Participatory watershed management: A review of studies on Ralegan Siddhi Village in India

In the developing countries there is increasing demand of water but at the same time diminishing availability of water. This is one of the environmental challenges which are being faced by these countries. India is a country where majority of the population lives in villages and two-third of agriculture is dependent on rain.So water as a natural resource has the significant place in Indian agriculture. Though India receives 400 million hectare-metres (mham) of precipitation primarily as rain, it faces water shortage. The Green Revolution in India had little effect in the rain fed, semi-arid regions. Agricultural productivity remained low and natural resources were degrading. In 1980s and 1990s, planners turned to watershed management to develop rain fed agriculture while conserving natural resources. The strategies ranged from the purely technical to those that emphasized social organisation. The projects involving the villagers in planning and decision making are being implemented.

The paper reviews concepts of sustainable natural resource management and participatory watershed management. It analyses situation of Ralegan Siddhi village in India where efforts were initiated by non-state actors for participatory watershed management. Anna Hazare is the main architecture in the transformation of the village.His thoughts on waterhed management and five rules for villagers have been discussed. The paper reviews studies with reference to impact of watershed development programmes and the Govt. of Maharashtra's plan of replication through Ideal Village Scheme.