Changing Approaches in Watershed Management in India

Smita Rani Nayak, Sachikanta Balabantaray

Abstract: Watershed management is an age old practice in the history of India. There are evidences of watershed intervention in arid semi-arid parts of the country in different civilization in different parts of India. During British India the government took several measures based on watershed activities. However in the independent India in true sense watershed management started with the incorporation of Damodar Valley Corporation in 1950 which was inspired by the Tennese Valley Corporation of USA. As a matter of fact the government was in great concern at growing environmental degradation trends that the country was reeling with particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. Subsequently government took many such measures related to watershed interventions and of course there was time to time modification of approaches and methods keeping the ever changing requirements.

Keywords: DVC- Damodar Valley Corporation, DPAP- Drought Prone Area Program, DDP- Desert Development Program, NWDPRA- National Watershed Development for Rainfed Areas, IWDP- Integrated Wasteland Development