Integrated water scarcity management by ecosystem approach

                                                                                                By Dr. N. D. Choudhari        

There is a huge hue and cry regarding water scarcity in the month of May every year. Even though rainfall in Vidarbha is 1100 mm, there is scarcity of  water, and the ecosystem is inextricably linked. Total rainfall in the year 2008 was normal but the number of rainy days were less. There was unusual rainfall due to climatic changes at an international level, so there is scarcity of water in the summer of 2009.

Prior to Independence, every village had tall tree revenue forests, E-class forest, Zudapi jungles, even community land (Gairan) which falls under forest category; originally was covered with grasses and plants by all villages. Reserve forests protected forests, private forests too, were with dense plant cover and humid soil. During rains, water fell directly on plants avoiding soil erosion. The cracks developed by plants absorbed water in the earth so as to recharge aquifers. These aquifers in the hills and plains gave out perennial water to nullahs and rivers throughout the year in the previous years. After independence, with change in administration and commencement of Democracy people started demanding their rights on forests and forgot their duties towards their conservation, as per duties enshrined in our Constitution.

If we observe the environment in the urban and rural areas minutely, there is a drastic change due to human and cattle population explosion, industrialization and greedy needs of the people. Most of the Zudapi forests, tall trees revenue forests, E-class forests, community land forests are worst affected by deforestation and mining and followed by protected forests and reserve forests.

The soil in the remaining forests became compact and degraded due to soil erosion and by cutting of trees, grazing of cattle, trampling of soil by cattle and forest fires. All humid soil which required thousands of years to form got washed away in rainy seasons. It resulted in less recharge of aquifer by natural process causing severe scarcity of ground water. Global warming and climate change piled up to the water scarcity problem. The Second World Water Forum in 2000 at Hagues pinpointed water as the central issue of the 21st century. Future world wars will be fought for water only. Already Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra are fighting over distribution of river water .among Border States. There is dispute among India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and many other countries for distribution of river water. The UN General Assembly has declared 2005 to 2015 as the UN International Decade for action water for life and recommended to states to increase awareness among people for conservation of water.

Ecosystems of the world regulate quality and quantity of water that is made available to public. Natural and semi natural ecosystems which play a crucial role in scarcity of water are often neglected in economic planning and policy formulation and decision-making at all levels. Ecosystems provide regulatory control in ecological. lie-related process such as, climate, water, suply, soils, waste water treatment, biological control of insecticides and other pollutants.

Forest area in watershed of Pench National Park in Totladoh Dam, Borivali National Park & Tarsa Sanctuary for Tarsa Dam in Mumbai, Tadoba National Park for Erai Dam, Navegaon National Park in Navegaon Dam and Gothangaon Dam act as lungs to provide oxygen and control soil erosion in their respective watershed area of dam and river basin, causing quality and quantity of water stored in dam and tanks. In case of .So,negaen Lake, Shukrawari Lake, watershed area is encroached by people who have created concrete jungles and destroied ecosystem of these lakes. Ecosystemss, o work for habitat of wild animals and plants, maintain biodiversity and the food chain. With loss and damaged ecosystems, 3,500 plant and wild animal species are threatened and more than 20 million hectares of forest is lost all over the world. Human activity affects ecosystems which in turn, affects the livelihood of people. The scarcity of water and drought is caused by variability in natural climate and anthropogenic factors relating to economic, social and environment. Natural climate variability includes meteorological drought, agriculture draught and hydro-logical drought or scarcity of water which affects socio-economic effects on the population.

Meteorological drought includes amount, intensity and timing of rainfall, high temperature, reduced recharge of water, increased evaporation. Agriculture drought includes overabstration of water by farmers and other segment including industries. Over exploitation of water even by agriculturist is prohibited by Environment Act and Water Protection Act. But it is not strictly Implemented; Even stringent enactment should be passed to overabstraction of water and pollution of water. Hydrological drought and scarcity includes reduced stream flow of water in river basin, in flow to dams, lakes and tanks and ponds. Afforestation in watershed area in major dams, lakes and ponds should be implemented strictly so as to avoid soil erosion and filling of darns, with soil and lessening life and capacity of dams and lakes.

Farming in watershed area of dams should be strictly banned. Over exploitation of sand and river should be stopped Overexploitation of ground water will affect quantity and flow of water in aquifer causing severe scarcity of water, leading to drought and finally a condition like that of Rajasthan. Due to alarming situations, UNICEF and World Bank have funded the project to GSDA for water supply and sanitation project and capacity building by improved modelling techniques and National Hydrology Project. Drought Prone Area Programme (DPAP), Integrated Wasteland Development Project (IWDP), Integrated Watershed Development Programme, Vidharbha and Marathwada Watershed Development Programme. Jalswaraj Programme is implemented with assistance of Agriculture Department Social Forestry Department, Forest Department to carry out soil and moisture and afforestation programme from top to bottom of watershed area. It is essential to carry out these tasks in forest areas and then to agricultural area and not vice versa because it leads to filling of soil conserve don structures with eroded soil from upper tract.

To achieve this objective training capacity, building awareness regarding water scarcity, environment balance, soil and Moisture conservation and afforestation should by carried out everywhere. To save oneself from the water scarcity and loss of biodiversity, all government and NGOs and people should come forward to implement  Integrated Water Scarcity Management Plan by due recognition. To mitigate the water scarcity problems, following steps can be undertaken by various agencies.

·                      Farmers should follow advanced Israel techniques of irrigation by using loggers, special sprinkles, etc using meteorological, hydrological data for balance water application in fields. Using plastic sheet to coyer canals and fields to stop evaporation Using green house technology.

·                      Follow strictly not to overexploit ground water and recharge wells and aquifers by using appropriate technology Stop growing crops like sugarcane, grapes. banana plantation in water scarcity are Plant trees on Continuous Contour Trenches (CCT) at 10 minutes' interval and grow intercrops in between two CCT.  Farmers should adopt organic farming rather than inorganic farming and use seeds adaptable to local environment.

·                      Gram Panchayat and other Government Department Municipalities should undertake training programmes for conservation of water and get public participation to control pollution.

·                      As in Cyprus encourage people to install recycling of grey and polluted water in household plants, hotels, institutions and industries and provide subsides for the same. Another alternative is TO separately collect grey water and treating at recycle plants.

·                      As in Rajasthan, make compulsory rain harvesting and aquifer recharge by developing recharge pit for every building. Plantation of trees around the house should be made compulsory so as to save water for coolers and ACs.

·                      Industries should reuse water. Avoid using potable water and use grey water for industrial processes. More applied research on resource conserving methods and eco-friendly production process, should be carried out. Use non-conventional energy. Let us come forward and join hands to save ecosystem, biodiversity and save water for our generations to come.

Out of total area 3,08,000 km of Maharashtra, 65 percent Is under cultivation.. 23 percent of cultivated area is under irrigation of which more than 50 per cent is based on ground water table 4s, per the Second Water and Irrigation Commission in Maharashtra, net irrigated area 2.6 M.ha in 1991 will be Increased to 5 M.ha. In 2030 and water requirement of 35,000 in. cu.m.. In 2030, domestic urban requirement of water 4236 MCM, domestic rural 1943 MCM, industrial 3461.MCM is projected. 82 per cent area Maharashtra is occupied by Deccan trap basalt.

Man Animal Conflict On The Rise

                                                                 

 Man wildlife conflict is on the rise  In  chandrapur district man animal has alredy been increased since 2oo5. It has heightened in 2010-2011 to 21 human deaths in chandrapur district. Now it is turn of bhandara gondia belt. . In Bhandara one shepherd from Chandori in Bhandara district was killed and eaten on 17-02-2012 on the bank of Chandori Tank. Similarly one fuel wood collector was killed in Ghanod village in sakoli taluka of district Bhandara district. on 14-01-2012 by bear. In Chandrapur village of Bhandra district 1 bear was poached for genital parts on 14-04-2010 where as two blue bulls were poached in lakhani Taluka in Bhandara district by people..Five iron tiger traps were laid by poachers from katni in the FDCM Bhandara forest area which were recovered on 05-05-2007. Katni poachers are very cruel in tiger poaching. After traping tigers in iron trap they insert pointed bamboo through mouth and take it out from behind to kill it.

  In Chandrapur district at Zaran Tiger was electrocuted on 23-01-2012, where as one Tiger was killed by accident near Lohara nursery near chandrapur. A farmer was killed and eaten by tigers and her two clubs in Kawatha Kheda near Pandharkawada in yavatmal district. In Bothbahattar on outskirts of Tipeshwar sanctuary one tiger was wiretrapped on 18^th December 2011. Where as one tiger was trapped in Gosikhurd canal in Tasgaon near Bhiwapur in Nagpur district on 12 October 2011 where as it was released in Forest with collar on 27^th November 2011. One pregnant female Tiger was trapped in open canal near Kathalabodi near Kalmeshwar on 7^th February 2011 and delivered 3 dead cubs due to heavy impact. However survived female was released in Forest on 14 February 2011. In Chandrapur village of Bhandra district 1 bear was poached for genital parts on 14-04-2010 where as two blue bulls were poached in lakhani Taluka in Bhandara district by people..Five iron tiger traps were laid by poachers from katni in the FDCM Bhandara forest area which were recovered on 05-05-2007. Katni poachers are very cruel in tiger poaching. After traping tigers in iron trap they insert pointed bamboo through mouth and take it out from behind to kill it. Most of the wild life animal poaching is carried out by electrocution and poisioning waterhole with urea.

Main causes of human wild life conflict are due to natural and biological reasons. Natural reasons of wild life menace is due to sex related wild animal behavior, advance climatic conditions, biology of animals, Social and learned behavior of wild animal. Another main reason for conflict is man made which includes insufficient prey base, wild life habitat loss, poverty, increase in human & cattle population, over exploitation of Forest, illicit cutting and poaching, wrong agricultural practices. Forest cover, density, soil and moisture, biodiversity, climate is affected due to illicit felling, encroachment, fire, grazing resulting in fragmentation of forest affecting corridor for wild life. Creation of roads, railways have broken the corridor of wildlife like National Highway On national high way No. 6 in 2009 one wild boar, one sloth bear, two deers and in 2010 four wild boars died due to accidents by vehicles.Wild life corridors were broken due to roads canals and deforestations .It will cause inbreeding in wildlife and increase in of man wild life conflict. So corridor development programme should be undertaken on priority. Removal of encroachment in and around protected area is urgently needed . In 2002 encroachment of 84 ha. of land in Pench National Park and 200 ha. in Bor sanctuary were removed  durig my tenure in in wildlife divisin. After 9 years, it converted in Meadows with grass and fodder plants with development of corridors.

In Maharashtra tiger population has increased to 169 in 2010 due to good conservation and protection methods. Tiger and other wild animal population is increasing in Maharashtra as compared to other states. There is dense growth of bamboo in Tadoba. However research on increased density of forest cover and its impact on habitat of wild animal is to be studied.Moreover research should be done for modifications in wildlife management in view of change of environment,habitat and behavioural pattern of wildlife Spill over population of tigers and other animals in near about area of sanctuary, National Park create menace to human population. Commercial plantation area around Nagzira acting as buffer zone to spill over population.

There should be long term and short term measures to tackle human wild life conflict. In long term measures includes Shifting and relocation of villages from protected area, Habitat development for wild life, soil and moisture conservation, encroachment removal, grass, fodder and fruit plantations, deep trenches and stone walls around villages, solar fencing, change of crop pattern, increase in protected area up to 5% of the total Forest area. Intensive cattle management development should be implemented at large scale so that less milk producing cattle should be replaced by hybrid cattle’s and their number is limited. In lieu of decrease of non forest area of Great Indian Bustard wild life sanctuary, Nanaj in Solapur and Ahmednagar district out of total 8496 ha. another sanctuaries should be declared in Maharashtra.  Sanitation and garbage disposal around human habitation should be improved so that dogs, cattle’s, pigs are kept under control. Toilet facilities in rural area should be provided to avoid accidental encounter with wild life. Closed cattle shed should be constructed in the forest and protected area. Meadows and natural and artificial water sources should be developed on large scale. Village ecodevelopment plan should be implemented on largescale in and around the protected area to provide infrastructure development and provide jobs to locals. It will compensate the huge loss of mandays due to declaration of new sanctuaries and national parks.Rehabitation of villages in protected area should be given utmost importance .compensations to the injured ,death of human being and killing of cattles by carnivores should be paid in stipulated time.

. Awareness campaign to protect wild life importance of conservation code and conduct in forest, capacity buildings of state holders, forest officers should be carried out at root level though Pamphlets,  TV, Radio, Gramsabha, debate, rallies, work shop, appointment of wild life friend or volunteer from local communities. Compassion, mercy, love and importance of wild life, conservation attitude should be developed among masses by creating desire to conserve wild life. Behavioral science of wild life, do and don’t do in forest and wild life should be taught to the people and how to keep distance from the wild life and allow them natural space they required. Active participation of all stake holders in the planning and implementation of conflict mitigation measures and wild life management should be undertaken. Harshwardhan Dhanwate and Poonam Dhanwate of Tiger Research And Conservation Trust (TRACT) have undertaken corridor conservation programme in Chandrapur landscape. They have created network of 79 villages, in Chandrapur and Bramhapuri district and carried out capacity building of 500 villagers and forest officers for conflict mitigation and wild life management and monitoring of carnivores by tracking and camera trapping. It resulted in to sudden drop of human death by wild life conflict.

Primary response team at each village should be formed which consists of forest friends or volunteer, form local Panchayat which are trained in conflict mitigation at first instance. They will help in crowd management and emotional out burst of people on wild life attack. Emergency Response Team consists of forest officers, Veterinary doctor and five supporting members. Facilities of tranquilization gun, medicine, trapping cage, rope, pulley and ladder should be mode available to emergency response team. Setting of a central conflict mitigation command centre with 24 hours helpline facilities should be created at state level. Which directs animal rescue team and immobilization units.

So in brief Integrated approach of wild life management with changed circumstances, conflict avoidance, corridor development, soil and moisture conservation, meadow development, alternative crop pattern, strict adherence and implementation of wild life protection Act 1972, training the staff in wild life conflict management, creation of primary response team, emergency response team, central conflict mitigation command centre can mitigate human wild life conflict to certain extent & save wild life for future and conserve biodiversity and climatic change.

Welcome to ND's Forest And Environment Blog

About Me

I am Narayan Choudhari, Divisional Forest Officer, Govt. Of Maharashtra presently working in FDCM Bhandara . I am Gold Medalist in Forestry with first Merit in Maharashtra Public Service Commission. I have completed Master in Science in Zoology specialization in Physiology, Master in Law (LL. M.) in commercial Law, Doctor in yoga and naturopathy, Master in Rekie.

During my tenure as Dy. CF Wild Life Pench Division Nagpur, we removed   84 hectares of encroachment with 2000 cement building from Pench Tiger Project and 200 hectares of agricultural encroachment in Bor Sanctuary and got international World Wildlife Fund award (WWF) in 2002 at New Delhi. We seized 13 tons of antlers in Nagpur, Maharashtra, nine tigers and panther’s skin, poachers and represented the legal cases in court in absence of government pleaders. We Conducted training and workshops of Judges, police officers, revenue officers, forest officers, in forest act 1927 and Wild Life act 1972. We Conducted state level bamboo workshop and medicinal plant workshop.


I have carried out research in organic holi color and manufactured 5 tones of organic holi color with help of tribal people by using Bixa seeds, curcuma, heena, rice powder, natural scents, flower petals and patented the brand as “FAGUN” with Government of India. Organic holi colors were packed in professional handicraft paper packages.  They were sold in West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, MP, Gujarat and Maharashtra. I carried out public awareness regarding ill effects of chemical holi colors and advantages of using organic holi colors.


I have been trained as master trainer in Yoga by Janardan Swami Yoga Mandal, Nagour  and got diploma in Yoga. I imparted trainings in yoga practices to men and women in local schools at Nagpur. I advocated and gave consultation in yoga and naturopathy practices to people and use of distilled cow urine to recover the ailments of Asthma, Arthritis, and Allergy, Stomach problems, Skin diseases and cancer also.

I enjoy drawing and paintings as natural scenes, wild life paintings, portraits human beings and drawings of Gods. I got awards in tiger cub painting. 

I write articles on forest and environment, wild life, yoga and naturopathy. My various articles on same topics have been published in various leading English, Marathi and Hindi news papers and magazines. My programs on Forest and Wild Life, Environment, Fisheries were telecast on radio and television.