Tracking the Drought-I Kutch: The story of a tortoise in distress
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COMMENTS 
All the surface water sources in the vast and desolate flatlands of Kutch, Gujarat, are bone dry. The groundwater tables are falling at alarming rates. How do communities survive the drought here? This is the first in a series of articles tracking the drought
"Tujhya gharaat naahi paani, ghaaghar utaani re (there is no water in your house, as the pot is turned upside down)" goes a popular song on the radio. Was it written for Kutch? Probably not, though it is a graphic description of the grim situation prevailing there.
Dry wells, dry reservoirs - and an oasis
There are 20 medium irrigation projects in the district of Kutch, with a capacity of 265 mcm. This scorching May of 2003, all of them are high and bone-dry, devoid of any water whatsoever. Of these, 19 were meant for irrigation purposes, while the district administration changed the status of the Tupper project, in Anjaar taluka, from an irrigation project to a drinking water project. But to no avail. Since it does not have any water, it cannot provide it, whether for drinking or for irrigation! Meanwhile Kutch survives on its precarious groundwater resources. Sources, really, for resources when utilised beyond capacity, get depleted and degraded. Which is exactly what is happening in Kutch today, at an alarming rate and to a widespread extent.
In Naliya town to the west of Bhuj, the district headquarters of Kutch, I encounter Manuba who recounts the regular mad scramble for the collection of water, on the arrival of the water tanker in her village. As evidence, she shows me her scarred wrists, bruised by her broken bangles. This scuffle, according to her, was commonplace in her village. We learnt that it took place in many villages and towns in Kutch.
At Naliya, I also meet Kasambhai with his hand-cart (laari). On one trip he carries 21 tins of water, each containing 15 litres. These are sold in Naliya town at Rs 4-5 per tin. He usually makes two trips per day on his cart, earning approximately Rs 190-200, selling water! He cautions me against drinking the water, though, which looked translucent, like Limca, and which he says does not agree with everybody. Nevertheless, I manage to get a sample in an empty Coke bottle, courtesy my friend Hemantbhai, in addition to a photograph, and valuable information, before departing from Naliya. The district of Kutch sprawls over 24% of the total area of the western Indian state of Gujarat. Kutch derives its name from the words Kachbo (Gujarati) and Kachua (Hindi), both of which mean tortoise. The shape of this region resembles the back of a tortoise, with the central portion (near Bhuj) elevated, and the land gently sloping downwards from there in all four directions. Kutch is located in the arid tracts of the country and has a uniquely arid coastal climate. The district is poorly endowed in terms of its agricultural fertility, low rainfall (125 mm annually and that's it), inadequate availability of groundwater for irrigation, lack of perennial rivers, alarming fall in groundwater tables and increasing soil and groundwater salinity. While Kutch has always been a drought-prone region, the incidence of drought has become more frequent and regular. Nowadays, in a typical five-year cycle, as many as two-three years are declared drought-affected.
On the way back from Naliya I notice a green patch (oasis, really!) in the dreary, dull and dry landscape. Hot and tired, Hemantbhai (my man Friday!) and I decide to take a brief halt. We splash water on our faces and sip refreshing sugarcane juice at a laari. I ask the juice-wallah how people could afford (in terms of water, not money!) to grow sugarcane (a water-intensive crop) in a bad drought year. He says that though there is a drought, there still exist pockets where irrigation is available and thus sugarcane can be cultivated. Which permits us the luxury of the cool sugarcane juice while tracking the drought in one of the most arid and desolate regions of the country.
Our thirst slaked, we go to the oasis and meet Kishorkumaar, aged 8 years (he likes to sing!) and his father. We see a dried-up well on the patch of land owned by Kishor's father, who tells us that once upon a time (15-20 years ago), water could be drawn from this well with a rope five to six feet in length. Now the well is completely empty and water is being drawn from a nearby borewell. With this water, fodder is cultivated on this patch and used to feed the four buffaloes that the family own. Date palms and mango trees lined this green patch. It was an oasis all right.
Gaushalas, where drought-hit cattle find refuge
The lack of water for irrigation has led to serious shortages of fodder. At various places in the district individuals and NGOs have come forward to support gaushalas, cattle-camps and panjrapols. Here cattle are looked after and provided fodder and water. Cattle-camps are usually run by the government/district administration, while the other two are usually run by NGOs/individual patrons. At village Kodki, in Bhuj taluka, just next to the empty village tank, is the Kodki Gaurakshan Shala supported by the Swaminarayan sect. About 90-100 cattle find refuge here under the care of Harji Narayan Dabasiya. We find that the cattle appear well looked after and to our surprise there is even an enclosed section where four or five sick cattle are housed. Calves too are housed in a separate enclosure, probably to protect them from the large animals. We also visit the cattle camp at village Makhana, where approximately. 150 head of cattle are taken care of. The cattle belong to Makhana and two or three neighbouring villages, and are brought to the camp in the morning and taken back by their owners in the evening. We meet Nathabhai, a Rabari (nomadic cattle-grazers), who brings his nine animals to the camp every day. I am intrigued by his ability to recognise his cattle in the herd at the cattle camp, though Nathabhai assures me, with a bemused look on his face, that it is easy. I witness one cow, looking contented with all the feeding done during the day, cross the road and walk back to her cowshed.
Relief and drought mitigation
At the Collector's office complex in Bhuj is the office of the Rahat Shakha (relief section/branch), which co-ordinates and oversees the drought relief effort of the government (district administration). Ranjeet Barad, Deputy Collector, is young, intelligent, energetic and co-operative. Between telephone calls, he informs me that since all the surface water sources (like dams and reservoirs) have dried up, groundwater is being tapped and supplied through tankers to 191 of the 899 villages in Kutch district. Each tanker holds 10,000 litres or 10 kl of water. Besides, water is also being brought into Kutch from places like Baroda courtesy the Indian Railways, which provides it free of charge to the district administration.
The government provides support to 36 panjrapols which house 61,339 cattle and 32 gaushalas which house 26,944 cattle. Thus approximately 88,000 of the total population of 4.5 lakh cattle in Kutch district are being supported with 4 kg of fodder each per day. This costs the government Re 1/kg of fodder, and support is limited to five cattle per family. This fodder is being imported from Valsad district in South Gujarat. So far a staggering 235 lakh kg of fodder have been supplied to cattle in the district. There is also a scheme for providing fodder to individuals/families at subsidised rates. Two types of cards have been issued to families, based on their economic status. For those above the poverty line, fodder is provided @ Rs 2.50/kg/day. Some 1,247 cards have been issued to persons whose incomes are above the poverty line for supply of fodder at this rate, which covers 5,500 cattle. For those who are below the poverty line, fodder is provided at Rs 1/kg/day. 47,800 cards have been supplied to this category of families, which covers 1,84,000 cattle.
The government has no count of the number of goats, sheep and camels in Kutch district. They have to look after themselves.
The government has initiated drought relief works at various places in the district with the twin motives of providing income and food to the people who work on these sites, and in the process also construct water conservation structures or other useful assets like roads. Typically, under this programme, check dams and reservoirs/percolation tanks are constructed. Payment is made on the basis of the volume of earth excavated and is typically Rs 42/day, which includes 2 kg of wheat. At the time of my visit, approximately 77,000 persons were being provided with work/relief under various programmes/schemes: 1,146 persons were covered under the Swarnajayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana (SGSY), 74,740 under the drought relief programme, and 1,188 under the budgeted programme (regular).
In addition, cash doles are also provided by the district administration to children, senior citizens and the destitute. So far 13,913 people have been provided cash doles. The rates for payment of doles have been determined by the government: Rs 10/day for an adult, Rs 5/day for a child and Rs 20/day for a pregnant woman.
The government's efforts at drought mitigation can be summarised in the following table:
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On the whole, the government is doing a fairly good job of providing drought relief and helping to mitigate its effect on the people. Of course, there are instances of delay, hitches and problems, as in the relief work site at village Vadjar. Here we come across complaints of delayed payment of wages for the work done by the villagers. But this is inevitable, considering the size of the district (the second-largest district in the country), the multifarious activities being carried out and the complexities of co-ordinating activities amongst various departments within the government.
Communities of Kutch have not only lived through regular droughts for generations, but also represent a history which is replete with drought management systems - both in terms of fodder management and water conservation and harvesting. However, in the last 30 years, there has been a gradual increase in the community's dependence on the government for drought relief. This has led to a corresponding reduction in the community's ability to cope with the drought.
Drought relief works have sustained villages in the short term, with each affected village receiving, on an average, wages worth Rs 8 to 10 lakh in the scarcity period. However, while this effort by the government has provided relief to the people, it has not necessarily led to the mitigation of the effects of the drought. In fact, some knowledgeable observers say that this has led to a 'dependency syndrome' and eroded the self-reliance of communities.
A government proposal for drought-proofing seeks to demonstrate, through a pilot programme, the importance and viability of generating employment through drought-proofing activities. A total of 28 villages have been selected for this pilot phase and the project is being supported by the Ministry of Rural Development under the Prime Minister's National Calamity Fund. The project proposes to address problems of drinking water, rural livelihoods (dry-land agriculture and animal husbandry) and environmental degradation and would lead these villages towards sustainable development.
Parched salt and sand
The Rann of Kutch is a vast desolate region south of the Marusthali or Thar desert, which separates Kutch from the mainland. Nothing can be more dreary in the summer months than this parched plain of salt, sand and mud. No fresh water can be had anywhere in the Rann and vegetation is consequently scarce. The surface of the Rann is almost dead flat, the greater part of which remains under water for about six months during the rains (monsoon). Slightly above the general level of the Rann are patches of dry land, locally known as bet or dhol, covered with coarse grass and its higher parts beyond the reach of flood waters are known as lana. A group of bets comprise the Dhara Banni. The Banni, however, appears to be the largest bet, merging into a lana on the east where the general level rises to 16m. It is perhaps the only inhabitable part of the Rann. The Rann like any other sea had a number of islands of which three still retain their original island character, viz Pachham, Khadir and Bela. Babia peak on Pachham island is the highest peak of Kutch at 465 m.
Kutch has seen 15-16 drought years in the past four decades. This region has always been drought-prone, given its geography. But significantly, the effects of drought are now becoming more widespread and more intense. Why? The most important reason is the increase in population and the severe degradation of the environment. What are the possible solutions? Only one, to my mind. Rainwater conservation, rainwater harvesting and recharging of groundwater through appropriate interventions.
Unless this happens, and soon, the tortoise of our title will be in trouble. Given the alarming rate at which groundwater is being extracted (since all surface water sources have been exhausted) and at which groundwater tables are falling, it is estimated that by 2011-2012, Kutch would need to be evacuated. It would simply not have the water resources required to sustain human settlements. The tortoise is indeed in grave distress!
(Meher Gadekar is a specialist in rural development and management. In this series of articles, he will be tracking the drought in the Western states of Gujarat and Maharashtra and the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.)
InfoChange News & Features, May 2003