(Flyer circulated on World Water Day) Improve Water Resources, Prevent Desertification, Protect Agriculture, Farmers and Rural Livelihoods in Anantapur Dist. 1. Introduction: United Nations General Assembly declared 22 nd March as World Water Day. 22 nd March was first formally proposed in Agenda 21 of 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro. Observance of 22 nd March as World Water Day began in 1993 and its importance has grown significantly ever since. It has offered an opportunity for concerned stakeholders and civil society organizations to draw the attention of public on issues concerning water and create Water Consciousness. And as well draw the attention of the policy makers in order to advocate a favourable policy environment for a) to promote a rights based approach to water b) Sustainable water conservation and water use c) Spatial and social equity in accessing water d) Mitigating natural calamities like droughts and floods and their impact in people, particularly the vulnerable populations e) Address issues of Food Security f) Address issues of clean drinking water g) Address issues of water pollution. Water is the basis for life of all the living beings. People are confronted with various water related problems at various levels such as family, community, local, regional, national and global. Even today, one third of the Worlds Population lack access to protected drinking water. People of some regions are confronted with devastating floods, while others are confronted with droughts and famines. Increasingly water has become a cause of conflict at various levels starting from within a family, between villages, regions, states and countries. Water related disputes are ongoing at all levels in India creating social tensions in the country. The water is becoming increasing scarce and so increasingly precious. So, it is predicted that the future wars will be fought for water at various levels. The main aim of the World Water Day is to draw the attention of the people towards water problems, create water consciousness, build public opinion, and advocate favorable policies in order to address the problems related to water. Water is the most critical resource for socio-economic development of any region or country. The water use is categorized essentially for a) Domestic consumption b) Agriculture, Cattle, Livestock etc c) Artisans and other livelihood activities like pottery, cottage industries etc., d) other Industries and e) Maintenance of ecological balance. Presence of adequate water resources indicates the richness of endowment of natural resources. Such resource rich regions could be economically and ecologically strong provided they are judiciously managed. Scarcity of water in an area leads to desertification and droughts. The variation in availability of water
between regions is the basis for regional imbalances, disparities and regional disputes. Of the total water existing on the Globe, the fresh water directly useful for human beings is less than three percent. The balance 97% of the water is in the form of oceans and ice in polar and other regions and is not directly useful to human beings. 70% of the available fresh water is being utilized by Agriculture sector. The food security of a region or a country depends on the availability of water resources for agriculture. The remaining 30% of the fresh water is used for the purpose of domestic consumption, artisans & cottage industries, industrial sector and eco system, maintenance. The scarce availability of water necessitates an equitable, efficient and effective use of water in order to meet the water needs of all people and sectors in a balanced manner. Mainly water availability is categorized as 1. Rain Water 2. Surface water (water bodies and rivers) 3. Moisture available in the upper layers of soil and 4. Ground water. However, rain water is the source for all the above 4 categories of water. The Central Public Health Engineering Department has assessed that a person requires 135 litres of water per day to meet the domestic and drinking water needs. 2. Status of water resources in Anantapur district. 2.1 Rainfed farming in severe crisis and on the collapse! Anantapur district is moving fast towards desertification. Agriculture is in severe crisis and other rural livelihoods are in peril. The life of all the people in rural areas is in severe distress. The district receives an annual rainfall of 552 mm. The district experiences droughts in three years in every five years! That means rains do not occur as and when it is required for crops and so the crops fail. The total geographical area of the district is about 50 lakh acres. The total area under cultivation is about 27 lakh acres. Out of this only 3 lakh acres is under irrigation mostly underground water. This means 90% of the cultivated area is under rainfed. Under these prevailing crisis conditions, there is a recent trend of rainfed farmers abandoning agriculture. If this trend is unabated, there is a possibility of disappreance of rainfed cultivation due to continuous drought conditions displacing about 4 5 lakh farm households, particularly small and marginal farmers. 2.2 Groundwater table is sinking day by day & surface water bodies silted and in disrepair: Not more than 3 lakh acres is under irrigation with 1.7 lakh tube wells in the district. In addition to this, an area of only 60,000 acres is being irrigated under High Level Canal of Thunga Bhadra dam. Due to less recharge during drought years, the ground water table is fast depleting every year. There are about 5000 nos. of traditional surface water resources like tanks, mini percolation tanks etc., in the district. These conventional water bodies once were
the main sources of harvesting rain water and recharging ground water in the District. This water harvesting and recharge mechanisms are now ineffective due to siltation, disrepair and neglect. Besides, the inflows of water into tanks are also largely decreased, due to climate change and shift in the pattern of rainfall. These water bodies are losing their water holding capacity, due to accumulation of silt for years. Some water bodies are losing their capacity due to damage to weirs and bunds. Apart from this, nearly 40% of the rain water is being evaporated due to intense heat and lack of green cover. This could have been avoided, had the vegetative cover spread in the district extensively. Thousands of bore wells are drying during summer every year. The ground water is depleting due to indiscriminate drilling of more and more new bore wells. The farmers are desperate to save the irrigated crops and fruit trees. So the farmers distressed and desperate are resorting to drilling of ten to twenty bore wells in their lands in search of water, but without success. Due to failure of bore wells the farmers are pushed in to a deep debt trap and some are resorting to suicides as they see no hope for future!. 2.3 Reserved forest denuded and Revenue hillocks & waste lands barren: In order to convert the rain water into ground water and enhance life systems, an area should have adequate forest with greenery. An area of 5 lakh acres (10% of the Geographical area) is under reserved forest in our district. All this area embraces only degraded forest with thorny scrub and bushes or denuded. Similarly an area of 10 lakh acres (20% of the Geographical area) comprising of barren hills, hillocks, waste lands and stream banks is also devoid of any vegetation. Forest commission recommends that 33% of a geographical area (in a district) has to be under forest in order to have an ecological balance and sustainable environment. 3. The following policies and programme are proposed to develop the water resources and their proper and efficient utilization in Anantapur District. 3.1 Rain water harvesting and soil & moisture conservation activities to be taken up extensively in the district In the entire district, the total area of 50 lakh acres ( that is cultivated lands, barren hills, forest areas, hillocks, stream banks all put together) has to be treated under watershed development programme. Soil and moisture conservation and rain water harvesting activities are to be carried out. This results in increase in vegetation, biodiversity, biotic life in the soils, ground water development and combats desertification. 3.2 Renovation of traditional water bodies such as tanks and mini percolation tanks Traditional surface water bodies such as irrigation tanks, small tanks, percolation tanks etc., existing in the district are to be de silted, repaired and restored to their full capacity. This leads
to increase in rain water harvesting and a high surface water storage capacity which in turn increases ground water recharge. Thus the bore wells also will have assured water yield. 3.3. Afforestation (5 lakh acres) of reserved forest and developing (10 lakh acres) social forestry on the hillocks, barren lands and stream courses etc. The forest area of 5 lakhs acreas which is degraded is to be developed with suitable afforestration. Besides another 10 lakhs acres of barren hills, hillocks, saline, alkaline soils, stream banks etc., are to be developed with social forestry. Afforestation and social forestry should be taken up with diversified local species which can yield tree fodder, wild fruits, biomass and other non-timber forest produce, which will support livelihoods, environment and bio diversity with increase in vegetation, moisture in the upper layers of soil, and soil biotic life will be increased besides increase in ground water table. The leaf litter falling on the ground will be converted into humus (soil carbon) due to decomposition. And this process aids in increase of moisture holding capacity, fertility and productivity of the soils. This whole process combats desertification and enhances carrying capacity for agriculture, animal husbandry and other rural livelihoods. 3.4. Adoption of conjunctive water utilization by formation of Ananta Water Grid The water received from Thunga Bhadra Project by the district through High Level Canal and what would be allocated under Handri-Neeva Project should be used to fill the traditional water bodies in the district without using for direct irrigation. There by creating an Anantapur Water Gird. Thus, the soil moisture due to rain, surface water, river waters, ground water has to be linked to supplement and complement each other in order to create a mechanism of conjunctive water utilization in managing irrigation for crops. As a part of this, a system, protective or life saving irrigation for rainfed crops during dry spells can also be adopted. Thus the drought in Anantapur District can be minimized with this protective irrigation. The conjuctive water use will cover larger area with irrigation, provide a better crop- security and benefit many more farmers. 3.5 Regulation of ground water utilization and adoption of micro irrigation through social regulation. A policy and a system of sharing of ground water between the farmers having bore wells and those who do not have bore wells is to be adopted in order to save rainfed crops during prolonged dry spells, by giving protective irrigation. Micro irrigation methods are to be followed to save water and get more crop per drop of water. A social regulatory mechanism has to be followed in utilization of ground water so as to adopt a more equitable distribution of ground water with non- bore well owners. Ground water regulation, water-sharing and conjunctive use of water will together enhance water synergy, social equity in water usage and also a more equitable spatial distribution of water across the district.
3.6 Conservation Farming Paradigm (Sustainable Agriculture) to be adopted in the place of Green Revolution Paradigm: The Green Revolution Paradigm of agriculture is also known as HEIDA (High External Input Destructive Agriculture) is destructive to environment and people due to its high use of chemicals. It is high cost intensive and so unsuitable for drought prone rainfed farming. It is anti-small and marginal farmers as they could not afford high investments and compete with big farmers. It is only suitable for big farmers and big holdings with irrigation facilities as it operates on big machines like tractors, harvesters etc, which cannot operate in small holdings. So it is totally unsuitable for rainfed agriculture and small and marginal farmers particularly for Anantapur like drought-prone agro-climate. So, a Conservation Farming System which is eco-friendly, low external input with low cost should be preferred. This paradigm of agriculture is also called Sustainable Agriculture. It is pro-rainfed farming system and also pro-small and marginal farmers, as it uses low cost local resource based bio-fertilisers and bio pest management and local seeds which can be re used by farmers time and again. Under the Sustainable Agriculture, more and more rainfed tree farming mango, custard apple, tamarind, subabul, sesbania etc., have to be encouraged as local tree crops are more resilient than annual crops. The tree farming has to be with diversified trees for food, fruit, fodder, fibre, biomass, medicinal etc. The tree crops will bring a positive change in the land use from short duration seasonal crops to perennial tree crops and has a positive impact on environment. 3.7 Water intensive crops should be banned: Since the district is heading for desertification, the water intensive and long duration crops like paddy, sugar cane, banana, should not be encouraged. Only short duration crops (vegetables, millets, food crops) and rainfed are to be encouraged. 4. A 10 year perspective plan for combating drought & desertification. By following extensively the policies and programmes mentioned above, the water resources can be augmented and environment improved besides achieving social equity and spatial equity in distribution and utilization of available water and environmental resources. The policy decisions are to be made in this direction and suitable programmes developed. A 10 year perspective plan in this direction has to be prepared and implemented on war footing. In this process of preparation of action plans and implementation, rural communities, Panchayat Raj Institutions, Water Users Associations, Forest Protection Committees, Watershed Development Committees, Self Help Groups and other Civil Society Organizations are to be appropriately involved. Similarly, various Government departments like Forest Department, District Water
Management Agency, Rural Development Department, Minor Irrigation Department, Horticulture, Agriculture, Micro Irrigation, Revenue Department etc., have to work in coordination with commitment to the stated goals. It is to be noted that MGNREGS could be extensively used in actual implementation of a number of programmes suggested above. If the above policies and programmes are strictly followed, droughts and desertification could be combated. A change towards sustainability in agricultural eco-system can be obtained through improvement of water resources and environmental resources. Agricultural Security (including cattle and livestock) rural livelihood security and Food Security can be achieved on sustainable basis. A call today on the occaision of on the World Water Day 2012 to the Government, particularly policy makers Non-Government Organizations, farmers organization, SMGs and their federations, Civil Society Organizations and people to work in a concert in this direction.