Socio-economic characterization and Natural Resource appraisal for watershed development around Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Project sites in Andhra Pradesh, India ​

Ravi K N , Battu Krishna Rao, Ravi Dupdal, Madhu M, Prabhavathi M, Ramesha M N, Kannan K, Bhupendra Singh Naik, Sudheer Aneepu, Anusha N M, Mohan Kumar P, Murugesan A

A comprehensive baseline study was conducted to develop the watershed treatment plan around four Pumped Storage Hydro-electric Project sites in Andhra Pradesh, India. As a part of study, household survey was conducted with 450 samples around 10 km radius of project reservoir sites. The data was collected on socio-economic conditions of communities and natural resource status around the reservoirs. The study revealed that farming is the major source of livelihood and with majority is of small and marginal land holdings. Rainfed farming is predominant in Chitravathi, Gandikota, and Owk except for the Somasila watershed. The study further shows ample scope for alternative livelihood opportunities for farmers, particularly livestock rearing and dairy entrepreneurship, to enhance farm income due to the robust presence of livestock in the watersheds. The low cropping intensity was a major concern due to the lack of irrigation and poor adoption of SWCs in some watersheds. Further, watershed intervention prioritization matrix developed under study can be an effective tool for planning different interventions with better visualization and interpretation of socio-economic and natural resource details for greater impact and targeted watershed planning.