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Parched throats

Nisha Jose

Water - the elixir of life is the most precious commodity in the drought stricken parts of India. Sparing none, the disaster is a sure visitor owing to the laid-back approach of the government to Drought Management. Very often policies are discussed within the confines of air-conditioned rooms and remain there. There is no alleviation in sight for the needy. So, can the decision-makers step out, take in the misery of the people and implement policies to face this fierce and protracted battle?

It is not that the menacing drought takes the people and the official machinery by surprise. Every year the situation worsens. Man and cattle vie with each other for a drop of water. This disaster sucks dry the land and its people. The burning plains provide little recourse to man and cattle. The obvious reaction is to abandon home and wander in search of water to cling on to life. Winter woes of drying wells, empty tanks and barren rivers transform into summer's agony of endless queues for potable water. Tales of despair and fear abound as the sun bakes the earth, as if with a vengeance.

The disaster sets in slowly battering the economy. Natural resources as well as personal resources of the people are depleted. Not only is agriculture and allied industries hit but the largest employment opportunity also becomes defunct. The phenomenon is repeated every year, with each year outscoring the previous year in terms of drought intensity. The dipping water table sinks the hope of the needy as thousands of water structures lie empty. Life becomes miserable everywhere.

If one is to study the rainfall pattern all over India, droughts of such magnitudes should not occur. Unfortunately, rainwater is not harvested, showing a dire need for Water Management. Do you know the name of a place in India that receives a near copious amount of rainfall? The answer is Cherrapunji. Did you also know that Cherrapunji, with the generous amount of rainfall it receives, also undergoes water scarcity for nine months? Probably not, because it is hard too digest this fact. But the alarming fact remains and once again stresses the need for Water Management.

This leads us now to the remedy of the problem. Drought Management cannot be done overnight. It is a situation that requires constant monitoring and undivided attention. Drought Management includes planning and implementation just like any kind of crisis management would require. Fortunately, India has a good forecasting system based on agriculture, hydrological systems and weather. Yet, the situation is dismal.

Too much reliance on rainfall statistics will not show the real picture. This explains the occurrence of drought even when the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) announces normal monsoon. This announcement is not to be taken seriously because it certainly does not imply that every nook and corner of the country has received normal rainfall. An agricultural drought can be caused by few spells of heavy rain interspersed with long dry spells. Statistics reveal that India gets 80% of its annual rainfall in the months June-September. Dry states like Rajasthan receive rainfall only for two months and are easily prone to drought conditions.

Official apathy and lack of political leadership is probably the curse of India. The community must get actively involved in relief measures during better times. Programmes like watershed development to store and thereby save water in village ponds can be implemented with assured support from the villagers. The biggest achievement of these programmes is that the people do not have to wait for the government mechanism to get into action that will have set its clock to election times.

Empowering people to face the trauma is the need of the moment. They deserve better as their weak bodies wrestle with the spectre of drought. They are barely audible, as their throats are dry and nothing much has been implemented to mitigate their misery except for much rhetoric about Rain Harvesting, National Water Grid and the like. Once the searing summer is behind, it is goodbye to such gimmicks until next year when farmers who commit suicide jolt governments out of their slumber and it is time for more animated discussions.