(Article) Double trouble in Bundelkhand by Bharat Dogra
Article : Double trouble in Bundelkhand By Bharat Dogra
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The
region’s topography and neglect of traditional tanks means droughts turn
into floodsAs
a report says: “The region’s topography is marked by a succession of
downsliding gradients from the south to the north. Within these successions rise
a number of plateaus whose total area accounts for no less than 24 per cent of
the region’s geographical area. Such predominance of plateaus is not
noticeable anywhere else in this country. Hence, the rain that falls in this
region gets drained at superfast speed, after creating flash floods... during
the rains and causing long-term water scarcity thereafter.”
The report was prepared by the ngos Centre for Rural
Development (crdt) and Vigyan Shikshan Kendra (vsk).
It goes on to add: “The greatest event of far-reaching consequences in Bundelkhand
was the destruction of forests. It changed the climate, the rainfall patterns,
the perennial character of the rivers, the groundwater recharge pattern, soil
productivity, people’s life pattern, social mores and ethics...The loss of
forest cover gave rise to the flash floods in streams and rivers eroding the
surface soils gave rise to ravines.”
Two, and partly related to the first factor is that the dams and barrages built
on the rivers of this region have shown an excessive tendency to resort to
sudden, massive discharges leading to highly destructive flash floods.
Earlier such heavy and sudden release of water had caused highly damaging floods
in Banda and Chitrakoot districts. This year too the limited, short duration
floods in Banda (in Ken river) were blamed by several local people on this
factor.
Three, talabs, the neglect of traditional water sources which could
retain and collect a lot of rainwater has proved very costly. As the crdt-vsk
report notes: “In almost all the districts of Bundelkhand, each village
had developed a culture of creating ponds/tanks to help the inhabitants for
meeting their domestic water-needs. With the onset of colonial pattern of
administration, divesting people of their control over local natural resources,
introduction of canal irrigation and decimation of forests, this culture began
to decay and is now moribund.”
The colonial legacy
The neglect of tanks and the ponds continued after colonial times and slowly the
culture of ponds prevalent in Bundelkhand was overpowered by the commercial
culture. In the villages these common resources have been privatized in the name
of development of fisheries. Many tanks were flattened to raise paddy crops or
for expansion of the village settlements.
In urban areas, several posh colonies rose in the catchments and even on
the beds of tanks. Large-scale shopping complexes were raised while the tanks
got filled up with filth and drain/sewer disposals.
Beautification of the tanks, wherever undertaken was cosmetic. The measures were
limited to fixing light-posts, repairing the boundaries and/or sometimes
removing water hyacinth and other weeds. Encroachments on the tank-beds or the
catchment area were never removed, and the natural fresh input of water to these
tanks or lakes was never restored.
Last but not the least is the damage done by indiscriminate and destructive
mining practices in this region, particularly river-bed mining from sand. This
has made the rivers more flood-prone while the paths travelled by trucks and
heavy machinery have turned the river towards human habitations.
In addition, of course, there is the issue of overall increase in soil and water
erosion caused by various mines in the region.
These factors have combined to create a situation where destructive floods can
be caused all too easily even when land is parched after a prolonged drought.
Bharat Dogra is a senior journalist who writes on developmental issues
Courtesy : http://www.downtoearth.org.in
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