The scheme was launched on 27th January 2003 with the objective of Harvesting every drop of rainwater for purposes of irrigation, plantations including horticulture and floriculture, pasture development, fisheries etc. to create sustainable sources of income for the village community as well as for drinking water supplies and Ensuring overall development of rural areas through the Gram Panchayats and creating regular sources of income for the Panchayats from rainwater harvesting and management. The scheme would help in generating employment, alleviating poverty and empowering the community and economic resources of the rural areas. The present cost norm is Rs 6000 per hectare. This amount shall be divided amongst the Watershed Treatment/ Development Works/ Activities, Community Mobilization and Training and Administrative Overheads.

The activities in this scheme include:

• Development of small water harvesting structures such as low-cost farm ponds, nalla bunds, check-dams, percolation tanks and other ground water recharge measures.
• Renovation and augmentation of water sources, desiltation of village tanks for drinking water/irrigation/fisheries development.
• Fisheries development in village ponds/tanks, farm ponds etc.
• Afforestation including block plantations, agro-forestry and horticultural development, shelterbelt plantations, sand dune stabilization, etc.
• Pasture development either by itself or in conjunction with plantations.
• Land Development including in-situ soil and moisture conservation measures like contour and graded bunds fortified by plantation, bench terracing in hilly terrain, nursery raising for fodder, timber, fuel wood, horticulture and non-timber forest product species.
• Repair, restoration and up-gradation of existing common property assets and structures in the watershed to obtain optimum & sustained benefits from previous public investments.

Watershed areas having acute shortage of drinking water, having large population of scheduled castes/scheduled tribes dependent on it, a preponderance of non-forest wastelands/degraded lands. 

Contact

Contact the Gram Panchayat