Sustainable Development of Flood Prone Watersheds in Gangetic Plain

Abstract

The watershed being the geo-hydrological unit, the sustainable production of food, fuel and fodder would be a product of scientific utilization and management of natural resources of land and water without any further deterioration of environment. The integrated planning of watersheds offlood prone rivers for sustained development is the basic approach in which the activities related to flood-proofing by reducing the flush runoff with increased time of concentration, ground water recharge and suitable land use for sustained farming system are associated properly.

Integrated watershed development works executed in Mansara watershed of Barabanli district in catchment of prone river Gomti, reveal that the runoff was reduced from 27.915 ha-m to 5.634 ha -m (79.8 per cent). Similarly, the silt production rate was also reduced from 2.393 ha-m/100 sg.km to 1.189 ha-m/100 sq.km (50.3 per cent). This shows appreciable decrease in flood hazards caused by flush runoff and increase in ground water recharge by in situ conservation of water and time of concentration.

The productivity of different crops has also increased. The increase in productivity of cereals, pulses and oil seeds was 40 to 80 per cent, 25 to 50 per cent and 50 to 875 per cent respectively. In irrigated tracts, the farmers are cultivating paddy and potato in small areas with higher productivity.