Watershed Development
Watershed development refers to the conservation, regeneration and the judicious use of natural (land, water, plants, animals) and human - within a particular watershed. Watershed management tries to bring about the best possible balance in the environment between natural resources on the one side, and human and other living beings on the other.
SST has taken up Micro Watershed Programs in Padavedu funded by Ford foundation. Irumbuli, Kothakondapalli and Saragapalli micro watershed development program have been funded by NABARD in Tiruvannamalai and Krishnagiri districts of Tamil Nadu. SST covers 5854 Hectares under this program. Involvement of local communities through Watershed association and Water users association have made this program very successful to the farming communities.
The trust has initiated various water and soil conservation structures such as contour banding, continuous contour trenches (CCT), water absorption trenches, Loose rock check dams (LRCD), check weir, farm ponds, percolation ponds, desilting of tanks and ooranis, rehabilitation of abundant wells.
This has resulted in
- Improving the ground water availability, change in crop, cropping pattern.
- Reduce seasonal migration through generating year round and sustainable livelihood employment
- Increase in grazing land, fodder production and improved livestock management
- Utilizing limited irrigation water more efficient and reduce the exploitation of the ground water
- Raising high value cash crops with increasing in yield and desired quality
- Increasing vegetative cover through farm forestry, dry land horticulture and Afforestation.
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