To put it simply, and contrary to what some
may believe, Maharashtra is not greatly favored by the rain god. Rain in the State
is rare and irregular. When there is rainfall it often comes at an inopportune
time. This is the sad but true picture of things.
The effects of this unreliable rainfall are
there for all to see. Farmers, who rely on rain to cultivate their farms, are
the worst hit. Over the past years, a grim picture has emerged. A picture that
is a collage - of dry rivers, deepened but still dried up wells and bore wells,
an ever increasing water scarcity in villages, consequent animal fodder
shortage, dehydrated crops and an all-encompassing aridness. Farming became a
loss-making venture and farmers turned to suicides. In the 15 years prior to
the present BJP government coming to power Maharashtra, 10 farmers have
committed suicide daily on an average. Over 60 thousand farmers have committed
suicide during this period.
On the whole, these are grave times for
agriculture in the country. As profits in farming dwindled, employment in this
sector, throughout India saw a down slide. But the condition of farmers in
Maharashtra has been even worse. Two years ago, while the rate of growth of
agriculture in neighboring states went up, the growth rate in the State showed
a negative, a decline.
This underscored the need for a different
kind of thinking to be applied to solve fundamental problems of farmers in
Maharashtra. Bold and innovative decision-making was crucial. Humans cannot
influence the arbitrariness of nature but thought needs to go into how to get
the maximum advantage out of whatever situation nature presents.
The situation in Maharashtra presents the
ruling political system with a great challenge. The 15-year Congress-NCP regime
saw a slew of announcements but this did not result in any irrigation for the
farmers. As a result, the drought never really left the farmers’ lives. The
Congress and NCP may have derived some satisfaction from the announcements of
loan-waivers and packages, but they did not manage to solve the problems of
either sustainable irrigation or farmers’ suicides. Maharashtra has witnessed,
for quite a few years now, the announcements of big irrigation projects, then
the delay in their execution, ultimately leading to scams.
Against this background, a different and
effective experiment is being seen in Maharashtra in the form of the ‘Jalyukta
Shivar (Farm With Water)’ campaign. To realize its utility, one must first take
into consideration Maharashtra’s geography. As per the Water Conservation and
Irrigation Commission, 44 per cent of land in the State will remain
non-irrigated even when the irrigation capability of the state is utilized
fully. 42 percent of the state’s area gets scant and irregular rain while 159
lakhs hectares of agricultural land lies in the ‘rain shadow’ region. Given
these facts, drought seems to be an issue which will constantly plague
Maharashtra.
Hence, the BJP leadership had to look for a
solution that would provide a supply of water even when rainfall was irregular
or unavailable. For this it decided not to follow the trodden path but search
for a new approach which Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis made clear at the
onset: ‘Every Drop More Crop.’ In other words, not a drop of rain should go to
waste. And so, to make a permanent – instead of arbitrary – arrangement of
water for villagers and to work at a time bound plan to actually remove drought
from Maharashtra by 2019, the Jal Shivar Abhiyan was born.
In the past, before big irrigation projects
became the norm, streams, ponds and wells in villages used to be the primary
source of water. In the pursuance of large schemes, these resources were
neglected and the water bodies were filled with the accumulation of silt. Thus,
the rainwater, not having a place to accumulate began to flow away. Moreover,
as large amount of water was simultaneously being pumped out of the ground, the
groundwater levels went down.
If instead rainwater is soaked into the
farmland and the groundwater level goes up, many problems can be addressed simultaneously.
The water level in the wells and bores in the village can go up. The net effect
can go a great way towards the effort of drought eradication.
Recognizing this, the digging and widening of
streams, nullahs and ponds have begun in the villages. Efforts to remove sludge
and bring the water sources back to their original form have begun. Bunds are
being built at various places to be able to collect water. The government
provided the finance for this effort but also an appeal was made to NGOs, the
corporate sector and political parties to participate. At many places, the
villagers themselves registered to participate. Today, at many places, nullahs
that were previously filled up with silt have been dug up to five or six feet,
till the original rock base.
As a result, five to six feet of water has
begun to accumulate where hardly a foot of water was stored before. Whatever
little rain Maharashtra received last year went on to not only prove the
success of this scheme but also revealed added benefits. It was realized that
when water accumulates in the streams and nullahs, it irrigates the soil for up
to 1.5 kms on both sides of the water body.
As the people realized that the intention of
this policy of the Fadnavis government was honest and sincere, demand for the
Jal Shivar started to grow from village to village. Not only this, the farmers
along the rivers, nullahs and streams started, on their own, offering their
lands for the Jal Shivar.
Importantly, as large dams do not need to be
built for the Jal Shivar, large tracts of land are not needed and so land
acquisition hasn’t been an issue. But even the little land that is required to
increase the width of water bodies has been offered by farmers themselves as they
stand to benefit from the soil around the water body soaking up the water.
Besides this, the silt dug up from the water
bodies enhances the fertility of the land it is spread out on. Earlier people
used to ask for money to take this silt to their farms but now they are doing
so without payment and on their own initiative.
Finally, here are the numbers from last year
that stand testimony to the success of the Jalyukta Shivar campaign. The scheme
runs currently in more than six thousand villages. During the last monsoons, 24
TMC of water was collected. This campaign proves that even something as
arbitrary as nature can be used to the people’s advantage if there is
governmental will. Rather than hollow announcements of welfare of farmers, the
farming community needs sustainable irrigation. This government is trying to
provide it. However, because the Jal Shivar is a scheme that has the potential
to transform Maharashtra, the success of this novel experiment should be seen
beyond political angles. A prosperous Maharashtra is not a slogan for this
government but a determination.
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