Stakeholder’s Participation in Watershed Management F

F

STAKEHOLDER’S PARTICIPATION IN WATERSHED MANAGEMENT Jayanta Choudhury Sr. Lecturer and Coordinator, Centre for Rural Studies, Tripura University, Suryamoninagar

Abstract: Watershed Management is now recognized as not only for prevention of land degradation or soil consumption, but also as means to poverty alleviation. Managing watershed is a multi agency task. Various stakeholders including habitat have to perform specific role toward effective management of a particular watershed area. Present paper is divided into three sections. The first section conceptualise the watershed management and stakeholder's participation. Next section is all about NWDPRA - one of the watershed projects which running across the state Tripura. The third section is an empirical study in one of the watershed projects. This section identifies various stakeholders in the study area and their participation in different stages of watershed. The paper concludes with some suggestions to improve stakeholder’s participation in watershed management.

Land and water are the most precious natural resources and the importance of which in human civilization needs no elaboration. The total available land area in India sets the limits within which the competing human needs have to be met. The needs of agricultural, industrial, domestic and others often result in diversion from one use to the other. Division of land from agriculture uses adversely affects the growth in agriculture sector. Even the available land is subjected to soil-erosion of varying degrees and degradation problems of different magnitudes. Water supports all forms of life on this mother earth. It plays a vital role in agriculture and industrial development and sustaining human life. Rainfall is the only source of water. Depending upon the rainfall, its intensities, and frequencies, an area becomes drought to flood affected. Land or the soil acts as storage for all the water. Land being the major nonInternational Journal of Operation and Supply Chain Management, 1(1-2) January-December 2011

157

Jayanta Choudhury F

F

renewable natural resource is inelastic in nature. There is lot of pressure on the land due to the increasing population from the agriculture, industrial and housing sectors. On the other hand, the land is subjected to soil erosion and land degradation problem due to rain or wind action and faulty cultivation practices resulting in loss of topsoil, which is the place where all nutrients are available. This leads to poor yields uneconomic returns, reservoir sedimentation, and reduction in storage capacity, reduction in ayacut area, and shutdown of hydel power stations, ecological imbalance, environment pollution, droughts and floods. Hence the conservation, development and management of the land resources which ensures the physical and chemical and bio-logical health of soil profile is of prime importance and also a since qua non for water resources management, right from soil moisture conservation to flood control. Due to high population and huge deforestation the problem of water crisis and soil erosion is rising day by day. So we need water and soil conservation to overcome those problems and this can be done by watershed management. In India there are various types of watershed management programmes. These are based on size and based on the geographical area. Now watershed management has emerged as a new paradigm for planning development and management of land, water and biomass resources with a focus on social and environmental aspect following a participatory approach. SECTION I CONCEPTUALIZATION Watershed management is a philosophy of comprehensive integrated approach to a natural resources management. It aims at integration of social resources management with natural resources management. The approach is generally preventive, progressive, and corrective. Watershed management involves the judicious use of natural resource with active participation of institution, organizations, in harmony with eco-system. A watershed can be defined as the drainage basin or catchments area of a particular stream or river. Simply put, it refers to the area 158

International Journal of Operation and Supply Chain Management, 1(1-2) January-December 2011

Stakeholder’s Participation in Watershed Management F

F

from where the water to a particular drainage system, like a river or stream, comes from. A watershed provides a natural environmental unit for planning a developmental initiative. Watershed development refers to the conservation, regeneration and the judicious use of all the resources 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. COMPONENTS OF WATERSHED DEVELOPEMNT •

Human Resource Development (Community Development)

•

Soil and land Management

•

Crop Management

•

Afforestation

•

Pasture/Fodder Development

•

Livestock Management

•

Rural Energy Management

•

Frame and non-frame value addition activities.

All these components are interdependent and interactive. STAKEHOLDER’S PARTICIPATION IN WATERSHED MANAGEMENT Stakeholder involvement in watershed issues has gained momentum in recent years because of the nature of water quality problems. Stakeholder involvement is more than just holding a public hearing or seeking public comment on a new regulation. Effective stakeholder involvement provides a method for identifying public concerns and values, developing consensus among affected parties, and producing efficient and effective solutions through an open, inclusive process. Managing that process requires some attention to the logistics and synergies of creating and operating a team of diverse people pursuing a common goal. International Journal of Operation and Supply Chain Management, 1(1-2) January-December 2011

159

Jayanta Choudhury F

F

For effective management of watershed program, it is important to get support from relevant stakeholders - those who will make decisions, those who will be affected by them, and those who can stop the process if they disagree. A stakeholder is any person, group or institution that has an interest in an aid activity, project or programme. This definition includes intended beneficiaries and intermediaries, winners and losers, and those involved or excluded from decision-making processes. (ODA). Stakeholders can be divided into two very broad groups: Those with some intermediary role - secondary stakeholders - and those ultimately affected, primary stakeholders, who expect to benefit from or be adversely affected. Therefore in a nutshell, stakeholders are groups of people who share a common interest. There are no particular sectors where primary stakeholder participation is more needed than others. More important than sector is type of project. Participation of primary stakeholders is essential in projects which are expected to have a direct positive impact on defined groups of people. Primary stakeholder participation is also essential when they are to be negatively affected by the project outcome. Sometimes primary stakeholders, who believe their interests or livelihood is threatened by the project outcome, may win the support of secondary stakeholders, such as NGOs, a local newspaper etc. As with primary stakeholders, the focus should be on those secondary stakeholders whose influence can have a significant effect on outcomes. Involving stakeholders in watershed can (i) Builds trust and support for the process and product (ii) Shares responsibility for decisions or actions (iii) Creates solutions more likely to be adopted (iv) Leads to better, more cost-effective solutions 160

International Journal of Operation and Supply Chain Management, 1(1-2) January-December 2011

Stakeholder’s Participation in Watershed Management F

F

(v) Forges stronger working relationships (vi) Enhances communication and coordination of resources HOW CAN STAKEHOLDERS PARTICIPATE ? Stakeholder participation as a process whereby stakeholders - those with rights (and therefore responsibilities) and/or interests - play an active role in decision-making and in the consequent activities which affect them. Within this definition, greater or lesser participation of the various stakeholders can occur at various over-lapping stages in the process of activities. From any stakeholder’s perspective, participation can be seen as a spectrum model with a range of possibilities: •

being in control and only consulting, informing or manipulating other stakeholders;

•

partnership (equal powers of decision-making) with one or more of the other stakeholders;

•

being consulted by other stakeholders who have more control;

•

being informed by other stakeholders who have more control;

•

being manipulated by other stakeholders.

KEY ISSUES FOR PARTICIPATION OF PRIMARY STAKEHOLDERS IN WATERSHED PROGRAMME •

Primary stakeholders may lack the political power or institutional means for their views to be taken into account. The principal output of a project’s first phase may be the development of representative, decision-making institutions, such as user groups or village or neighbourhood committees.

•

They may also lack the appropriate information for effective decision-making. Training programmes may be needed or access to the media provided; there may be a case for providing literacy and numeracy skills.

International Journal of Operation and Supply Chain Management, 1(1-2) January-December 2011

161

Jayanta Choudhury F

F

•

Some primary stakeholders are more powerful than others. Targeted activities may be needed to include powerless groups such as women, children or ethnic minorities. There is a strong pragmatic case for supporting activities where poor people or women have the opportunity to enhance their economic or social status while the rich or more powerful do not perceive themselves as losers.

•

Primary stakeholders may view the time and money costs of participation as being too high compared with the benefits expected from the project’s outputs. Information, consultation, planning and management activities must be designed to respond to this challenge or the project fundamentally restructured to reduce costs to primary stakeholders.

•

The legitimacy of a particular group’s participation may be challenged by other primary stakeholders. We must decide whether the good government or human rights principle involved is sufficiently important to insist on full participation despite any adverse impact on the participation of others.

•

Efforts at partnership may be undermined by the non-participatory, hierarchical management structure of the implementing agency. Communications may break down because the local-level, community-based workers are actively discouraged from being themselves involved in project decisions. In such a case priority in a first phase of a project should be given to institutional change within the main implementing agency, rather than primary stakeholder participation.

•

Certain categories of secondary stakeholders seek to represent the interests of primary stakeholders, for example local NGOs who sometimes have a management structure and values system not conducive to primary stakeholder partnership. To seek the involvement of local NGOs in a project, trainings need to be arranged for them like the main implementing agency.

KEY ISSUES FOR PARTICIPATION OF SECONDARY STAKEHOLDERS • 162

Secondary stakeholders like funding agencies, implementing agencies/institutions should not see primary stakeholders as International Journal of Operation and Supply Chain Management, 1(1-2) January-December 2011

Stakeholder’s Participation in Watershed Management F

F

clients or customers or mere beneficiaries rather they should be involve them in shaping the project outcome which they will eventually own. •

Conflicts of interest are likely to exist both between and within stakeholder organisations. These may not always be reconcilable and there may be reluctance with attempts to do so. But the project design must ensure that such conflicts are not “killer assumptions”.

•

Workshops and meeting at an every stage in the project cycle may well help to minimize conflict in areas of disagreement.

•

Technical Cooperation should be viewed as a two-way transfer of skills within and between primary and secondary stakeholders, rather than expertise going from technical institute to villagers. TC is a means to a joint effort to address problems. Care should be taken and build on the indigenous knowledge and skills available in among the villagers in any watershed project.

•

There may be significant cultural differences among the secondary stakeholders. Training, awareness and proper communication is necessary for working together.

International Journal of Operation and Supply Chain Management, 1(1-2) January-December 2011

163

Jayanta Choudhury F

F

SECTION - II : WATERSHED PROJECT Like other parts of the country, there are different watershed development projects namely National Watershed Development Project in Rainfed Areas (NWDPRA), Watershed Development Shifting Cultivation Areas (WDPSCA) and Integrated Waste land Development project (IWDP) in all four districts of Tripura with a duration of more than 5 years. National Watershed Development Project for Rain Fed Areas (NWDPRA) was launched in 1990-91 in 25 states and 2 union Territories. The project still continues in various states of India. The broad objective of the NWDPRA are as follows : # Conservation, development, and sustainable management of natural resources including their use. # Enhancement of agricultural productivity and production in a sustainable manner. # Reconstruction of ecological balance in the degraded and fragile rain fed ecosystem by greening these areas through appropriate mix of trees and grasses. # Reduction in regional disparity between irrigated and rain fed areas. # Creation of sustainable employment opportunities for the rural community including landless. CRITERIA FOR SELECTION OF ANY WATERSHED The following criteria may broadly be used in selection of the watersheds: (i) Watersheds where people’s participation is assured through contribution of labor, cash, material etc. for its development as well as for the operation and maintenance of the assets created. (ii) Watershed areas having acute shortage of drinking water. (iii) Watersheds having large population of scheduled castes / scheduleled tribes dependent on it. 164

International Journal of Operation and Supply Chain Management, 1(1-2) January-December 2011

Stakeholder’s Participation in Watershed Management F

F

(iv) Watershed having a preponderance of non-forest wastelands/degraded lands. (v) Watersheds having preponderance of common lands. (vi) Watersheds where actual wages are significantly lower then the minimum wages. (vii) Watershed which is contiguous to another watershed that has already been developed/treated. (viii)Watershed area may be of an average size of 500 Hectare, preferably covering an entire village. However, if on actual survey, a watershed id found to have loss or more area, the total area may be taken up for development as a project. In case a watershed covers two or more villagers it should be divided into Village-wise sub-watersheds confined to the designated villagers. Care should be taken to treat all the sub-watersheds simultaneously. ACTIVITIES OF NWDPRA (i) Development of small water harvesting structures such as low cost frame ponds, nalla bunds, check-dams, percolation tanks and other ground water recharge measures. (ii) Renovation and augmentation of water sources, desiltation of village tanks for drinking water/irrigation/fisheries development. (iii) Fisheries development in village ponds/tanks, farm ponds etc. (iv) Afforestation including block plantation, agro-forestry and horticulture development, shelterbelt plantations, sand dune stabilization etc. (v) Pasture development either by itself or in conjunction with plantations. (vi) Land Development including in-situ soil and moisture conservation measures like contour and graded bunds fortified by plantation, bench terracing in hilly terrain, nursery raising for folder, timber, fuel wood, horticulture and non-timber forest product species. International Journal of Operation and Supply Chain Management, 1(1-2) January-December 2011

165

Jayanta Choudhury F

F

(vii)Drainage line treatment with a combination of vegetative and engineering structures. (viii)Repair, restoration and up- gradation of existing common property assets structures in the watershed to obtain optimum & sustained benefit from previous public investment. (ix) Crop demonstration for popularizing new crops or innovative management practice. (x) Promotion and propagation of non-conventional energy saving devices, energy conservation measures. Bio fuel plantations etc. IMPORTANT COMPONENTS IN NWDPRA (i) Implementing agency: In India, at personal different states are implementing the NWDPRA programme through different departments or agencies namely department of agriculture, soil conservation department, land development corporation, panchayats, NGOs etc. (ii) District Watershed committee: The committee is chaired by District Collector or Chairman of Zillah Perished. The committee selects projects Implement Agency. It also reviews the progress of watershed management. (iii) Project Implementation Agency (PIA): The agency implements various developmental works in the field. (iv) Watershed Development Team: The four member’s team formed to look after various activities and also to motivate the local people. Once of the member must be woman. (v) Watershed Association: All local adults of a watershed are the member of watershed Association. (vi) Watershed Committee: Selected members of watershed association are known as the members of watershed committee. They have responsibility to plan implement, monitor the activities of watershed development. (vii)Self-help groups (SHGs): Self help groups are formed from the landless people of a watershed. These are small homogenous group of 10 to 20 people. 166

International Journal of Operation and Supply Chain Management, 1(1-2) January-December 2011

Stakeholder’s Participation in Watershed Management F

F

(viii)Users group (UGs): Users groups are formed the local people who have cultivable land. Users groups are made on area basis. (ix) Watershed Project Account: The funds of projects are development in the watershed project account. (x) Corpus fund: The watershed committee opens a branch account known as watershed development fund. Contribution received from Government, self-help groups, users group etc is deposited in the Fund. This fund may be used by community organization component. (xi) Monitoring and Evaluation: Monitoring and Evaluation of the programme is done by various Management Committee namely National Watershed Committee, State Watershed Committee, District Watershed Committee, Watershed Committee etc. Role of various Stakeholders in Watershed Management Project

International Journal of Operation and Supply Chain Management, 1(1-2) January-December 2011

167

Jayanta Choudhury F

F

SECTION - III : EMPIRICAL STUDY This empirical study deals with the watershed management in Tripura state of India. One watershed namely Jagannnathcherra under NWDPRA project has been selected for study. As discussed earlier that stakeholder’s participation is very important in case of watershed project which is true incase of Jagannathcherra project and without active stakeholder’s participation project can not be succeed. Therefore the objectives of the study were: (a) To identify different types of stakeholders and their role in watershed management. (b) To asses the project from the view of stakeholder’s participation. Secondary data for the study was collected from office of the Superintendent of Agriculture, Jirania Agriculture sub-division, Jirania R.D Block, Briddhinagar Agriculture sector office, Uttar Champamura gram panchayat, Paschom champamura gram panchayat, Directorate of Horticulture and Soil conservation etc. Primary data was collected directly from Jaganathcherra watershed area. The Jagannath cherra started from Meghlipara and meets Haorah rives at Baldakhal area, a tributary of Haowrah river. The total 550 ha project area consist of 3 gram panchayats –entire area of Uttar champamura and Paschim champamura gram panchayat and a part of Meghlipura Gram panchayats situated in Jirania RD Block. The distance of the project area from Jirania is 12.5 km Agartala Jagannathcherra is situated in the eastern past of Agartala. The project has been started in the year 2000-2003. The total cost of the project is 27 lacs. Total arable land was 35 ha while non-arable land was 100 ha and total area not available for treatment was 100 ha in comparison to treatable area – 450 ha. The project covered total 579 families and out of which 139 families belong to Scheduled casts and only 18 families Scheduled Tribes and rest were from General cast categories. Total area under paddy cultivation was 330 ha and area under Tea horticulture plantation 110 ha and 73.5 ha respectively. 168

International Journal of Operation and Supply Chain Management, 1(1-2) January-December 2011

Stakeholder’s Participation in Watershed Management F

F

ACTIVITIES TAKEN AT JAGANNATHCHERRA NWDPRA: Different types of activities had been taken by Jagannath cherra NWDPRA project are— 1.

Construction of water harvesting structure - (pond) - 20 numbers.

2.

Pump sets for minor irrigation had been provided to 3 small farmers.

3.

Various kinds of fruit plants (Mango, banana, jackfruit, lemon) have been distributed to around 50 families.

4.

Crop demonstration has been done by since and various vegetables like tomato, potato (TPS) cabbage, cauliflower, etc. Total number of beneficiaries under this component is 150.

5.

Piglet has been provided to 5 families.

6.

One water tank was constructed at Burakha coloney paschim champamura as the there is a huge water scarcity in that area. Total cost was Rs. 50,000

7.

Drainage line treatment in Jagannath cherra.

MAJOR STAKEHOLDERS Under the Jagannnth cherra NWDPRA project there were following stakeholders with definite functions. Account in very brief is as follows: 1. Project Implementing Agency was Superintendent of Agriculture, Jirania Agri-sub-division which used to look after all the technical and financial matters. 2. There was a Watershed Development Team (WDT) supervised by Agri sector officer and other members were Agriculture Assistant as Implementing officer, Technical Guide and one female coordinator. They look after various development activities and conducts meetings and training including awareness. 3. Watershed Association consist of all adult members of Jagannath cherra watershed area. International Journal of Operation and Supply Chain Management, 1(1-2) January-December 2011

169

Jayanta Choudhury F

F

4. Watershed committee headed by president. One secretary maintains records watershed development while other members used to take the decision regarding the implementation of the project. POSITIVE ASPECTS OF THE PROJECT IN TERMS OF STAKEHOLDER’S PARTICIPATION •

The watershed committee members were educated (95 percent).

•

Active participation has been found among members of watershed committee.

•

Regular meeting used to hold among watershed committee. At least one meeting was conducted in a month. High attendance was found in most of the meetings.

•

Members of watershed development team were always present during meeting and training programme.

•

About 90 percent villagers were satisfied with performance of the project. Some of them got profit from the component which they received while others were expecting profit within 2-3 years.

•

Construction of WHD (pond) had been found more profitable.

•

Almost all beneficiaries opined that officials from implementing agency used to supervise the project regularly which was a great motivating factor for them.

•

Crop demonstration was one of the components of the project. Under the scheme some beneficiaries got high yielding variety seeds of tomato, cabbage, cauliflower, paddy etc. After implementing such types of scheme farmers got motivated towards cultivation of such type of crops.

•

During the last 3 years, the water source has been increased in the project area.

NEGATIVE ASPECTS OF THE PROJECT IN TERMS OF STAKEHOLDER’S PARTICIPATION •

170

Participation of women was lacking in Jagannathcherra NWDPRA project. International Journal of Operation and Supply Chain Management, 1(1-2) January-December 2011

Stakeholder’s Participation in Watershed Management F

F

•

NGO involvement was not found.

•

There was no Users Group and Self-Help Group though there are the important components as per the NWDPRA guide line. During starting of the project some self-help groups were formed but those became inactive after a certain period. This may be due to lack of training and motivation.

•

Lack of awareness about the project activity among those households who have not received any benefit from the project was another problem. Most of them were totally in dark about NWDPRA project as a result they were neither participated nor interested to participate in the project.

•

There was lack in mass awareness, training, motivation regarding watershed development activities.

RECOMMENDATION FOR STRENGTHENING PARTICIPATION 1. Participation of women group should be encouraged and need to give importance. 2. Formation of user group and self-help group should be given priority, so that developmental work can be taken away more systematically and ultimately these should come out as local institutions to manage the project in long term. 3. Mass awareness should be ensured so that every individual of watershed area could know about the importance of watershed development and involved positively. Enough publicity should be given through as radio, television, newspaper etc. in this regard. 4. Along with governmental organization, NGO also should take part in community organization and promotion of sustainable development of watershed project. 5. Local self-government must be involved in every stages of projects to get their confident, support 6. Technical feasibility of the project work should be ensured with the support of scientific institutes like ICAR etc. so that project components become successful and fruitful for the villagers. International Journal of Operation and Supply Chain Management, 1(1-2) January-December 2011

171

Jayanta Choudhury F

F

7. Other line departments like - Industry, Forest, Fishery, Animal Resource Development, Rural Development, Horticulture should be involved for diversification of project components along with the agro-based projects which will ensure income generation through out the year and motivate people more involvement in the project. REFERENCES Adnan S., A. Barrett, S.M. Nurul Alam, and A. Brustinow (1992). “People’s Participation: NGOs and the Flood Action Plan”. Report Commissioned by OxfamBangladesh. Ambler Scott W. (2002). “Know the User before Implementing a System : The First Step is to Identify Potential Project Stakeholders”. Aronson D. (1994). “Participation in Country Economic and Sector Work. World Bank Workshop on Participatory Development”. May 17-20 1994. Arora Rajesh (2002). “Integrated Watershed Management”, Rawat Publication, Jaipur. Bishwas T.D. and Mukherjee S.K. (2001). “A Text Book of Soil Science”, Tata Mc. Graw- Hill Company Limited, New Delhi. Donelly-Roark P. (1993). “Re-inventing Bureaucracy for Sustainable Development”. UNDP Working Paper. Eyben R. and Ladbury S. (1994). “Popular Participation in Aid Projects in Nelson”, N. and Wright S. (eds) Power and Participatory Development: Theory and Practice. ITDG. Farrington John; Turton, C. and James, A.J. (Ed.) (2000). “Participatory Watershed Development: Challenges for the Twenty-First Century”, Oxford University Press, New Delhi. Fowler A. (1994). “The World Bank and its Stakeholders”. World Bank HRO Working Paper. Khan M.A. (2004). “Watershed Management for Sustainable Agriculture”, Agrobios (India). Lal Suresh (2004). “Watershed Development, Management and Technology”, Mangal Deep Publication, Jaipur ( India). MacPherson, Charlie and Tonning, Barry : “Getting in Step: Engaging and Involving Stakeholders in Your Watershed”, Tetra Tech, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Mosse, D. (1993): “Authority, Gender and Knowledge: Theoretical Reflections on the Practice of PRA,”. ASA Decennial Conference. ODA (1995) : “Note on Enhancing Stakeholder Participation in Aid Activities”, Social Development Department. ODA/NGO Seminar Report on Popular Participation (July 1992). World Bank (1994). “Sourcebook on Participation”, Washington DC. 172

International Journal of Operation and Supply Chain Management, 1(1-2) January-December 2011