ABSTRACT
Watershed management has been defined as ‘the integrated use of land, vegetation and water in a geographically discrete drainage area for the benefit of its residents, with the objective of protecting or conserving the hydrologic services which the watershed provides and of reducing or avoiding negative downstream or groundwater impacts’ (World Bank, 2007). It has played a prominent role in rural development efforts in many countries in the last several decades, helping to increase rural incomes, augment usable water resources, improve productivity and mitigate droughts. Watershed management programmes have been driven both by the desire to protect downstream water facilities as well as to support livelihood generation and environmental conservation in the watershed itself.
