The water scarcity in Maharashtra seems to be getting worse with each passing day and the government there seems to have no clue as to what must be one to save some of the drought prone districts from ruination. India is not new to droughts and practically every state experiences water shortage periodically, especially when monsoon rains fail or the precipitation is lass than normal but the conditions are never allowed to get out of control with timely ameliorative action. However the present condition in the state of Maharashtra where more than one third of the people are affected by the drought is grave enough to focus the attention of the nation for bringing the much needed relief to the severely stressed people there. According to analysts the drought here is a man made one deliberately brought about by the greediness of sugar industry, wineries, distilleries and banana growing cooperatives blessed by powerful politicians who are at the helm of affairs there. How can the country forgive these powerful vested interests for depriving the agricultural community of the water stored in over 50 dams by diverting the same to the water guzzling industries and government in the state has no moral right to continue in power for allowing this day light robbery! Here is an account of what has caused drought in the state through the eyes of dispassionate observers, development specialists and economic experts.
The drought in a large part of Maharashtra, said to be the worst since 1972, may have been triggered by poor rainfall in the last monsoon season - but it has been compounded by mismanagement of the available water. Nearly one-third of the state's population living in the 15 drought-hit districts in and around the Marathwada region is facing a severe scarcity of drinking water, apart from water for salvaging its wilting crops. The paucity of fodder for livestock, the mainstay of livelihood for the small and marginal farmers and landless households, too, is acute. This, paradoxically, is the state of affairs in a state that has the country's largest network of dams. What this has meant is that financially and politically influential farmers and industrialists are managing to corner enough water to irrigate crops and run industrial units, while the poor are deprived of even drinking water. This is evident in various areas where water-guzzling sugarcane and banana farms are in fairly good shape, while the neighbouring fields of less water-requiring sorghum - which belong to resource-poor farmers - wither away. Remember, the Marathwada region, which lies in the rain-shadow zone, is drought-prone. It is, therefore, unfit for the cultivation of water-intensive crops such as sugarcane. It is also worth recalling that the state government had decided in February, when the signs of a water crisis became imminent, to give priority to meeting drinking-water needs before letting water to be used for other purposes. This well-intended resolve has, however, remained largely on paper. Since the bulk of the state's sugar industry is in the co-operative sector and is controlled by politicians, cane crushing, which requires substantial amounts of water, is still going on in water-stressed areas.
Every patriotic Indian has to hang his head in shame when such inequities and crimes are committed openly with no remorse by a group of people elected by them to protect their interests. This is also a reflection of the failure of the Central government to implement existing laws that are supposed to protect the farmers from such gross exploitation. Can any one justify encouragement of water intensive crops like Sugarcane and Banana in areas where there is perpetual shortage of water? How could the state allow water guzzling industries like wineries, sugar mills and distilleries to be set up in the region without giving adequate consideration for ensuring water supply to the agricultural fields for which the largest net work of dams has been built? Is sugar more important than food grains when the whole world is shunning sugar because of its well established role in health disorders like diabetes, CVD and others? Are alcoholic products like wine, beer and spirits more important than staples like pulses? If God is invoked and blamed for the present drought, the same God will not spare the perpetrators of this crime on humanity by a few political overlords of this country!
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V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
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