carrying capacity as well as conservation
and
regeneration of resources.
d. Description of Proposed Interventions (physical and
financial, including
time-table of interventions) along with technical details and
drawings
certified by the WDT.
e. Detailed Mapping exercises.
f. Institutional mechanisms and agreements for implementing the
plan,
ensuring emphasis on participatory decision-making, equity
and
sustainability of benefits, and post-project sustainability.
g. Expected Outcomes and Benefits, especially with respect to
livelihoods for Common Guidelines for Watershed Development
Projects 38
different segments, benefits to women and
regeneration/conservation of
resources, etc.
53. The DPR will be prepared by the WDT for integrated
development of the
watershed area with active participation of the Watershed
Committee (WC).
The WDT should utilize various thematic maps relating to land
and water
resources in the preparation and finalization of the DPR. This
DPR shall
necessarily include the clear demarcation of the watershed with
specific details
of survey numbers, ownership details and a map depicting the
location of
proposed work/activities for each year.
54. The DPR for the watershed shall be in tune with the District
Perspective
Plan. The permissible works relating to soil and moisture
conservation under
NREGS, BRGF, and Artificial Ground Water Recharge must
complement the micro
watershed plan. District agricultural plans may also be
consulted while
formulating the District Perspective Plans.
55. This DPR will be a part of the MIS from which details will
be arranged into
various layers on GIS as a monitoring, management, accounting
and analytical
tool besides serving as a source of information and a link to
the state level data
cell in the SLNA and National Data Centre in the NRAA. The DPR
may be
summed up using a standard planning tool such as Logical
Framework Analysis
(LFA) that includes goals, purpose, outputs, activities, inputs,
challenges and
measurable indicators of progress.
56. The overall responsibility for the preparation of a
technically sound and
high quality DPR would lie with the Project Implementing Agency
(PIA). After Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects
39
approval by the Gram Sabha, the PIA shall submit the DPR for
approval to the
DWDU/DRDA/DP. Alternatively, the mechanism of approval and
implementation
of projects by district level committee / collector may continue
to prevail.
57. Each watershed has unique characteristics and problems. Its
treatment
and management would therefore require careful consideration of
various site
specific factors like topography, nature and depth of soil
cover, type of rocks,
water absorbing capacity of land, rainfall intensity, land use
etc. All works must
be planned in a location-specific manner, taking into account
the above factors
along with local demands and socio-economic conditions of the
watershed.
58. The ridge-to-valley principle with multi tier sequenced
approach has been
indicated in detail at Preface on Para 9(IX).
8.2 Watershed Works Phase
59. This phase is the heart of the programme in which the DPR
will be
implemented. Some of the important activities to be included in
this phase are:
a. Ridge Area Treatment: All activities required to restore the
health of the
catchment area by reducing the volume and velocity of surface
run-off,
including regeneration of vegetative cover in forest and common
land,
afforestation, staggered trenching, contour and graded bunding,
bench
terracing etc.
b. Drainage line treatment with a combination of vegetative and
engineering
structures, such as earthen checks, brushwood checks, gully
plugs, loose
boulder checks, gabion structures, underground dykes etc.
c. Development of water harvesting structures such as low-cost
farm ponds, Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects
40
nalla bunds, check-dams, percolation tanks and ground water
recharge
through wells, bore wells and other measures.
d. Nursery raising for fodder, fuel, timber and horticultural
species. As far as
possible local species may be given priority.
e. Land Development including in-situ soil and moisture
conservation and
drainage management measures like field bunds, contour and
graded
bunds fortified with plantation, bench terracing in hilly
terrain etc.
f. Crop demonstrations for popularizing new crops/varieties,
water saving
technologies such as drip irrigation or innovative management
practices. As
far as possible varieties based on the local germplasm may be
promoted.
g. Pasture development, sericulture, bee keeping, back yard
poultry, small
ruminant, other livestocks and other micro-enterprises.
h. Veterinary services for livestock and other livestock
improvement measures
i. Fisheries development in village ponds/tanks, farm ponds
etc.
j. Promotion and propagation of non-conventional energy saving
devices,
energy conservation measures, bio fuel plantations etc.
8.3 Consolidation and Withdrawal Phase
60. In this phase the resources augmented and economic plans
developed in
Phase II are made the foundation to create new nature-based,
sustainable
livelihoods and raise productivity levels. The main objectives
under this phase
are:
a. Consolidation and completion of various works.
b. Building the capacity of the community based organizations to
carry out Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects
41
the new agenda items during post project period.
c. Sustainable management of (developed) natural resources
and
d. Up-scaling of successful experiences regarding farm
production systems /
off-farm livelihoods.
61. An indicative list of various activities during this phase
is given
below:
61.1 Consolidation of various works
a. Preparation of project completion report with details about
status of each
intervention;
b. Documentation of successful experiences as well as lessons
learnt for future
use.
61.2 Management of developed natural resources
a. Improving the sustainability of various interventions under
the project;
b. Formal allocation of users right over common property
resources (CPRs);
c. Collection of user charges for CPRs;
d. Repair, maintenance and protection of CPRs;
e. Sustainable utilization of developed natural resources;
f. Involvement of gram panchayat/corresponding institutions (as
a governance
body) in addressing the above aspects.
61.3 Intensification of farm production systems/off-farm
livelihoods
a. Up scaling of successful experiences related to above aspects
through
revolving fund under the project as well as credit and technical
support from
external institutions; Common Guidelines for Watershed
Development Projects 42
b. Promotion of agro-processing, marketing arrangements of
produce and
similar off - farm and informal sector enterprises.
c. Farmers may also be encouraged to develop non pesticidal
management, low
cost organic inputs, seed farms and links with wider markets to
fetch
competitive price.
61.4 Project management related aspects
a. Participatory planning, implementation and monitoring of
activities to be
carried out during consolidation phase;
b. Terminal evaluation of project as per the expected
outcomes.
62. Federations could be formed at the level of a cluster of
villages in order to
support economic activities at scale. These would further
strengthen and
activate the linkages established with external resource
agencies for knowledge,
credit, input procurement, sale of local produce, carrying on
processing activities
to the point of exports. In these activities, bankability of
activities will be
attempted. At the same time, local-level institutions are
expected to reach
maturity and exit protocols become operative for the PIA. The
Watershed
Committees (WCs) may use the Watershed Development Fund for
repair and
maintenance of structures created in Phase II.
63. The classification of activities in the three phases must
not be understood
in a rigid manner. Many of the Phase III activities may even
start in many
watersheds during Phase I and/or II itself. Phasing of
activities needs to have an
internal logic and integrity that must flow through the entire
action plan. This
will depend on a host of factors such as the prevailing initial
conditions, needs
and possibilities in each village, response of the community
etc. Such flexibility Common Guidelines for Watershed Development
Projects 43
must be built into the action plan and is to be seen as a
distinguishing feature of
these guidelines.
9. Allocation of funds, approval of projects and release of
funds
9.1 Allocation of Funds to States
64. The Nodal Ministry / Department would allocate the budgetary
outlay for
the projects among the States keeping in view the following
criteria and past
performance of the state (physical and financial) viz. unspent
balance,
outstanding utilisation certificates, percentages of completed
projects out of
total projects etc except in those schemes where States have
flexibility to
allocate funds between watershed and other schemes.
a. State level perspective and strategic plans in watershed
based
development projects.
b. Percentage of rainfed area in the state to total cultivated
area in the
country.
c. Percentage of wastelands/ degraded lands in the state to the
total
geographical area of the country.
9.2 Allocation of Funds to Districts
65. The State level nodal agencies will distribute funds to the
districts keeping
in view the following criteria:-
a. District level perspective and strategic plans in watershed
based
development projects.
b. Percentage of rainfed area in the district to the total
cultivated area of the
state.
c. Percentage of wastelands/ degraded lands/ panchayat lands in
the district
to the total geographical area of the state. Common Guidelines
for Watershed Development Projects 44
9.3 Approval & sanction of Watershed Development
Projects
66. By the end of February each year, the States will submit
detailed Annual
Action Plans indicating ongoing liabilities as well as new
projects which they wish
to take up. The Department Nodal Agency at the central level
will thereafter,
based on total available budget for the year and the criteria as
given in Para-64
and 65, allocate specific amounts for individual states from
whom proposals
have been received. After States have received their allocation
against ongoing
and new projects, they will be free to sanction their projects
within the State
allocation. On receipt of the sanction orders for the new
projects from SLNA; the
Nodal Ministry would release funds directly to the district
level agency. The
existing release procedure of Departmental Nodal Agencies may
however
continue if release of funds to the district level agency is not
feasible.
67. The distribution of budget for specific watershed projects
for the various
components therein is given below:
Budget component % of the Budget
- Administrative costs
- Monitoring
- Evaluation
10
1
1
Preparatory phase, including:
- entry point activities,
- institution and capacity building,
- Detailed Project Report (DPR).
4
5
1
Watershed Works Phase:
- Watershed development works,
- Livelihood activities for the asset less persons,
- Production system and micro enterprises.
50
10
13
Consolidation phase 5
Total 100 Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects
45
68. The expenditure under the various components of the project
budget will
be subject to following conditions:
i. The payments of salaries to the WDTs/ Secretary of the
Watershed
Committees etc. would be exclusively charged from the
administrative cost component.
ii. Savings, if any, in each component of the project cost can
be utilised
for activity in watershed works only.
iii. Purchase of vehicles and other equipments etc., and
construction of
buildings are not allowed. However, purchase of Computers
and
related software is permitted.
iv. PIAs belonging to Line Departments may preferably outsource
to
VOs/CBOs community mobilization and capacity building
activities.
69. Existing unit cost for watershed development is Rs. 6000 per
hectare
which was worked out during April 2001. However, during 11
th
Plan it is being
suitably revised in order to take care of the following three
aspects: (a)
promotion of livelihoods including improvement of productivity
through farming
systems, (b) complete coverage of area under the watershed
including common/
forest land and (c) general escalation in cost of material as
well as minimum
wages of labourers.
9.4 Procedure for release of installments
70. The central share of funds shall be released to the DWDUs /
agency for
the three phases of the implementation spread over the project
period in the
following manner or as decided by the Nodal Ministry. Common
Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 46
a. The first instalment comprising of preparatory phase
activities viz., 20%
of the central share will be released straightaway upon the
sanction of
the project by the SLNA.
b. The second instalment comprising of 50% of the central share
towards
the project cost will be released on proper certification and
submission of
documents after completion of the preparatory phase and 60%
expenditure of the first instalment.
c. The third instalment of 30% i.e. 25% of the central share
towards the
works phase of the project cost and 5% for the consolidation
phase will
be released on proper certification of expenditure of 75% of the
total
funds released supported by relevant documents.
However, the existing arrangements for flow of funds by the
concerned
Ministries may continue if the above mechanism is not
feasible.
71. The release of funds to district implementing agencies /
State
Government will be done directly on the basis of specific annual
proposals
received from each district keeping in view their ongoing
commitments and the
new projects sanctioned and the overall budgetary provision for
the district and
upon approval of their action plans by the SLNA. DWDUs /
Agencies shall release
the funds to the PIAs and the watershed committees within 15
days of the
receipt of the fund.
9.5 User Charges
72. The Gram Sabha through the Watershed Committee (WC) shall
put in
place mechanism for collecting user charges. No charge will be
taken from Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects
47
landless, destitute or disabled / widow headed house holds for
work done on
private or public land. The user charges collected shall be
credited to the WDF
for maintenance of assets created during the project.
9.6 Watershed Development Fund
73. One of the mandatory conditions for selection of villages
for watershed
projects is people's contribution towards the Watershed
Development Fund
(WDF). The contributions to WDF shall be a minimum 10% of the
cost of NRM
works executed on private lands only. However, in case of SC/ST,
small and
marginal farmers, the minimum contribution shall be 5% of the
cost of NRM
works executed on their lands. However, for other cost intensive
farming system
activities such as Aquaculture, Horticulture, Agro-forestry,
Animal Husbandry etc
on private land directly benefiting the individual farmers, the
contribution of
farmers will be 40% for General category and 20% for SC & ST
beneficiaries and
the remaining cost of the activities i.e. 60% for the General
and 80% for SC/ST
category will come from the project funds subject to a maximum
limit of an
amount equal to double of the standard unit cost norm for
Watershed
Development Project.
74. These contributions would be acceptable either in cash at
the time of
execution of works or voluntary labour. A sum equivalent to the
monetary value
of the voluntary labour would be transferred from the watershed
project account
to the WDF bank account that will be distinct from the Watershed
Committee
(WC) bank account. User charges, sales proceeds and disposal
amounts of
intermediate usufruct rights shall also be deposited in the WDF
bank account. Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects
48
Income earned from assets created under the project on common
property
resources shall also be credited to WDF.
75. The Secretary, Watershed Committee (WC) shall maintain a
completely
separate account of the income and expenditure of the WDF. Rules
for operation
of the fund should be prepared by the Watershed Committee (WC)
and ratified
by the Gram Sabha. The WDF bank account should be operated by
the President
of the Gram Panchayat and any member from the SHG nominated by
the Gram
Sabha. Alternatively, the guidelines for the management and
utilization of the
WDF may be evolved by the concerned Nodal Ministry.
76. After completion of Phase II, at least 50% of the WDF funds
shall be
reserved for maintenance of assets created on community land or
for common
use under the project. Works taken up on private land shall not
be eligible for
repair/maintenance out of this Fund. The remaining money may be
used as a
revolving fund to advance loans to the villagers of the project
area who have
contributed to the fund. Individuals as well as charitable
institutions should be
encouraged to contribute generously to this Fund.
9.7 Coordination with other schemes / projects
77. Eleventh Five Year Plan offers an opportunity to converge
and harmonise
resources of different schemes and Programmes specially those
under Bharat
Nirman and other flagship schemes with watershed development
projects.
Mandatory preparation of district level plans will be in a
position to enable
convergence and synergies at the grass-root level. The DPR may
elaborate gaps Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects
49
to be filled or watershed activities to be taken up out of BRGF,
NREGS, artificial
ground water recharging, renovation and repairs of tanks, water
bodies and any
other available sources. Marketing and value addition is also
possible under the
revised APMC Act. Efforts should be made to converge all
relevant schemes at
project level.
9.8 Foreclosure of projects
78. Despite the best intentions on the part of the authorities
and participating
communities, despite the careful preparation of the detailed
project report, and
even despite careful monitoring, there would still be instances
of projects which
may still get stalled or from a particular point onwards, make
no progress
whatsoever. In such extreme cases where pursuing the project
further would
only be a waste of time, energy and resources, the extreme step
of foreclosure
may be resorted to. The project work should start within three
months of the
receipt of first instalment by DWDU / agency. This is to be
judged from
expenditure statement, failing which project will be withdrawn
and released
instalment will be adjusted in release of other projects to the
State.
79. Steps can also be initiated for suo-moto foreclosure by the
State / Central
Government under the following circumstances:
a. Consistent apathy on the part of State and District Level
Authorities
towards the project.
b. Non-submission of DPR / approved work plan for two years
after the
expiry of preparatory phase without any valid justification.
Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 50
c. If any matter relating to project is subjudice in any court
of law and no
order for staying the project activity has been passed by the
court.
d. Any other reason which justifies foreclosure as decided
by
District/State/Centre from time to time.
10. Capacity Building Strategy
80. Capacity building support is a crucial component to achieve
the desired
results from watershed development projects. These Guidelines
broadly define
the contours of the capacity building strategy for watershed
development
projects in the country. NRAA would facilitate the evolution of
operational
strategies for capacity building in each state in consultation
with SLNA and other
resource organizations. The capacity building strategy and
activities enumerated
below by NRAA, Nodal Agencies at the central level, consortiums
of resource
organizations should be funded separately over and above the
earmarked
budget for institution and capacity building in the preparatory
phase of the
watershed development project.
10.1. Key Elements of Capacity Building Strategy
81. NRAA will collaborate with various resource organizations
for developing
national level as well as state specific capacity building
strategies. Key
Components of Capacity Building Strategy are the following:
- Dedicated and decentralised institutional support and
delivery
mechanism
- Annual Action Plan for Capacity Building Common Guidelines for
Watershed Development Projects 51
- Pool of resource persons
- Well prepared training modules and reading materials
- Mechanism for effective monitoring and follow-up.
10.2 Resource Organizations and Developing Partnerships
82. National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD), National
Institute of
Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), Central Arid Zone
Research
Institute (CAZRI), Central Soil and Water Conservation Research
and Training
Institute (CSWCRTI) and its regional centres, Central Research
Institute for Dry
land Areas (CRIDA), Water Technology Centres (WTCs), Indian
Institute of
Remote Sensing, Dehradun, Institute of Rural Management, Anand
(IRMA),
Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), National Remote
Sensing Agency
(NRSA), Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Soil and Land
Use Survey
of India (SLUSI) are some of the well known national level
institutions that could
impart capacity building inputs to senior government officers at
national/ state/
district levels.
83. There are also several reputed voluntary organizations/
resource
organizations with considerable expertise and experiences
related to watershed
development projects such as AKRS (P) (Gujarat), MYRADA
(Karnataka), WOTR
(Maharashtra), Dhan Foundation (Tamilnadu), Samaj Pragati Sahyog
(MP),
Development Support Center (Guajarat), AFARM (Maharashtra),
WASSAN
(Andhra Pradesh), ARAVALI (Rajasthan), PRADAN (Jharkhand), CYSD
(Orissa),
Seva Mandir (Rajasthan) and so on, in different parts of the
country. Some of Common Guidelines for Watershed Development
Projects 52
them are already functioning as resource organizations for
watershed
development projects in collaboration with state
governments.
84. NRAA would help the State Governments in preparing the
comprehensive
list of all such resource organizations across the country and
profile their
expertise and capacities. As part of this process, NRAA and SLNA
identify
National/ State/ District level resource organizations. Based on
this analysis,
NRAA facilitates formal partnerships between the
Ministries/Departments/ SLNA/
DWDU and resource organizations from government/ voluntary/
ICAR
backgrounds. These resource organizations could operate at
national/ state/
district/ sub district level, depending on the need and capacity
building strategy
of each state. SLNA develops clear Terms of References (ToRs)
with resource
organizations. Depending on the need, NRAA / SLNA could also
form
Consortium of Resource Organizations to provide necessary
capacity building
support to the watershed development projects at various
levels.
11. Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning
11.1 Monitoring
85. Regular monitoring of the project will have to be carried
out at each
stage. Online monitoring must become a feature of all projects.
Monitoring
should include process and outcome monitoring. The PIA shall
submit quarterly
progress reports (countersigned by the Watershed Committee (WC)
President)
to the DWDU for further submission to the SLNA. The DWDU will
have one
member exclusively responsible for monitoring. Common Guidelines
for Watershed Development Projects 53
86. Different streams of monitoring are proposed. The role of
the SLNA is
critical in ensuring that the following systems are followed at
the appropriate
levels:
- Internal Monitoring by project teams (PIA/DWDU)
- Progress Monitoring
- GIS/ Web Based On-Line Monitoring
- Self Monitoring by communities
- Sustainability Monitoring
- Social Audits
- Independent and External Monitoring by independent
agencies
- Process Monitoring
11.2 Evaluation
87. There will be a national panel of Evaluating Agencies in
each Ministry. A
minimum percentage of evaluations and impact studies will be
carried out by
national level agencies that will ensure objectivity as well as
infuse a national
perspective.
88. There will also be an SLNA panel of evaluators, approved by
the
Departmental Nodal Agency at central level. The panel will
include only
institutions and agencies - not individuals. The SLNA will enter
into a formal
contract with these agencies. The DWDU may choose any agency
from the SLNA
approved panel, the only condition being that the agency should
not belong to
the area being evaluated.
89. Each evaluation will include physical, financial and social
audit of the work
done. Evaluators are to be seen not so much as inspectors but as
facilitators. Common Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects
54
However, they will be very strict in ensuring that these
guidelines are being
followed. Fund release will depend on a favourable report from
the evaluators.
90. The concurrent and Post-Project evaluation would be
conducted to assess
the status of watershed related interventions. A separate set of
guidelines on
evaluation will be issued in due course by the respective
Ministries.
11.3 Learning
91. Systematic efforts are to be made by the WDT/WC to learn
from the field
experiences as also from feedback of independent sources. The
following
methods are proposed to enable the learning process at different
levels.
a. Systematic analysis of monitoring data (all types of
monitoring) on a
regular basis by internal team and sharing with project
authorities/ policy
makers.
b. Engaging services of independent academic and voluntary
organizations
by the DWDU, for taking up research and action research
projects.
c. Initiating pilots on new themes and innovative models.
d. Organizing regular sharing, reflective and learning events to
learn from
field experiences, monitoring exercises and academic/ research
studies.
These events could be organized at district, state and national
level.
11.4 Outcomes / End Results
92. Each Watershed Development Project is expected to achieve
the following
results by the end of the project period:
a. All the works/activities that are planned for the treatment
and development
of the drainage lines, arable and non-arable lands in the
watershed area are Common Guidelines for Watershed Development
Projects 55
completed with the active participation and contribution of the
user groups
and the community at large.
b. The user groups/panchayats have willingly taken over the
operation and
maintenance of the assets created and made suitable
administrative and
financial arrangements for their maintenance and further
development.
c. All the members of the Watershed Committee and staff such as
Watershed
Secretary and Volunteers have been given orientation and
training to
improve their knowledge and upgrade technical/management and
community
organisational skills to a level that is appropriate for the
successful discharge
of their responsibilities on withdrawal of the Watershed
Development Team
from the Project.
d. The village community would have been organised into
several,
homogeneous self-help groups for savings and other income
generation
activities which would have achieved sufficient commitment from
their
members and built up financial resources to be self
sustaining.
e. The increase in cropping intensity and agricultural
productivity reflecting in
overall increase in agriculture production.
f. Increase in income of farmers/ landless labourers in the
project area.
g. Increase in groundwater table due to enhanced recharge by
watershed
interventions. Common Guidelines for Watershed Development
Projects 56
ACRONYMS
BRGF Backward Regions Grant Fund
CAPART
CAZRI
CEO
CPRs
CRIDA
CSWCRTI
DDP
DoLR
DP
DPAP
DPC
DPR
DRDA
DWDU
GIS
GP
GPS
GS
ICAR
ICRISAT
IEC
IIFM
IRMA
ISRO
IT
IWDP
JFMC
LFA
MANAGE
MoRD
MOU
NABARD
NAEP
Council for Advancement of People's Action & Rural
Technology
Central Arid Zone Research Institute
Chief Executive Officer
Common Property Resources
Central Research Institute for Dry Land Agriculture
Central Soil & Water Conservation Research & Training
Institute
Desert Development Programme
Department of Land Resources
District Panchayat
Drought Prone Areas Programme
District Planning Committee
Detailed Project Report
District Rural Development Agency
District Watershed Development Unit
Geographical Information System
Gram Panchayat
Global Positioning System
Gram Sabha
Indian Council of Agricultural Research
International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics
Information, Education and Communication
Indian Institute of Forest Management
Institute of Rural Management, Anand
Indian Space Research Organization
Information Technology
Integrated Wastelands Development Programme
Joint Forest Management Committee
Logical Framework Analysis
National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management
Ministry of Rural Development
Memorandum of Understanding
National Bank for Agriculture & Rural Development
National Afforestation & Eco-development Project Common
Guidelines for Watershed Development Projects 57
NDC
NGO
NIRD
NRAA
NREGA
NREGS
NRSA
NWDPRA
PIAs
PRA
RVP&FPR
SAUs
SC
SGRY
SHGs
SIRDs
SGSY
SLPSC
SSR
ST
SVOs
SLNA
SWAN
UGs
VOs
WC
WCs
WDF
WDT
WTCs
National Data Centre
Non-Governmental Organization
National Institute of Rural Development
National Rainfed Area Authority
National Rural Employment Guarantee Act
National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme
National Remote Sensing Agency
National Watershed Development Project for Rainfed Areas
Project Implementing Agencies
Participatory Rural Appraisal
River Valley Project & Flood Prone River Project
State Agricultural Universities
Scheduled Caste
Sampoorna Grameen Rojgar Yojana
Self Help Groups
State Institute of Rural Development
Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana
State Level Project Sanctioning Committee
Standard Schedule of Rates
Scheduled Tribe
Support Voluntary Organizations
State Level Nodal Agency
State Wide Area Network
User Groups
Voluntary Organisations
Watershed Committee
Watershed Committees
Watershed Development Fund
Watershed Development Team
Water Technology Centres