PALAKKAD: The grama panchayats should prepare plans for the development of watersheds in their respective areas and seek approval if they want it to be implemented under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), according to District Collector K S Sreenivas. Each watershed area should be considered as a unit and agriculture, irrigation, animal husbandry and social forestry activities should be undertaken jointly so that productivity is increased. The Collector said that the panchayats should include the construction of checkdams, bunds, contour bunding, cultivation of organic manure and planting of saplings in their watershed development plans so that the weaker sections of the society stand to benefit. The comprehensive watershed development plan was being prepared by incorporating the individual watershed plans prepared by 26 panchayats under the Malampuzha, Thirthala, Kollengode and Chittur block panchayats and linking it with the NREGS. The Collector urged the other grama panchyats in the district to prepare watershed development plans and submit it by the end of this month so that they are also included under the comprehensive watershed development plan.