Drought is man-made: Rajendra Singh

Rajendra Singh, known as the ‘Waterman of India’, has visited drought-hit Latur several times this year. He is certain that farmers need to give up sugarcane farming, which gives them a single yield in a year, and instead look for multiple yields in a year. He has been trying to convince farmers to go for tur dal and soya bean. He also says the drought in Maharashtra is “man-made”.

Why is Latur facing an acute water crisis

At least 40 per cent of water in Maharashtra is used for irrigation, which is the highest across India. No other state has as many dams as Maharashtra. This year, Latur received 50 per cent of its normal rainfall. It was still more than what my hometown in Rajasthan had received. But people have stopped using water carefully. There is no system to distribute water equitably. You can see that society has been divided in two sections: Those who don’t have even drinking water and the others, who have a borewell 1,000-feet deep. Misuse of water for several years has led to this problem today.

What is the solution

Maharashtra has to have community water system. People should be allowed to use only surface water. Underground water should be used only when no surface water is available. In Maharashtra, the surface water and deep underground water is used for the sugarcane crop. Did you know sugarcane can make do with C class water However, high-quality water is for being used for sugarcane.

I have been visiting the state for the last 15 years. I have seen that because people in Maharashtra get good rainfall, there is misuse of water. Also, while constructing major irrigation projects, there were no discussions or contribution by local people. Contractors prepare detailed project reports and political leaders approve them. Projects are not undertaken because they benefit contractors. There was no mechanism to check whether the fund was utilised properly or not. Not a single project was constructed at its original cost. How will you convince farmers not to grow sugarcane when they do not get returns from other crops There is a huge migration in Maharashtra from villages to cities. It is not happening because of drought. People are migrating to cities because in villages there is no income in farms and no other employment opportunities. So should sugarcane cultivation be stopped in Latur In Maharashtra, sugarcane can be grown in the Konkan region and not in other ones.

I will tell you the science (behind it). There are two layers of soil in places such as Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh. When rainwater falls on the ground, it percolates and the groundwater is recharged. In Marathwada, it can happen only if there is a fracture within the rock and here we have the basalt rock and hence, water does not percolate underground. When the rain falls heavily, the water table increases and creates a flood-like situation. Ultimately, the crops get affected. Again if the crop does not get water for more than two months, it is affected. What crops can be grown in Marathwada The farmers have to focus on growing vegetables that do not require lot of water. People who are lazy choose sugarcane. They do not have to do anything, but just switch on the button of the water meter. They use underground water thinking it is unlimited. This mindset has to change. Why do you say that drought in Maharashtra is man-made If we observe the average rainfall of the state in the last three years, you will see it has got more than 50 per cent rainfall. Even Latur, Osmanabad and Solapur have registered more than 50 per cent average rainfall. But this region in facing a bigger water crisis. It is just like a bank account. If you withdraw money without depositing, one day the bank account will come to zero. In the same way, if you extract water from underground stock without recharging it, it will end one day. Do you think the state government has not paid enough attention to solving the water scarcity issue It is unfortunate that the government created a reserve police force and a reserve army but did not think of creating reserve water sources. Dams have been encroached upon by people; some other water resources are polluted and whatever water is available underground, is exploited by farmers. This means encroachment, pollution and exploitation of underground water are responsible for Maharashtra’s water crisis. The government is not doing anything for sustainable solutions. The governments are not thinking about the future, they are only thinking about today because today is linked with voting.