Figure 5: Jal Sevaks (Water Caretakers) learn Water Budgeting Process
Watershed Organization Trust
2. The Village Water Budget (WB)
The water budget focuses on central issues of environmentally sustainable and efficient management of available water. They are accepted by the local general body (Gram Sabha), the most important step in water governance.
The WB process has two steps:
1. The WB prepared in March / April calculates the water requirement for the whole year including that for the proposed Kharif (Monsoon), Rabi (winter) and summer crops. This exercise presents the water deficit which encourages the village to undertake repairs and maintenance of the water harvesting (WSD) structures earlier constructed, to meet the demand estimated in the water budget.
2. The water budget prepared in October (post monsoons) helps in planning for the Rabi season and to decide whether cultivating summer crops would be viable. This water budget calculates the total water available for use within the village for: (a) the water requirement is prioritized for domestic, livestock, and other livelihood needs after which the net water balance is considered available for agriculture. (b) Crops are selected and the area for their cultivation decided upon for the Rabi and summer seasons.
General awareness programs and capacity building workshops create immense interest among villagers and Village Water Management Team (VWMT) members. Their willingness and active participation lead to various training programs and preparation of water budgets on regular basis. The water budget prepared in October (post monsoons) helps in planning for winter season and to decide whether cultivating summer crops would be viable. Such planning reduces stress of farmers regarding crop failure and irrigation requirements.
While watershed development (WSD) may have been implemented to enhance the supply of water, it falls short of water management when the project is completed, unless the water budget is implemented. Since it has become mandatory by the Maharashtra Groundwater Act, the general framework of WB is accepted thoroughly by all project villages.
Villagers have started coming together more often to discuss water availability concerns. After facing economic losses from frequent dry spells and drought conditions, they obtained consensus on cultivation of low water requiring crops such as chickpea and sorghum instead of wheat and onion. Drinking and other domestic needs are given priority over irrigation water in view of possible water scarcity in the summers. Even in informal gatherings, villagers are confident and open to discussing alternatives to adopt efficient water use techniques.