Impact assessment of river rejuvenation project: a case study of Lakya watershed, Vedavathi River
Student name: Ms Deepali Goyal
Guide: Dr Chander Kumar Singh
Year of completion: 2016
Host Organisation: The Art of Living International Centre, Bengaluru
Supervisor (Host Organisation): Dr Y. Lingaraju
Abstract: Vedavathi River rejuvenation project was launched by Vyakti Vikas Kendra India (VVKI) with the support of Rural Development and Panchayath Raj Department of the Government of Karnataka through the respective Gram Panchayaths.
In the first phase of the rejuvenation project, 49 villages of Lakya Hobli of Chikkamagaluru District were taken up. The main components of the project were the construction of boulder checks to control soil erosion and sedimentation, the construction of recharge wells and recharge bore wells to accelerate the process of ground water recharge, and the construction of water pools to revive the surface water bodies.
The sites for constructing these structures were finalised after a detailed study of the location was done. The study was conducted using the thematic maps of this region. However the process of implementation was a very challenging one where community participation was a major issue. VVKI took steps to mobilise the community through various programmes.
This thesis explores the different processes that took place during the Vedavathi River rejuvenation project in detail and also visits the three villages covered in phase-I to know the perception of the people with regards to the impact of the project.
Key words: River Rejuvenation, Groundwater Recharge, Thematic Maps, Community Participation, MGNREGA
