Needing urgent help, people of Bodhepurva village devastated by sand mining

By Bharat Dogra 

In these times can you imagine a village in which almost no child goes to school regularly? Bodhepurva village, which suffers from extreme poverty and neglect, is one such village. One reason is that this village of Uttar Pradesh borders Madhya Pradesh in such a way that one has to cross parts of Madhya Pradesh to enter this and people in the village depend more on parts of Madhya Pradesh to meet their needs.

However there is another factor that has been devastating the lives of the small and marginal farmers of this village (located in Naraini block of Banda district) belonging to Kewat community, a community associated closely with life near rivers. This community has special skills associated with growing a diversity of crops which grow well in the land close to rivers, particularly many vegetables and some fruits. As they have always lived close to Ken river, they have been able to subsist on such cultivation. Hence they consider the Ken river to be like a mother who sustains them.

However in recent years the Ken river has been ravaged so heavily and badly by sand mining (including legal as well as illegal mining) that the river has been harmed in very severe ways. Sand is integral to the survival of the river and should only be taken in small amounts using gentler methods which do not harm the river flow and river bed. Unfortunately all such considerations have been neglected with the result that the Ken river and several other rivers of Bundelkhand region have been harmed in very serious ways.

The adverse impacts of sand mining have been generally discussed in the context of ecological harm, but as we can clearly see in villages like Bodepurva, sand mining is also ruining the existing sustainable livelihoods in many villages of a large number of farmers. This harm is particularly severe in the context of communities living close to rivers and hence known for special skills associated with cultivation closer to rivers.

In the context of Bodepurva the problems caused by neglect have been accentuated by indiscriminate and highly excessive sand mining. The vehicles which come for loading sand frequently harmed their crops and fields. The result is that poverty of villagers has been increasing and they have been becoming more dependent on very meagre and precarious earnings from migrant labour—toiling in distant places in conditions so uncertain that even the low wages for which they work are sometimes denied to them and they have to return home more or less empty-handed.

There is no proper road for this village. Going to the nearest hospital is extremely difficult. There is only one water source in working condition in the village and if this does not work people have to walk about 2 km to get water from the Ken river. No fresh water connections have been received here under the tap for every home initiative and Jal Jeevan Mission. Children have hardly any prospects for education as this village does not have a school and they are not welcome in the nearest school in Madhya Pradesh.

Hence clearly there is an urgent need for the government to help this neglected and devastated village in the form of improved sustainable livelihoods, education, housing, water and sanitation and proper paths. In addition the small and marginal farmers of this village ( as well as other villages with similar problems) should be compensated for the harm they have suffered from destructive mining practices in the past and at the same time they should be protected from any such harm in future. They should be helped to get back to their sustainable farming practices close to the river.

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The writer is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include "Protecting Earth for Children", "Man over Machine" and "A Day in 2071"