Emerging Issues in the Process of Watershed Implementation: A Comparative Analysis of Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan (Report‪)‬

Abstract This paper seeks to establish the various issues involved in the implementation of watershed development programmes and aims to ascertain how the different stakeholders act collectively to reduce poverty. In the context of the Common Guidelines 2008, the role and responsibilities of the different stakeholders at different levels, namely, district, intermediate panchayat and grama panchayat on the one hand, and the Project Implementing Agency (PIA), Watershed Development Team (WDT) and Watershed Committee (WC) on the other, are relevant. Some of the issues addressed in this study include different dimensions and levels of participation by the stakeholders to ensure livelihood security. In the context of the people's participatory approach advocated by the different watershed guidelines right from 1994-95, our analysis of seven select watersheds in the two states of Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan highlights the potential of watershed development in enhancing livelihoods. It brings out clearly the importance of the involvement of the different stakeholders in the processes of watershed implementation.