Drought Prone Area Programme (DPAP)

A centrally sponsored scheme in which Coodu Trust served as coordinating agency with the District Rural Development Agencies across six drought-prone districts of Tamil Nadu — Dindigul, Karur, Tiruchirappalli, Salem, Sivagangai and Tirunelveli.

Central government scheme
2001–2006
Completed

54 Watersheds by 2003–2004

6 Districts covered

1,234 People organised into user groups

510 People organised into self-help groups

The project

What this project set out to do

Project mission

A foundational initiative to mitigate the adverse effects of drought and prevent desertification through integrated watershed management, resource conservation and ecological restoration.

The Drought Prone Area Programme (DPAP) is a centrally sponsored scheme and one of Coodu Trust’s foundational engagements. The Trust acted as the coordinating agency in collaboration with the District Rural Development Agencies (DRDAs) of the state government, working in some of Tamil Nadu’s most vulnerable regions. By 2005–06 the reports record DPAP work in six districts — Dindigul, Karur, Tiruchirappalli, Salem, Sivagangai and Tirunelveli.

The 2001–02 and 2002–03 activity tables record 24 watersheds under DPAP — 14 in Dindigul (Natham, Athoor and Kodaikanal), 4 in Tirunelveli (Kuruvikulam) and 6 in Sivagangai (Kallal, Devakottai, Singampunari) — each anchored by grassroots institutions. 24 watershed associations and 24 watershed committees were formed, and 1,234 people were organised into user groups and 510 into self-help groups. The reports count participants, not groups. By 2003–04 the scheme had grown to 54 watersheds in four districts: Karur, Tirunelveli, Salem and Sivagangai.

The trust’s earlier published scheme breakdown puts the complete DPAP programme at 105 watersheds in six districts.

Alongside conservation works, the project kept a strong focus on monitoring and learning — Coodu Trust undertook mid-term evaluations and impact studies for DPAP projects in Karur, Namakkal, Salem, Sivagangai and Tirunelveli, and produced the “Green Impact” documentation for DPAP.

Community governance
Water & soil conservation
Capacity building
Research & evaluation

What the project delivered

Extensive community mobilization A three-tiered governance structure — 24 Watershed Associations and 24 Watershed Committees formed in 2001–2002 alone.
Formation of grassroots groups 1,234 people organised into user groups and 510 into self-help groups across 24 watersheds, ensuring widespread participation.
Water & soil conservation works Low-cost farm ponds for water storage, nullah bunds and check dams, and percolation tanks for groundwater recharge.
Capacity building & training WDT member training, user group development and SHG capacity building, supported by detailed training manuals.
Research and evaluation Mid-term evaluations and impact studies in Karur, Namakkal, Salem, Sivagangai and Tirunelveli, plus the “Green Impact” documentation.

Adults standing beside a dry masonry water-harvesting structure with stone-faced retaining walls, in woodland — A completed masonry water-harvesting structure with stone-faced retaining walls, standing dry between rains.

Why this work matters

The challenge on the ground — and our answer

The challenge

Rain lost as runoff from degraded lands

In drought-prone districts, scarce rainfall runs off rainfed and degraded lands — carrying topsoil with it and leaving wells and aquifers unreplenished.

Our response

Structures that hold water where it falls

Low-cost farm ponds, nullah bunds, check dams and percolation tanks reduced rainwater runoff, increased water levels in wells, recharged groundwater and curbed topsoil erosion.

The challenge

No local institutions to own the resources

Without community structures to plan and manage shared land and water, conservation works risk falling into disuse once a project ends.

Our response

A three-tiered community governance structure

24 watershed associations and 24 watershed committees, with 1,234 people organised into user groups and 510 into self-help groups, ensured every development activity was planned and executed with direct community involvement.

At a glance

The essentials

Scheme: DPAPDrought Prone Area Programme — centrally sponsored
Period: 2001–2006Recorded in the annual reports from 2001–02 through 2005–06
Coverage: 6 districtsDindigul, Karur, Tiruchirappalli, Salem, Sivagangai & Tirunelveli — blocks including Natham, Athoor, Kodaikanal, Kuruvikulam, Kallal, Devakottai & Singampunari
Scale: 54 watershedsBy 2003–04, up from 24 in 2001–03. The trust’s earlier published breakdown puts the complete programme at 105 watersheds — a figure that does not appear in any annual report.
Our role: Coordinating agencyWorking with the District Rural Development Agencies of the state government; the Watershed Development Teams were deputed by Coodu Trust and supervised by the Project Implementing Agencies
Status: Successfully completedA foundational project in the watershed portfolio

Outcomes

What the project changed

Water & soil conserved

Key interventions reduced rainwater runoff, increased water levels in wells, recharged groundwater and curbed topsoil erosion across project areas.

Community ownership

24 watershed associations and 24 watershed committees, plus 1,234 people organised into user groups, empowered communities to own their resources — every activity planned and executed with direct local involvement.

Degraded lands made productive

Integrated watershed management conserved natural resources, restored ecological balance and improved the productive potential of rainfed and degraded lands.

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