Disha’s Movements

 

 

Water is life. Its gift of nature. The access to water is a natural and fundamental right. Its not to be treated as commodity and traded for profit . people shall have the right to freedom from thrust, and shall have adequate access to safe water for all of their living needs.
  

 
The Tribal - a marginalized community living in Eastern hilly regions of Gujarat, are mainly into agriculture and daily wage earning jobs. These are two main sources of their livelihood. The agricultural activity is dependent on natural rainfall for a mere three months annually. But the region is characterized by scanty rainfall, sometimes no rainfall at all, resulting in low crop or even no crop or led to drought. The hilly regions are not irrigated and hence there is no alternative source of water for agriculture.
  

   

On the other hand, the region is sprinkled with 14 big dams, but the waters are supplied to the far away-Kheda District and catchments area where the water flows downward. Ironically, the hilly regions, which adjoin the dams, are not provided with a single drop of water. The facility is available only to large-scale farmers. For instance, 57 villages avail water from the main canal of Panam Dam. On the bank of Kadana dam, a canal has been constructed, though till date, the water has not been released. And if it is, then 98 villages from Khanpur to Bhadaran will get irrigated. Interestingly, farming communities living right behind the canal of Kadana dam do not get the waters.

 

   
Every year the government declares several programs for the development of the region, which we believe is only namesake. Even though check dams and check walls have been constructed, they do not address the basic issue of equitable distribution of water. The schemes and developmental programs therefore do not contribute to improving the irrigation network. The Tribal don’t just migrate to cities, they migrate to face poverty and impoverishment.

 
This situation has prevailed for over two decades and has led to the large-scale migration of Tribals with their families who are constantly on the move, in search of livelihood. They work as construction labourers, on contract with big landlords, in construction of roads, private constructions, minor works, etc. They don’t get sufficient minimum wages, and in fact, are exposed to the ills that follow urban poverty, illiteracy, sexual exploitation at the hands of the contractors, and absence of social security. More recently, the Tribals have been equally vulnerable to the law and order problems and civil strife in cities and towns.

   

Yet Disha believes that if this situation is reversed in favour of the Tribals’ right to the common water, migration can be effectively discouraged, minimized and eradicated. Disha and the local organizations organized village meetings revolving around water and the water distribution, which is inequitable, and favors the rich farmer lobby, at the cost of the poor marginalized Tribal. These issues were raised at the local Panchayat meetings. These meetings were followed up with submission of a memorandum, and yet there was no action taken by the Panchayats.

  

 
Disha and Eklavya Sangathan carried out a rally in 2003 and presented a memorandum to the Chief Minister and the Collector, demanding 15% of water from the big dams to upper areas and also Narmada water to Dahod and Panchmahal District.
    
 
A workshop was organized in Fulpari village raising the demand for irrigation in Panchmahal, Dahod and Vadodara Districts.
  
 
Appeals were also sent for repair and installation of new hand pumps, deepening of old wells at Taluka and District level northern eastern hilly region.
  
  Appeals for constructing check dams were endorsed by several civil society organizations during Patheya in Dahod and Panchmahal.  
  A one day training workshop was organized for the Disha staff, to guide them regarding survey methods, and to collect information from the Irrigation and Water Supply Department.  
  A PRA Exercise was conducted in 25 villages of Dahod, and Panchmahal Districts.  
  Appeals for supply of drinking water were submitted to the Panchayats whereby water through tankers was provided to the villages of Limkheda, Dhanpur and Fatehpura Taluka.  

Best viewed in 800 x 600.
Copyrights © 2005 Disha - Gujarat, India.