Vol. 12, Issue 1 (2023)

Author(s):
P Venkataram Muni Reddy, Sasidhar Kona, CP Reddy, RV Sagar Kumar Reddy, B Janardhan Reddy, Shilpa Deshpande and A Kunnath-Poovakka

Abstract:
Integrated development of watershed through building sustainable soil and water conservation measures is the major goal of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY). The main objectives of this study were to understand the impact of Mutukuru PMKSY watershed project on Land Use Land Cover (LULC) dynamics and how the changes affected the socio-economic status of the people in the region using remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technologies. LULC images derived from satellite images captured during the pre and post project period indicate that the area under agriculture, vegetation and forest region have increased in both Kharif and Rabi seasons. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) results shows that there was about 13.6% and 33% increase in dense vegetation and high soil moisture area respectively in Mutukuru watershed. The changes had a positive impact on the socio-economic status of people in Mutukuru region. Implementation of watershed projects in the area facilitated an increment in productivity of all the crops both in kharif and rabi seasons. The number of people engaged in agriculture has increased and there was a notable increase in daily wages and annual income per household. The total milk production per year also increased by 33.9% in the mega watershed by the end of the project.