A GIS-based integrated framework for the inclusion of socio-economic aspects in watershed management

The ultimate objective of watershed programmes is to achieve community development through restoration of degraded natural resources such as land, water, and vegetation. Most watershed programmes are carried out through the development of drought-prone areas, desert areas, wastelands, and rain-fed areas. Monitoring of such programmes for ensuring the health of the watershed and its community is critical. However, existing techniques do not represent the realistic scenario. In this paper, an effort has been made to integrate the socio-economic aspects and hydrological consequences of watershed management. A new index called the House Hold Development Index has been constructed using socio-economic indicators, and has been embedded into the watershed management framework. The technique is employed on the Dudhi micro-watershed, which falls in the Raisen district of the state of Madhya Pradesh in India.