Over the last decade, demand for spring management has increased as traditional spring sources have started drying up or becoming contaminated. In response, communities, NGOs and state agencies began dedicated spring protection programmes. In the Himalayas, the State of Sikkim and organizations such as Central Himalayan Action and Research Group (CHIRAG) and People Science Institute (PSI) started identifying and protecting spring recharge areas around 2007. The difference between these programmes and many other previous efforts is that they went beyond supply-side improvements to focus on the use of hydrogeology to map springsheds for targeted interventions. The Advanced Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (ACWADAM), a research and capacity-building organization comprised of hydrogeologists and other experts began lending their expertise and building capacity of stakeholders. ACWADAM provides technical support, training and materials in hydrogeology to all network partners as well as others in India and the region. Similar programmes began independently in most of the mountain regions of India. Arghyam, a funding organization that was supporting many of these programmes, noticed that these disparate initiatives shared commonalities despite geographic diversity. They thus organized and funded a meeting of these various organizations in June 2014, and the Springs Initiative was born. The springs initiative aims to tackle the current water crisis and to ensure safe and sustainable access to water for all, by promoting responsible and appropriate management of aquifers, springsheds, and watersheds and conserving ecosystems in partnership with communities, governments and other stakeholders. This presentation has been developed as a part of the springs initiative to promote an understanding of springs and their role in mountainous areas.

1. Participatory Planning process for
springshed management - Use of
PRA tools and Household Surveys
PRASARI
Contributors

2. PROCESS OF PLANNING
• SPRINGSHED AREA MAPPING
• RESOURCE MAPPING & BASE LINE DATA COLLECTION
• OWNERSHIP MAPPING
• PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
• OPTION GENERATION
• ACTIVITY PLAN
• YEAR WISE PLAN
• SHARING THE PLAN IN HAMLETS

3. Springshed mapping
• Procuring Cadastral Maps from Villages
• Adding the maps
• Springshed mapping with the help of villagers
• Verification of ridge line by field visit with
villagers

4. Ridg
e
Line
Drainage Point
Drainage Point
Ridg
e
Line
Ridg
e
Line
Drainage Point
Ridg
e
Line
Drainage Point

5. Resource Mapping & Base Line data
Collection
To Map the resources and to have base
line data for future evaluation
Through
•Field visit
•PRA exercise
•Meeting with villagers

6. N
Legend
Upland
Medium Upland
Med. Lowland
Lowland
Habitation
Water bodies
Road
Ridge line
Sub ridge
Forest Land
RESOURCE MAP

7. To know who owns land where
Through
Ownership Mapping
1. Hamlet Meeting
2. Wealth ranking
Wealth Ranking helped to know which patch
is mostly owned by the poor people

8. Sl No Name of the owner Months of food
sufficiency
Family code Area in Ha
1 Suplal Besra 6 SD16PAJ001 0.81
2 Ram Besra 10 SD16PAJ002 0.51
3 Bhutel Besra 6 SD16PAJ003 0.49
4 Ram Saren 8 SD16PAJ009 0.61
5 Pratham Kisku 7 SD16PAJ017 0.40
6 Sona Murmu 9 SD16PAJ021 0.20
Total Area of the Patch 3.02
Lapang Ghutu Ownership Map

9. Family Categorisation at Lapang Ghutu
Category Number of Families
Food sufficiency more
than 6 months (A)
6
Food sufficiency 6-12
months (B)
16
Food sufficiency >12
months (C)
0

10. OWNERSHIP MAP
OF AMJHOR MILLI
N
A4, B10, C1
A6, B15, C0
A5, B16, C0
A0, B3, C0
A4, B10, C0
A4, B9, C1
A0, B5, C0
A3, B7, C1
A6, B16, C0
A4, B6, C1
A5, B6, C0
Food sufficiency
<6 months
Food sufficiency
6-12 months
Food sufficiency
>12 months
A
B
C

11. Name of the
Patch
Area in
Ha
Land feature Present use
Lapang
Ghutu
3.02 Morrum soil,
Occasional rock
outcrop, Gully erosion,
approx. 10% slope, no
vegetative cover, Lack
of Irrigation
Unused
Mur Baid 5.25 Sandy clay, >2’ soil
depth, No WHS,
Western 1 ha land gets
irrigation from Bahal,
Bunded
Mono-cropped,
Kharif paddy
(deshi), Paira crop
in 1 Ha, Vegetable
in 0.2 Ha
Land Use data

12. N
Legend
Paddy 1
Paddy + Paira
Vegetable
Unused Land
Habitation
Water bodies
Road
Ridge line
Sub ridge
Forest Land
LAND USE MAP OF AMJHOR
MILLI WATERSHED

13. Land Use Pattern of Amjhor Milli Watershed
Land Under Area in Ha
Mono Paddy 13.5
Paddy + Paira 3.25
Vegetables 1.5
Unused 16.75
Water bodies 1
Road, habitation
etc
2
Forest 39
Total 77

14. To know the problems for each patch
of land
Through
1.Field visit
2.Discussion with the land owners
Problem Identification

15. Chira Gora
Bangadubka
Jalia Ahar
Lapang Ghutu
Kuli Mucha
Karu Ghutu
Pathar Chal
Bangal kul dungri
Jaja Dungri
Chede dungri
PROBLEM MAP OF AMJHOR
MILLI WATERSHED
Chede Dugri (forest land)
Small Hillock, 35% avg. slope,
Low dense forest in 3.5 Ha land at
lower ridge covered by Lantana
Camera
Lapang Ghutu
Morrum soil, Occasional
rock outcrop, Gully erosion,
approx. 10% slope, no
vegetative cover, Lack of
Irrigation

16. Option Generation
To generate a number of options for
each patch to deal with the problems
Through
Patch wise option generation with the owners
for each problem through field visit

17. Patch Name Options Benefit Cost
Lapang Ghutu 30X 40 model
with Timber
Plantation
30X 40 model
with Arjuna
Plantation
30X 40 model
with Mango
orchard
Erosion check, Rs 5 Lakh
after 12th year from
selling of timber
Erosion check, Rs 56,000
after 5th year from
sericulture
Erosion check, Rs 1,17,500
after 10th year from
selling mango
Rs 96500
Rs 96,500
Rs 3,42,500
OPTION GENERATION FOR EACH PATCH

18. Activity plan
Selecting the best option considering
economics & social acceptance
Through
Discussion with the owners and field
visit
NOTE: Before this exercise one person
from every hamlet visited a fully treated
watershed at Baghmundi block of
Purulia district

19. Activity Selection
Options Social and other
Considerations
Activity
Selection
30X 40 model with
Timber Plantation
Fuel availability is not the
issue, after cutting the land
may again become
uncovered
30 X 40 model
with Mango
Orchard
30X 40 model with
Arjuna Plantation
Sericulture is a new activity
30X 40 model with
Mango orchard
Mango plantations need
great care. The patch is near
homestead, Asansol market
is nearby

20. N
ACTIVITY MAP
Legend
30 X 40
Mango Orchard
Arjuna
Diversion Channel
WHS
Irrigation well

21. Thank You
PRASARI
Contributors