CHAPTER SIX

WATERSHED TREATMENT MEASURES

Contents
• Introduction
• SWC measures for non arable land
• SWC measures for arable land
• Water harvesting for soil conservation
• Production systems planning
Objective
• At the end of the chapter, students will be able to:
• Explain different SWC measures for different land capability classification
• Explain different water harvesting techniques in a watershed
Introduction
• Watershed management practices affects:
• Upstream and downstream area
• Usually more than one community, institution and administrative levels.
• The effects of implemented watershed management activities are:
• On site:
• Increase productivity
• Downstream:
• Reduce sedimentation;
• Increase water flow during critical period
SWC measures for non-arable land
• Non arable lands are generally confined to upper reaches of watershed and have an
undulating topography which are susceptible to soil erosion.
• In soils at steep slope and without vegetative cover:
• Large amounts of sediments are transported into streams at the downstream sides,
• Uncontrolled runoff from the sloping lands cause extensive damage in to lower reaches
of the watershed.
• To prevent degradation of non arable lands vegetative and mechanical measures are
employed.
• Mechanical measures act like the foundation of the building
• Vegetative measures act like a superstructure which helps in improving the productivity
of non-arable lands.
SWC measures for non-arable land
• Methods that can be adopted for soil and water conservation measures in non-arable areas of
watershed include:
• Contour trenching,
• Gully control structures,
• Sediment retention structures,
• Improvement and management of grass lands,
• Rehabilitation of mined lands
SWC measures for non-arable land
Contour trenching • Contour trenching implies excavating trenches along the contour or
along a uniform level across the slope of the land.
• Bunds are constructed downstream along the trenches with the material
excavated out of them.
• Some of the advantages of contour trenches include:
• Break the slope lengths
• Reduce the velocity of runoff and retard its scouring action
• Increase groundwater recharge.
• Contour trench is very effective and low cost moisture conservation
techniques particularly in rain fed area and hilly region.
• Construction of contour trenches is always started from the ridge and
progressively extended towards the valley.
• The top soil should be placed on the upstream side whereas boulders and
gravels are staked on the lower side to act as toe to the soil bank.
SWC measures for non-arable land
Gully control measures
• Gully erosion damage the land and also contribute large amount of sediment
load in the surface runoff.
• Small rills due to runoff develop in to a deeper crevices depending on the
velocity of flow and slope and result in gully formation.
• The methods to control gully erosion are:
• Diversion of runoff,
• Construction of temporary structures,
• Construction of permanent structure and
• Vegetative method.
SWC measures for non-arable land
Gully control measures
Construction of temporary structure
• Temporary structure constructed to control gully erosion are:
• Brushwood dams These are constructed with locally available materials like rocks,
• Loose rock dams bamboos, woven wire and gabion check dams etc.
• A series of check dams can be constructed on a stream to recharge the depleted aquifers.
Construction of permanent structure
• In advance stages of gully, the construction of temporary structure may not be adequate to
check the erosion development process, so strong and permanent gully control structures
are necessary for stabilization of gullies.
• Permanent structures on gullies block the flow of water and store water at upstream, which
is then used for irrigation purposes.
• Permanent structures are provided with adequate capacity to handle the design runoff and
to control the floods.
SWC measures for non-arable land
Gully control measures
Vegetative measures
• Vegetative measures are effective in small gullies in which vegetation is established on the
gullies to control the erosion.
• The vegetation may consist of grass cover and various types of plants.
• Grasses in bands are planted at the most soft and erodible spots, such as near water fall.
SWC measures for arable land
• The main aim of conservation measures for arable land is
• To reduce or prevent erosion while achieving desired moisture for sustainable
production.
• Conservation measures mainly depend upon
• Topographic condition and
• Rainfall characteristics.
• Conservation measures adopted for arable land are:
• Mechanical measures
• Biological measures
SWC measures for arable land
Mechanical measures
• Main objective of mechanical soil and water conservation measures is:
• To increase the time of concentration and thereby allowing more runoff water to be
absorbed and held in the soil profile and
• Intercepting a long slope into several short ones, so as to maintain less than a critical
velocity for the runoff water.
• Mechanical SWC measures for arable land include:
• Contour bunding,
• Graded bunding,
• Terracing
• Vegetative waterways.
SWC measures for arable land
Mechanical measures • Contour bund is the most widely practiced soil and water
Contour bund conservation measure for mild slopes (1-6%) and low rainfall
(<600 mm) area.
• Contour bunds are very effective in light soils in low rainfall
conditions so that immediate infiltration of the stored water
would increase the soil moisture for rain fed crops.
• The main objectives of contour bunds are:
• To reduce the length of slope for checking soil erosion
and
• To impound water and permit more seepage of runoff for
increasing soil moisture.
• The bunds made on contour break the length of slope before
rill formation takes place.
SWC measures for arable land
Mechanical measures
Graded bunds
• Graded bunds or graded terrace or channel terrace are laid along pre-determined
longitudinal grade instead of along contour.
• A graded bund system is designed to dispose of excess runoff safely from agricultural fields.
• The gradient can be either uniform or variable:
• The uniformly graded bunds are suitable for areas where the bunds need shorter lengths
and the runoff is low.
• The variable graded bunds are required where bunds need longer lengths, owing to
which cumulative runoff keeps getting higher towards outlet.
SWC measures for arable land
Mechanical measures
Bench terracing

• Bench terraces are constructed on hill sides which have slope gradients in the range of 15-
30%.
• Bench terracing transforms a steep land surface into a series of nearly levelled steps across
the slope of the land.
SWC measures for arable land
Mechanical measures
Grassed waterways

• These are associated with channel terraces for safe disposal of concentrated run-off, thereby
protecting the land against rills and gullies.
• A waterway is constructed according to a proper design and a vegetative cover is
established to protect the channel against erosion because of concentrated flow.
SWC measures for arable land
Biological measures
• The measures used for controlling soil erosion through crops or vegetation and through
agronomic practices
• Biological conservation measures include:
• Crop rotation
• Organic matter
• Minimum tillage
• Stabilizing physical structures
• Alley cropping
• Grass strips
SWC measures for arable land
Biological measures
Alley Cropping
• It is an agro-forestry system in which food crops
are grown in alleys between rows of hedges.
• It can be practiced for all slope range lands and
soil conditions.
Water harvesting for soil conservation
• Water harvesting involves optimal and immediate utilization of rain water,
flood water, stream or river water, where all of them are causes for erosion and
sedimentation
• Proper water harvesting techniques are not only efficient means of soil and
water conservation but also improve significantly local food security, income
levels, crop yields and standard of living of people in the area.
Production systems planning
• It involves spatial allocation of land use for various production systems,
namely, agriculture, horticulture, and animal husbandry, by which conservation
goals are met through better decision-making.
• PSP is a conservation-planning tool useful for watershed management through
allocation of production systems to take care of soil and water conservation.