Rural Livelihoods and Sustainable Living: Case-14: WATER WALKS IN MOLKATALLA!

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A Case Study of THE ANDHRA PRADESH RURAL LIVELIHOODS PROJECT”

The scenic Village of Molkatalla is surrounded by huge hills. The rainfall is scanty, and when it did rain the water washed away through the Nagulavanka Canal into the Penna River.  Groundwater was scarce and only about 20 acres of land had any irrigation facility. The people were poor. They waited anxiously for the rain, because only then could they make ends meet.  They cultivated the land only for rainfed crops like jowar, maize, red gram and millets. Most of the people migrated seasonally to nearby towns in search of work. 

This poor village which is in Pedda Vadagurumandal of Anantapur district was identified by the APRLP for watershed development. The geography and topography of the village was ideal for watershed activities, so an action plan was drawn up and in 2001-2002 water conservation works commenced in the village.

There were three major activities:

• Minor water streams

• Agriculture

• Forest development

Villagers started working to implement the following activities with an accepted budget by the watershed committee:

Type of Work:                                  Quantity:                      Cost (in Rs.)

• Check dams                                                5                                    4, 82, 000

• Avulannagari tank                                     1                                         58, 000

• Contra bunding                                                                                     67, 000

• Feeder channel                                          1                                         66, 000

• Stone constructions                                18                                         81, 000

• Soil conservation works (RFDC)                                                        46, 800

• Fodder plot                                               15 acres                               16, 000

• Farm ponds                                                 1                                         14, 400

• Dryland horticulture plantation             15 acres                           2, 18, 000

           

 • Percolation tanks                                                                              1, 02, 000

• RF                                                                                                         2, 01, 000

Water coming from atop the Girrappa Hill used to accumulate in the last field. Five check dams were constructed by the project and the Panchayati Raj department constructed an additional five check dams. This resulted in the harvesting of rainwater. With water percolating into the soil the soil-moisture content and water table of the village improved. The pattern of agriculture changed and contributed to a significant rise in income of several families.

A village, which did not have a single borewell, has forty of them today, each with a good output of water. 150 acres have become irrigated. In addition, some people have installed drip irrigation from borewells and developed citrus gardens. In about five years, the minimum yield of fruit per acre was five tons. The user group leader and farmer Nageshwar Reddy said that the yield per acre fetched Rs.20, 000-30, 000.

The villagers say they owe their happiness to the APRLP watershed programme.