P. K. Kaushik , B. K. Pandey , Y. C. Tripathi

Abstract

Watershed development programmes are aimed to mitigate the adverse effect of drought on crops and livestock, controlling desertification, encouraging restoration of ecological balance and promoting economic development of village community. Being a people oriented programme, it requires people's participation at various levels. Participatory approach is indeed a dynamic group process in which all members of a group contribute to the attainment of common objectives, share benefits accruing from group activities, exchange information and experience of common interest, and follow the rules, regulations and other decisions made by the group. Need for people's participation is articulated in terms of efficiency and/or costeffectiveness, equity in distribution of benefits, sustainability and empowerment of the people. In recent years watershed management has become the focal point of agricultural and rural development in rainfed areas of India and there has been increasing decentralization of responsibilities for management of natural resources to the community level. Role of people's participation and community organization in management of watersheds are discussed in this paper.

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P. K. Kaushik , Y. C. Tripathi , B. K. Pandey

Abstract

The Brahmaputra basin in India, particularly its valley in Assam, represents an acutely flood-prone region and occurrence of flood has been an age-old phenomenon in the riverine areas. During the rainy season, the rivers not only become filled up with water, but the excess amount of water also spill over their banks flooding their neighbouring regions. At the same time bank erosion occurs in almost all the large rivers destroying human habitats and their crop fields. The greatest single casualty due to recurrent floods, accounting for as much as 75 per cent of the total flood loss is the agricultural sector which happens to be the mainstay of the economy. Accelerated erosion due to deforestation and increased pressure on land due to explosion of population is a major cause of this increase in sediment yield. Biological means of protection against erosion are the cheap and simple practical solution that must be technically suitable for different conditions, economically viable with respect to the cost of both initial establishment/maintenance, ecofriendly, people-oriented and sustainable. Vegetative embankment models based on Bamboo and other species endemic to the northeast region can be a cost effective and sustainable solution to the alarming problem of soil stabilization and river bank erosion. The paper presents the various a!tpects of bank erosion in BrahmaputraValley and suggests vegetative controls for talking the problem.

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