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A Case Study of THE ANDHRA PRADESH RURAL LIVELIHOODS PROJECT”
Gopannapalli Village of Devarkadra Mandal in Mahaboobnagar district has demonstrated that the development of a village can happen only if there are adequate water resources. 429 families stay in Gopannapalli, and the total population is 3,066. Most of the area in this village is rain dependant, so castor and cotton are the major crops. Farmers who have borewells on their lands cultivate paddy. The last three years, since the rainfall was poor the crops failed. People had to walk for over a kilometre to fetch drinking water. There was insufficient water for the cattle and those who could not afford to pay to send their cattle far away to graze were forced to sell them at very low prices. This forced the villagers to migrate to distant places in search of a
livelihood.
The watershed programme of the APRLP changed the entire complexion of Gopannapalli village. Twelve self-help groups were formed and federated into a village organisation. First the project officials introduced the concept of watershed among all the villagers and explained to them the benefits that the watershed programme can bring to the village. They spread the message that to increase the groundwater level or fill the ponds and tanks they should not let the rainwater go waste.
After being trained the villagers prepared action plans and formed user groups. With the approval of the project, they constructed water conservation structures such as percolation tanks, check dams, check walls, and bunds, introduced horticulture (Sweet lime) and bund planting. Within two years the groundwater increased significantly. Tanks and ponds filled up with water. When the water levels increased, those who had migrated to other places gradually returned and began cultivation.
As water levels in the village increased crops had a better yield. As a result larger areas came under cultivation. This increased the scope for work within the village. More people got the opportunity to work for longer periods in the year. Sufficient water increased the availability of feed and fodder for the cattle, bringing down the distress selling of cattle. Milk production increased, providing higher incomes. Initially as the area was dry, people cultivated only castor and cotton. Now since water resources are available the people have shifted to growing vegetables and some even cultivate paddy. Consequently there is now food security for the villagers.
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