explain the measures taken by the government and people of hiware bazar to develop ground water in the village
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Introduction
Every few years, villages in central Maharashtra, like those in other drought-prone regions across the country, face crippling water scarcity that threatens lives and livelihoods and fuels migration. Despite decades of drought-relief programs, there has been little change over the years. This year, Maharashtra is facing its worst drought since 2003.
Agriculture in this part of Maharashtra is largely rain-fed. Water retention is limited due to poor permeability of the geological structure, and accentuated by degradation of forests and green cover over the years. What water is available is poorly managed; farmers overexploit groundwater without consideration for their neighbours or their future. In effect, access to water is determined by land and the capital to dig deeper and deeper wells. Large parts of the region are therefore categorized as over-exploited, critical or semi-critical in terms of groundwater availability.
Our Quarterly looks at Hiware Bazar, a village in Ahmednagar district - one of three districts worst hit by this year’s drought. Yet unlike other villages that desperately wait for government-supplied tanker water to meet their drinking needs, Hiware Bazar today has assured drinking water. They have also managed to plant a rabi crop, albeit over reduced acreage. Watershed development and strict observance of rules that preserve the water table have been central to this village’s remarkable economic transformation. A fundamental premise of the program has been to treat water as a community resource.
Hiware Bazar: A water-led transformation
Hiware Bazar lies across 977 hectares (ha) at the foothills of the Sahyadris. The village receives only 300-400 millimeters (mm) of rainfall a year. Over time, with steady degradation of their forest land, villagers found themselves with little water available post the monsoon. Without water to irrigate their fields, villagers began to migrate to cities. Those that remained cut down remaining forest land for firewood and sustenance. Preparation and sale of illicit alcohol became a source of income, and alcoholism and crime were rife. Over 90 percent of families lived below the poverty line (BPL). The village lacked medical facilities and due to its bad reputation, teachers were unwilling to teach at the local school. As a result, its literacy rate at 30% was well below the national average (45% all-India rural literacy in 1991).
In 1990, Popatrao Pawar, after completing his MCom in Pune, was persuaded to return to his village. He was elected sarpanch and gave up a potential career in the city. Under his leadership the village drew up a plan based on priorities set by villagers themselves – with the top priorities on safe drinking water, irrigation water, employment, education and health. The village is now in the top income decile in India, has safe water and sanitation for all, and almost universal literacy (compared to national average rural literacy of 69%). The village has a secondary school and many students pursue careers in teaching or engineering.
Outcomes of the watershed development programDue to watershed development measures, the groundwater table rose and irrigated area increased (see Table 1). Farmers, previously able to cultivate only in the kharif season and grow bajra in rabi, could now grow in more seasons and switch from the traditional jowar and bajra to cash crops such as onion, potato, tomato and horticulture. As area under cultivation and cropping intensity increased and the cropping pattern changed, incomes rose sharply.
With more assured irrigation and therefore lower risk, farmers began to invest more in their land such as by building additional water storage structures. Some families that had migrated returned to the village. Many farmers used their increased agricultural earnings or took loans to buy cattle. The revegetation program, as part of watershed development, has increased availability of good quality grass which has in turn contributed to increased milk yield. Today dairying is an important mainstay of their economy.
What is most striking about Hiware Bazar’s growth is that most families gained from it, either directly or indirectly. Today the village has only three BPL families. Moreover, a commitment to sustainability helps ensure that benefits secured are not lost. Prudent water management coupled with crop planning guarantees drinking water year round, and agriculture and dairying are maintained as far as possible, even in low rainfall years.