WATER-SHED MANAGEMENT

Indo-German Bilateral Project-Representative Water Shed

KINCHUMANDA

VISAKHAPATNAM DISTRICT, ANDHRA PRADESH

THE COMMUNITY:

The people belong to six sects of Primitive Tribes. They follow their tribal customs very strictly and observe their festivals with reverence. Their economy is primarily forest and agro-based and their knowledge of agriculture and forests is age old. Their major source of income comes from the collection and sale of Non-timber forest products. There are 36 landless families in the watershed area. However the practice of land sharing is being maintained between lands less and land owner through sharing of produce by 1/3 to the land owner and 2/3 to the land less.

OBJECTIVES:

To create a sense of responsibility among indigenous community to maintain and manage watershed constantly by themselves.

To up-lift the economic, social, education, health and gender status – at the community level and take them into self-sustainable styles of living.

To develop 1030 hectares of watershed area at 8 villages of 2 panchayats of Dumbriguda Mandal of Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh by the year 2004.

To create replicable models through action and research.

STRATEGIES:

Preparing the communities for active participation in Watershed (Soil Moisture Conservation).

Support and participate with State Govt Department in planning, monitoring and evaluation exercises in Watershed villages.

Capacity Building of Communities through meetings, trainings, exposure visits etc.

Take up land-based economic activities with women and other vulnerable groups.

Treatment of private lands and develops fuel, fodder and tree crops.

Promotion of education, health and gender status through facilitation for convergence of services of departments concerned.

Replication of positive learning’s and experiences to the adjacent areas.

Withdrawal from the project area after 5 years, wt developing the community participation and own management.

ACTIVITIES:

The Watershed Committee formed at 8 villages is divided into two clusters. They are participating in SMC works along with community development activities.

The users group of landless, single women and disabled are being supported through development of backyard poultry units, sheep units, plough bullocks and vegetable cultivation and marketing etc.

Meetings for planning and designing of the activities are being taken up at community level for better participation of Community Members.

Inculcating the habit of savings among women groups to achieve economical empowerment of women members.

The community decided itself to share wages equally among men and women in the RWS programmed and they also decided to save Rs.10/- out of their daily wage of Rs. 40/- for keeping the money for maintenance of the post project works.

Watershed Fund was created with the amounts saved by the participating communities across eight villages amounting t Rs.3,08,823/-

Improve their knowledge and skills on Ridge to Valley Watershed development concept with the implementation SMC works.

Awareness creation on health hygiene, sanitation and education and organizing health camps for women and children.

Soil; & Moisture conservation activities have been taken-up in 470 hectares of private land belonging to the community members with their participation across the Watershed area.

69 units of Giriraja Birds for back yard poultry and 60 units of sheep were distributed for economical empowerment of the single women, landless and disabled.

60 compost pits were dug in the farmers’ fields to utilize Biomass and Organic matter.

Introduced horticulture (mango grafts) and amla, sapota and pineapple in 63 hectares with possibility for inter cropping of Niger, red gram, and rajma beans. Total number of farmer covered under horticulture is 76.

ACHIEVEMENTS:

Total private lands and common lands were treated with Soil and Moisture Conservation measures.

Twenty three tribal families benefited with the conversion of 22 hectares of fallow and into croplands across six villages.

Soak pits are well maintained by the community, percolating clear water into soil.

Soil fertility improved, water retention capacity increased with the introduction of horticulture (mango, guava, sapota acid lime, and amla) fruit crops covering 63 hectares.

Vegetable coverage 100% with carrot, cabbage, cauliflower, tomato, chilies, being cultivated by the community members covering all villages of the watershed area.

Vegetable consumption increased and selling surplus in local markets.

Composting is very successful intervention. More than 70 compost pits are under use resulting in more decomposed organic matter for vegetable crop production.