"International Journal of Geography, Geology and Environment"

The Integrated Watershed Management Project (IWMP), which concentrates on integrated land, vegetation, and water resource management, is an important initiative aimed at sustainable development in rainfed areas. The project uses Geographic Information System (GIS) methods and satellite technology to efficiently plan, monitor, and evaluate IWMP activities, with the main objective of creating an extensive monitoring system for watershed resource management in the state.

The provision of crucial satellite data, GIS platforms, and software tools for planning is one of the project's main goals. It starts by providing all watersheds with baseline satellite images, which makes it easier to create Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) tailored to each watershed. The project incorporates regular satellite images to show temporal changes in these areas and also provides online Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) for all identified watersheds. ResourcesaT2 FMX and CartosaT1 PAN Satellite datasets were used in the IWMP project monitoring and evaluation processes. These sharp satellite images make it easier to monitor the changes brought on by the implementation of IWMP and accurately assess its effects. The project further improves its monitoring capabilities by utilizing mobile Smartphone technology to gather Point of Interest (POI) data. The acquisition of micro watershed and project boundaries from pertinent authorities, the preparation of Land Use Land Cover (LULC) maps for project areas, the creation of change area maps and change matrices, and finally the creation of a comprehensive summary report are the key steps in the monitoring and evaluation process.

The study area falls in Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh. The project area is 8981.14 ha. Activities done are trench (02), field bunds (09), farm ponds (03), check dam /stop dam (57), nallah bunds (05) checks & plugs (03) etc. The LULC shows that increase in agriculture, water surface area and decrease in scrubland (based on available satellite data and field survey of this area). The major change is increase in cropland by 275.89 Ha, and water bodies by 60.73 Ha.