Political brownie points over drought relief in Maharashtra

While residents of 151 tehsils covering 28,524 villages reel under the state’s worst ever drought, the ruling and opposition parties in Maharashtra seemed to prioritise scoring political brownie points over relief and rehabilitation.

The recent four phase polling in the state saw the verbal duel reach a crescendo of sorts with the opposition Congress and Nationalist Congress Party slamming the BJP-led government for lapses in the implementation of drought relief. The ruling saffron combine (BJP and Shiv Sena) have countered these charges underlining how the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre has provided help for drought mitigation. It claims the state government has been working quite hard to help drought-hit.

NCP president and former Union Minister Sharad Pawar claimed that the state government woke up only after he toured some drought-affected areas recently. “PM Narendra Modi and CM Devendra Fadnavis are still not considering the gravity of the drought situation in the state. The state has failed to take any cognisance of the drought,” he said and alleged that the drought relief was implemented late.

According to him the government should have acted fast to provide drinking water for people and cattle, employment, fodder, to set up cattle camps and put together a financial package for farmers. “Modi should have spoken about his government’s policy regarding the drought and farmers but for that he would have to first take the drought seriously.”

Echoing him, state Congress unit president and former chief minister Ashok Chavan pointed out how migration from the drought-hit villages of Marathwada and Solapur was on a the rise given what he called the mishandling of the drought. “The government has miserably failed to provide the relief to drought hit villages due to lack of sufficient planning. All the CM does is engage in wordplay even as farmers across Maharashtra suffer.”

The opposition has demanded that recovery of all kinds of government dues should be stopped and a loan waiver or crop loan restructuring for all farmers in drought-affected areas.

The ruling saffrom combine is not holding back its punches in reply. It has alleged that the opposition is politicising the drought saying and defended the government’s pro-active implementation drought relief measures. “Former union minister Sharad Pawar should not politicise the drought situation as the state government has already launched a slew of drought mitigation measures,” advised Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil.

Like him CM Fadnavis aggresively defended his government. Both claim that the quantum of central assistance for drought is higher than what the state received under UPA I and II. Fadnavis said: “Our government is helping drought-hit farmers by ensuring that the relief amount is directly deposited in their bank accounts. If there are some difficulties in this, they will be resolved on the basis of examining parameters,” and added, “The demands for additional fodder camps and tankers should be registered through WhatsApp and we’ll look into such demands.” He also said: “GPS has been installed on water tankers which helps calculate the number of rounds they make and the locations to which water is provided.”

The CM also said the government has making available funds to district collectors for drought mitigation. The government is making all efforts for the implementation of temporary and permanent steps to tackle drought situation in the state.All the district guardian ministers have been asked to extensively travel in droudht hit villages and undertake additional drought relief measures.

Anarchy in the water sector

Leading expert on water management, governance and regulation Pradeep Purandare feel that the root of the problem lies in Maharashtra’s failure to complete the Irrigation Sector Reforms it failed to complete. “The state water policy was adopted way back in 2003 but it has not been revised. There is virtually no water management, governance and regulation and even standard operating procedures are given the short shrift,” he said and underlined: “Since most water and irrigation Acts have remained on paper due to absence of operative part (rules, notifications, appointments, etc), water conflicts are on the rise.”

He warns: “There’s anarchy in the water sector. An unprecedented legal crisis is in offing.” He feels the state gave too much of emphasis to the supply side management and that the irrigation scam (during Congress-NCP government) also took its toll. “Time and cost overruns and inordinate delays in completing the projects is a common phenomenon. Irrigation Systems are not amenable to modern concepts. Water audit, benchmarking and Irrigation Status Reports are being published without water budget and measurement of water and dirrigated area. Demand side management is conspicuous by its absence.”

Purandare says: “Its an irony to see how Maharashtra aborted the Irrigation Sector Reforms and initiated the ambitious Jalyukt Shivar Yojana (JSY) without any home work. JSY has turned out to be a ‘demonetisation’ in water sector.”

The expert who most water rights activists look up to alleges the JSY been hijacked by JCB & Poklane (Earth moving machinery) lobby with vested interests in nullah deepening and widening. “The claims about the success of JSY are exaggerated. Drought has thoroughly exposed the scheme. Environmental damage to aquifers, upstream vs downstream conflicts and illegal and undeclared redistribution of water all outcomes of JSY. It would be prudent to officially stop this scheme and concentrate on soil and water conservation.”

He emphasised the need to encourage people’s participation in handling drought. “We need to gradually switch over to demand side management, implementation of Water and Irrigation Acts, improving and modernising system to make them amenable to modern concepts, a complete water sector reform, strengthening institutions in water sector. There is need to focus rain water harvesting and recycle and reuse water. Moreover, there is a need to regulate crops, groundwater and lift irrigation and the implementation of eight monthly irrigation system.”

(villagers on the tanker route line up their drums and buckets days ahead in anticipation of the tanker, which can take between 8-10 days for a sortie)

Awry water management

Water rights activist Prafull Kadam explains why Maharashtra has been facing drought for several years despite the implementation of drought mitigation measures by successive governments. “There has been gross neglect towards the the leading issue of water management,” he insists and adds, “The government needs to understand that in the absence of rainfall it can implement long term plan to ensure water security and its availability especially in drought conditions for drinking purpose, farming and industry. However, the water management over the years has gone awry.”

He lamented: “Despite repeated failures in water management during drought, the administration, stakeholders in the water sector and the media do not seem keen to reduce emphasis on ‘Paani adva, paani jirva’ (the water conservation slogan of the state government for 40 years). They are also not ready to admit the limitations in the water conservation measures.” He says the ‘Paani adva, paani jirva’ programme was suited for a time when there was limited area under farming, less agriculture production and less demand for water. “However, it has become irrelevant when there has been rise in area under cultivation and higher population, urbanisation and industrialisation leading to a substantial increase in demand for water.”

He underlines the strong need for scientific and proper water management. “Currently nearly 116 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) water is discharged from various dams into the Arabian Sea. That water should ideally be supplied to the drought hit villages.”

He also spoke of the importance of raising awareness for optimum and proper utilisation of water through the water literacy drives. “The quality of water should get prominence along with increasing pressure on its availability. Besides, natural drainage of water and impact of pollution will also have to be explained in their right perspective to the multitudes.”