[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
dam-l LS: NBA PR: Drought Calls for Decentralized Water Solutions
NARMADA BACHAO ANDOLAN
B-13, Shivam Flats, Ellora Park, Baroda-390007 ( Pune contact:
Sadhana-5656763, Suhas-5382782)
Press Note/ May 29,2000
GUJARAT DROUGHT CALLS FOR DECENTRALISED WATER SOLUTIONS, NOT SSP
The current drought situation in the Saurashtra and Kutch regions has
once again underlined the need for a long term and decentralised
water management in Gujarat. It has also brought out the miserable
failure of the Gujarat government to address the real issues, which
have been pointed by number of experts and social activists for
years. Instead, the Gujarat government is trying to use the drought
for creating a hysteria in support of the controversial Sardar
Sarovar Project (SSP), which will not solve the problem of drought
and destitution. The powerholders are trying to wriggle out of their
responsibility by unwarrantedly targetting the Narmada Bachao
Andolan. If the state government is serious to have a real solution
for the drought, it will have to stop its obsession with the SSP and
divert the funds towards decentralised and sustainable water
management.
There are number of well-substantiated reasons why the SSP cannot be
a real solution for the drought in Gujarat, even if it is built. It
is not at all for 98% of Kutch, for Jamnagar, Amreli, Junagadh
districts and majority of Rajkot, Bhavnagar and Surendranagar
districts. Even if the dam work would have proceeded, only 1.6% and
9.24% of the total cultivable lands of drought affected Kutch and
Saurashtra would have seen the canals, that too in 2025 and 2020
respectively. The Kutch is provided with barely 2% of the water of
the Sardar Sarovar Project. There are number of claimants in for the
water before even this miniscule amount of water would reach to the
drought affected regions. The incoming sugar factories, the water
schemes by the metros like Baroda and Ahmedabad and the 'water
marketing' for the industries through the Sardar Sarovar canals, all
have been a political reality, which cannot be wished off. Gujarat
government has floated the concept of water marketing of the Narmada
waters, where the needy regions cannot figure in.
The estimate of water availability in Narmada has been 22 million
acre foot (MAF), rather than earlier estimates of 28 MAF. The
irrigation efficiency presumed by our bureaucrats was 60%, which has
been unheard of and not possible. The India Irrigation review (1991)
of the World Bank and the report of the tenth Estimates Committee of
Gujarat Legislature make it amply clear that average irrigation
efficiency in India and Gujarat has been 45-50%. In the 'Project
Completion report' (1995), the Bank predicted the untenability of the
claims of benefits and estimated that about 20% of the command area
would have to be curtailed. This obviously means the tail-ends -
Kutch and Saurashtra.
However, the major chunk of the irrigation and overall budget in
Gujarat has been frittered away on this project. In the Eighth Five
Year Plan of the state (1992-97), allocation for Gujarat's irrigation
budget was Rs. 3436 crores, out of which allocation for SSP was Rs.
2900 crores, which comes to 85% of irrigation budget. Actual
Expenditure during this Plan was: total on Irrigation sector: Rs.
4810.41 crores, and on SSP: Rs. 4204.2 crores, that is 87.4% of total
irrigation budget. Gujarat's Total (and not just irrigation budget
mentioned above) budget for 2000-2001 is Rs. 7300 crores, out which
allocation for SSP is Rs. 3730 crores, almost 50%. For the Ninth Five
Year Plan (1997-2002), the allocation for Gujarat's irrigation budget
is Rs. 14385.65 crores, out of which allocation for SSP is: Rs.
14000.00 crores, that is 97.3% of state irrigation budget. The cost
of SSP, as per latest estimate from Ministry of Water Resources, is
Rs. 22176.95 crores.
On the other hand hundreds of the decentralised water schemes of
Saurashtra are pending due to the paucity of funds. The blind
insistence on the SSP will cost the Kutch and Saurashtra very dearly.
The Real Solutions
The real, long term solution lies in a decentralised water
conservation network along with the optimum utilisation of the
available rainwater and groundwater in the drought affected regions.
Imperative measures for groundwater recharge include restriction on
its excess extraction for cash crops and "Green Revolution" style
agriculture. As Ashwin Shah, the US based Indian expert on the water
management in Gujarat puts it, the rainfall and the needs of the
water in Gujarat are fairly decentralised, therefore the water
management too should be decentralised. The state government itself
has district-wise plans. The people themselves point out that
decentralised solutions that might yield benefits much earlier and
more cheaply than the elusive Narmada Project. The much sought after
example of Rajsamadhiala village amidst the 'drought' in Rajkot
district, is an eye-opener. A number of such experiments by NGOs in
Gujarat have been successfully carried out for decentralised and
sustainable practices like watershed development and groundwater
recharging. The work of Mahiti-Utthan (Dholka, Surendranagar),
Agakhan Rural Support Programme (Junagadh and Surendranagar),
Lokbharati (Sanosasra), Society for Promotion of the Wasteland
Development (Bhavnagar), Vivekanand Research and Training Institute,
and Jan Vikas (Kutch) are all pointers for real and lasting solutions
in the hands of the people.
From the summer of 1995, Saurashtra Lok Manch, along with the
disciples of Swadhyay Parivar, and other organisations have initiated
a campaign for well recharging in Saurashtra on large scale.
According to Shyamjibhai Antala of the Manch, Saurashtra has 7,00,000
wells spread all over its territory. The recharging of even 2 lakhs
wells would bring up the groundwater level throughout Saurashtra. The
campaign has been able to recharge thousands of wells during 1995-98.
The endeavour involves no big budget, no bureaucratic and unwieldy
planning. It is in the hands of peasants, can be implemented speedily
without complicated technology, and cheaply with early results. From
the veteran Venishankar Vasu in early 1980s to Ahwin Shah and
Shaymaji Antala in 1990s, there were number of plans, suggestions,
analyses for decentralised water management.
The state government has not taken the watershed development and sea
ingress prevention works seriously. In the 7th Plan of Gujarat, Rs.
54 crores were allotted for the purpose of watershed development
programme, of which 50% has been utilised, resulting in the decrease
in the allocation for the 8th plan down to Rs. 50 crores. Water
management does not mean large storage and canal networks. A
realistic irrigation policy and plan would consider the optimum
demand of the region, the land, terrain, ecological conditions and
the needs. It also does not necessarily mean excess grain production
in every area. Neglecting all such true solutions, the state
continues to facilitate work on the SSP, which alone consumes about
85% of Gujarat's irrigation budget, efforts and attention, and which
may not benefit the needy areas at all.
Along with water recharging, there is a need of putting restraint on
the unmindful extraction of the groundwater, especially for the cash
crops. The water problem became serious with the extraction of
groundwater in Saurashtra and North Gujarat from 85% to 350%.
Gujarat politicians know all this and they also admit it in private.
However, the real solutions can taken only if the obsession with the
white elephants like the SSP is restricted and the already scarce
financial resources are diverted to the real and sustainable
solutions.
(Nandini Oza) (Shripad Dharmadhikary) (Sadhana Dadhich)
Pune/ May 29, 2000