Access to Water: Vidarbha’s Crisis

Introduction:

Water scarcity has consistently emerged as a threatening issue for the residents of the Vidarbha region in Maharashtra. Fuelled by the composition of insufficient rainfall and rapidly depleting water resources, the situation continues to get worse over the years. This is obviously affecting the lives of the residents, especially for farmers who depend on water for irrigation purposes. The Vidarbha region comprises of eleven districts out of which nearly 93 percent of the agricultural land depend on rain water for cultivation. This establishes that 65 percent of the region’s population is dependent on agricultural activities, and is therefore also dependent on rain. As a result, the impact of water scarcity can be traced to instances of ravaged farms, income loss and poor standard of life for many.

Vidarbha is quite popular for its sweet-sour flavoured Nagpur oranges, which even has a Geographical Indication (GI) tag. However in a similar fashion, even the orange farmers have also been witnessing significant losses owing to the drastic fall in water resources.  Instances of crop failures due to droughts every alternate year, have turned out to be common, affecting income and productivity. This is naturally causing food security concerns, making the region the “worst place in the nation to be a farmer”.

 Impact on Daily Life:

Food, clothing and water are some of the basic necessities in life and unfortunately, Vidarbha has been characterized by regular instances of droughts. In 2021, Vidarbha observed 631 mm of rainfall, which was 11 percent lower than the normal standard of 705.1 mm. The situation was worse in regions like Amravati and Gadchiroli, where the deficit was upto 25 percent and 22 percent respectively. As a result, access to clean water is restricted to the privileged population and whereas the general population is deprived of it. In fact, there is a significant variation in the quality of water which is directly proportional to the financial capacity.

In certain areas, families are forced to walk for miles for just one bucket of water. In areas like Khadimal village, which is often plagued by a combination of heatwaves and droughts, this situation is quite common. Their plight was even reflected in a BBC documentary in 2021, wherein it depicted the reality of water scarcity. As observed in the documentary, the situation gets worse during summer when water sources are scant and people have to rely on water tankers provided by the government. There have been similar situations in other villages as well.

Lack of water pervades almost all the social facets that define human existence in Vidarbha and compromises the development of a progressive society. Water scarcity is a significant issue which needs to be addressed by the concerned authorities as soon as possible.

Impact of water scarcity on agriculture

As mentioned earlier, Vidarbha is a region primarily dependent on agriculture, where most farmers depend solely on the monsoon for their water needs. They also cultivate crops that need a lot of water like cotton. Even the famous Nagpur oranges have a long plantation life, which implies their requirement of regular supply of water. As a result, these crops cannot be dependent on merely one cycle of good rainfall. They need consistent supply, which is often not available.

In many cases, it becomes hard for farmers to fulfil the basic requirements for agriculture practices. Also the farmer incur a lot of costs in procuring necessities like seeds, fertilizers, and equipments. Most of these expenses are attained from borrowing capital from money lenders, and banks at very high interest in the hope of cultivating better crop yield. Naturally, when these crops fail, farmers are pushed into a vicious cycle of loans, eventually leading them to commit suicides.

Maharashtra recorded 2,489 farmer suicides from 1 January to 30 November 2021 and 2,547 farmer suicides in 2020, with more than 50% of the deaths occurring in the state from Vidarbha in both years. Amravati region which comprises of West Vidarbha, recorded the highest number of suicides in both the years. Other regions like  Nagpur division, which includes East Vidarbha, also saw a rise in suicides from 269 in 2020 to 309 in 2021. In fact, owing to these statistics, the region is known as the “graveyard of farmers”. 

Social and Economic Consequences

It is quite obvious that the agricultural sector in the region has turned out to incur heavy losses for its inhabitants, which is pushing them to look for other sources of income. The mental effects of water scarcity and the inability to make sound financial decisions are significant. This is leading to high rates of climate induced migration and the citizens are now shifting to urban areas like Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur. These spate of events are also leading to another range of socio-economic consequences, which are often neglected.

These migrants are often forced to live in informal settlements also known as slums. These areas are usually overcrowded and lack basic resources like sanitation, healthcare and education facilities. These migrants also fail to secure access to government schemes, which exacerbates their poor quality of life. As a result they face significant challenges with social integration and instances of discrimination are quite common.

Conclusion

The poor implementation of schemes in the region is a significant issue which is further exacerbating this problem. In fact, only 25 percent of the region’s irrigation projects have managed to be completed in the past 28 years. This implies that there is a dire necessity to at first ensure that the irrigation projects are completed in accordance with their designated schedule.

Also, the obligation of resolving the issue of water scarcity should not be passed on to just the government. Other stakeholders like the citizens, local institutions, communities and organizations in the local areas should also shoulder the responsibility. There is obviously a need to shift the emphasis towards better water allocation and addressing the needs of substantive social categories, such as farmers. But it is also high time for people to understand the importance of efficient usage of water resources.

Small measures like mending pipes, replanting trees and not wasting water also go a long way. Farmers can also shift to crops like millets and pulses which have lesser water requirement as compared to crops like cotton. Therefore, subsidizing these crops and providing farmers with easy access to markets will encourage them to adopt good farming practices. People in local areas can establish associations that come up with localized approaches like the construction of water harvesting facilities and deployment of green agriculture strategies. By implementing measures like rainwater harvesting, sustainable agriculture, and support for mental health, we can create a better future for the people of Vidarbha.