Watershed Development in India

The overall impact of watershed projects under the Drought Prone Areas Programme has been positive and significant. There has been a marked improvement in the access to drinking water in the project areas. Crop yields have risen and there has been a substantial increase in area under cultivation in the rabi season, leading to rise in employment and reduction in migration of labour. Availability of fodder has also improved leading to a rise in the yield of milk. Despite this noticeable improvement in performance, the experience outlined in this paper raises a number of important issues which have a bearing on the sustainability of watershed development when the official programme comes to an end.