The issue of drought and its implications
It is in the context of the changing demand on the use of water and its implications on livelihood that the issue of drought needs to be seen. Earlier as seen a substantial portion depended on pastoralism and the forests. Obviously the impact of drought on such population is quite different. On the one hand the feudal rulers spent a good amount of their revenue on construction of water harvesting structures apart from construction of palaces etc. This was a drought management mechanism. On the other hand cattle were transported to areas of relative plenty, to take advantage of the relative surplus in the fodder regimes. Such transportation was not a free for all. Systems of tax regimes, entry passes existed. The Maharaja of Jodhpur for instance had to intimate the ruler of Ajmer, when his subjects would be coming to graze in Ajmer.
The increase in productivity after the green revolution and the deepening of commodity relationships has changed the concept of drought and its management.
1. Drought relief work has been taken up with a view to provide cash / grain to the affected population. While the famine deaths took place in certain parts of the state, in general drought relief has provided the required relief in terms of mitigating lost incomes. The development of the transport system has meant that water has been supplied by tankers and where there has been widespread shortage in a region like Bhilwara, Pali, by train. Fodder requirements have been met by transport subsidy. In Jaisalmer for instance, this has become a regular feature of the economy. However the fodder required by goats and sheep have been inadequately met and culling has been the major option taken recourse to during drought. A similar culling is seen in cattle which reflects their uneconomic nature if left to depend on the cash economy (as against the free grazing regime).
2. Efforts to ensure sustainability of the work, is reflected in watershed management projects which have been funded by various sources namely DDP, DPAP, IWDP, NWDPRA. A total of 8,000 watersheds have been developed in this way across the state covering 50,00,000 has. The evaluation studies show that 5-20% increase in productivity has been achieved, as also the increase in water recharge and its consequent use through irrigation. However despite this, the entire livelihood needs of the entire population cannot be met and wage labour is an important component.
3. The role of mining, particular in the eco-sensitive region of the Aravalis which is the dividing line between the rest of India and the desert, have led to the depletion of the water tables on the one hand, clogging of the pathways to the water bodies on the other as in Rajsamand and depletion of the ground water in the influence zone of the mine. With mining industry taking recourse to automatic machines, the traditional plea of providing jobs is slowly vanishing, resulting in an increased stridency by farmers who face double whammy (loss of employment from agriculture due to depletion of the water table and loss of potential alternative job opportunities). In Jaisalmer, the destruction of the upper catchment areas for mining has led to a depletion of water in the beris and moisture regime in khadins below resulting in reduced output from the khadins.
Conclusions
The issue of water scarcity and its management is reaching critical proportions in Rajasthan. Despite this the problems are papered over in good years to surface with a vengeance in bad years. The details of the stored water surface and ground water, indicate that the reserves are being depleted which is likely to affect the resilience factor. Traditional coping mechanisms have been destroyed.
Various suggestions have been propounded to deal with the issue. These suggestions rely on the following
1. centralized command and control system
2. price mechanism as reflected in the price of electricity
3. registration
The suggestion has been examined in detail and it is clear that even while they do not directly control the use of water, they lend themselves to (mis)use by a few. The demands of urbanization and industrialization (plans for resurgent Rajasthan being part of them), would mean that people in general are expected to do the conservation, while there will be unlimited supply of water for industry (benefiting whom?).
In the context of surplus production of foodgrain in the irrigated pockets of the country as also the State, the aggressive promotion of biofuel (as a dryland crop?) is likely to turn the whole economics of production and consumption upside down. This is again to fuel the consumption driven economy in the same manner as water consumption has increased. An IWMI study shows that this promotion of biofuels is likely to further aggravate the demand for water.
The issue of a multistakeholder mechanism of governance needs to be evolved on the basis of concrete water balance studies. Various efforts are taking place in this direction. SPWD is also engaged in understanding the issues related to water governance in three states and six river basins.
Viren Lobo
Programme director
SPWD
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