PIB TrackerIn Khed, watershed works kept crops alive through drought
Reviewing WDC-PMKSY 2.0 works in Pune's Khed project, the Land Resources Secretary asked villagers to keep the structures working for 20 years, and pressed for faster works in the 76 of Maharashtra's 304 drought-affected talukas the scheme covers.
What happened
- Dilip Kumar, Secretary, Department of Land Resources, reviewed works under the Watershed Development Component of PMKSY 2.0 (WDC-PMKSY 2.0) in Varude, Gulani and Wafgaon villages of Pune district on 30 October 2026.
- He inspected structures built on the ridge-to-valley approach - continuous contour trenches, earthen and cement nala bunds, Kolhapuri-type weirs and storage ponds - and reviewed farm ponds, horticulture, equipment and support to women's SHGs.
- Villagers said works across 11 villages of the Khed project had raised groundwater so farmers grow two to three crops a year, and that stored water kept standing crops irrigated despite drought-like conditions this year.
- The Secretary said 'every drop of rain must be conserved', urged villagers to maintain the structures so they last 20 years, and cited Hiware Bazar as the model for the Khed villages.
- At a review at YASHADA, Pune on 29 October, he asked Maharashtra to prioritise drought-prone areas and, with El Nino conditions, to speed up works in the 76 talukas covered among the State's 304 drought-affected talukas.
For Prelims
- WDC-PMKSY 2.0: approved on 15 December 2021 for 2021-22 to 2025-26, with a Central share of Rs 8,134 crore and a physical target of 49.50 lakh hectares; implemented by the Department of Land Resources.
- National progress: by 1 September 2026, 1,220 projects over 52.93 lakh ha had been sanctioned at Rs 12,404 crore, 1.24 lakh water-harvesting structures built or revived, and protective irrigation provided for an additional 3.08 lakh ha (PIB, PRID 2305550).
- PMKSY: the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana, launched in 2015 with the motto 'Har Khet Ko Pani' and the 'More Crop Per Drop' principle; watershed development is one of its components.
- Ridge-to-valley: treatment starts at the top of a watershed - trenches and afforestation to slow runoff - and moves downstream to bunds, weirs and ponds, so water is held and recharged close to where it falls.
- Kolhapuri-type weir: a low masonry barrier across a stream with removable gates, closed after the monsoon to store water and opened during floods; widely used in Maharashtra.
- Hiware Bazar: a village in Ahilyanagar (Ahmednagar) district, Maharashtra, transformed by watershed development begun in 1992 under sarpanch Popatrao Pawar (Padma Shri 2020), with Gram Sabha bans on water-intensive crops such as sugarcane.
- El Nino: the warm phase of the El Nino-Southern Oscillation, usually associated with a weaker Indian monsoon; in July the Centre stepped up El Nino preparedness as the rainfall deficit narrowed to 24 per cent (carded 8 July, PRID 2282422).
- Maintenance: watershed structures silt up and breach without upkeep; the Secretary's call for 20 years of community maintenance reflects the people's-participation principle on which watershed programmes rest.
For UPSC: WDC-PMKSY 2.0 (DoLR; approved 15 Dec 2021, Rs 8,134 crore Central share, 49.50 lakh ha target); Khed (Pune) review: 11 villages, 2-3 crops; 76 of 304 drought talukas.
What it is NOT: The release gives no figures for the Khed project - no area treated, cost, groundwater rise or yields - only villagers' testimony. It does not say how much of Maharashtra's allocation has been spent, how many projects are behind schedule, or whether the scheme, approved for 2021-22 to 2025-26, has been formally extended. It does not say who will pay for 20 years of maintenance or how Hiware Bazar's crop restrictions would be replicated.
For Mains
Syllabus: GS3.14 · GS3.4 · Linkage L1
Anchor
In a drought year, the test of watershed development is simple: are the crops still standing? In Khed, villagers told a Union Secretary that they were.
Substantiation (data)
WDC-PMKSY 2.0 works across 11 Khed villages - contour trenches, nala bunds, Kolhapuri weirs, farm ponds - raised groundwater enough for two to three crops; nationally, 1,220 projects over 52.93 lakh hectares were sanctioned by September 2026.
Position
Watershed development is the most cost-effective drought insurance for rainfed India. It stores water where it falls, recharges aquifers and spreads benefits across a village rather than to a few borewell owners.
Counterpoint
Structures without maintenance silt up within years, and gains can be captured by water-intensive crops that deplete the recharge. Testimony at an official visit is not an evaluation.
Way forward
Fund maintenance through Gram Panchayat plans and the Finance Commission's water grants; adopt Hiware Bazar-style rules on water-intensive crops; and publish independent groundwater and yield monitoring for every project.
Conclusion
Every drop conserved is a crop saved in a dry year. Keeping the structures working for twenty years is the harder half.
Deploys into: Watershed management and drought proofing · Groundwater conservation · Rainfed agriculture and climate resilience · Community participation in natural resource management
Ministry of Rural Development · 2026-10-31 · PRID 2330839 · PIB source ↗