water for public good - connecting the last mile - huf maharashtra note

Hindustan Unilever FoundationUnilever House

B D Sawant Marg Chakala, Andheri (E)

Mumbai-400 099. India

www.huf.co.in

Water for Public GoodConnecting the last mile

May 2016

Commissioner’s visit in Soygaon Village village

Community-level training in progress

Automated weather station in Jalna

Farm bund under construction

Community members after training by KVK

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Our country is reeling under an acute, unprecedented water crisis. The situation is especially dire in Maharashtra, with the State Government declaring a “drought-like” condition in 14,708, or 34%, of the state’s 43,000 villages.

This is the second successive year of drought in the state, and the third in the last four years. The situation is particularly critical in Marathwada: all of its 8522 villages being affected, this region accounts for 58% of the overall area under drought in the state. Next to be impacted is north Maharashtra, which includes Nashik and Jalgaon, with 4869 villages, that accounts for 33% of the area affected. Together, the two regions account for more than 90% of Maharashtra’s drought-affected area.

Given the magnitude of the problem and its near-inevitability, the emphasis must be on long-term solutions. It is critical that both citizens and private corporates alike make valuable contributions. We all have a role to play in addressing this crisis.

Hindustan Unilever Limited has, for long, been anticipating the impending crisis and taking proactive action. Indeed, the Unilever Sustainable Living Programme (USLP) is a result-oriented initiative that encourages both internal and external stakeholders to create positive impacts in socially relevant contexts. Our not-for-profit social investment vehicle Hindustan Unilever Foundation (HUF) was created in 2010 with the specific mandate to contribute to the water discourse and practice through a partnered approach. The key thrust of this organisation is water for public good with focus on farm livelihoods.

In this publication prepared by HUF, we have articulated our experiences at the micro level with a specific focus on Maharashtra.

I sincerely believe that delivery-oriented actions on water are the need of the hour as it is a resource that we hold in trust for our future generations.

Nothing articulates the finiteness of this most precious of life-forces better than the profound words of Benjamin Franklin: ‘When the well is dry, we will know the worth of water’. For hundreds of million Indians, the wells have metaphorically and truly dried. Let us not wait any longer.

Sanjiv MehtaCEO and Managing Director, Hindustan Unilever Limited

Director, Hindustan Unilever Foundation

Director’s Message

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Preface

In our pursuit to democratise the understanding and practice on water for livelihoods (primarily agriculture and allied) and of the interconnectedness of water and life, we have taken various initiatives.

l Local level

1. Portfolio of projects that attempt to capture the diversity of issues, perspectives and approaches to water.

2. Support result-oriented collective action between NGOs, communities, government programs, other corporate initiatives and linkages.

3. Suggest processes that include measurements of various local variables such as water, labour and natural resources, work relations, farm production, and so on; equip NGO field staff and community based volunteers to undertake such measurements associated with projects and provide an enabler to start examining what lies behind the works.

4. Technology that can process field-generated data and transmit back to community-facing NGO field staff for facilitating discussions at the community levels on the whys, whats, wheres, and hows.

5. Community forums where the planning, implementation, maintenance and use allocation decisions get made.

6. Make available corporate experience-based knowledge for adaption to the development space, for example, our Behaviour Change Model being adapted to many parts of the Water for Public Good journey.

7. Enable NGOs to creatively unlock their potential for transformational change by using our partnerships as Thought Incubators.

l Macro level

1. Open up connectivity between thinking that is associated with macro processes and platforms with those at the micro level, so that community realities get better reflected at macro levels on the one hand and for a better understanding of macro thinking at local levels. This happens through specific engagements such as the Alliance for Water Stewardship.

2. Facilitate exploration of multi-stakeholder alliances for thought leadership and action on agri water between various players such as the 2030 Water Resources Group, International Water Management Institute, Global Water Partnership, The Energy Resources Institute, and the Council for Energy Environment and Water.

3. Contribute to deepen thought and practice associated with water for livelihoods in business beyond value chains, for instance, through our engagement with UNCEO Water Mandate.

The ongoing water stress in Maharashtra has triggered serious thinking in HUF, in particular on micro action that can contribute to PMKSY thinking. We are sharing this with a view to illustrate one possible trajectory for private sector action and more importantly emphasise the importance of last mile connectivity for delivering “Water for Public Good”. I would like to thank Navin Kapoor for co-ordinating and putting the thoughts together and Sambhaji for providing information on Maharashtra.

Ravi PuranikCEO

Hindustan Unilever Foundation

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Director’s message 3

Preface 4 Abbreviations 6

Introduction 7

Hindustan Unilever Foundation 8

Water resources management in Maharashtra 10

Reflecting on our efforts 13

Converging investments (resources) 13

Enhancing the physical access of water on the farm and expanding cultivable area under assured irrigation

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Improving on-farm water use efficiency 16

Enhancing adoption of precision-irrigation and other water saving technologies 16

Enhancing recharge of aquifers and introduce sustainable water conservation practices 17

Ensuring the integrated development of rainfed areas using the watershed approach 17

Promoting extension activities 19

Attracting greater private investment 19

Enabling the implementation of state-led development schemes 19

Building a set of data points 20

Forming and strengthening community institutions 20

Knowledge initiatives 21

Conclusion 22

Table of Contents

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Abbreviations

CBO Community Based Organisation

CFT Cluster Facilitation Team

FES Foundation for Ecological Security

GP Gram Panchayat

ha. Hectare

HUF Hindustan Unilever Foundation

IMD Indian Meteorological Department

IWMI International Water Management Institute

KVK Krishi Vigyan Kendra

MGNREGS Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Generation Scheme

MITTRA Maharashtra Institute of Technology Transfer For Rural Areas

MMISFA Maharashtra Management of Irrigation Systems by Farmers Act

MWRRA Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority Act

MWSIP Maharashtra Water Sector Improvement Project

NABARD National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development

NGO Non Government Organisation

NRLM National Rural Livelihood Mission

O&M Operation and Maintenance

PIM Participatory Irrigation Management

PIP Preliminary Irrigation Programmes

PMKSY Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayi Yojana

PRI Panchayati Raj Institution

SHG Self Help Group

SIED Sanjeevani Institute for Empowerment and Development

SMS Samyukat Mahila Samiti

SOPPECOM Society for Promoting Participative Ecosystem Management

SREC Solidaridad Regional Expertise Centre

VDC Village Development Committee

WOTR Watershed Organisation Trust

WUA Water Users Association

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The strain on water resources is expected to increase with the growth in population, urbanisation and industrialisation.

Indiscriminate extraction and over-use of water resources combined with unsustainable development pathways have adversely affected the quality, quantity and availability of water resources. This has cascading social and economic impacts on, among others, the water for life (domestic water use, environmental flows and others) and the water for livelihoods, both rural (agriculture and other uses) and urban (industrial, thermal power and other uses). Challenges to the Indian economy will worsen given the limited potential for improving the supply (extrapolating the changing trends in precipitation, runoff and evapotranspiration), water quality issues, and the expected shifts in the water usage of different sectors.

Agriculture is the main consumer of water accounting for more than 80 per cent of its use. With increasing demand for freshwater resources, it is necessary to explore ways to remedy

Introduction

the impending imbalance between demand and supply for the sustained availability of water for livelihood and poverty reduction. The increasing scarcity of water resources makes smallholders and the poor more vulnerable as they generally are unable to harness alternatives. Moreover, it is universally agreed that a disaggregated perspective is needed to reflect challenges faced by different regions.

Various studies have shown that the water crisis is more one of governance than of resource availability. Although several steps have been taken in this direction, the main ones being the 73rd Constitution Amendment Act and the passing of legislation by several states for setting up Water Users Associations (WUAs), much remains to be done if water has to be governed in an effective and efficient manner.

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Water for Public GoodMission

Goals

Principles

Public Private Partnerships

l Enable knowledge and action to democratise water management and involve communities and other stakeholders in both policy and decision making

l Build water conservation and storage potential

l Promote community involvement and ownership of projects and initiatives

l Enhance agriculture production in project areas

Governance of water Quality of water Benefits to community

l Projects in watersheds, rain-fed and irrigated areas that show:

l Functional diversity – addressing different parts of the challenge

l Geographical spread – a good mix of factors, for example,. irrigated, river basin

l Convergence with other stakeholders ; adding and supporting others’ work

Hindustan Uniliver Foundation

HUF is a not-for-pr ofit company that anchors various community development initiatives of Hindustan

Unilever Limited. HUF supports national priorities for socio-economic development through its ‘Water for Public Good’ programme. It supports people centred, micro-level solutions to the challenges being faced by the water sector and uses the knowledge thus gained to shape the debate on water.

Recognising that more than half of India’s agriculture lacks any kind of irrigation facilities and that agriculture is the major consumer of water, HUF has been focusing on improving agriculture’s water efficiency. It has interpreted that “Public Good” is obtained when an enabling environment enhances last mile connectivity that results in the following:

1. Water required for agriculture is managed by communities based on an owned understanding and action at the micro level.

Triple bottom line measurements, Independent third party assurance, SROI and learning

2. Increased adoption of water-efficient agriculture practices and varieties; use of organic farm inputs to improve the quality of water.

3. Such understanding and action is codified and evidenced through results by enablers.

4. The underlying processes have a scientifically acceptable basis (tempered by practices that are owned and valued by the community) that enablers generate and keep getting upgraded on.

5. The processes and evidence are put together into knowledge modules and made available for scalable absorption into policy spaces.

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HUF contributes to both the creation of an enabling environment and the delivery of results by:

1. Supporting NGOs and such other enablers for thought and action with communities.

2. Supporting NGOs and such other enablers to aid in the deployment and addition of value to existing schemes of Government and institutions. These schemes are leveraged for creating productive assets that can sustain communities.

3. Supporting NGOs and such other enablers to codify understanding and evidence.

4. Act to upgrade by seeking feedback from independent assurance providers and experts.

5. Disseminating these experiences in the larger society.

6. Supporting systemic change through knowledge alliances and institutional arrangements between and across interest groups.

So far, HUF has reached more than 90 districts through projects spread across 13 states and an equal number of river basins. These projects are currently active in 57 districts over nine states and two Union Territories in 11 river basins of India (see Annexure 1 for project location map).

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Water resources management in Maharashtra

In Maharashtra, of the five river basin systems, only 55% of the dependable yield is available in the four river basins

(Krishna, Godavari, Tapti and Narmada). These four river basins comprise 92% of the cultivable land and more than 60% of the population in rural areas. An approximate 49% of the area of these four river basins comprising 43% of the population is already considered as deficit or highly deficit in water availability. The size of these deficit areas is likely to increase steadily with rising population and economic growth.

It is in this context that HUF is supporting community initiatives in four regions of the state falling in three river basins as below:

In Maharashtra, inconsistency of rains in the crucial times of crop growth and their subsequent discontinuity create drought-like conditions. Agriculture is heavily impacted. This is further compounded by:

l Limited irrigation: according to a report of the Water and Irrigation Committee, even if the entire irrigation capacity is utilized, 44% area will remain dry land.

HUF Partner River Basin District Block RAPI

Rank RegionExisting status of ground water

development (%)

MITTRA Godavari Nashik Igatpuri 35 Khandesh 49

WOTR Godavari JalnaBhokardan, Jafrabad &

Ambad161 Marathwada 42.76

SIED Tapi Dhule Sakri 97 Khandesh 53.55

SIED Tapi Nandurbar Navapur 138 Khandesh 30.1

MITTRA Godavari Buldhana Khamgaon 134 Vidarbha 59.84

FES Godavari Yavatmal Ghatanji 61 Vidarbha 24.40

Olam Krishna Kolhapur 452 Paschim Maharashtra 59

SPS Tapi Amravati Dharni 121 Vidarbha 68

1. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Maharashtra-declares-drought-in-14708-villages/articleshow/49425716.cms

l Large coverage of drought-prone areas (52% of cultivable area).

l Large proportion of poor and downgraded land (42.20%).

l According to Government Resolution No. JaLaA-2014/case no. 203/JaLa-7, 184 talukas had an average 20% drop in rainfall in 2014. On groundwater levels in the state, the resolution states that:

n 72 talukas saw more than 3 metre drop.

n 116 talukas saw between 2 and 3 metre drop.

n 190 talukas saw between 1 and 2 metre drop.

Recently, the Maharashtra government declared a “drought-like condition”1 in 14,708, or 34%, of the state’s 43,000 villages. This is the second successive year of drought in Maharashtra, with Marathwada being the worst hit. In fact, the state has experienced three such calamities in the last four years.

Maharashtra has had a long history of farmer-managed irrigation systems going back as far as the 15th or 16th century. The first efforts at formal decentralization started with a few

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pilots introduced in the 1980s. As a part of the reforms for the water sector in the 2000’s, the Water Sector Improvement Project (MWSIP) was launched in 2003. The Maharashtra Government initiated the water sector reform process which included the State Water Policy (2003), the Maharashtra Management of Irrigation Systems by Farmers Act (MMISFA 2005) and the Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority Act (MWRRA 2005). These unambiguously brought out the rationale for user participation and the need for legislating participation. This departs from the voluntary mode in which WUAs were set up in 80s and 90s under the Maharashtra Cooperative Societies Act, 1960. Through this reform process and specifically through the MMISFA, the forming of WUAs has become mandatory to access water. In the current reform process, WUAs have an important role to play as the new legislation now allows for federating of WUAs from the minor to the project level.2

Several studies have been conducted on the performance of PIM and WUAs in Maharashtra giving a mixed bag of experiences. Dr. Sanjay Belsare3, in his study of WUAs across the state, reveals that post the formation of WUAs improvements have been recorded in irrigation efficiency, diversification of cropping pattern and increase in water recovery charges. The study, however, lists several issues that need attention:

l In WUAs that were formed in tail areas and are dependent on Government for want of management and maintenance subsidy, there was, in general, little increase in post-formation membership.

l Canal systems were transferred without people’s rehabilitation and a fixed time schedule for completion; poor condition of canals restricts the sustainable development of WUAs.

l WUAs were registered under the Co-operative Act, with little attention on their development.

l WUAs were apprehensive about securing the water quota provided in the agreements.

l Inadequate O&M funds deteriorated the canal system, prolonging its transfer to the WUAs.

l Farmers’ participation was adversely affected by the perception that it was Government’s responsibility.

2. Situational Analysis of WUAs in Maharashtra; Water Policy Research Highlight-45, 2012; IWMI-TATA Water Policy Programme3. ‘Participatory Irrigation Management in Maharashtra-- A Case Study’ Dr Sanjay Belsare, National Convention of Presidents of Water User Associations

organized by MoWR RD & GR. - IndiaNPIM at Delhi (7-8 Nov. 2014)4. Situational Analysis of WUAs in Maharashtra; Water Policy Research Highlight-45, 2012; IWMI-TATA Water Policy Programme

l Untimely or sometimes no disbursement of grants to WUAs slowed down their growth.

l Lack of understanding and enthusiastic support from Department officials.

Yet another study conducted by SOPPECOM of 400 WUAs in the state and published by IWMI4 points to the following concerns that need attention:

l Although the majority of WUAs have been in existence for more than 5-6 years, the data on key variables did not seem to reflect this.

l About 77% WUAs did not have an office of their own; 50% of them had less than 20% women members; only 4% had more than three women members on their management committees.

l Actual handing over had been done only to 38% of the WUAs, with joint inspection in only 39%.

l 48% of WUAs said that devices to measure the volume of water were not in place; where they were, about 32% reported that the devices were non-functional and 61% WUAs said that water was not measured properly.

l Only 5% reported having held more than three general body meetings, on average, in a year.

l Information about dam storages and rotation schedules are rarely shared with the WUAs. Half of the WUAs reported that preliminary irrigation programmes (PIPs) are not prepared and shared prior to rotation even though, under the state Acts, this is an important part of PIM.

l 70% of WUAs reported that crops are decided by the farmers; there is no collective planning by the WUA based on information on availability of water and the number of rotations.

l A deep-rooted understanding of participation and democracy needs to be internalized and practiced by farmers along with a commitment for equitable distribution and sustainable use of water.

l Very often, a strong nexus exists between some users and the WRD. This leaves a section of the farmers without access to water and with no say in the decision-making.

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5. hhttp://dsd.dacnet.nic.in/APY-Website.pdf

Apart from being one of the frontrunners in PIM, Maharashtra is also the largest producer of sugar in India. The area under sugarcane in the state has increased more than two-fold, between 2003-04 and 2012-13, from 4.43 lakh ha to 9.37 lakh ha.5 Thisand the fact that sugarcane irrigation in the state uses

60% of total irrigation supply, causes substantial groundwater withdrawals.

It’s in this context that the PMKSY needs to deliver to the populace in Maharashtra. We try to examine HUF’s actions in this light through this publication.

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Reflecting on our efforts

Sl. PIA Project location - District Villages (Nos)1

WOTR

Jalna 1012 Aurangabad 103 Ahmednagar 634 Dhule 85 SIED Dhule 136 Nandurbar 137 MITTRA Nashik Nashik 48 MITTRA Khamgaon Buldhana 59 FES Yavatmal 2510 Samaj Pragati Sahyog Amravati 5111 Olam Agro India Limited Kolhapur 226

Total 519

HUF, since its inception, has been focusing on furthering collective action in different forms and across different

levels. With the launch of PMKSY by integrating several similar development programmes, emphasis has been given to integrated and collective efforts as recommended by the National Water Policy. HUF at present is supporting community initiatives in 519 villages of 10 districts in partnership with various implementing NGOs and business companies as below:

Through this note, we attempt to detail our experiences and learnings from our community initiatives in Maharashtra to further support and strengthen national initiatives and priorities.

1. Convergence of investments (resources)

Projects supported by HUF have focused on the convergence of the following resources available with different programmes, institutions and organisations at different levels and in different geographies:

l financial;

l human;

l technical;

l institutional

The convergence has been helpful in several ways:

l It has helped in the optimal utilisation of resources (financial, technical, human and institutional) and avoided duplication of efforts.

l Institutional and departmental convergence has been helpful in developing an integrated perspective towards water resources and its sources, improving synchronised action.

l It has helped in the focused implementation of government programmes and in the realisation of benefits by those who are the most in need.

l Convergence activities have happened both vertically as well as horizontally and have been guided by ecosystem needs and requirements representing different issues and challenges faced by water sector hence needing diverse solutions.

2. Increase the physical access of water on the farm and expand cultivable area under assured irrigation

HUF-supported community initiatives have resulted in more than 14,000 ha of area being stabilised from the perspective of agriculture production. This includes areas that have

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In In HUF-supported projects that are being implemented by WOTR in Jalna, SIED in Dhule and Nadurbar districts, FES in Yavatmal, and SPS in Amravati districts, resources from MGNREGS and the CFT scheme have been mobi-lized for creation of community assets for water harvesting and conservation. SIED is also providing its support as CFT in 94 villages in the Navapur block of Nandurbar district. Similarly in Nashik MITTRA, our implementing part-ner, has furthered partnership with NABARD. Olam Agro India has deployed its resources with others, including HUF, to bring about behavioural changes among sugarcane farmers to adopt water efficient agriculture practices and technologies in Kolhapur district.

In yet another initiative, WOTR is partnering with Government of Maharashtra for further strengthening and ex-panding the reach of Farmer-Centric Agro-meteorology which it has been practicing. This involves partnering with the Government of Maharashtra in generating and disseminating farmer and crop specific weather-based crop ad-visories. This collaboration specifically includes the development of a second generation Expert System that would help automate advisory generation, reduce drudgery and errors, minimise dependency on specialist inputs, reduce costs and create a data bank and repository of valuable information and knowledge.

In Nashik, MITTRA has established linkages with the Zonal Agriculture Research Station, Igatpuri, to provide tech-nical and knowledge support to farmers in project villages. WOTR is leveraging technical knowhow from IMD, KVKs, Agriculture Universities to advise farmers in Jalna district and equip them with climate-resilient agriculture practices and techniques. In yet another initiative SREC is coordinating with Government’s Convergence of Agri-cultural Interventions in Maharashtra (CAIM in the Amaravati, Akola, Wardha and Yavatmal districts of Vidarbha) where it is implementing a programme for soy farmers to adopt water-friendly practices. In Nandurbar district, for example, Joint Monitoring Visits are organized by government officials and staff members of SIED.

Similarly, different community groups and sections irrespective of caste, class and gender have been supported to come together on a common platform and oriented and sensitised to develop an integrated perspective towards water. In Gandhidham, for example, Sahjeevan has been focusing on convergence between PRIs and community groups in HUF-supported projects. As a result, PRI members have been trained on planning and management re-lated to water. Resource Management Committees involving representatives from the community and Gram Pan-chayats have been formed to take up community-oriented planning and getting them integrated into village level development plans. In Jalna, where the project is being implemented on a socio-ecological unit along watershed lines by WOTR, the target community belongs to a fairly homogenous target group. A village development com-mittee (VDC) formed by the Gram Sabha is responsible for participatory planning, implementation, monitoring and maintenance of project activities in the concerned village. The women’s SHGs, Samyukt Mahila Samitis (SMS) and other CBOs work in coordination with the VDC. All these CBOs are linked with the Gram Pachayats by way of taking their representation and information sharing.

FES has formed a multi-actor platform, Waghadi Bhachav Committe, at the block level in the Ghatanji block of Yavatmal district aimed at the rejuvenation of the Waghadi River with the involvement of representatives from community and Government. Working on a river basin approach, the committee developed a Waghadi River Reviv-al Plan and presented it before Government with an aim to develop an integrated perspective with synchronised action. After approvals from the irrigation department, 44 water harvesting structures have been selected for sur-vey that will help in rejuvenation of the river. Resources available with different government programmes are being

mobilised for the same whereas FES is providing human resources and technical know how.

benefitted from the construction of water harvesting structures such as check dams, ponds, earthen dams as also the areas where soil and moisture conservation activities such as farm bunds, staggered contour trenches, continuous contour trenches, and gully plugs, have been taken up. Increased soil moisture resulting from these has helped farmers to go in for a second crop which was not possible earlier. While understanding the state of physical access, it is important to assess the availability of water when the farmer needs it. This implies the need to look at the daily behaviour of water. We have used scientific methods to estimate the daily runoff, which is a key evidence of this behaviour. The table below presents the aggregation of runoff for the period 2012 to 2016, for April to March each year.

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District Project location April 2012 to March 2013

April 2013 to March 2014

April 2014 to March 2015 April 2015 to March 2016

Dhule Sakri 1011.11 1344.18 944.82 500.61

Nandurbar Nawapur 1064.54 1309.78 803.08 610.95

Nashik Barsingave-Igatpuri 1136.86 1326.92 1816.02 1349.8

Buldhana Khamgaon 634.4 725.25 635.65 504.48

Yavatmal Ghatanji 820.8 1031.6 818.14 606.46

Rainfall (in mm) of different project locations over different years based on daily rainfall

District Project location April 2012 to March 2013




Dhule Sakri 2934 3220 2458 759.17

Nandurbar Nawapur 3190 3191 1796 1685.15

Nashik Barsingave-Igatpuri 2424 3544 6755 4614

Buldhana Khamgaon 1639 1605 1902 670

Yavatmal Ghatanji 2611 3248 2935 662

Run-off (in m3/ha) of different project locations over different years based on daily run-off

0 0

500 2000

1000 4000

1500 6000

2000 8000

Sakri Sakri





Khamgaon KhamgaonGhatanji GhatanjiNawapur NawapurBarsingav-elgapuri

Barsingav-elgapuri

Rainfall (in mm) in project location Rainfall (in cum/ha) in project location

From our analysis, it is seen that the runoff above exhibits the following characteristics

1. Barsingave shows the maximum rainfall and runoff and Khamgaon the lowest

2. Variation in rainfall and run off is highest in Sakri of all the locations during the period. Rainfall in Sakri varies from a maximum of 1344.18 mm and to a minimum of 500.61 giving maximum to minimum ratio of 2.69. Similarly run off in Sakri varies from a maximum of 3220 m3/ha to a minimum of 759.17 m3/ha giving maximum to minimum ratio of 4.24.

3. Sakri and Nawapur both show decline in run–off during April 2014 – March 2015 with respect to previous two years. On the other hand, run–off has increased during the same period in Barsingave and Khamgaon.

4. Ghatanji seems to be worst affected during the period April 2015 – March 2016 with run off declining to as low as 662 cum/ ha in comparison to almost near to 3000 cum/ha in the previous year

5. During April 2015 – March 2016 although rainfall in Khamgaon was about 100 mm less with respect to Ghatanji, but the yield has been more in Khamgaon.

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A daily dissection of this run-off and the associated soil moisture is crucial to understand farm impacts and the limits and possibilities of making physical surface water available to harness and access.

A mismatch between crops and this water indicates the farmers’ dependence on ground water. In the districts where our projects are operational, the ground water stage of development ranges from a low of 24% to a high of 70%. The ground water dependence induced by crop water requirement has different resource impacts.

3. Improve on-farm water use efficiency

Sugarcane is widely cultivated in Maharashtra. The area under sugarcane in the state has increased more than two-fold during the period 2003-04 to 2012-13: from 4.43 lakh ha to 9.37 lakh ha.6 This, and the fact that sugarcane irrigation in the state uses 60% of total irrigation supply, causes substantial groundwater withdrawals. This calls for improving on-farm water-use efficiency not only in sugarcane but in other water intensive crops such as paddy.

4. Increase adoption of precision irrigation and other water saving technologies

Precision irrigation through drip is also being promoted in the state. The needed technical and financial support are being provided to farmers so that adoption becomes easy, especially for smallholders. In the sugarcane area of Olam more than 100 ha of area have been brought under drip irrigation with Olam providing technical knowhow. In the Barsingave integrated

6. http://dsd.dacnet.nic.in/APY-Website.pdf

Our partnership with Olam Agro India Limited in Kolhapur focuses on improving on-farm water use efficiency in

sugarcane cultivation, the target community mainly being smallholders. Therefore, such practices are promoted

that can be easily adopted by them. These include promoting the use of organic farm inputs such as farmyard

manure, green manure, biofertilisers, vermi-compost, neem cake and pressmud. Practices such as trench planting,

furrow irrigation, laser land levelling and trash mulching are also promoted. These have helped reduce consump-

tion of water on the one hand and enhance productivity on the other. During the year, more than 12,500 ha of area

belonging to about 18,000 farmers spread across 226 villages have been brought under these practices.

Similarly in Nashik, MITTRA is promoting system of crop intensification and mulching in paddy cultivation to en-

hance on-farm water use efficiency. Nearly 400 farmers have adopted the technique in the project villages.

watershed management programme which MITTRA is implementing at five tribal villages in the Igatpuri block of Nashik District with support from HUF and NABARD, 16 farmers have adopted advanced technologies such as mechanical sowing and drip irrigation on more than 15 acres of land in project area. In Jalna district WOTR is promoting use of drips and sprinklers for wheat and other crops. In Khamgaon where HUF is supporting MITTRA, 79 farmers have adopted drip systems to cultivate cotton crops, vegetable and fruits and sprinklers to cultivate wheat and gram. Similarly, SREC under HUF supported project promoted use of drip irrigation among soy farmers in four districts of Vidharbha region.

5. Enhance recharge of aquifers and introduce sustainable water conservation practices

a. Community Water Stewardship: HUF is supporting WOTR to implement the Water Stewardship Initiative with community and stakeholders at the cluster, village and household levels, reaching out to more than 10,000 households in 106 villages. This process is expected to result in communities formulating Water Stewardship Plans which will include water management plans and proposals on a watershed basis for implementation, maintenance and governance of water resources. These will focus on both supply augmentation and demand management by leveraging resources from existing schemes to improve the moisture regimes in the villages/ clusters, augment groundwater and surface water, improve water use efficiency, and promote adoption of conservation agricultural practices. Such

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an engagement will also include attempting to revive governance structures in treated watershed villages which may have become defunct or dormant.

b. River rejuvenation: HUF is supporting FES to undertake rejuvenation of the Waghadi River. FES has started initiatives with an ecosystem perspective in the Ghatanji block of Yavatmal district. To restore the base flow of the river first, FES has initiated works on the restoration and renovation of water harvesting structures in the river’s catchment area which hitherto had become dysfunctional. This is being combined with afforestation and other treatment activities in the uplands.

6. Ensure the integrated development of rainfed areas using the watershed approach

Most of the projects supported by HUF in Maharashtra fall in the rainfed areas of Maharashtra. These include:

a) Barasingave watershed in the Igatpuri block of Nashik district where less than 5% of area is irrigated in project villages. It is being implemented in five tribal villages, home to 848 Tribal families out of which 26 are landless. The project area consists of three micro watersheds in an area of 2784 ha. Although average rainfall is nearly 2000 mm, the project area is facing acute shortage of drinking water and irrigation water availability in the project area. Therefore, in addition to water harvesting and conservation, activities such as afforestation on forest land (about 1000 ha); promoting use of water saving technologies in crops such as paddy; and cultivation of crops such as niger and potato suited to the local ecosystem are being undertaken by MITTRA under the HUF-supported project. Additional focus is on ensuring availability of safe and hygienic drinking water availability to nearly 85 families of the village. This has been made possible through the renovation of water collecting chambers of two natural springs in the village and making separate arrangements for livestock and other household chores such as washing clothes. Women have been collectivised into groups and entrusted with managing the groups themselves.

b) In 75 villages of the Ambad, Bhokardan and Jafrabad blocks of Jalna district in Maharashtra WOTR is promoting, along with the soil and water conservation, agricultural techniques and practices as part of its

adaptive sustainable development approach. These include promoting low external inputs, increase land productivity, use of indigenous seeds, and reducing costs of cultivation. Also being promoted are agricultural demonstration plots, vermi-compost pits, training farmers on better practices of transplantation, crop geometry (spaced planting), soil and manure preparation, correct tillage operations, seed treatment, better sowing methods, among others. These are being effectively combined with agro-meteorology and water budgeting to make agriculture not only sustainable but also efficient and adaptive. Water budgeting exercises help farmers understand water availability in the region so as to better plan the crops they would sow in the season, keeping in mind food security, nutrition security and market demands. The idea and purpose is to promote resilient, adaptive and sustainable agricultural practices and thinking that generate optimum output per drop of water.

c) Similarly in Dhule and Nandurbar districts, SIED with support from HUF is focusing on issues related to livestock development and organising women in SHGs and helping them take up income generation activities in addition to watershed development. The project area spans 13 villages of Navapur Block of Nandurbar District and 13 villages of Sakri Block in Dhule District. Special emphasis is being given to treating and initiating agriculture practices in uplands that are owned by small and marginal farmers.

d) FES in Yavatmal district has adopted a river basin approach that attempts to restore water harvesting structures and carry out afforestation activities in uplands aimed at maintaining environmental flows for the Waghadi River, a tributary of the Godavari, that has gone dry.

7. Promote extension activities

Concerted efforts are being made by HUF and its partners to undertake extension activities in project areas. The local ecology, ecosystem requirements, ecological sustainability and the local rural economy are providing guidance as to whether market-based or need-based measures are required to ensure the food security of the community. This has been possible by adopting diverse approaches as seen below.

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Jalna district, where average rainfall in the district normally ranges between 650 and 750 mm, often experiences

drought with rainfall as low as 400 to 450 mm. Communities in the project area, which covers 75 villages of Ambad,

Bhokardan and Jafrabad blocks, practice dryland and rainfed agriculture as only 7% of agriculture land is irrigat-

ed. Therefore, the focus is on providing services to farmers that ensure their food security. WOTR has established

automated weather stations with support from HUF that are linked with the IMD. These are being used to provide

weather and agriculture advisories to farmers on a regular basis that help them become more climate resilient. In

its Memorandum submitted to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture on 21st April 2016, WOTR

advocated functional extension systems for the regular transfer of information to farmers. It has developed a par-

ticipatory tool for climate-induced vulnerability assessment that enables stakeholders to identify their risks and

vulnerabilities for the building of resilience and adaptive capacities. HUF along with SDC has supported WOTR to

establish a ‘Centre for Excellence in Adaptation Research and Practice’. Through this, WOTR has started trans-disci-

plinary research and plans to disseminate findings to build a community of learning and practice that can advocate

and lead innovations in policy and practice for adaptation and resilience building. WOTR also plans to develop a

programme that will enable communities to articulate how they are being impacted by climatic forces, to Identify

and assess communities’ areas of vulnerability, and to provoke communities to plan for and undertake adaptive ac-

tions to build resilience and reduce vulnerability. Jal Sevaks are being appointed to foster community involvement

and prepare water budgest, along with community members, that take into consideration several parameters.

FES, which is operational in Yavatmal district, uses tablets to make the collection and analysis of information more

efficient. It has also developed the Composite Land Restoration Assessment & Treatment Tool (CLRATT) as a rec-

ommendation map that takes into account several geographic and geological variables on the GIS platform to

assist in the planning of the area’s soil and water conservation measures This realises optimal benefits, generates

awareness and improves planning of interventions under the project and influences various government pro-

grammes. The tool can also help in the implementation of large scale programmes such as NREGS. Offline atlases

are available in .pdf format for 50 blocks. Plans are also afoot to make Dryland Portal, an online platform providing

free access to information on 640 districts and 2.5 lakh Panchayats, -from a database compiled from the 1950s on-

wards, shortly. It would make data available from different sources, at different scales, on more than 300 variables.

MITTRA in Nashik with technical support from Zonal Agriculture Research Station, Igatpuri, focusses on promoting

packages of practices suited to the respective areas which also involves informing farmers about the crop varieties

that can be taken up and are in sync with local ecology.

In Kolhapur, extension activities of Olam focus on bringing about behavior change among sugarcane farmers on

water management, adoption of water-friendly varieties, promoting water application efficiency, and use of organ-

ic farm inputs. Demonstration plots have been set up and farmers’ interaction is encouraged.

In Vidarbha region, SREC has focussed on supporting smallholders to enhance their incomes and livelihood through

a sustainable soy value chain. The extension model of SREC focuses on behavior change among farmers towards

adoption of latest technology and Good Agricultural Practices. Early adopters are identified as lead farmers and

trained in sustainable practices. Demonstration plots are set up focusing on GAP, organic farm inputs, and water ef-

ficient practices, among others. Field training was organized in the three crop growth stages of soybean: pre-sow-

ing, post-sowing, and harvesting & marketing.

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Benefits of technology in extension services:

l Helped enhance efficiency in collection, collation, compilation and analysis of information.

l Independence from factors such as literacy, as most of it is image-based.

l Made dissemination of information easier and cost-effective.

8. Attract greater private investments

Most of the projects supported by HUF are leveraged projects. The basic intent is to foster collective action and thinking not only at the community level but also among the concerned institutions and organisations. This has also helped bring in diverse perspectives through which water is viewed. Private co-funding organisations include international organisations such as Karl Kübel Stiftung (KKS) and Axis Bank Foundation.

9. Enable state to implement development schemes

a. Collaborating with MGNREGS: In addition to the direct implementation of HUF-supported projects on watershed development, SIED is also supporting execution of MGNREGS in cluster facilitation mode for 94 villages in Navapur block. The main role is to support district administration on awareness generation; participatory planning; encouraging community to demand for work in project area; capacity building of community; and handholding for executing MGNREGS works in the area. Since April 2014, work has been initiated in 94 villages of Navapur block and training conducted in 74 villages. A plan, with a spend of INR 1.3 crore, has been prepared for soil and moisture conservation works covering 500 ha and has been submitted to the district administration. It is expected to generate 349879 person days of employment.

FES, in an HUF-supported project for rejuvenating common pool resources of water, initiated work in villages of Ghatanji block of Yavatmal district in April 2014. With the broader objective of maintaining the environmental flow of the Waghadi River, FES has started renovation and restoration of water harvesting structures and area treatment in 53 habitations governing about 3409 ha of common land and forest

lands. Resources have been mobilised from MGNREGS for carrying out the work. FES has also been designated as the organisation for the NRLM-NREGA-CFT project implemented by the Government of India. It also supports panchayats as project implementation agencies for works under NREGS.

WOTR is implementing a watershed development project on a Public Private Community Partnership (PPCP) model with support from Government of Maharashtra and HUF. The project covers 75 villages of Ambad, Bhokardan and Jafrabad blocks of Jalna district. The selected clusters are located in 3 mini-watersheds and 122 micro-watershed having an average area of around 500 ha that contribute to the Purna and Godavari rivers. It is proposed to cover 25,000 ha area in these villages. So far more than 8500 ha has been treated with soil and moisture conservation measures. The project envisages following the integrated watershed development approach using MGNREGS funds. An effective approach and methodology for orienting MGNREGS to undertake works on a watershed basis is being developed. At a systemic level this will have a high value proposition as MGNREGS is implemented throughout the state and top priority is given to water conservation and management works through employment generation. The watershed development work is carried out in close association with the Rojgar and Gram Sevak. The Rojgar Sevak looks after many activities related to MGNREGS in the village. So far proposals have been submitted for more than 10000 ha of soil and moisture conservation measures.

Collaboration with MGNREGS has helped in use of resources available under the scheme for creation of community assets that help harvest and conserve water. It has also helped in providing employment to villagers and reducing migration.

b. Rejuvenation of Waghadi River: In Ghatanji block of Yavatmal district, as part of HUF supported project on improved governance of common sources of water, FES has initiated the process of rejuvenation of Waghadi River, a tributary of the Godavari. Earlier, even during summers, Waghadi had a base flow but the neglect of common sources of water during the rainy season has resulted in the flow being substantially reduced;

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it is now totally absent during summers. For the last 2 years, FES has undertaken several activities including multi-stakeholder consultation; studies and analysis to delineate the causes resulting in the present state of affairs; selection of common water harvesting sources falling in the rivers’ catchment, and their restoration and rejuvenation. It has also formed a multi-stakeholder platform at the block level, the ‘Waghadi Bachav Committee’, involving representatives from the community, government and people’s representatives. FES has provided support to develop a rejuvenation plan for the Waghadi River. The plan was presented before government departments at the district, block and state levels, local representatives, and Members of Parliament and Legislative Assembly. This has resulted in the Department of Agriculture sanctioning the restoration works needed to be carried out in the area. Collaboration with the Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyan has also been developed to mobilise resources for these works.

c. NABARD: For the HUF-supported project, the ‘Barsingave Integrated Watershed Management Programme’ that began in 2011, MITTRA had mobilised resources from NABARD in June 2013 for its expansion. The project is being implemented in five tribal villages which are home to 848 tribal families, 26 of whom are landless, in Igatpuri block of Nashik district. The project area consist of 3 micro watersheds, namely, Barsingave, Sonushi and Mydara-Dhanoshi, with an area of 2784.42 ha. The area considered for PPP mode project is 2645.91 of which 1001.90 ha is forest land.

d. Maharashtra Ground Water Management Act: In the context of Maharashtra, WOTR is development a Stakeholder Engagement Methodology that would help advance the operationalising of the Maharashtra Ground Water Management Act, 2009.

10. Build a set of data points

a. Project specific indicators: To help decide the mix of activities most suited for the development of a particular landscape, HUF has developed project-specific indicators in consultation with partner organisation and the community. These have been categorised into social, economic and environmental. This also helps in capturing the diversity of local interventions needed for India’s water sector. These

local solutions can then be aggregated at the policy level. While a set of indicators apply for drainage line treatments and the benefits arising out of them, a separate set of indicators exists for soil and moisture conservation works and the benefits arising out of them. Similarly, social interventions such as community collectivisation, formation and strengthening of community institutions and other similar initiatives are also monitored rigorously on a continued basis. This makes for an aware community that is capable of taking informed decisions for sustainable management of the resource.

b. Demand and supply: HUF supports interventions aimed at augmenting the supply of water both in quantity and timeliness as well as those which support farmers in the judicious use and management of water for agriculture. A separate set of indicators have been developed for both. For the former, the quantity of water that is harvested through different interventions is monitored; for the latter, the focus is on the amount of water saved through improved agriculture practices.

11. Form and strengthen community institutions

a. Diverse community institutions: Based on the need of a particular landscape, different types of institutions have been formed in the villages. These include Self Help Groups of women which are supported to take up income generation activities and help them take part in local development and decision-making. Watershed Development Committees, Village Development Committees, Samyukt Mahila Samitis, among others, have been formed in different projects based on the landscape. The involvement of members of PRIs, opinion makers and people’s representatives has also been ensured. These community institutions are supported to function in a transparent and democratic manner and are also being technically capacitated on water conservation, its management, and its use.

b. Administrative versus hydrological boundaries: Since watersheds and water have a hydrological boundary which may not coincide with the administrative boundaries, in most of the projects village institutions are being formed on a hydrological basis covering more than one village or even spread across different blocks.

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Although it increases the complexity of operations, it is helpful in developing an integrated plan for the effective management of water.

12. Introduce knowledge initiatives

To bridge the gap between micro and macro, HUF is intensively supporting partners to undertake research studies and implement knowledge initiatives. Through the “Centre for Excellence in Adaptation Research and Practice”, established with support from HUF and SDC, WOTR has initiated ground-level collaborative and rigorous “trans-disciplinary research in use” (TRiU). Plans are to widely disseminate the findings and knowledge products at the local, national and global levels; build the capacities of relevant stakeholders to build a “community of learning and practice” that can effectively advocate and lead innovations in adaptation; and resilience-building policy and practice.

WOTR has initiated the following trans-disciplinary research:

1. Comparative Study of Natural Springs in 14 villages of Akole and Sangamner talukas in Ahmednagar district (Maharashtra).

2. A case study, “Impacts of the Rainfall Variability and the Land Use, Land Cover Change on the Ground Water Level”, in Dolasne village, Sangamner taluka , Ahmednagar district.

3. Study of the Ground Water Situation using geographical survey in 7 villages of Thalakondapally and Veldana Blocks of district Mahabubnagar, Telangana.

4. Aquifer Mapping using geographical survey data in the selected area of the Purna river basin.

Plans are to set-up a water practitioners’ network, a virtual platform through the HUF-supported projects with SPS. The platform will facilitate the exchange of views and experiences of communities, experts and practitioners related to the water sector.

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Conclusion

The challenges faced by the water sector are complex. They demand diverse solutions that take into account multiple

factors. Water resources need to be seen and analysed in their entirety, given their multiple social, economic, cultural, geological, and hydrological dimensions. The common pool nature of the resource needs to be recognised, with its multiple uses and multiple users with conflicting requirements.

If water use efficiency has to be enhanced for Indian agriculture, equal emphasis is needed on both augmenting supply and managing crop water demand. Both surface and groundwater recharge must be ensured as it has implications for our water bodies, be they lakes, ponds or rivers. Efforts made by HUF and its partners have resulted in generating collective and cumulative potential of 20,000 million litres in the state.

Water management needs to be decentralised and democratised as local problems need local solutions. Collectivising people to form community institutions is one such solution that helps in developing an integrated view and finding solutions for sustained water management. An aware community will be able to take informed decisions and harmonious relationships will be helpful in implementing those decisions. The focus has to be on smallholders, women

and marginalised sections of the community-- it is they who suffer most because of their limited ability to cope with shocks and stresses.

Finding solutions also calls for engaging different stakeholders and developing governance mechanisms based on the principles of inclusion, equity, non-discrimination, participation, accountability, transparency, equality and fairness, efficiency and effectiveness, and rule of law. This sense of shared responsibility needs to be inculcated in the thought and actions of different stakeholders and turned into constructive opportunity. Governance mechanisms that further sustainable use need to be supported.

Developing resilience among the rural populace to deal with climatic variations which are increasing with the passage of time is the next issue needing our attention. Information and communication technologies can play a decisive role in this for they bring in efficiency, help in wider dissemination, and can be made independent of constraints such as literacy.

The synchronised functioning of departments and institutions, and a functional interface between them, both horizontally and vertically, helps in the optimal use of resources, finding solutions to complex problems, and increasing efficiency.

7. Partially assured

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ABOUT HUF

Future demand for water resources will increase significantly as the population, rate of economic development, and consumption grows.

Estimates tell us that by 2030, the supply of water in India could be significantly lesser than the demand. The adverse impact of climate change on agriculture will further compound problems arising due to linkages between food, energy, and livelihoods in the country.

To understand and partake in meeting this challenge, Hindustan Unilever Foundation (HUF) was formed in 2010. By 2020, the cumulative impacts of our collective actions are expected to generate:

66 Cumulative water potential of more than 500 billion litres

66 Seven million person days generated

66 Enhanced agriculture of 0.3 million tonnes

HUF is a not-for-profit company that anchors various community development initiatives of Hindustan Unilever Limited.

HUF supports national priorities for socio-economic development through its ‘Water for Public Good’ programme. Its projects also comply with the requirements of the Companies Act, 2013.

Hindustan Unilever FoundationUnilever House

B D Sawant Marg Chakala, Andheri (E)

Mumbai-400 099. India

www.huf.co.in


May 2016

Commissioner’s visit in Soygaon Village village

Community-level training in progress

Automated weather station in Jalna

Farm bund under construction

Community members after training by KVK

water for public good - connecting the last mile - huf maharashtra note

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