What is the importance of watersheds and their management?

Water is the one of the main sources of life on Earth. Without it, there would be no existence on the planet. It is also a precious and scarce resource. In a bid to conserve water, there has been much emphasis on watersheds and their management. What is a watershed? Why is its management so essential? Read on to learn more.

Watershed management

 Source: http://watersheds101.ca/learn-about-watersheds/what-is-a-watershed

1)   What is a watershed?

A watershed is any land that feeds the water running through and across it into larger water bodies – wetlands, rivers, lakes and oceans. The water from precipitation may flow on the surface of the land or underground as ground water. Naturally, it flows from higher elevations to lower. How much water flows downstream depends on the temperature, soil mix, slope and land cover of the watershed.

Watersheds include farm land, towns, cities, gardens, houses, backyards and forests. Basically, all of the land on Earth is part of a watershed. Think of a giant container that collects all the rainfall falling in an area. It, then, empties this water into a common outlet. That is what a watershed does. It is also called a drainage area, catchment area or basin.

2)   How do you define the boundaries of a watershed?

The boundaries of a watershed depend on the topography of the area. Typically, when the elevated areas receive precipitation, water flows downstream carrying with it sediments and nutrients from the soil. The elevated area is bounded by mountains, gully lines and ridge tops. The mouth of the river or stream into which the water flows is the lower boundary of the watershed. Two watersheds are separated by naturally elevated areas.

3)   How large is a watershed?

It could be less than an acre or several thousand square miles long. It could also cross state and, even, national boundaries.

4)   What is watershed management?

Watershed management is the optimal utilization of land and water resources in a watershed to ensure good quality of water in and from it. How do you use the land that is part of the watershed? What water management practices are you following to protect the quality of water and other natural resources in the watershed? This is the essence of watershed management.

5)   Who is responsible for watershed management?

There are many stakeholders for any watershed. The landowners, stormwater management experts, environmentalists, water use surveyors and communities are all collectively responsible for watershed management.

6)   What are the objectives of watershed management?     

Watershed management entails several different goals:

·      Enhancing water quality and controlling salinity and alkalinity

·      Preventing soil erosion and protecting the soil and other natural resources

·      Controlling floods

·      Recharging ground water and maintaining the water table

·      Restoring productivity of degraded land

7)   Why is watershed management important?

Development for man’s ever-increasing needs has led to serious consequences for the environment around him. This includes deforestation, alteration of natural topography of the land and ill-advised construction along river basins. These actions have deprived animals of their habitats, caused soil erosion and led to flooding of homes and farmlands. In light of this, watershed management is essential.

8)   In what ways can watershed management affect us?

(1)  Watersheds affect the quality of water you drink and use in general. If you pollute your watershed with fertilizers, chemicals and other waste matter, this directly contaminates your water. This not only affects human life but plant and animal life too. After all, they are also dependent on water bodies for their existence.

(2)  Polluted watersheds sound the death knell for biodiversity as well. Some natural species die and are replaced by newer and more invasive ones. These also affect the food chain by depriving some species of their natural food.

Microorganisms – Insects – Birds – Animals – Man

Perched at the top of the food chain, humans are naturally adversely affected.

(3)  Countries highly dependent on rainfall need the water collected from rain to earn their livelihood. Crop productivity, crop diversity and land maintenance depend on good watershed management.

(4)  The forests and wetlands in watersheds help prevent climate change and hence reduce the risk of droughts and floods.

(5)  A good watershed management plan will preserve the habitat of wildlife.

(6)  A healthy watershed management system will ensure that downstream dams and reservoirs are well-supplied.

(7)  Watersheds are not isolated pieces of land. One watershed is connected to another and therefore, the quality of one affects the other. The surrounding ecosystem depends on watersheds to thrive.

Man is the single-most destructive member of the ecosystem. His actions directly cause all the other members to suffer or benefit. To quote from the movie Spiderman, “With great power comes great responsibility.” It is our duty and responsibility to ensure good watershed management to enable the survival of the ecosystem as a whole.

The Art of Living has been involved in various water management projects. It has been involved in educating farmers about the judicious usage of water. It has also encouraged them to construct wells and dams to enjoy the benefits of water in the dry seasons. With the participation of all the stakeholders of the watershed management system, it has helped villagers move towards water conservation.