If there was anything which has given a tough fight to Sachin Tendulkar’s record breaking spree lately, it has been the horrendous drought in Maharashtra! On a serious note however, this time around, the drought in the state has unfortunately surpassed all the records since 1972. In an all time worse drought scenario, staggeringly, almost one-fifth of the state is experiencing the debilitating effects of the drought. The government has declared 15 districts, consisting of 11,801 villages as affected by the drought. Even more disheartening is the fact that some of the villages are facing this situation for second year in a row. Millions of human beings and livestock are suffering from hunger. Just a small area, 3.96 million hectares is under irrigation, out of total 22.56 million hectares of land under cultivation.
The biggest irony eclipsing this drought, however, is the fact that the state sports highest number of large dams in the country, with most of them being built after 1972. To add fuel to the fire, these dams were built especially in 17 drought prone areas. Moreover, half of these districts have received more rainfall than in 1972. And the game clincher – The government since 1950’s has spent a whopping Rs 3,51,000 crore on building dams and reservoirs over major rivers! It is crystal clear then, that this strategy of building big dams for infusing fresh lease of life in agriculture production has not yielded results. So this is no solution apparently to the problem. But before we ponder over the solutions, here is a brief lowdown on the reasons for the recurring droughts in Maharashtra.
Sugar is Bitter
Farming in Maharashtra has abnormally and unjustifiably high share of sugarcane irrigation. To put in a layman’s words, you would find most number of sugar factories in those areas which are the worst affected by the drought. As per the Water Resources Department, Maharashtra, in 2009-10, 3,97,000 (Ha) was under sugarcane, out of the approximate 25 lakh hectares (Ha) of irrigated land. Grown on just 16% irrigated area, sugarcane consumed 76% of all water for irrigation. In short, sugarcane requires ten times more water compared to Jowar or nut. No wonder the state is short of H2O! Here is an illustration of this fact. Madha district in Solapur, gets an average rainfall of 550 mm annually. However, it is the largest sugarcane producer in Maharashtra with the concentration of most sugar factories and area under sugarcane. If so much water is used for sugarcane, obviously there would be almost none left for any other purpose.
Sugar- Adding taste to Politics of Maharashtra
It is no secret that sugarcane farming and agriculture in Maharashtra since a long time now has been playing a strong ally to the politics in the state. Sugar politics has so seamlessly dissolved in the state politics that the decision makers and political economy of Maharashtra are incapable of taking some bold and sustainable steps regarding cultivation of sugarcane.
Where is the Management of Water Resources
Inefficient and shoddy management of water resources is another major reason for recurring drought in the state. Adding to the woes is the lack of a proper policy on distribution of water. This is especially when it comes to distribution of water to industries rather than agriculture and animal husbandry in India. To illustrate this, here is some data. Apparently, according to a report by a NGO from Pune, 88 % water was re-routed to industries from Hetwane dam in Raigad district and 81% water was diverted from irrigation to industries from Amba and Pavna dams in Pune district. It is no secret that planning and planning with a view of the future is not existent in our political spheres.
Drop the Drip?
There is a buzz that a regulation about making drip irrigation compulsory for sugarcane is on the cards. But experts like Vandana Shiva (Indian environmental activist and anti-globalization author) are of the firm opinion supported by statistics that grapes and sugarcanes are using most of the water in a drought prone area which is already basically not conducive for these crops. So drip irrigation as well as sprinkler irrigation will not make any impact on reducing the water consumption by sugarcane crop. A case of sour grapes, is it, for our politicians?
Favourite Fabric of India – Not so Favourite ?
Again here, agriculture in Maharashtra and India overall is not taking cultivation of Bt Cotton well, according to Vandana Shiva, elaborating in connection with the current Maharashtra drought opines that cultivation of monocultures of Bt cotton is making the soil more vulnerable to drought by destroying micro-organisms which build the water-holding capacity of soil. This is adding to the drought woes of Maharashtra.
To put in a nutshell, huge irrigation scam, diversions to industry, increasing demand from urban conglomerates and unnatural amounts of consumption of water for sugarcane cultivation seem to be the general, basic causes for this unfortunate and horrifying drought in Maharashtra.
PS- Please keep a look out on this space, as we have more on drought and what some organizations in Pune are helping the affected in the next blog!
References
http://reliefweb.int/report/india/drought-maharashtra
http://www.indiatogether.org/2013/mar/agr-drought.htm
http://www.firstpost.com/india/maharashtras-water-crisis-lies-damned-lies-and-statistics-706398.html
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