Search the Internet           Tips

MP reels under drought

It is the third straight failure of monsoons in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh and conditions in neighbouring Dewas, Jhabua and Badwani are not any better.

Farmers are not worried about crop failure as much as whether they will survive to see another cropping season. The rabi crop is not being sowed as the land has become too hard and parched. "There is no option but to go to Baroda and look for work at construction sites," said Kal Singh of Badnawar village.

Eighteen districts in Madhya Pradesh have been declared drought-affected and Rs 7.5 billion has been sought from the Centre as relief.

Singh's condition is demonstrative of the impact the drought has had on the Malwa-Nimar region of the state. Villages do not have enough water for cultivation, no power for drawing water from the ground and the towns have -- as early as in November -- an acute shortage of drinking water. "Our only hope is that winter should be prolonged so that there is a less evaporation from storage tanks. Otherwise, I foresee a major disaster in the months ahead," said Dhar Collector Rajesh Rajora.

Rajora made a report to the state government after surveying affected villages and is despondent. Dhar received 30 per cent less rainfall in 1998, 40 per cent less last year and almost 55 per cent less this year, breaking the backs of farmers who live from cropping season to cropping season. "Whatever backup mechanism they built for families over the years has run out and there is very little we can do to dissuade them from migrating," the collector said.

Conditions in north Madhya Pradesh, especially in the sugarcane belt of Guna-Gwalior-Shivpuri, are more pitiable. The standing cane crop has shrivelled up. Adding to the complication is the more acute power shortage. Some villages in the hinterland are going without power for days on end, leading irate villagers to block traffic on the main Bombay-Agra highway.

Lack of rain has meant that the state's hydroelectric power generation capacity has been reduced. "We are caught in a vicious circle. Normally, we generate 837 MW of hydel energy, but now because of lack of water we have lost 700 MW of our capacity. This same power was supplied to farmers free previously and helped them draw water from deep underground resources," said chief secretary K S Sharma.

Chief Minister Digvijay Singh has announced that since the generation capacity has been vastly reduced and Chhattisgarh has formed its electricity board there will be no free electricity for the agriculture sector and even slum clusters will be penalised for drawing illegal power.

But administrators are more worried about the growing drinking water crisis. Never before in the state's history has migration begun as early as October, which is almost the kharif harvest season. This is indicative of the water and food shortage that is likely to hit the state in summer. Grain shortages can be tackled with greater imports from other states, but a drinking water crisis is causing bureaucratic stomachs to churn.

"We had done a roof water harvesting programme in Dewas this monsoon. Some wells have been recharged but in distant villages the ground water has gone down to over 1,500 feet. It is frightening," said Collector Mohan Rao.

Relief work is, however, yet to start in area because of lack of resources. Digvijay Singh has met Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee twice and has been assured of all help, but he has yet to see it translated into effort.

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report