Watershed Planning and Employment Generation

Watershed is a self-contained unit where all resources are available. Besides easy local resource mobilisation, it is possible to have effective interaction and coordination within the watershed region. Therefore, watershed planning is an appropriate method to achieve total transformation of the rural areas . As part of the process of rural transformation the present study emphasises on employment generation through watershed planning. The main objectives of the study are: (1) To identify the planning units of Willingdon Watershed of South Arcot Vallalar District of Tamil Nadu and bring out its profile; (2) To assess the distribution of basic resources found in the Watershed and evaluate their resource potential in terms of its employment opportunities; (3) To study the ongoing development projects in the Watershed. To fulfil the above objectives, both primary and secondary data were collected using separate proforma for both. The data were collected from various official reports. documents, journals and books. 240 respondents were contacted in different villages in order to assess the levels of employment, job opportunities and socio-economic condition. The sample villages were selected by using nearest neighbour technique and random numbers and among these villages 10 per cent households were interviewed. Using the quantitative model developed by Sathyapaul, the patterns of employment, unemployment and under-employment were estimated. This study has a wide range of application in different watersheds spread over the country. a must for anyone studying watersheds.