In this Madhya Pradesh village, development hinges on water

By Bharat Dogra*

Most discussions on development in Sapon village start and end—generally on a dismal note—with water. If agricultural production cannot increase, it is because of the scarcity of water. If animal husbandry and dairying cannot progress, it is because so little water is available for quenching the thirst of farm animals. If the mobilization of villagers, particularly women, is needed for various development tasks, this becomes difficult because of the excessive time they must spend fetching and managing the family’s daily water supply.

During a recent group discussion in this village, located in the Tikamgarh block and district of Madhya Pradesh, a very grim picture of the village's water scarcity emerged. Villagers reported that for the nearly 500 households in the village, there are only four working hand pumps, while three others are non-functional. This scarcity of drinking water sources creates immense pressure on the working hand pumps, which must be rested for some time before they can start yielding water again. As the summer season advances, the chances of these water sources drying up increase.

There are about nine hamlets in this village, so it is clear that some do not have a single functional drinking water source. Villagers say that to have one functional source at any given time—which should be the minimum requirement—there should be an additional one as backup. Therefore, there should be at least 18 hand pumps here instead of the seven that exist today.

Pipeline and tap-based work has not started here in recent times. Long ago, there was a limited system for a part of the village, but that system gradually broke down.

The overall result is severe water scarcity. Rati Ahirwar said that she has to make nearly 10 to 12 trips a day to fetch water from a distance of around 300 meters. Munni Vishwakarma added that this becomes even more difficult as the summer season reaches its peak. The waiting time for water increases, and due to the stress of securing the minimum supply, quarrels occasionally break out.

There are plenty of traditional wells in the village, but they are quite often in a state of disrepair. This water cannot be used for drinking or cooking but can be used for animals. In addition, there are some ponds a few kilometers away. On the whole, there is serious water scarcity for animals, too.

As the water level in most wells is quite low, only very limited irrigation is possible. Due to the rocky land, bore wells can only succeed in a few places. One person with a successful bore well allows some villagers to take water, but only to those who make a monthly payment of three hundred rupees. Furthermore, because the overall groundwater situation is one of scarcity, even if a bore well succeeds, the extraction of excess water from this source leads to greater scarcity and a lowering of the water table for others.

In this situation, two kinds of solutions are possible. Firstly, the government can arrange pipelines and taps and source water from outside. While villagers would certainly be happy with this, there has been uncertainty regarding this plan, and the source to be tapped and its adequacy must be determined clearly. To a lesser extent, the government could help by sending water tankers, particularly in the summer.

While greater or lesser relief can result from both options, for sustainability and self-reliance, it is also important to conserve rainwater as much as possible. This would create additional water conservation sites while simultaneously raising the water level of the wells. Field bunds are also helpful in this regard. A combination of all these steps could bring some badly needed hope to this village. Once things start moving in this direction with community participation, no doubt the community members, with their deep local knowledge, can contribute to finding the best possible structures and locations for them.

They will undoubtedly be highly motivated to contribute when their most serious problem is being resolved. This motivation would likely increase further if livelihood protection and promotion activities were also undertaken. Planting trees at various levels and in various ways can contribute to both water conservation and livelihood enhancement. This being a relatively large village, it should be able to get the necessary attention for such multifaceted initiatives, which can create new conditions of hope in the village—conditions that are very much needed here.

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

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