Dr. S. Ganesan
Regional Director, IGNOU
Certificate in Water Harvesting and Management (CWHM)
Over the years, with consistent increase in population, growing urbanization and industrialization, increasing demand for agriculture produce, has led to phenomenal increase in demand for water. This has also resulted in over exploitation of limited surface as well as ground water resources and as a consequence, consistently and continuously depleting ground water table. The situation in urban areas is even more serious. Accordingly, there is an urgent need for not only conservation of water resources; but also its augmentation through effective strategies and management.
Particularly in view of ever rising demand for water from various competing sectors. Rainwater harvesting essentially means collection and storage of the rainwater from rooftop or from a surface catchments for future use. This takes care of the ever growing requirement for water, increases soil moisture level, thereby enhancing urban greenery, rise in the ground water table through artificial recharge and also improves quality of ground water. Town planners and civic authorities, all over the country, have introduced by-laws for encouraging rainwater harvesting. Despite various initiatives including legislative measures, very little rainfall is conserved and harvested. There is a tremendous possibility for harnessing the rainwater for augmenting the existing water resources. This calls for generating mass awareness and dissemination of knowledge and skills with regard to rain water harvesting techniques and management for the optimal use of harvested water through trained human resource. The CWHM programme would especially be useful for those living in water scarce and drought prone areas; its objectives are:
• Sensitizing and educating learners on augmentation and utilization of water resources;
• Imparting knowledge, skills and expertise to understand water harvesting techniques.
• Enabling learners to act as trainers and organizers at household and community levels for efficient water management in terms of its usage and also for water conservation.
Water Harvesting and Management (CWHM)
Eligibility 10th pass
Duration Six months
Medium English & Hindi
Fee Rs.2,400/-
Total number of subjects Three ( 3 Theory and 1 Project)
It covers:
1. Introduction to Water Harvesting
• Basic Concepts
• Water Resources
• Rain Water Harvesting
• Watershed Management
• Need and Scope of Watershed Management
• Planning of Watershed Projects
2. Basics of Hydrology
• Elementary Hydrology
• Introduction to Hydrology
• Hydrological losses
• Rainfall and Runoff Measurement
• Rainfall and Its Measurement
• Measurement and Estimation of Runoff
• Water Quality
• Water Pollution
• Quality Parameters
• Basic Treatment Measures
3. Water Harvesting, Conservation and Utilization
• Water Harvesting Techniques
• Methods of Water Harvesting
• Rain Water Harvesting Systems
• Water Harvesting for Crop Production
• Artificial Groundwater Recharge
• Water Storage, Conservation and Utilization
• Storage of Harvested Water
• Water Conservation Techniques
Practical Training at Water Harvesting Agency
• Roof Top Water Harvesting – Household
• Roof Top Water Harvesting – Group Housing Societies
• Storage Capacity of Water Storage Structure
• Discharge measurements
• Rainfall measurements
• Pan Evaporation
• Groundwater Level
• Bulk Density of Soil
• Soil Moisture
• Field Visits
Diploma in Watershed Management (DWM)
Unprecedented population pressure and increase in demand of scarce land, water and biological resources and increasing degradation of these resources are adversely affecting the stability and resilience of our ecosystems and the environment leading to wastelands. Wasteland development is of great significance to realize the full potential of the available land resource and avert its further degradation. Watershed development holds the key to confront these problems. The government is implementing watershed development programmes through the Programme Implementation Agencies (PIAs), which are not fully equipped with the technically trained personnels in different aspects of watershed development/ management. There is an urgent need of qualified persons, well versed in various aspects of watershed management including project processing, review, monitoring and evaluation. This will lead to qualitative transformation of important activities in watershed projects.
The Diploma Programme in Watershed Management aims at developing competent human resource in the field of Watershed Development/Management. It intends to impart basic knowledge and skills for water harvesting, conservation and utilization, soil erosion and its management, integrated farming systems including crop husbandry, animal husbandry, agro-forestry, fish farming, funding, monitoring, evaluation and capacity building of watershed programmes; besides extension and communication skills for long term socio-economic development of the society. It will provide the basic understanding of various activities undertaken during the development of watershed programmes. The programme also intends to address the workforce requirement of the watershed management and focus on upgrading the knowledge and skills of existing personnel in the watershed development. This programme is developed in collaboration with the Department of Land Resources, Ministry of Rural Development, Govt. of India.
The basic objective of the diploma programme is capacity building and developing human resource in different aspects of watershed management for overall socio-economic development of rainfed regions faced with low agricultural productivity and economic deprivation. However, the specific objectives of the programme are:
• Introduce the principles of the watershed management approach and the value of working at a watershed;
• Generate awareness about the importance of sustainable development and maintenance of natural resources;
• Delineate different techniques for accessing and predicting physical, chemical and socio-economic conditions within a watershed including water quality;
• Mobilization and capacity building of rural youth, women and landless;
• Develop skills for development of small scale irrigation and water supply structures for human being and livestock through water and soil conservation strategies; and
• Develop human resource in watershed development and management.
Watershed Management (DWM)
Eligibility 10+2 pass
Duration One year
Medium English & Hindi
Fee Rs.10,600
Total subjects 8 ( 7-Theory + Practical and 1 Project )
The Diploma courses
(Numbers in brackets indicate the credits for Theory and Practical)
Fundamentals of Watershed Management
• Concept of Watershed Management,
• Implementation of Watershed Programmes,
• Practical Manual.
Elements of Hydrology
• Elementary Hydrology
• Estimations and Measurements of Flows
• Practical Manual
Soil and Water Conservation
• Soil Erosion
• Soil and Water Conservation Measures
• Practical Manual
Rainfed Farming
• Introduction to Rainfed Farming
• Practices of Water Conservation
• Practical Manual-1 & 2
Livestock and Pasture Management
• Livestock Management
• Livestock Feeding and Pasture Management
• Practical Manual
Horticulture and Agro-Forestry Systems
• Agroforestry Systems
• Planning and Management of Horticulture Crops
• Practical Manual
Funding, Monitoring, Evaluation and Capacity Building
• Watershed Funding
• Monitoring, Evaluation and Capacity Building
• Extension Education
• Practical Manual
Project Formulation
The learners will be exposed to various aspects of project formulation and Detailed Project Report (DPR) for under taking watershed development programmes for a period of 5 days. It will deal with theoretical aspects of benchmark survey, topographic and hydrological surveys, various developmental activities to be carried out including selection of beneficiaries and work sites, design and costing of all works taking into account the interest of women and weaker section, work out detail resource use agreement which include surface water, ground water and common /forest land among user groups. Details of expected/proposed UGs/SHGs, proposed physical and financial interventions institutional mechanisms and implementation of the plan based on participatory decision making and equity, expected outcomes and benefits particularly with respect to livelihood for different segments. Each learner will be required to visit a particular watershed (new as well as operational) for a period of 10-days during which he/she will have to collect information on any one aspect of detail project report listed below:
Activity Information to be collected
• Village- wise details: Name of the project, village, micro-watershed, area under micro of IWMP watershed, project cost.
• Demographic features: Population, livestock details, operational holdings socio-economic status, migration, existing community based organizations and infrastructure facilities.
• Land features Land use pattern, community property resources, agriculture implements, crop classification, crops and cropping pattern and soil classification.
• Climatic and Irrigation facilities: status of water table, availability and quality of hydrological features drinking water, groundwater structures to be repaired, water budget.
• Details of livelihood: of Name of the livelihood activities, number of beneficiaries, pre- project poor and Existing assets average income per household.
Each learner should collect all necessary information on at least one activity mentioned above. Based on the information collected, he/she should prepare a detail report. This activity needs to be completed in 10 days duration after completing the phase-1. Each detail report submitted by the student will be evaluated by the approved evaluators. In addition, each learner will undergo viva voce examination at the study centre.
