Watershed Management Program Research Articles

Navigating the Aquatic Challenges: Tribal Communities in India's Quest for Sustainable Solutions

: India hosts the world's largest population of Scheduled Tribes (STs), constituting 8.6% of its total populace and comprising about 700 distinct tribes. Despite their cultural richness and environmental stewardship, tribal communities face significant socio-economic challenges, with 47% living below the poverty line. Predominantly residing in rural areas, these communities suffer from acute water scarcity and poor water quality. Only 20% of ST households have access to drinking water within their premises, and over 33% must travel long distances for water, exacerbating their vulnerability to waterborne diseases like diarrhea, cholera, and typhoid. Efforts by the Indian government, including the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and the Ministry of Jal Shakti, have aimed to improve water access and quality through initiatives, such as the Jal Jeevan Mission and watershed management programs. However, traditional water management strategies often fail to address the unique geographical and cultural contexts of tribal regions. This paper explores the multifaceted challenges of water scarcity and quality in India's tribal areas, analyzing the socioeconomic, cultural, and geographic factors contributing to these issues. By synthesizing data and research findings, it aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the water-related hardships faced by tribal communities and to offer insights for policymakers and stakeholders to develop more effective, culturally sensitive, and sustainable water management solutions.

EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON ADAPTATION OF FARMERS IN NORTH WEST REGIONS OF HERAT PROVINCE

Agriculture and Climate are mutually dependent. There is a need to understand the effect of climate change on agricultural sector both at global and as well as at regional level. The present study was conducted in 2020, to know the effects of climate change on farmers’ adaptation. Ex post facto research design applied for this research. Pre prepared questionnaires have been distributed to120 respondents in three districts of north - west regions of Herat province and analyzed with the help of suitable statistical tests and the findings showed that, all farmers opined that, wheat’s varieties were changed from long duration to short duration, time of planting, switching over to other crops was observed among farmers. Spacing between the rows/plants, quantity of seeds used and quantity of organic fertilizer application were increased after 2010. The major constraint to initiate adaptation measures was; difficult to work in the field due to severe temperature and the important suggestion to mitigate the ill effects of climate change was; planning to control and store rainwater through the implementation of watershed management program. Based on the results of this study, it is hoped that appropriate strategies/ measures can be worked out to create awareness and learning mechanisms to enable farmers to handle their situations better.

Applying the Parameters of Impacted Population and Gully Social Impact Factor to Prioritize Choice of Gully Erosion Intervention Programs in Resource Limited Settings: Lessons from World Bank Funded Intervention in Anambra State, Nigeria

Background: Following a presidential request for assistance in the gully erosion menacing many States in Nigeria, the World Bank intervened through the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Program (NEWMAP) in 23 States including Anambra, from 2014 - 2022. This study examined NEWMAP’s intervention in order to learn crucial lessons to improve subsequent gully remediation interventions in Anambra State. Methods: A 7-man multidisciplinary focus group was constituted to study NEWMAP’s intervention in Anambra State, determine the most striking innovation in the intervention, and explore that innovation further. Data extraction, content analysis comparative analysis, rational decision framework and the deductive model were applied to make findings and draw conclusion. Results: The study found that: (i) the most striking innovation in NEWMAP’s intervention in Anambra State is the introduction of elaborate and comprehensive package of rehabilitation of impacted population. (ii). 13 major gully erosion sites were remedied totaling 32 544.87 meters long and directly impacting a population of 163 209 persons (iii). As at June 2021, 150 000 impacted population had benefitted from micro-credit grants to engage in alternative livelihood businesses that contributed in revamping the State’s economy. (iv). The 13 gully sites remedied had a wide range of gully social impact factor, the highest three values being 101 440; 67 587.5 and 41 778; while the lowest three values are 1 204; 1 694.7 and 3 186. Conclusion: The study concludes that elaborate and comprehensive package of rehabilitation of gully impacted population is an innovation in Anambra State introduced by NEWMAP; that gully impacted population is a good measure of vulnerability; and that the parameters of impacted population and gully social impact factor are sensitive, reliable and effective parameters to prioritize choice of gully intervention programs in resource-limited settings.

Towards adaptive watershed management: a new era of watershed management in the Anthropocene

Abstract The main objective of watershed management is to conserve land and forest. However, the paradigm of watershed management has also changed and shifted to address the existing challenges. In particular, since the Anthropocene, watershed management has become a critical topic of attention as human pressures to environment have increased. The alternative is to defend against the escalating pressures or to adapt further. Three goals can be considered as the key pillars of watershed management: biodiversity protection, land preservation, and climate change adaptation. The ultimate objective is to achieve healthy watershed. The various approaches in watershed management can be categorized into three main groups: fragmented, integrated, and comprehensive watershed management. The highest level is the adaptive approach, which promotes flexibility, learning and adjusting. However, up to now not many have adopted this approach for watershed management. Indonesia might be entered the decentralization stage, and with a little improvement it can achieve the adaptive approach. We also suggest that an adaptive approach needs to be promoted in watershed management, especially during the current era, i.e., the Anthropocene. Accordingly, quality assurance cycles such as PDCA (plan-do-check-action) can be applied in the adaptive approach. This cycle can be applied to prepare the further management by adjusting and adapting previous management to improve the quality and sustainability of the next watershed management programs.

Factors affecting farmers’ decision to participate in Campaign-Based Watershed Management program in Boset District, Ethiopia

The sustainability of the ongoing national Campaign-Based Watershed Management (CBWM) program of Ethiopia depends on active participation of farmers in the planning and implementation activities. This study analyzes farmers’ participation level in CBWM program and factors that determine their participation, using mixed research methods. Key informant interviews were conducted with 29 purposively selected actors (excluding farmers) to discern their decision-making processes and to gain insight into the factors influencing farmers' participation in the program. Additionally, individual case studies were conducted with 15 farmers to explore their personal experiences. Furthermore, a household survey was administered to 351 households to explain key factors shaping their decisions to participate in the program. Our study shows that the farmers’ level of participation in the CBWM program was quite low (53.0%). Compared to the implementation and post-implementation stages, the level of participation was lowest at the planning stage of the program. Three key factors influenced the farmers’ level of participation in the program: location or proximity of farmers to the micro-watersheds during campaign works, the commitment of local leaders, and awareness and motivation of farmers. This suggests the need to (1) focus on smaller watersheds to minimize the effect of distance between farmers’ homesteads and the micro-watersheds, (2) include local livelihood opportunities to mitigate the impact of location or out-migration and ensure their availability for campaign works, (3) enhance the performance/commitment of local leaders, (4) improve farmers’ awareness and motivation through capacity building. However, given that the effect of these factors varies across the studied villages and stages of the program, a more bottom-up planning approach that considers socio-economic and biophysical contexts should be introduced in the study area and other similar localities where watershed management activities are carried out through community participation.

Watershed Management a Approach of Soil Water Conservation in Dry Zones of West Bengal

Watershed management is rudimentary concept of integration of water management and livelihood. In dry and arid zones of West Bengal (Agro climatic zone VII), the districts like Purulia, Bankura, West Midnapore, Birbhum have the issues of severe water crisis, crop failure, and lack of irrigation water, soil erosion. Purulia receives an annual rainfall of 1200 cm but most but the condition of the top soil is degenerative and total top soil is eroded with water and water retention is minimal. Thus, it can be concluded that rainfall is surely not the issue for the water crisis. Now here is a ground breaking initiative of developing the watershed management programme for effective soil water conservation and also for the rejuvenation of six major rivers of South West Bengal. There are certain structures for example the 30-40 model which can slows down the speed of the run-off, prevent top soil loss and along with this certain water harvesting structures and plantation to secure food fodder and fuel crisis of marginal individuals of these regions. In this paper discussion have been made regarding the formulation of strategies of Watershed development and its field level implementation at Hura Block as this is our intensive block of the project. Vigorous technological use like estimation of run off and development of models complying with the run off standards are analyzed in the paper. Furthermore, the cropping techniques that have been performed to develop the watershed and promote soil conservation has also be critically analyzed in the research paper.

Understanding the role of scientific knowledge transfer in the women's participation and farmer activities in Central Java

The forest turns to agricultural land in the Serayu watershed in Central Java, Indonesia. The Strengthening Community-Based Forest and Watershed Management (SCBFWM) project aims to improve and expand the Indonesian government's community-based forest and watershed management programs. The study's objectives are: 1) investigate the factors that contribute to the successful implementation of scientific findings in everyday life; 2) analyze the potential impacts of alternative strategies for the development of farming systems in the watershed on rural livelihoods; and 3) analyze the rules and governance structure that organizes the action of actors and how decisions are made. We use the RIU (Research-IntegrationUtilization) Model to examine how scientific research can yield effective policy advice and decision-maker's role in transforming advice into effective problem-solving. The findings that emerged from the research demonstrated that the district government cares about the environment but does not prohibit upstream potato cultivation strictly. When the SCBFWM project was established, cultivation restrictions were implemented. The research on the importance of women's participation in watershed management was communicated to the district administration and included in the SCBFWM project's proposal, but the actual action was different. The RIU model demonstrated that high-quality science is insufficient without efficient integration and acknowledges the inherent divergent interests within science and policy

SOCIAL EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN THROUGH SELF HELP GROUPS

The relationship between women’s empowerment and social development has been a major theme in studies of any nation’s overall development. The United Nation (UN) claims that improving women’s status is not only beneficial to themselves but also for overall social and economic development of the nation. The present study was carried out in Amreli district of Gujarat state. Three talukas were purposively selected where SHGs formed under Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP). Two villages were selected purposively where SHGs are working from last three years. Nine SHG members were selected randomly in each of SHG and nine non SHG members were selected in same villages for comparative study. A total of 180 respondents were selected for the study. The Ex-post facto research design was adopted. Data were collected through personal interviews using the pre-tested structured interview schedule. The result revealed that the independent sample ‘Z’ test showed that there was highly significant difference in the mean values of SHG members and Non-SHG members in case of communication ability, mass media exposure, extension contact and social status.

A perspective of sustainable livelihood framework in analysis of sustainability of rural community livelihoods: evidence from Migori River watershed in Kenya

ABSTRACT Evaluation of livelihood sustainability in ecologically sensitive areas, impoverished regions, and disaster-stricken zones is critical for understanding sustainability challenges and administering poverty-relief interventions. This paper assesses the sustainability of rural households’ livelihoods in the Migori River watershed in Kenya by constructing a livelihood sustainability index (LSI). A cross-sectional survey design was used to collect data from 318 randomly selected households from the upstream, midstream, and downstream watershed zones. The LSI was constructed using the UK Department for International Development (DFID) methodology based on the five livelihood capitals, and one-way ANOVA was used to test for significant differences between watershed zones. The results of the analysis show that although the livelihoods of all the three watershed zones are moderately sustainable with no significant variations (at p < 0.05) between the zones, the livelihoods of midstream households are most sustainable followed by the upstream households and then downstream. The social (ranging from 0.64 to 0.69), physical (ranging from 0.60 to 0.67) and natural (ranging from 0.60 to 0.64) capitals registered relatively high index values across the watershed zones unlike the human (ranging 0.55–0.65) and financial (ranging from 0.44 to 0.57) capitals that recorded relatively low index values; which implies that human and the financial capitals are least possessed assets in the watershed. Therefore this paper recommends increasing the natural capital through sustained conservation of natural resources, increasing human capital by providing skills training to household on alternative livelihood options, and increasing access to financial capital by strengthening rural entrepreneurship. The paper suggests the usage of LSI by policy-makers as a practical tool to quantify the livelihood capital endowment of rural communities to help in prioritizing watershed management programs and the development of interventions aimed at a specific livelihood asset. It may also help policy-makers in project monitoring and evaluation, where it provides feedback critical for continual project improvement.

Informing watershed management in data-scarce Indian Himalayas

Anthropogenic water stress, especially in mountain habitats worldwide, affects water supply and threatens water security. Evaluating past trends, assessing current conditions, and anticipating future change is paramount for the sustainable use of increasingly scarce freshwater resources. This study simulates water yield using the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs (InVEST) model to generate reliable information for decision-making related to watershed management programs in data-scarce Himalayan regions. The results are translated into watershed indices easily communicable to watershed managers, stakeholders and administrative agencies. The analysis demonstrates the utility of hydrological modeling using limited data within a scoping protocol for the pre-implementation phase of any watershed management program.

Investing in nature-based solutions: Cost profiles of collective-action watershed investment programs

Worldwide, an increasing number of watershed management programs invest in nature-based solutions (NbS) to water security challenges. Yet, NbS for water security currently are deployed at well below their hypothesized cost-effective global potential, with uncertainty about costs identified as one key constraint on increased investment. Data on administrative and transaction costs of watershed investment programs are especially limited, but the few available studies indicate that these costs can be substantial. We conducted a cost survey of municipal-scale collective-action watershed investment programs, which pool resources from water users and other stakeholders to finance NbS. We obtained data from 18 programs in Latin America and the Caribbean (16), Asia (1) and Africa (1) with intervention areas from 133 ha to over 100,000 ha. During the first ten years, programs with ≥ 10 years of data had average annual costs of 0.25–3.02 million (median: 0.75 million) purchasing power-adjusted 2018 international dollars, and average annual per-hectare costs varied more than 50-fold among these programs. Administrative and transaction costs on average accounted for 46 % (range: 10–84 %) of total cumulative costs across programs during the first ten years. This share sharply declined over the initial five years but stabilized at around 40 percent of annual costs. The wide range in per-hectare costs, and the size and range of administrative and transaction cost shares reflect diverse local contexts, intervention portfolios, and program design and implementation characteristics. While large, the observed share of administrative and transaction costs is not surprising given the social, political, institutional, and technical complexity of implementing collective-action programs that involve land use changes and is similar to that of some large public environmental programs. Our findings are consistent with the few available estimates for comparable programs, underscoring the need for watershed investment programs to budget for substantial administrative and transaction cost throughout their life cycle.

Index-based impact monitoring of water infrastructures in climate change mitigation projects: A case study of MGNREGA-IWMP projects in Maharashtra

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is currently the largest funded rural development program in India to ensure rural livelihood by providing employment through different activities. Owing to climate change impacts and water scarcity for the last 5 years, approximately more than 70% of activities (budget of 5 billion USD per year) are focused on water issues. For better utilization of resources, MGNREGA has been implementing these works in convergence with many other schemes like the integrated watershed management programme (IWMP), with the aim of restoring rural natural resources, like soil, vegetation, and water. Although the largest Rural Development Scheme in India, the monitoring and evaluation (M&amp;amp;E) does not focus on the actual impact on water resources but only focuses on the amount spent. This can lead to only information on funds spent but does not have much an impact on water resources and earmarking data for monitoring. The recent advancements in remote sensing techniques have provided open access to high-resolution satellite data along with the processing platform. Considering the available technologies and gaps in the existing M&amp;amp;E framework, the current study developed a low-cost, comprehensive, robust, and near real-time M&amp;amp;E framework to assess the impact of water projects. A novel remote sensing-based ecological index (RSEI) has been developed to assess the overall ecological status of land surfaces due to the water infrastructures developed. The performance of RSEI has also been assessed using the secondary data of crop production, which shows excellent results (adjusted R2 value of 82% and Pearson's correlation coefficient of 0.92). In addition, RSEI results were compared against the results of government audits (e.g., by the Comptroller Auditor General of India), wherein RSEI found similar areas of increased water status and crop productivity. The results indicate that the use of the RSEI-based M&amp;amp;E framework will allow for an impact assessment of water infrastructure and also aid to identify the priority areas demanding immediate intervention. Thus, RSEI can be used as a decision support system for stakeholders, including for smooth planning, designing, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of water infrastructure for combating climate change extremes such as droughts.

Implications of Watershed Management Programs for Sustainable Development in Rural Scenario—A Case Study from Foothills of Punjab State, India

Implications of Watershed Management Programs for Sustainable Development in Rural Scenario—A Case Study from Foothills of Punjab State, India

Factors Affecting Adoption of Watershed Management Program in MirabAbaya Districts of Southern Ethiopia

Background:The causes of land degradation processes are invariably a combination of loss of vegetation cover, overgrazing, and agricultural malpractices which are exacerbated by the pressure of the increasing population. The causes of land degradation processes are invariably a combination of loss of vegetation cover, overgrazing, and agricultural malpractices which are exacerbated by the pressure of the increasing population. The effect of land degradation and its steady annual expansionis hardly noticed since it is a long-term and pervasive process. Land degradation is an important issue because of its adverse impact on agronomic productivity, the environment, and its effect on food security and quality of life. Results:The study was conducted in the Achekore sub-watershed of adopters and Layotirgasub-watershed nonadopters of the Mirab-Abaya district. The major objective of the study was to investigate the factors affecting the adoption of the watershed program. The study used random sampling techniques and selected 334 total sample sizes, and analyzed using an econometric model called a binary logistic model. The findings revealed that among the hypothesized explanatory variables included in the model, land size and land tenure were found to affect the dependent variable at a 5% significant level, whereas age, gender, family size, participation in the non-farm activity, distance, and slope variables influencing at 1% significant level. Moreover, Education and extension contact variables were found not significant to the adoption of watershed management technologies. Conclusions:It is concluded that the watershed management practice is adopted by the community as it plays a significant role to enhance households’ livelihood, ecosystem balance, and coping with climate change impacts.

Impact of Self-Help Groups on Empowerment of Women

Women are the vital infrastructure and their empowerment would hasten the pace of social development. The present investigation was carried out in Amreli district of Gujarat State. District Watershed Development Unit (DWDU), Amreli (Gujarat) has formed SHGs under the Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) to create an awareness and participation among women residing in the rural pockets of Amreli district. To know the impact of SHGs a comparative study was carried out between SHG and non-SHG members. Only the SHGs which associated with IWMP from more than four years were selected while non-SHG members were selected from same villages only for the study. The diagnostic study was confi ned to 10 villages from which 90 SHGs and 90 non-SHG respondents were selected for the study. From the end results it is clearly indicated that exact two-fi fth (40.00%) SHG members were from medium level of empowerment followed by high and very high with 23.33 per cent and 21.11 per cent, respectively, whereas in case of Non-SHG members majority (57.78%) women were from low level of empowerment followed by medium level with 36.67 per cent and also the independent sample ‘Z’ test showed that there was highly signifi cant diff erence in the mean values of SHG members and Non-SHG members in case of all the components/ indicators.

Impact of Sub Watershed Management Program on Household Livelihoods of Humbo District in Southern Ethiopia: Instrumental Variable Approach

This study is aimed at assessing effect of watershed management program on livelihood of households of selected sub watersheds in Humbo District. To carry out the study objectives, from econometrics models instrumental variable (IV) method was applied from among different impact evaluation methods with the sample size of 330 households. The results of econometric estimation revealed that household age, education, adoption, consumption expenditure, material possession, extension contact, productivity of crops, upstream and downstream and employment were positively and significantly related with HHDI at 1%, 5% and 10% level of significance. To examine the validity of instrumental variables estimation, different diagnosis tests like normality tests of the model, endogeneity test, tests of weak instruments, tests of over identifying restriction, multicollinearity and heteroskedasticity were employed. After identification and testing of IV result, the 2SLS estimation was conducted for evaluating Impact. Accordingly, adoption of watershed program has positive and significant impact (31%) on HHDI of the sample households in the study area. Therefore, the result indicate that with adoption of watershed management program, household on livelihoods can improve.

On the use of contingent valuation method to assess factors affecting the contribution of local people for the management of water hyacinth in Lake Tana, northwestern Ethiopia.

The colonization of freshwater lakes by invasive alien species is increasingly alarming primarily owing to nutrient loads from the watersheds. For the sustainable management of invasive weeds, preventive methods, such as watershed management and sustainable agricultural practices, are recommended. Watershed protection activities by the upstream local community are believed to be effective measures to reduce nutrient loading to the receiving water bodies and hence help prevent the spread of water hyacinth. However, their willingness and potential contributions determine the effectiveness of watershed management activities. The objective of this study is, therefore, to evaluate the preferences and contributions (willingness to pay and willingness to contribute labor) of the local community for the management of water hyacinth in Lake Tana (Ethiopia). A contingent valuation method for a hypothetical market "prevention of water hyacinth infestation of Lake Tana through watershed management program" was used to collect data from 560 randomly selected households. A multivariable interval regression model was used to identify factors affecting the contribution of local people. The mean yearly willingness to pay and to contribute labor of the respondents was 435.4 Ethiopian Birr (US$ 10) and 22.4 man-days, respectively. The place of residence (rural/urban), educational level, private farm plot area, annual income, and water hyacinth-related conference participation significantly influenced the willingness to pay. Similarly, the willingness to contribute labor was strongly associated with place of residence, location, educational level, and household family size. The economic value derived from this study reflects community preferences, which could be an input for informed and evidence-based decision-making regarding the prevention of weed expansion and sustainable use of ecosystem services. Therefore, local, regional, and national authorities are advised to mobilize the local community to contribute labor and/or money so as to halt the expansion of the weed.

Applying Analytic Hierarchy Process for Identifying Best Management Practices in Erosion Risk Areas of Northwestern Himalayas

Despite the growing importance of soil and water conservation and watershed development projects as an approach to rural development and natural resource management, there has been relatively little research on devising site-specific best management practice (BMP) to check the soil erosion losses within permissible limits, especially in hilly regions. For a sustainable watershed management programme and implementation, site specific BMPs assume importance and hold the promise of making conservation planning and watershed management simpler and more effective. The study was attempted to develop a methodology to obtain BMPs, aiming to reduce the erosion losses in erosion risk areas of the northwestern Himalayas by employing Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The AHP technique was employed to prioritise the potential technologies and select the BMP suitable for a particular land area. The prioritization of technologies was performed with four criteria viz. soil erosion resistance, cost, benefit, maintenance and environment friendliness of conservation measures. The soil erosion scenario of the study area located in the northwestern Himalayas was generated with each selected measure in a SWAT model using DEM, land use maps, a soil map and climate data of the study area. Then, the resultant erosion scenario of the conservation measures was compared and used for the AHP analysis. However, other criteria were assessed based on the judgement of a group of experts as well as farmers. In this study, four conservation measures, viz. Bench Terraces (BT), Vegetative Barrier (VB), Contour Farming (CF) and Zero Tillage + Live Mulch (ZL), were considered for BMP selection. Three scenarios, viz. experts’ judgement, farmers’ opinions and combined expert and farmer opinion, were analyzed to uncover the BMP for the different zones. The result revealed that experts and farmers unanimously preferred ZL as a BMP because of its low-cost implementation value and lower maintenance requirement while significantly controlling the erosion level as well as being environment friendly. The BT was the second most preferred technology for the study area. However, BMP was recommended for different zones having high to very severe erosion (soil loss &gt; 10 t/ha/yr). Therefore, ZL was recommended for the areas with low altitude, whereas BT was recommended for the areas having high slopes because of its high capability for erosion control in the high slopping area. The methodology will act as a useful strategy for decision makers to prioritize the technology and recommend the best management for any region after considering suitable criteria. Future work may consider more criteria for inclusion to thus recommend the technology for a region in a more realistic way.

Water Resources Management in Mexico, Chile and Brazil: Comparative Analysis of Their Progress on SDG 6.5.1 and the Role of Governance

Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) is globally regarded as a suitable alternative to adapt to the effects of Climate Change. Chile, México, and Brazil are developing countries that are highly vulnerable to climate change and have different water management models, thus presenting the strengths and challenges for IWRM compliance. Our analysis aims to compare advances in terms of the achievement of SDG 6.5.1 in these countries, in relation to the degree of implementation of IWRM and their correlation to the OECD principles on Water Governance. We used IWRM Data Portal, UNEP-DHI, including 33 indicators, and we used the proposal of Bertule et al., (2018) to analyze the relationship among IWRM and governance. Our findings indicate that the Chilean model has low social involvement in water management due to a market-based water governance system with weak state regulation and lack of legal instruments to implement watershed management programs. In Mexico and Brazil, there is greater citizen involvement in watershed organizations, and ecosystems and aquifers have been incorporated to aid with water management. These three countries show a low performance of gender indicators, deficient financing, and information in terms of decision-making, and a lack of effective mechanisms for social participation, which are key aspects of governance.

Forecasting water quality using seasonal ARIMA model by integrating in-situ measurements and remote sensing techniques in Krishnagiri reservoir, India

Abstract The Krishnagiri reservoir is the main source of irrigation in Tamil Nadu, India. It has been reported to be hypereutrophic for over a decade with sediment and nutrient load sources responsible for the degradation of water quality. Remotely sensed satellite imagery analysis plays a significant role in assessing the water quality for developing a management strategy for reservoirs. The present study is an attempt to demonstrate the improvement in the chlorophyll-a (chl-a) estimation in the Krishnagiri reservoir by integrating remote sensing and in-situ measurements. Multiple regression equations were developed with the reflectance of Green, Red, NIR and SWIR1 bands of the Operational Land Imager (OLI) sensor of Landsat 8 satellite yielded the coefficient of determination for chlorophyll-a (chl-a) as 0.812, total dissolved solids (TDS) as 0.945 and electrical conductivity (EC) as 0.960 respectively. The developed regression model was further utilised to forecast chl-a and EC of the reservoir through the seasonal auto regressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) model. It is found that chl-a prediction showed that the reservoir continued to be hypereutrophic and EC significantly changed from a class C3 (high salinity) to class C4 (very high salinity). These results are alarming and an immediate reduction of the external load from the catchment through effective watershed management programs should be implemented.