- by Shri A.K. Goel, Director
General and Dr.N.K. Sanghi, Director (NRM), MANAGE
MANAGE is the
premier institute for Agricultural Extension Management in India under the wings of
Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperation. Its 42 acres campus is located in Hyderabad
having 750 mm annual rainfall. Topography is undulating with light red soils.
The area is
ridden with mini-hillocks coupled with deep gullies indicating heavy runoff during
uncertain season with a few rainy days. Building blocks have come up along with a few
garden patches here and there during last 4 years. But for these green spots, the
remaining landscape presents a barren picture for major part of the year.
The institute is
also blessed with a faculty steeped in multi-disciplinary philosophy. One of such proud
disciplines is ‘watershed management’. In fact, guidelines to operationalize
Hanumantha Rao Committee report on Watershed Development were crafted in MANAGE.
An idea struck us
sometime in January, 1999 as to why the same watershed concept should not be applied to
our own campus itself? Why each and every drop of water should not be conserved whenever
it falls in our campus premises? 42 acres of land with 750 mm rainfall amounts to 12.6
hectare meter volume of water or 1.26 lakh cubic meter of water being received
perennially. If every drop is conserved, perhaps MANAGE campus could be converted into a
lush green garden with trees, creepers, flowers and water bodies with microfauna over a
period of 5 years.
The very idea was
infectious. Very soon, everyone was talking about it to each other. That was the time when
Mr. Hanumatha Rao – the author of ‘Four waters concept’ took a
brainstorming session in February, 1999, with faculty members. After a week or so, he came
back again and perambulated the length and breadth of the campus. The visit was
reeducation to almost all of us. We discovered the hitherto unknown features in our campus
– like an ancient aqueduct, an old archbridge, an old well and the like. We sat
around the contour map once again. By now all of us shared a common experience of an hour
long padayatra and the dream of conserving every drop of water flashed vividly in our
inward eyes. Though tired – All of us were inspired by now.
In the
month of March, 1999, all the water harvesting structures were put on map and located on
land as well. A contour trench around mini hillocks, a series of sunken ponds along rills
interspersed with mini-percolation tanks around ridge, a series of stone dams along gully
to harvest soil, water trapping structures along road ribbon and redirecting it to avenue
trees through graded trenches were some of the things to be done before arrival of rains.
All these works were estimated to cost around Rs.3/ lakhs in March, 1999. Though civil
engineering wing was responsible for executing the works, the watershed faculty was made
responsible for covering the entire developmental process. Both the wings rose to the
occasion.
Works have
already commenced in right earnest. Monsoon arrives in Hyderabad in June and lasts four
months. We expect that the entire rainfall in the campus during the monsoon to be
conserved within its boundaries without letting even a drop of water to escape. There are
three major exit points for runoff water. We have decided to monitor them immediately
during and after a heavy downpour. Even if a drop escapes, we have failed but we fervently
hope to be succeed.
This line of
thinking in MANAGE gives rise to the concept of 'Water Budget'. An institute with X Acres
of land with Y millimeters of annual rainfall receives a quantity of X-Y units of water
perennially. Major portions of it goes waste as on today. But with proper planning, it can
be conserved within the campus with minimal expenditure on appropriate soil water
harvesting structures. Once water stops, wealth sprouts and over a period of time, it
multiplies not in a linear manner but exponentially like compound interest --year after
year. That wealth rightly belongs to the institution eternally.
In our country,
total number of such institutes runs into a few thousands. There are 29 State Agricultural
Universities - each with a few thousand acres of land. Then we have regular universities,
Institutes of Technologies, Engineering and Managements, Post-Graduate Centers and Degree
Colleges, Central Public Sector undertakings with huge extents of land around them,
Agricultural Research, Extension and training outfits, Animal Husbandry, Horticulture,
Sericulture and Agriculture Institutes, Secretariat Buildings, Commissionerate,
Collectorate and subordinate office outfits, residential bungalows, state public sector
outfits, etc. All this adds upto 2000 to 3000 units with around 2 lakh acre of land.
Responsibility to account for this 'water receipt' on an annual basis would rest with the
CEO of the institute/office. They have adequate funds, authority and manpower. What is
perhaps needed is just a spark to set their imagination on fire. They, after all are
professionals. With the click of a button, they can communicate with any part of the globe
through satellites. They would love to communicate now with mother earth - through the
five forces of nature - also called Panchabhutalu - i.e. soil, water, sunshine, sky and
biomass.
First Implementation
Workshop on ITD Component
The first project
implementation workshop for NATP states under Innovations in Technology Dissemination
(ITD) component was held at the National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management
(MANAGE), Hyderabad, during May 18-19, 1999. The objective of the workshop was to
share and finalise the proposals of the ITD component under NATP for Technology
Dissemination Management Committee's (TDMC) approval and also to discuss and review the
implementation plan for the ITD component.
Dr. G.R. Desai, Director and
Corrdinator, NATP, MANAGE welcomed the participants and informed about the efforts which
had gone into preparation of Strategic Research and Extension Plans (SREPs) and Annual
Action Plans (AAPs). Dr. V.V. Sadamate, Addl. Commissioner (Extension)
expressed that institutional changes envisaged at district and block levels would help in
facilitating the implementation of the project to fulfil its objectives. He
expressed that Panchayati Raj institutions at District, block and village levels should
also be associated with the programme.
Shri A.K. Goel, Director
General, MANAGE in his inaugural address emphasised that the group approach which is
to be employed in this programme would maximize overall impact and make extension system
sustainable. He opined that programmes/proposals should be made such that they could
be replicated in different areas.
The next session was devoted
to technical issues wherein state representatives of ATMA, SAMETI and nodal officers
presented SREPs, Annual Action Plans for 1999-2000 and proposals relating to strengthening
of SAMETIs and state headquarters.
Some of the highlights of the
workshop are given below.
SREPs have already been
developed by all pilot districts with the help of MANAGE. AAPs, which include
investment plans and comprehensive block action plans, have been developed for all the
districts. It was decided that all SREPs and AAPs with related documents need
to be prepared and approved by respective Governing Boards (GB) of ATMAs in pilot
districts.
It was informed that the
SAMETI at Bhubaneshwar has been registered.
Proposals in respect of
Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Maharasxhtra would be considered when they are made
autonomous and order to this effect has been communicated to GOI, SAMETIs in Punjab and
Bihar need further consideration of States as to where these would be established.
AAPs including investment
plans of all the 6 pilot districts were revised during the workshop. These revised
allocations for ATMAs of the 6 districts need to be incorporated in AAPs and sent to
MANAGE and DOE after approval of G.B.
State officials expressed the
ned for orientation workshops for district, block and village level extension officials in
respect of the NATP concept and action plans to be implemented in pilot districts.
MANAGE and DOE officials would participate as resoruce persons.
There is need to integrate
other schemes and programmes in the pilot districts with NATP activities.
As regards fund flow
mechanism, district officials felt that funds should be released from ATMA to Block
Technology Teams (BTTs). However, the States may evolve their own suitable models.
District offricials
were urged to work towards ortanising farmers groups for dissemination of agricultural
technology.
State officials
informed that the coverage of more districts needs to be notified immediately and states
informed to enable them to provide supplementary budget allocation for covering an
additional 12 or 18 districts.
Immediate action is needed to
establish BTTs and FACs in districts where they have not been established.
Workshop/training programmes
on accounting, audit and reimbursement need to be organised by GOI/MANAGE with the help of
World Bank officials.
World Bank Mission Review
A team from the World Bank
visited during June 10-30, 1999, for review of the ITD component under NATP in different
States. Dr. Burton E. Swanson, Consultant and Shri Ashok Seth, Principal
Agriculturist, were members of the Mission.
The team had discussions with
Secreatry and Directors of Agriculture of the states; Directors of other line departments,
Chairman and ProjectDirector of ATMA, BTT members, farmers groups, and individual
farmers. The mission also reviewed the functioning of ATMA, DTT, BTT, FACs, SAMETI
and farmers groups apart from nodal officers of State Headquarters and KVK/ZRS in the
concerned districts.
Senior officers from
Directorate of Extension, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India and senior faculty
from MANAGE accompanied the World Bank Team.
Publications
Trainers'
Training Manual for Participatory Management of Watershed Projects
by Dr. G.R. Desai
and Shri S.K. Arora. Price: Rs.100.00
This Manual is based on four
modules dealing with the Common guidelines and Technical issues; Participatory Rural
Appraisal and Community Organizations; General management and Project Management skills
and Administration and Accounts matters.
Technical Manual
on Watershed Management
by Dr. J.
Venkateswarlu. Price: Rs.120.00
The Technical Manual enlists
technologies relevant to different agro-climatic regions in India. Focus is on
people friendly, low cost technologies, which are simple and easy to operate and maintain
and are based on local materials and indigenous knowledge.
These manuals will (not only)
be found useful by trainers imparting training in participatory management of watershed
projects but also by practitioners, administrators and scientists involved in watershed
development.
Orders may kindly be sent
to :
Director General, MANAGE,
Rajendranagar, Hyderabad-500 030, AP, India.
