How Madhya Pradesh's reservoir contracting system weighs heavily against fisherfolk

By Raj Kumar Sinha* 

Water sources such as ponds, rivers, and reservoirs are essential parts of our water wealth. These water bodies host a variety of fish species that ensure food security for millio and provide a livelihood for fishing communities. To secure the rights of local fishers over water and its resources, governmental support is essential. Today, however, human-made disruptions outweigh natural ones, adversely affecting communities dependent on water resources.

In large reservoirs, contractors involved in fishery businesses are exploiting workers, engaging in corruption, and violating human rights. The Madhya Pradesh State Fisheries Federation controls 26 reservoirs — 7 large and 19 medium — covering a total area of 2.29 lakh hectares. Previously, fishery activities were managed through the now-defunct State Fisheries Development Corporation, after which responsibilities were handed over to the State Fisheries Federation. The idea was to operate activities by involving active representatives from the local fisher community.

However, no elections have been held for over two decades in the Federation, and all operations are now handled through government-appointed administrators. It is crucial to form and run fishery cooperatives for various reservoirs through a democratic process.

In the 1990s, fishers displaced by the Bargi and Tawa dams protested against the reservoir contracting system. Back then, Chief Minister Digvijay Singh granted fishing and marketing rights in the Bargi reservoir to a federation of 54 cooperatives. This federation successfully managed fish production and marketing. Between 1994 and 2000, the Bargi Dam Displaced Fish Production and Marketing Cooperative Federation produced an average of 450 tons of fish annually, paid fishers ₹31.99 million in wages, ₹13.7 million in royalties to the state, provided interest-free loans for boats and nets, and created employment for around 100 displaced individuals.

Despite this success, the state government reinstated the contractor system in 2000, leading to a sharp decline in fish production. Contractors earn crores by selling fish at market rates, while fishers face exploitation. Bargi reservoir fish production figures reveal the decline:

2017–18: 55 tons

2018–19: 213 tons

2019–20: 95 tons

2020–21: 28 tons

2021–22: 114 tons

2022–23: 211 tons

Additionally, the lack of a transparent fish seed stocking process has severely impacted production, forcing fishers to migrate in search of work.

On September 3, 2007, the state's Chief Secretary and senior officials from the Narmada Valley Development Authority directed a halt to fishing via contracting in Narmada Valley reservoirs. However, the Fisheries Federation’s management refused to comply, raising questions about whose interests the Federation truly serves.

Wage rates for fishers have not been revised for years. The Federation has fixed wages at ₹34/kg for major carp and ₹20/kg for minor carp in reservoirs larger than 2,000 hectares — much below market rates. While contractors’ profits soar, fishers face financial distress.

Influential non-fishing community members have taken over most reservoirs through primary fisher cooperatives, often with support from district officials. In the Bansagar reservoir, contractors bring in outside fishers, depriving locals of work. Physical assaults by contractor henchmen on local fishers are common. Fishers are even prohibited from taking fish home for personal consumption. In 1992–93, Governor Mohammad Kunwar Ali Khan had permitted fishers to retain 20% of their catch for personal use — a right now denied.

Meanwhile, the Madhya Pradesh government plans to install floating solar plants in a hundred reservoirs. The floating solar plant at Omkareshwar Dam on the Narmada River has already deprived hundreds of fishers of their livelihood, pushing them to the brink of starvation. Of Bargi reservoir's 16,000 hectares used for fishing, 10,000 hectares are earmarked for a floating solar plant, threatening the livelihood of thousands of families.

For sustainable fishing, keeping rivers flowing and pollution-free is critical to prevent the extinction of fish species. Once, Mahseer fish made up 30% of the Narmada’s population. Now it’s less than 1%. The Mahseer thrives in clear, flowing water — conditions no longer present due to damming and water opacity, resulting in its drastic decline.

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*Bargi Dam Displaced and Affected Association