The Hindu Business Line : ITC chalks new schemes for AP wasteland development

Kolkata May 15 ITC, in collaboration with Society for National Integration through Rural Development (SNIRD) of Ongole (AP), has chalked out new initiatives under its ongoing Indigenous Soil and Water Conservation Practices & Social Forestry (ISWCP) programme in Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh.

The targeted areas of the programme are the semi-arid regions of Ponnalur, Kanigiri, Lingasamudram and Voletivaripalem mandals.

The project is being implemented by SNIRD under the ongoing `Mission Sunehra Kal' community welfare project sponsored by ITC in different regions of the country.

Speaking to Business Line recently on the direction of the ICWCP programme in 2007-08, Mr Vijay Vardhan, Regional Manager (South), ITC-Social Development Initiatives, said that besides enhancing productivity of poor quality soils by promoting plantations with suitable species, the programme will help in promotion of livelihood avenues and capacity infusion of traditional water use groups.

He said that three new programmes were started in 2006-07 in the ILTD Crop Development areas, covering Orissa (Rayagada district) and Mysore (Periyapatna and Hunsur taluks), in collaboration with other welfare organisations such as Pradan and Myrada.

ITC's watershed programme in Andhra Pradesh are implemented in Prakasam and Nellore districts and in Vinukonda (the Burley tobacco area).

Besides livelihood enhancement through better land and water management (in Orissa), some of the other programmes relate to organic farming in HD Kote (Mysore) and tree-based farming system for productivity improvement (also Mysore).

Mr Godfrey G.P. Jawahar, Executive Secretary, SNIRD, said that the major objective was to conserve soil and moisture, formation and revival of traditional water harvesting structures (WHS) and to bring cultivable wastelands under cultivation.

Commenting on the activities of SNIRD, set up 10 years ago, Mr Jawahar said that the focus group includes disadvantaged fisherfolk, Yenadi and Dalit tribals and other backward communities, women and children, and small and marginal farmers.

"Our activities now span a total of 225 villages in 12 mandals of Prakasam and Nellore districts."

He added that some 20 revenue villages in Ponnalur Mandal, seven in Kanigiri, five in Voletivaripalem and eight in Lingasamudram have been identified for intervention under the project.

According to Mr Vardhan, the ICWCP project is intended to benefit 20,000 acres of agricultural land by creating additional water storage.

Stating that critical irrigation source will be provided for rain-fed crops such as tobacco and red gram, Mr Vardhan said that the old water harvesting system would be revived through desiltation and repair works.

On plantations achieved in the last three years under Sunehra Kal, he said that subabul was planted over 2,271 acres, bamboo on 96 acres and jatropha on 14 acres.

Some 50,165 saplings have been planted on WHS.

On soil and water conservation achievements during 2006-07, Mr Vardhan said that the number of villages covered was 40 and the total cost was Rs 1.68 crore, with local contributions (from farmers) being over Rs 7 lakh.