Community Based Water & Livelihood Enhancement in10 Villages of Wakal River Basin

Background

P1000431The working area of MSS is mainly hilly where large quantity of water flows out of the region without any productive use and due to this land resources are not developed properly thus do not produce biomass to its utmost capacity (food & fodder).Even after having good rainfall and high runoff received from upper reaches of Wakal river irrigation coverage is limited. Due to lack of proper technological interventions people have to bear high input cost. Farmers have limited knowledge/skill of agriculture –Animal Husbandry nutrient cycle (Nutrient cycle is related with human-animal-land). For food grains and vegetables human beings are dependent on land as well as animals for fodder and again the human and animal excreta are used as manure in the land which produces grains, vegetables and fodder. Higher dependency on cultivation leading to limited work opportunities beyond monsoon period. Limited employment opportunity leading to high incidences of migration and intern community is getting fragmented. This project is planned around the most important component i e. water, with specific importance given to maximize conservation and harvesting through various interventions so as to improve production in agriculture and allied activities, which can yield increased productivity and help these families to sustain their livelihood.

Geographical area

The project “Community Based Water and Livelihood Enhancement in 10 Villages of Wakal River Basin”, located in southern Rajasthan of India, in the district of Udaipur. The villages are dominated by tribal communities. It is covered in Survey of India Topo sheet number 45 H/7 and lies between latitude 240 18’ N to 240 28 N and longitude 730 16’ E to 730 23’ E. The average annual rainfall is 571 mm.

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Coverage Area

The total coverage area is 5533 ha with 3377 ha (61.03%) demarcated as forest land. 593 ha (10.71%) land is under the wasteland category; only 740 ha (13.74%) land is cultivated while irrigated land is 129 ha (2.33 %) of total.

Beneficiaries

In selected 10 villages there are 1178 households with a total population of 6635 (3366 males & 3269 females).

Time Period

December 2007 to September 2012

Supporting Agency

The project “Community Based Water and Livelihood Enhancement in 10 Villages of Wakal River Basin” is supported by Wells for India, UK.

Goal

Facilitate sustainable livelihood for poor resource less community of 10 villages of Udaipur District in Rajasthan.

Objectives

  • To ensure the availability and access to save drinking water in 10 villages.
  • To enhance the livelihood of poor people in 10 villages through natural resource management.
  • To establish functional community based gender sensitive village organizations.

Strategy

The overall strategy is to improve natural resource management to increase productivity of land for poor families which can be achieved through reduction in input cost, additional area/source of income and increased production.

Activities

  • Developing community based organizations: Self Help Groups (50); Village Development Committee (VDC-10); Panchayat level Jagruk Manch (3) and Development Management Committee (DMC-1) for planning, implementing monitoring of project and also initiative development interventions further.
  • Capacity building of community with awareness campaign; Training and Exposure
  • Integrated Land management in 950 ha cultivable land with SWT/PRT/Field bunding etc
  • Land development work in 150 ha wasteland with CCT/SCT and vegetative propagation
  • Water Harvesting through Anicut (27); LCWHS (7) and renovation of existing structures (3) Subsurface dykes (2)
  • Drainage line treatment with LSCD (small- 285, medium- 191 and large- 85) and 18 Gabion structures
  • Developing water sources for irrigation group well 2, jack wells and LIS (6)
  • Organizing community as Participatory irrigation Management (PIM) around each LIS
  • Drinking facilities with well development (50) and mobilizing hand pumps (52) through government sources
  • Promotion of scientific agriculture such as organic farming and animal husbandry with training, and demonstration

Output

  • Availability of safe drinking water sources in 10 villages.
  • Conservation of rain water through water resources development in the project villages.
  • Increased productivity in agriculture in the area.
  • Animal husbandry based production in the area is increased.
  • Income generation activities adopted by community.