Up-scaling potential impacts on water flows from agricultural water interventions: opportunities and trade-offs in the Osman Sagar catchment, Musi sub-basin, India

Garg, K K and Wani, S P and Barron, J and Karlberg, L and Rockstrom, J (2012) Up-scaling potential impacts on water flows from agricultural water interventions: opportunities and trade-offs in the Osman Sagar catchment, Musi sub-basin, India. Hydrological Processes, 27 (26). pp. 3905-3921. ISSN 0885-6087

[img]
Preview
PDF (Author Version) - Submitted Version
Download (1MB) | Preview

Abstract

Agricultural water management (AWM) has been shown to improve and secure yields in the tropics and has been suggested as an important way to combat poverty in the region. In this paper we describe potential impacts on upstream and downstream flows of extensive AWM interventions, using the watershed development programme of the Osman Sagar catchment of Musi sub-basin, Andhra Pradesh semi-arid India, as an example. Various AWM interventions are compared with a non-intervention state and the current state of the study area, using 31- years of data by application of the calibrated and validated ARCSWAT 2005 (Version 2.1.4a) modelling tool. Different AWM interventions contribute to improved livelihoods of upstream smallholder farmers by increasing soil moisture availability and groundwater recharge, which can subsequently be used for irrigation. The result is higher crop production and hence larger incomes. Moreover, lower flow intensities and sediment losses reduced by 30-50 %, reduce the risk of flooding and sediment accumulation in the Osman Sagar drinking water reservoir. On the other hand, AWM interventions are predicted to result in reduced total water inflows to the Osman Sagar reservoir from 11 % of the total annual rainfall (754 mm) recorded at present, to 8 % if AWM interventions were implemented at large scale throughout the catchment. A cost-benefit analysis of AWM interventions showed that the highest net economic returns were achieved at intermediate intervention levels (only in-situ AWM).

Item Type: Article
Divisions: UNSPECIFIED
CRP: UNSPECIFIED
Uncontrolled Keywords: SWAT, trade-offs, upstream-downstream, watershed development, Musi subbasin, Semi-arid India, Agricultural water interventions
Subjects: Others > Watershed Management
Depositing User: Mr Siva Shankar
Date Deposited: 23 Aug 2012 06:24
Last Modified: 01 Mar 2016 09:13
URI: http://oar.icrisat.org/id/eprint/6094
Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/hyp.9516
Projects: Stockholm Resilience Centre research collaborations in India, RETA 5812, RETA 6067
Funders: Sweden(SIDA), Manila( ADB)
Acknowledgement: The authors are thankful to Mr. Sanjay Gupta, IFS, Command Area Development Authority, Hyderabad for providing Osman Sagar inflow data on a monthly time scale. This work was funded through the SIDA grant to support Stockholm Resilience Centre research collaborations in India. Additional funding for Jennie Barron was supported by FORMAS Exec. Financial support to ICRISAT from the Asian Development Bank, Manila, Philippines through RETA 5812 and RETA 6067 enabled development of Kothapally watershed is also gratefully acknowledged.
Links:
View Statistics

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item