Bidar District is an extremely backward district in Karnataka with one of the lowest Human Development Index ranks; a decadal population growth of around 21%; and literacy rates of around 40% (32% for women and 44% for men). The district comes under the purview of the Hyderabad Karnataka Development Board along with other under-developed districts such as Gulbarga, Raichur and Bijapur.

Mullamari River is the lifeline of Basavakalyan Taluk of Bidar District. The upper Mullamari reservoir at Kherda village has a catchment area of 207 sq kms, which forms the Upper Mullamari Watershed. This is where the ISPWDK-PRAWARDA Watershed Development Project is set.

Project implementation has been taken up in two phases. Phase 1 was implemented during 1995-96 and 1998-99 with support for consolidation between 1999-00 and 2001-02. Phase 2 is currently in progress.

This has been a development programme with a difference - a partnership between the Government of Karnataka (GoK); PRAWARDA, a non-government agency; and the people of Upper Mullamari watershed.

PRAWARDA has worked on preparing people to take on participatory roles and organised them into Self Help Groups so that they can gain self-reliance in terms of pursuing viable livelihood options. The two people's institutions - Self Help Groups (SHGs) and Watershed Management Committees - have been capacitated by PRAWARDA as part of the overall development of the region.

A certain investment has also gone into providing a course for the Mullamari canal in order to prevent flooding and erosion of farmlands. The treatment has been technically planned and implemented by the Dry Land Development Board (DLDB) of GoK and the people's institutions have also played a role in this particular project. The programme has been monitored well through internal and external checks.

The Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC) represented by the Project Support Centre (PSC) plays a commendable role in the implementation of the project. Coordinating between the partners on one side and the watershed community on the other is no mean feat, especially as many of these people are experiencing a major development project for the first time. Exploring the potential of participatory roles and simultaneously steering the project according to the goals decided at the onset has been an instance of remarkable project management.

The project has been a catalyst in orienting the people of this region to development and what it means. For the first time, they have seen how practices such as Natural Resource Management (NRM) and sustainable agriculture can impact their daily lives. They are also now aware that they can create a space for themselves in any development project through participatory roles.