Performance Evaluation of Soil and Water Conservation Constructed Structures in Drought Prompt Areas of Satara, India

Abstract

Along with the varied climate, topography, and uncertain rainfall, the ever-increasing population has resulted in lowering the groundwater level by 2 m to 3 m in many areas of the Satara district. The present work focuses on investigating the performance of the constructed structures, which are the initiatives toward the conservation of soil and water in the drought prompt areas. The work was divided into three major stages; the initial stage is about data compilation, the second stage is related to the site investigation and collection of data based on the survey requirements, and finally, the interpretation of the obtained data. From the observations obtained through the field survey and ground-level investigations, it is noted that the soil and water conservation works have made a significant impact. From the survey data, it is observed that the change in local crop patterns along with its increased yield and the lifestyle of people residing nearby highlights the usefulness of the various incorporated initiatives. In the drought prompt areas due to the implementation of such schemes, the groundwater table levels significantly increased. But on the other side, several shortfalls were noticed and reported including manual errors, climatic and seasonal reasons, and site selections based on the selected site studies. Overall suggestions for future improvements in the performance of such constructed facilities are presented through this field investigation.