ENVIRONMENT

Eco-Development of Selected Micro-Catchments in the Bedthi, Aghanashini River Basins of Uttara Kannada District

The Planning Commission had drawn up certain special area programmes for development of ecologically sensitive areas of the country. The Department of Environment, Government of India was given the responsibility to initiate action research projects in those areas. The monitoring committee of this programme while reviewing projects carried out by various institutions, felt the need for an interdisciplinary action research programme focusing on a micro-watershed. Bidthi-Aghanashini river valleys in the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka form one of the seven areas selected for this purpose. Observations of imbalances have been voiced from various quarters, which have often been a result of limited sectorial interventions. Surveying and inventorying the status of sources including land, water, cultivated crops, orchards, livestock, natural plant and animal life as well a the human population. The implementation and the subsequent monitoring being an ongoing process, activities shall continue on the field. However, for the purpose of the project, the plans for these micro catchments can be considered as an achievement. The implementation shall be coordinated at village level of the local task force and as such the result of such a systematic implementation can be observed only after a time lag. The micro level surveys were conducted in the micro catchments of Madenally and tattikai. These surveys were similar to those carried out in the sirsi-Makki and Masur-Lukkeri micro catchments. The compilation of data and its analysis were done. Workshops were orgainsed during the year with the objective of involving district level government officials and academic personnel like teachers etc. Significant among these are two workshops: (a) Workshop on forests and estuary management, held at the Zilla Parishat, Karwar, and (b) teachers training programme for monitoring the status of environment and natural resources, organised at Masur. This training programme was towards equipping the teachers for educating the highschool students to undertake relevant field studies and services. A manual titled "Monitoring studies of environment" was prepared to serve high school teachers as a pedagogic aid. An environment mapping exercise was carried out in Masur-Lukkeri catchment. The map gives details of location and area specific presence of various biotic species and land u se patterns. The land has been divided into 7 categories and further sub-classified into 27 components, superimposed on 50m x 50 m grid. This map would serve as a bench mark for the status of environment as on date, thus helping in the monitoring of progress associated with changes due to government interruptions.

Close