Dr. M. Muruganandam, Head, Fisheries Science Division, ICAR–Central Island Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR-CIARI), Sri Vijaya Puram, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, delivered a series of special lectures to the 131st batch officer trainees of ICAR–Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation (ICAR-IISWC), Dehradun, on 29 May 2026.

Dr. Muruganandam was invited as a Special Guest Faculty Member for the Regular Officer Training Programme being conducted by ICAR-IISWC from 22 April to 21 August 2026.

During his lectures, he elaborated on the principles of integrated watershed management and its various components, including drainage lines, rivers of different orders, wastelands and underutilized lands, water harvesting structures, farm ponds, aquatic resources, rural livestock, rangelands and community grasslands. He highlighted the opportunities emerging from the interconnections among these components, such as water harvesting, river management, upland-lowland interactions, upstream-downstream linkages and fodder management.

Dr. Muruganandam explained several contemporary concepts, including the “Mountain to Ocean (M2O)” source-to-sink approach and the river continuum concept, which describes the distribution of fish species across different stretches of river ecosystems and their relevance in planning effective conservation strategies.

He also discussed the relationship between runoff concentration time and environmental pollution potential, along with the assumptions involved in designing water harvesting structures, limitations associated with runoff availability, landscape constraints and opportunities for water utilization.

Emphasizing the need to balance water harvesting potential with livelihood opportunities, Dr. Muruganandam highlighted the effective design of water harvesting structures for integrated fish farming. He also underlined the importance of balancing seasonal fodder availability with responsible grazing and sustainable rangeland management.

The lectures covered advanced fish farming technologies, water quality management, optimization of production inputs and resource-efficient technologies for fisheries- and livestock-based rural livelihood and food production systems.

Dr. Muruganandam stressed that watershed management, fisheries development and livestock production are inherently complementary and together play a vital role in ensuring food security, nutritional well-being and livelihood enhancement through micro-enterprise development. He further emphasized that farming and food production systems are integral components of broader environmental management frameworks and highlighted the importance of balanced fertilizer use in the context of fertilizer scarcity and ongoing awareness campaigns promoting judicious fertilizer application.

The training programme is being coordinated by Dr. Charan Singh, Head, HRD&SS, ICAR-IISWC, along with his team comprising Dr. Abhimanyu Jhajhriya, Ms. Indu Rawat and Dr. Matber Singh, Senior Scientists at the Institute. Around 20 officer trainees from Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh participated in the programme.

The lecture sessions concluded with an interactive question-and-answer session, during which the officer trainees actively engaged in discussions on integrated natural resource management and sustainable food production systems.

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