Soil Conservation in the Damodar Valley

Tbe Damodar Valley in tbe eastern 1ndia extends over 5.7 million ha and is inhabited by nearly 30 million people. The valley is drained by many rivers and rivulets of which Damodar is the major one flOwing along a distance of 540 kms, The entire precipitation is in the form of rain which is concentrated during the three monsoon months. To prevent recurrence of severe floods, a Corporation was created in 1948 which constructed a number of reservoirs to store water for flood cushion and undertook integrated soil conservation measureS. The valley is long, narrow and gently sloping, with outcrops of hillocks. The soil is poor and only about 25% of land is under regular cultivation. The valley is thickly populated. The traditional soil conservation measures like field bunds, gully bunds, check dams, afforestation are being implemented. The implementation of the work is monitored and evaluated. lhe available data have been analysed. A new approach with modification in technology and methodology has been suggested. The DVC with an open mind have initiated steps for a gradual change over keeping a close watch on the effectiveness.