NREGA / Watershed Development; Implications for Green Jobs and Climate Change

Prof. Ravindranath

Indian Institute of Science

Bangalore

What is the issue • Can Employment Generation, Rural

Development, Agricultural Development and Poverty Alleviation programs

– create Green Jobs?

– lead to adaptation to climate risks and climate change

– contribute to Mitigation of Climate Change

– generate Environmental Services

• YES

Developmental Programs 1. MG-NREGA – Rural Empl. program

2. Watershed Development

3. National Afforestation Program – Community forestry/JFM/Greening

Mission

4. Desert Development

5. Minor irrigation program

6. Soil and Water Conservation program

7. Sustainable Agriculture Development

Implications of Developmental Programs

• Most of these program aimed at Natural Resources lead to conservation / regeneration of NR – Soil, Water, Forest, Grazing land

• Generate Environmental Services – Ground water recharge, Soil and Water conservation,

Biodiversity conservation

• Climate Change related implications

–Adaptation; Ground Water recharge, soil & Water conservation, Agro-forestry, soil organic matter enhancement, etc

–Mitigation; Agro-forestry, Afforestation, Soil Org. Matter enhancement

Two Programs

1. MG – NREGA – National Rural Employment Guarantee Act

2. Watershed Development

Objectives of MNREGA Program

• To enhance livelihood security in rural areas by providing

–at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every household

• whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work

Works / Activities implemented under NREGA 1. Water conservation and water harvesting; 2. Drought proofing, including Afforestation and tree

plantation; 3. Irrigation canals, including micro and minor irrigation

works; 4. Provision of irrigation facility, plantation, horticulture,

land development 5. Renovation of traditional water bodies, including de-

silting of tanks; 6. Land development; (Conservation bench terracing (CBT), Contour and

graded bunding, field bunding, pasture development)

7. Flood-control and protection works, including drainage in waterlogged areas;

8. Rural connectivity to provide all-weather access. 9. Any other work that may be notified by the Central

Government in consultation with the State Government.

NREGA Employment Generation

Type of works 2011-2012 2010-2011 2009-2010 2008-2009 2007-2008

No. of households provided employment

3,82,94,824 5,57,63,244 52,8,64,608 4,55,18,907 3,43,26,563

No. of households who have demanded employment

3,78,55,866 5,49,54,225 5,25,30,453 4,51,15,358 3,39,09,132

Person days in millions

Total 1208 2571 2835 2163 1436

Women

596

1227

1364

1035

610

NREGA Activities & Employment Type of works 2011-2012 2010-2011 2009-2010 2008-2009

Land Development

107,965 425,494 342,465 189,517

Flood control 34,103 111,054

95,953 62,554

Water conservation & Harvesting

121,809 537,848 629,833 248,167

Drought proofing 48,270 142,963 115,843 75,443

Micro Irrigation Works

26,780 232,384 151,655 66,173

Provision of Irrigation facility to Land

116,966 408,582 360,831 238,088

Renovation of Traditional Water bodies

39,067 236,166 162,736 92,519

Environmental and socio-economic Services: NR conservation & Socio-Economic Benefits from NREGA Works

Water conservation

& harvesting

• Groundwater recharge

• Reduced water erosion

• Irrigation availability

• Sustained livelihoods

Irrigation • Irrigation water availability

• Improved agricultural crop yields, sustained yields

• Secured livelihoods

Land development • Reduced soil erosion, hence improved soil quality

• Improved / sustained agricultural yields

• Agricultural productivity

Drought Proofing -

Afforestation

• Fuelwood and fodder availability

• Biodiversity conservation

• Erosion control and soil quality improvement

• Flood control

Renovation of traditional

water bodies

• Ground water recharge, soil fertility

improvement, increased crop productivity

Environmental Services from NREGA

Local ES 1. Soil fertility improvement 2. Groundwater recharge 3. Increased irrigation water

availability 4. Increased drinking water

availability 5. Soil & water conservation 6. Increased grass,

fuelwood, NTFP availability

7. Erosion & Flood control

Regional / Global ES 1. Carbon Sequestration 2. Biodiversity

conservation 3. Improved adaptive

capacity 4. Vulnerability

reduction to current climate risks

Approach for assessment of Environmental Services

Desilting of water storage bodies

• Loss of vegetation cover, over grazing and inappropriate cultivation practices in the catchment – leads to soil erosion and silting – loss of water storage capacity

• Reduction of ground water recharge – due to silt pan formation

--------------------------------------------------------------------- • Desilting activity involves removal of silt from

the water body using human labour

• Farmers are encouraged to collect the silt and apply to crop fields to improve soil fertility – The tanks are largely used as percolation tanks

Environmental services from desilting: indicators and methods

Environmental services

Indicators of environmental service and units

Methods of estimation

Increased water availability

Groundwater level in bore wells (meters water level)

PRA and hydrological measurements

Area irrigated (hectares) PRA and secondary data

Water storage capacity (cubic meter)

Hydrological modeling

Groundwater recharge

Groundwater level in bore wells (meters water level)

PRA and hydrological measurements

Water percolation (cubic meter) Hydrological modeling

Increased and stable crop yields

Soil fertility (percent organic matter, silt and clay percent, nitrogen in kg/ha)

Soil sampling and laboratory analysis

Changes in crop yield (percent) PRA

Impacts on groundwater level and area irrigated – pre and post NREGA

Depth of borewells

Changes in soil organic carbon of cropland soils with silt application

In all 6 villages silt was removed and transported In 5 of the villages silt was applied to cropland

Vulnerability Climate Risks Assessment

1. Water vulnerability index – changes in groundwater level (m)

– area irrigated (ha)

– irrigation availability (days/y)

– storage capacity of the water body (cubic meter)

2. Agriculture vulnerability index – area irrigated (ha)

– irrigation availability (days/y)

– soil fertility index (OC and NPK)

– groundwater level (m)

3. Livelihood vulnerability index – work availability during

summer

– changes in wage income

– financial investment under NREGA at the village level

4. Overall vulnerability index – linear aggregation of

• Water

• agriculture and

• livelihood indices

Vulnerability Reduction; different indices- water, Agric., Livelihood

9.18.3

3.0

7.16.3

0.20.0

4.0

8.0

12.0

Water Agriculture Livelihood

Dharmapura

4.7 4.53.0

4.7 4.4

1.0

0.0

4.0

8.0

12.0

Water Agriculture Livelihood

Gowdanahalli

11.9 11.4

3.02.4 2.2

0.4

0.0

4.0

8.0

12.0

Water Agriculture Livelihood

Kandikere

11.0 10.6

3.0

5.9 5.4

0.00.0

4.0

8.0

12.0

Water Agriculture Livelihood

Koverahatti

Bars represent Pre and post NRGEA respectively

0.7

0.8

0.2

0.5

0.0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.0

Dharmapura Gowdanahalli Kandikere Koverahatti

Pre NREGA Post NREGA

Overall Vulnerability Reduction – Pre and post NREGA

Conclusions from NREGA - Chitradurga Study

• The study demonstrated the potential of Employment Focused NREGA activities to provide environmental services

– Increased ground water percolation & recharge

– Enhanced water storage in water bodies

– Increase in soil fertility

– Reclamation of degraded lands

– Carbon sequestration

• Reduce vulnerability of production systems and livelihoods

– Improved Water supply, soil fertility improvement,

Conclusions 1. Rural Employment programs aimed at

Natural Resources (soil, water, forests, grassland) contribute

– Generation of Env Services + Conservation /

Regeneration of NR + Adaptation to CV / CC

– Sustain water, Agric production, livelihood

2. Need for convergence of Empl Scemes with NR conservation

- National level at the Ministry level

- Village level – technical capacity

3. Adaptation current climate risks – also enhances Adaptation to future CC

Watershed program; Mitigation and Adaptation Synergy

National Watershed Development Programme

Ministry of Rural Development has administered 3 area-based watershed programmes for development of wastelands/degraded lands namely Drought Prone Areas Programmes (DPAP), Desert Development Programme (DDP) and Integrated Wastelands Development Programme (IWDP)

No. of project sanctioned

Area covered (in million ha.)

Total funds released by Centre (Rs. in crores)

DDAP 27439 13.0 2837.81

DDP 15746 7.8 2103.23

IWDP 1877 10.7 2797.56

Grand Total 45062 32.3 7738.60

Details of projects sanctioned and funds released from 1995-96 to 2007-2008

Watershed program – CC/CV Adaptation; Vulnerability Reduction

ACTIVITIES – Water conservation – Land development – Soil conservation – Agro-forestry – Diversified agriculture

and livelihoods – Afforestation – Horticultural crops

LEAD TO - Reduced vulnerability - Enhanced - adaptive

capacity of the poor

THROUGH • Land development –

improved soil water holding capacity, reduced soil erosion

• Water conservation – Potential for dry season crops, increased irrigation

• Multiple crops & tree crops – to cope with the fluctuating rains

• Employment security – Forestry & horticultural incomes, income during non-agricultural seasons

Watershed program - Mitigation & Green jobs

Climate change mitigation

Soil carbon enhancement Mulching Organic matter addition crop residue turnover

Multiple cropping

Carbon sequestration thro

tree planting Afforestation of catchment

area Agro-forestry on crop lands Horticulture on crop lands

Creation of Green jobs thro watershed activities

Desilting of tanks

Renovation of traditional water bodies

Afforestation of catchment area

Land development

Water conservation

Provision of irrigation facility

Agro-forestry

Mitigation – Adaptation Synergy – in Watershed

1. Watershed provides excellent opportunity for promoting M&A synergy

2. Multiple environmental and socio-economic benefits

3. Cost – effectiveness of investment due to multiple benefits

4. Political acceptability of both M&A strategy to address climate change

5. Attractiveness to Donor agencies

CC Impact & Adaptation Strategy

• Need for research for assessing the CC impacts at district / watershed level to assist decision making

– Water resources, droughts, floods, crop yields, forest distribution and fire, biodiversity, fisheries..

• Need to identify and rank vulnerable; – Sectors, regions / areas /communities….

• Study the adequacy of current traditional adaptation practices to droughts, floods, forest fires, etc

• Need to develop adaptation practices and strategies

• Mainstream CC adaptation in developmental progs: – Agricultural development, forest management, watershed

development, fisheries development, irrigation projects, drought relief programs, etc

– What incremental actions needed

• Develop and implement pilot adaptation projects