Figure 6: Vanrai Bandhara (Waste bags check dam) arresting flowing water in Palsunde village, Akole block, Ahmednagar District, Maharashtra
Watershed Organization Trust
Harvesting water through Watershed Development (WSD) is an important and widely accepted technique to increase the supply to meet the water requirements and make a village water secure. WSD is based on the principle of catching rainwater on ground surface; by constructing locale appropriate area treatments (Close Contour Trenches, Farm bunding, Tree plantation, Terracing, etc.) and drainage line structures (Gully plugs, Loose boulder structures, check dams, etc.), thus increasing the water stock on the surface and in aquifers. To implement water stewardship effectively, WSD plays a major role as it primarily strengthens supply side management. However, having implemented watershed treatments, regular repairs and maintenance are important to continue receiving the benefits.
Once the water budget of the village is calculated, the repair and maintenance requirement of water harvesting structures are documented. If village is water deficit, repairs and maintenance works are taken up in summer season for structures to function to their full potential. If the deficit is high and runs for longer period, new soil and water conservation structures are erected. All these works are done through Shramdaan (local contribution generally in kind) and convergence with the government and other donor projects if available.
The recent drinking water scarcity due to erratic rainfall in most of the project villages motivated villagers to provide shramdaan and work to enhance the water storage potential. The convergence with government programmes during 2016 & 2017 has contributed to harvesting 8.62 billion liters in the project villages. Since convergence brought huge monetary contribution to the villages, it motivated villagers to take additional efforts and boosted their confidence to establish linkages with government projects to implement WSD activities.
While WSD activities are always beneficial to improve the supply of surface and groundwater, with experience of more than 3 decades in the Watershed Development sector, some key points were learnt in the field. Appropriate water harvesting structures are constructed only as and where required, since it requires great human force and financial investments. Biophysical characters change with different geographies and hence WSD has been modified as per local needs. This considers water requirements by mankind by also securing water for local ecosystems and water base flow. While following the drainage line treatments, utmost care is taken to construct only minimum required structures so as to maintain flow for the downstream ecosystem and communities.
Figure 5: Jal Sevaks (Water Caretakers) learn Water Budgeting Process
Watershed Organization Trust
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.
Figure 4: Members of Village Water Management Team preparing Village Water Health Chart in Hivre Korda village, Ahmednagar District, Maharashtra
Watershed Organization Trust
For understanding the local situation of quality and quantity of water resources, climate aspects and water needs in order to plan judicious and sustainable use of water, it is a key to gather all information. Therefore the Water Health Chart is prepared by the Water Caretakers and the Village Water Management Team (VWMT) in a cluster level event including participation of villages. The process involves answering key questions of the Water Health Chart, mostly common rural pattern of water resource management. Parameters like domestic water access including that of people living in hamlets, water needs for agriculture, water levels in dug wells and bore-wells during the year and many more reflect the ‘health status of water’ in a village. But it also includes social aspects with questions like “Is the education of girls affected by having to fetch water?”
The Water Health Chart makes a village community aware of the real situation of their water resources and water availability for their living and livelihoods. Thus, understanding the situation and problems related to water, triggers a ‘call to action’ to achieve prudent water management. The process also focuses on the behavioural change of users towards the adoption of appropriate water use practices.
As villagers assess the parameters and rate their situation on the Water Health Chart, they better understand the difficulties of their daily life related to water scarcity and unavailability which they have gotten accustomed to. People become aware of how the water situation impacts their lives and livelihoods. Carrying out this exercise and displaying the chart in public has been very interesting component that immediately triggers the need for change. The use of the chart makes the community aware of and responsible for resolving the problems they face.
So far, the Village Water Health Chart has been the foremost component of the WSI that shows immediate response of the villagers to the need of local water governance. Most of the project villages adopted the Village Water Health chart positively and took actions on each parameter of deteriorating status of water health. Almost 100 villages in 5 districts improved their water health within the first two years of the project through active participation in enhancing the water quality and quantity and by gaining support from WOTR, other practitioners, government bodies and schemes. The positive impacts were noted, but a few villages struggled to understand the chart completely considering the management of water resources at village level, the responsibility of local government and improvements in resource as privately accessible. This has led to confusion amongst villagers in initial phases of performing Village Water Health Chart. However, after in-depth discussions and repetitive execution of the exercise, villagers could sort their perceptions about their ownership and responsibilities towards water resources.
Wildlife scratches along the NEPL NP trekking tour
WCS/NEPL NP
Sambar Deer spotted by the local guide on the Nam Nern Night Safari wildife tour in NEPL NP.
WCS/NEPL NP
Regular monitoring of the NEPL NP’s ecotourism program is essential to ensure the conservation objectives as well as continuous visitor satisfaction and therefore the overall project sustainability. The NEPL NP ecotourism program monitors the following information:
Wildlife monitoring is adapted to the ecotourism area and incorporates all or some of the following techniques: Camera trapping, GPS recorded all direct/indirect observations, Species recording of direct observations.
Financial data is entered in the system for every tour and is analysed on monthly and annual basis
Visitor Feedback data is collected from all visitors after every tour and allows to identify and improve tour services at the best delay as well as offers an opportunity to consider new ideas and further improvement needs.
Visitor Arrival and Profile is collected from all visitors on every tour and allows to identify the visitor trends and profile and therefore better understand and communicate to the market, as well as identify new opportunities.
Data collection forms
Wildlife Monitoring systems (direct observations, camera trapping, etc)
SMART (Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool)
The data collection systems must be simple to use and straight forward,
The collected ecotourism data can be useful for the National Park management, especially the wildlife data and law enforcement observations.
Two ranger stations are located in the two NEPL NP ecotourism sites. The law enforcement teams in the ecotourism area apprehend illegal activities, protect the tourism infrastructures and contribute data to the Ecotourism Benefit Fund calculation. In addition, the NEPL NP ecotours deliver benefits to the NEPL NP law enforcement program through the following activities: (1) regular presence in NEPL NP, (2) illegal activity identification (3) communication on the protected area's regulations to communities & visitors
Mobile ranger teams
Law enforcement strategy, financial and human resources
Prosecution
An active law enforcement presence is essential in wildlife tourism areas, whereas simply developing wildlife tourism does not automatically lead to a reduction of threats or improved levels of wildlife protection.
Due to limited financial and human resources, the law enforcement presence might lack to be equally distributed within all the ecotourism area. It may therefore be necessary to incorporate additional monitoring mechanisms that can be equally assessed, for example monitoring community efforts in regards of the land encroachment by comparing the land use plan and the satellite images.
The NEPL NP ecotourism program directly and indirectly creates skills and capacity building opportunities and awareness raising for the following groups: (1) NEPL NP ecotourism team itself (2) Ecotourism communities and service providers (3) Visitors, TOs and the government counterparts.
When NEPL NP program began in 2010, tourism was almost non-existing in the region. By offering an opportunity to learn to the locals and recruiting tourism consultants to support, the NEPL NP ecotourism staff now has grown into some of the most experienced ecotourism professionals in the country. Most of these staff come from the NEPL NP villages and are from a former hunter households or even used to be hunters themselves. By working with the NEPL NP, staff have learned about the importance of conservation and today are well acknowledged ecotourism officers and conservation advocates. Some of the NEPL NP’s ecotourism staff have raised up to key NEPL NP management and advisory positions.
The NEPL NP ecotourism team now creates and coordinates ecotourism training opportunities and outreach campaigns. In addition, NEPL NP ecotourism program has a non-negligible awareness raising power that benefits all visitors as well as TOs and the government counterparts.
Trainings, Workshops, and Study Tours
Close collaboration with key decision makers
Close collaboration with local community and government agencies throughout the development and management of the projects is essential.
During the ecotourism program beginning, recruiting qualified local human resources was challenging, therefore, staff from other provinces were selected. However, due to the NEPL NP’s remote location, these staff moved away after short period of time. Recruiting less qualified, but local and motivated staff and providing the necessary skills and capacity building opportunities have presented greater results and higher level of commitment.
