Watershed Management Committee

Orunginaintha Vivasayikal Neer Thidal Melanmai Sangam, –name of the CBO established across the beneficiaries of soil and water conservation program supported by BMZ abd KNH together, which is called Watershed Management Committee (WMC), an apex body, registered under Tamilnadu Societies Registration Act. This committee consists of 27 members including land owners, but also other inhabitants of the watershed and water management area, plus women and representatives of the Panchayati Raj Institution from nine local Watershed Management Sangam (WMS) functioning at panchayat level.

The committees is ensuring the equal distribution of water to all users and its efficient and sustainable use; they liaise with public entities for the purpose of introducing water-saving crops, rules for subsidies and crop insurances, organising trainings, etc. The members of Watershed Management Committee trained in the area of management, law, administration, monitoring, infrastructure maintenance and repair, organic farming, Traditional Agriculture etc.,

WMC Structure

Objectives of WMC

Promote tank irrigation, dry land agriculture, farm management, organic farming, traditional seed procurement, animal husbandry and capacity building for the above activities in Tiruchuli and Narikudi Blocks.
Maintain the above mentioned modernized irrigation tanks, sluice, lining of feeder canal through rotational local management by farmers themselves and revive traditional management of natural resources through employ local representatives
Advise farmers on joint regulated marketing system and promote technical knowhow for value addition.
Raise donations from member farmers of the above said irrigation tank for maintenance of irrigation facilities, poverty reduction and promote self sufficiency among farming communities. In addition mobilise resources and avail schemes from Government, banks, co-operative societies, corporate sectors and other funding organisations.
Act as resource organisation by organising seminars, agriculture value addition training, promote technical know-how , alternate agricultural equipment production or supply to landless women especially to women headed families.
Promote production of organic manure, procure and supply organic manure to farm families and mobilise subsidies and available schemes.
Revive locally managed traditional “varabandi” system of water regulation based on the water availability in the tank.
Assist dry land farmers to install gully checks, control soil erosion, live hedges, ploughing across the slope, tree planting according to the farmers choice in waste lands and regulation of inlet channels/strems.
Facilitate and assist leasing of lands from absentee landlords for use of landless farm families thereby promote food production as well use of barren land
Assist Women Headed households through livestock promotion
Assist farmers to get active involvement in government schemes and build awareness of such schemes

LEGAL STATUS OF WMC

Act: Tamilnadu Societies Registration Act, 1975
Registration No: 131/2013 dated 6.9.2013

Act : Income Tax Act of 1961, India
Registration: Under Section12 AA