An advanced capacity building program on "Concepts of Standard Design, Layout of Different Structural Measures in Watersheds" was conducted during 9th to 13th October 2017 at ICAR-Indian Institute of Water Management, Bhubaneswar for field level officers of the Directorate of Soil Conservation and Watershed Development, Govt. of Odisha under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY). The training programme aimed at different aspects of detail designs of soil & water conservation structures especially field and contour bunding, trenching, terracing and micro-catchments, water harvesting structures, gully control structures, grassed waterways and surface drainage system, groundwater recharge structures on ridge to valley approach. Hands on exercises were arranged in the training programme to quantify the groundwater recharge, hydraulic and structural design of soil conservation structures, delineation of potential zones for recharge structures by using Remote Sensing & GIS techniques.
The training programme was inaugurated on 9th October 2017 by Dr. S. K. Ambast, Course Director & Director, ICAR-IIWM. In his address to the participants, Dr. Ambast emphasized the importance of design aspects of soil & water conservation structures in successful implementation of watershed management programmes. He stressed on reorientation of watershed development programmes based on scientific design to provide assured irrigation to the stakeholders and called for managing the natural resources within the watershed efficiently.
During the training programme, resource persons from ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Koraput Centre; Odisha Space Application Center (OSAC) and scientists from ICAR-Indian Institute of Water Management, Bhubaneswar were involved in sensitizing the APD, ASCO and AAE of Directorate of Soil Conservation and Watershed Development, Govt. of Odisha. Er. K. P. Tripathi, Ex-Principal Scientist, ICAR-IISWC, Dehradun and Sh. Papatrao Pawar, Farmer Sarpanch from Hiware Bazar, Maharasthra delivered lectures on maintenance of soil & water conservation structures and success story of community based watershed development programme, respectively, which were applauded immensely by the trainees. Two field visits were arranged to Arilo watershed, CTCRI Research farm and Centre of Excellence, Deras, Khurda, where the trainees were exposed to watershed activities, potential to increase farm income through tuber and horticultural crops in watershed. On 13th October, 2017 afternoon, Dr. S. K. Ambast, Director of the Institute and Sh. H. K. Panda, Director (Technical) of Directorate of Soil Conservation and Watershed Development, Govt. of Odisha graced the valedictory function. The five days training programme was attended by 25 field functionaries from different districts of Odisha and Dr. R. K. Panda, Principal Scientist and Dr. Ranu Rani Sethi, Senior Scientist coordinated the training programme.