Skip to main content

Traditional wisdom in water conservation amidst new, 'dangerous' sources of pollution

By Bharat Dogra* 

On the farming map of Uttar Pradesh, Mahoba is generally considered a relatively backward district of Bundelkhand region, but thanks to a recent initiative called Bundelkhand Initiative for Water, Agriculture and Livelihoods (BIWAL), a model combining water conservation and natural farming, has given a new-found strength to many farmers and rural communities. Arunoday and Srijan voluntary organization have collaborated to take this model to several villages, with emphasis on women farmers and relatively weaker sections.
Chhitarwara village in Jaitpur block provides an example of a village that is humming with new creativity in the course of experimenting with natural farming. Arvind, a small farmer known for his many-sided skills, was quick to turn his creativity in this direction. 
As we now have a very low-cost technology based on improved utilization of cow dung and urine plus other local free resources, Arvind asked himself, won’t it now become viable to tend the neglected piece of low productivity land more carefully? Once he and his family took up the challenge, to their delight they ended up increasing the production on this piece of land by almost 3 times, from 5 to around 14 quintals, using only organic inputs.
Several other farmers like Surtai and Chhadami have also achieved very encouraging results from natural farming. This as well as the steep decline in the costs of those farmers who have adopted natural farming has attracted other farmers and most other farmers are at least trying natural farming on a part of the land, or discussing about moving to this path soon. This important and very creative change within a short time has become a big discussion point in this area.
Another such village is Thurhat where Ramesh Dada leading this effort has set up a natural farming center which has become a hub for these activities and more specifically also a place where other farmers can buy low-cost organic manure ad pest repellant.
Ramesh Dada says that the first one or two years are difficult while shifting to natural farming but after this the yield stabilizes and can also increase. However the cost reduction and quality improvement of produce is achieved immediately. In fact so important is the quality improvement, Ramesh said, that he was able to obtain almost double the normal rate for the entirely organic wheat produced at his farm, so that despite a small decline in yield his income certainly went up.
There are several other enthusiastic farmers here who are happy with their shift to natural farming. Deendayal has achieved more in vegetable cultivation while Ghanshyam talks with pride about filling two trucks with watermelons grown on his small farm. The other side is that Ramesh has not yet been able to convince his own brother to make this change to natural farming. On the whole, however, the wind here is blowing much in favour of change towards natural farming.
In these two villages as well as in Baura village of this block this change has been facilitated by the removal of silt from tanks, leading further to deposition of fertile silt in fields and increase of rainwater retention capacity of tanks. In fact Baura village suffered from quite acute water scarcity earlier and it was only after sorting this out that the prospects for natural farming’s success also increased. 
Now this village has formed a tank management committee to carry forward water conservation work and subsequently they have carried out removal of silt on their own also without the help of the two voluntary organizations. Now the process of cooperation among villagers has grown and even two rivals have been seen cooperating with each other to carry forward this work which benefits the entire village. In Thurhat village people want some repair work also in the tank to further improve water retention and recharge.
Elsewhere different solutions have emerged to tackle war shortage. In nearby Panna district’s Pipariya cluster ( Madhya Pradesh), where Srijan partner Hartika is working with small farmers to create several fruit orchards, electricity supply was so erratic in remote villages that irrigation had become a critical constraint.
In such a situation the introduction of solar pumps appeared to be a savior and the fruit trees could be irrigated at the right time. However, Mangal Turbine is also very suitable for such difficult situations and should be considered, particularly as this has been invented by a Bundelkhand farmer scientist and is particularly suitable for parts of Bundelkhand such as Mahoba and Panna.
In Gaurihar block of Mahoba district the challenge is considered to be bigger as this has been generally considered one of the most backward blocks of Mahoba district. However here the work of BIWAL initiative, facilitated by a grant from Indus Ind Bank, has progressed well even in more difficult conditions. One example of this is Kheminkhera village. 
Traditional wisdom in water conservation is very visible in two ancient tanks here – the Behari Sagar tank of Chandel tmes is linked by overflow to serving Devi tank. The Behari Sagar has beautiful lotus flowers whose fragrance spreads far and wide. People can earn livelihood by freely collecting its stem used as a vegetable and makhana. 
However, in recent years excess silt accumulation had become a problem in both of these tanks. Removal of this silt under BIWAL project and its deposition in fields improved land fertility as well as water conservation and recharge, and this turn prepared the base for the success of natural farming in the village resulting in improved production of vegetables and planting of new orchards while keeping down costs.
Keshkali of Churiyari village in this block is a good representative of women farmers who have come forward to make full use of new opportunities. She has set up a natural farming centre, taking up natural farming herself and motivating many others to do so. She says she had problems in the first year of natural farming, but now she is well established in this.
Vipin Tiwari is even more enthusiastic and says that he has been able to almost double production in some of his fields by carefully adopting natural farming practices. The progress in this village in this direction has been very encouraging and most farmers are now being attracted towards this.
At the same time some new concerns are also emerging. While the recent progress in this village was helped much by the silt removal from its tank, the introduction of exotic fish along with polluting feed has led to a situation in which the water has become badly polluted. 
Villagers say that as long as fishing based on local naturally occurring fish existed, there was no problem at all but under a system of giving contracts of tanks this serious pollution has been caused. There was a struggle in another village against such pollution and perhaps a struggle will be needed here too, villagers say.
It is sad that while tanks are being cleaned, new and more dangerous sources of pollution are emerging. As I travelled towards Banda from here I became aware of another serious risk for water sources. There appeared to be an endless line-up of tricks carrying or waiting to carry sand mined from Ken river, legally as well as illegally. 
There were massive mounds of sand and the line of trucks destined to transport did not seem to end. So after seeing all the good work in several villages, I finally departed with deepened concern over much wider areas being opened up for ecological havoc.
---
*Honorary convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include ‘India’s Quest for Sustainable Farming and Healthy Food’, 'Protecting Earth for Children' and ‘A Day in 2071’

Comments

TRENDING

Loktantra Bachao Abhiyan raises concerns over Jharkhand Adivasis' plight in Assam, BJP policies

By Our Representative  The Loktantra Bachao Abhiyan (Save Democracy Campaign) has issued a pressing call to protect Adivasi rights in Jharkhand, highlighting serious concerns over the treatment of Jharkhandi Adivasis in Assam. During a press conference in Ranchi on November 9, representatives from Assam, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh criticized the current approach of BJP-led governments in these states, arguing it has exacerbated Adivasi struggles for rights, land, and cultural preservation.

Promoting love or instilling hate and fear: Why is RSS seeking a meeting with Rahul Gandhi?

By Ram Puniyani*  India's anti-colonial struggle was marked by a diverse range of social movements, one of the most significant being Hindu-Muslim unity and the emergence of a unified Indian identity among people of all religions. The nationalist, anti-colonial movement championed this unity, best embodied by Mahatma Gandhi, who ultimately gave his life for this cause. Gandhi once wrote, “The union that we want is not a patched-up thing but a union of hearts... Swaraj (self-rule) for India must be an impossible dream without an indissoluble union between the Hindus and Muslims of India. It must not be a mere truce... It must be a partnership between equals, each respecting the religion of the other.”

Right-arm fast bowler who helped West Indies shape arguably greatest Test team in cricket history

By Harsh Thakor*  Malcolm Marshall redefined what it meant to be a right-arm fast bowler, challenging the traditional laws of biomechanics with his unique skill. As we remember his 25th death anniversary on November 4th, we reflect on the legacy he left behind after his untimely death from colon cancer. For a significant part of his career, Marshall was considered one of the fastest and most formidable bowlers in the world, helping to shape the West Indies into arguably the greatest Test team in cricket history.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Andhra team joins Gandhians to protest against 'bulldozer action' in Varanasi

By Rosamma Thomas*  November 1 marked the 52nd day of the 100-day relay fast at the satyagraha site of Rajghat in Varanasi, seeking the restoration of the 12 acres of land to the Sarva Seva Sangh, the Gandhian organization that was evicted from the banks of the river. Twelve buildings were demolished as the site was abruptly taken over by the government after “bulldozer” action in August 2023, even as the matter was pending in court.  

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah  The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

Will Left victory in Sri Lanka deliver economic sovereignty plan, go beyond 'tired' IMF agenda?

By Atul Chandra, Vijay Prashad*  On September 22, 2024, the Sri Lankan election authority announced that Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) alliance won the presidential election. Dissanayake, who has been the leader of the left-wing JVP since 2014, defeated 37 other candidates, including the incumbent president Ranil Wickremesinghe of the United National Party (UNP) and his closest challenger Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya. 

Will Bangladesh go Egypt way, where military ruler is in power for a decade?

By Vijay Prashad*  The day after former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left Dhaka, I was on the phone with a friend who had spent some time on the streets that day. He told me about the atmosphere in Dhaka, how people with little previous political experience had joined in the large protests alongside the students—who seemed to be leading the agitation. I asked him about the political infrastructure of the students and about their political orientation. He said that the protests seemed well-organized and that the students had escalated their demands from an end to certain quotas for government jobs to an end to the government of Sheikh Hasina. Even hours before she left the country, it did not seem that this would be the outcome.

Green Revolution’s reliance on chemical fertilizers, pesticides contributing to Punjab's health crisis

By Bharat Dogra, Jagmohan Singh*  Punjab was once synonymous with robust health, particularly in its rural areas, where farmers were known for their strength and vitality. However, in recent years, reports from these villages tell a different story, with rising cases of serious health issues, including cancer. What led to this decline? The answer lies largely in the erosion of good nutrition, once a hallmark of Punjabi village life. The health of a population is closely tied to its nutrition, and Punjab's reputation as a provider of high-quality nutrition has suffered greatly. The loss of biodiversity in agriculture has led to a decrease in the variety and quality of crops, resulting in poorer nutrition. Pulses, a key source of protein, have seen a steep decline in cultivation due to the disruption of traditional farming practices by the Green Revolution. This has had a detrimental effect on both soil and human health. Although pulses are still available in the market, they are exp

A Marxist intellectual who dwelt into complex areas of the Indian socio-political landscape

By Harsh Thakor*  Professor Manoranjan Mohanty has been a dedicated advocate for human rights over five decades. His work as a scholar and activist has supported revolutionary democratic movements, navigating complex areas of the Indian socio-political landscape. His balanced, non-partisan approach to human rights and social justice has made his books essential resources for advocates of democracy.