Water & Land Management
WATER & LAND MANAGEMENT
Why Water & Land?
Unsustainable land and water management practices have adversely impacted the ecosystem in rural India. Deforestation, intensive agriculture, overgrazing and over-extraction of groundwater are threatening agriculture, leading to distress migration and a loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services.
While the value of natural resources is only around 7% of the national GDP, it amounts to 57% of the livelihood of India’s rural poor. This is even more crucial with the fact that India accounts for 18% of the global population and merely 2.4% of the world’s landmass.
WOTR has been working on the issue by adopting a holistic and participative approach.
Our Interventions
With its strategic focus on reviving groundwater levels, conserving natural vegetation and enabling rural communities, WOTR is mitigating environmental degradation in rural India. Here are our interventions:
Our Impact
2.58
347.55
1.45
78,000
million people from 2432 villages impacted through watershed development activities
cr litres of water storage capacity created during the year 2021-22
million hectares of area impacted through watershed development and climate change adaptation activities
people and over 22,300 school children provided access to drinking water facilities
Our Impact
2.58
347.55
million people from 2432 villages impacted through watershed development activities
cr litres of water storage capacity created during the year 2021-22
1.45
78,000
million hectares of area impacted through watershed development and climate change adaptation activities
people and over 22,300 school children provided access to drinking water facilities
Program Highlights
Watershed Development to EbA: key messages and recommendations
Water Stewardship Initiative: Experiences and Learnings
People’s Biodiversity Register: A how-to manual
Ecosystem-based Adaptation in Maharashtra: A short-film
Our Achievements
Land for Life award 2017
WOTR won the award instituted by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
Award of Excellence for Veljal Watershed 2014
WOTR won the award instituted by the Department of Rural Development of Andhra Pradesh
FICCI Water Award 2013
Presented to WOTR under FICCI’s Annual Water Awards instituted in association with HSBC
Vasantrao Naik Puraskar 2012
Presented to WOTR for excellent work done in rural development
JSW-TOI Earth Care Award 2010
Won under the category “Community Based Mitigation and Adaptation to Climate Change”
Swiss Re Award
WOTR was runner up for Sustainable Watershed Management
Awarded to WOTR during the 5th World Water Forum in Istanbul, Turkey
Aakar Jal Puraskar Award 2006
Received for a watershed project by then Hon. Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra – R R Patil
Vasantrao Naik Award 2001
Received for outstanding work in soil and water conservation
Protecting biodiversity, transforming lives
The parched lands of Purushwadi village were a common sight a few years back. Despite receiving good rainfall, people faced water shortage in other seasons that heavily impacted agriculture and their wellbeing.
But all this changed with WOTR’s Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) approach. By promoting sustainable practices focused on biodiversity conservation, natural resource management and climate change adaptation, the people of Purushwadi are now witnessing a reversal in land degradation. With consistent intervention in the areas, the impact studies have reported a 40% increase in people’s income!
To invest in sustainable Land and Water Management for rural India, reach out to Harish Daware at harish.daware@wotr.org.in
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Natural resources like water and soil are the backbone of rural livelihoods in India. While they contribute only around 7% to the national GDP, they account for 57% of the livelihood of India’s rural disprivileged residents. Given that India holds 18% of the global population on just 2.4% of the world’s landmass, sustainable land and water management is not just important, it’s critical for the survival and wellbeing of millions of rural communities.
Land degradation is mainly caused by deforestation, intensive agriculture, overgrazing, and excessive groundwater extraction. These practices reduce soil fertility, increase erosion, and damage ecosystems and agricultural productivity.
Water scarcity in rural India is primarily driven by unsustainable land and water management practices. Deforestation reduces the land’s ability to retain rainwater, while over-extraction of groundwater depletes underground reserves. Intensive agriculture and overgrazing further degrade the land, limiting its capacity to absorb and store water; even in areas that receive adequate rainfall.
Over-extraction of groundwater is one of the key threats to rural agriculture and livelihoods. It leads to declining groundwater levels, making water unavailable during dry seasons. This directly impacts agricultural productivity, triggers distress migration as farming becomes unsustainable, and contributes to the broader loss of biodiversity and essential ecosystem services. WOTR specifically focuses on reviving groundwater levels as a core part of its watershed development approach.
Watershed development is a holistic, community-driven approach to managing land, water, and vegetation within a specific geographical area, known as a watershed or drainage basin. It focuses on conserving and regenerating natural resources such as soil, water, and plants to balance environmental sustainability with human needs. In India, watershed development plays a crucial role in supporting rainfed agriculture, reducing drought and flood risks, and improving livelihoods by treating the entire catchment area from ridge to valley.
Water stewardship is the responsible management and conservation of water resources in a socially equitable and environmentally sustainable way. It includes practices like water harvesting, budgeting, and watershed management. WOTR trains local water stewards in Madhya Pradesh to improve community water management.