Water management and water availability in a subwatershed,Tamil Nadu, India

Sammanfattning: India is a country with progressing technical and economical development, but the development is not evenly distributed. Farmers in the Indian rural areas are struggling. There are worries that climate changes could have a negative impact on agriculture. This study was performed in Kancheepuram with support from the non-governmental organization Hand in Hand. The aims of this study were to analyze effects on agriculture due to watershed management in a village and to describe the crop patterns in a village and compare the yield with a village without watershed management. Data was collected by interviewing farmers in the villages Arapedu and Tenpakkam. In Arapedu watershed management was applied and in Tenpakkam it was not. Data collected by Hand in Hand on precipitation, village records, well inventory and maps were analyzed. The water level in the wells increased in most wells between 2007 and 2008, but due to short data series it was not possible to affirm if this was due to the watershed management or increased rainfall in the early months of 2008 compared to 2007. No evidence of change in precipitation in the area was observed. Only precipitation data was analyzed since other climate data was absent. Hand in Hand was working within a broad spectrum in the village. Apart from the watershed project they are working with empowerment of women´s situation, self-help groups, microfinance and against child labor. This study period was too short to confirm effects of watershed management. However this study can be used as a baseline study for future evaluations. Key words: Rainwater harvesting, watershed management, Tamil Nadu