WATER HARVESTING - LESSONS TO BE LEARNT FROM GUJARAT AND AP
To start the discussion on agriculture, I give an article below titled "Lessons learnt" about Rain water harvesting. Read the article and give your comments on how these techniques can be replicated in other states of India for overall improvements.
Lessons learnt
Following the monsoon failure of 1999-2000, two states — Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh — launched crash programmes to encourage water harvesting. An appreciable shift, because governments in India have always gone in for high-cost, high-technology solutions to our water crisis. Ignoring the fact that rainwater has helped India survive through the millennia. The Centre for Science and Environment sent Eklavya Prasad to Gujarat and Binayak Das to Andhra Pradesh to assess the programmes. While the projects suffer from typical governmental functioning in several areas, the success stories cannot be ignored. Down To Earth scrutinises the programmes even as the region faces another year of drought…………..
Read on by clicking the link below:
http://www.rainwaterharvesting.org/Crisis/Learningfrom_drought.htm more
Lessons learnt
Following the monsoon failure of 1999-2000, two states — Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh — launched crash programmes to encourage water harvesting. An appreciable shift, because governments in India have always gone in for high-cost, high-technology solutions to our water crisis. Ignoring the fact that rainwater has helped India survive through the millennia. The Centre for Science and Environment sent Eklavya Prasad to Gujarat and Binayak Das to Andhra Pradesh to assess the programmes. While the projects suffer from typical governmental functioning in several areas, the success stories cannot be ignored. Down To Earth scrutinises the programmes even as the region faces another year of drought…………..
Read on by clicking the link below:
http://www.rainwaterharvesting.org/Crisis/Learningfrom_drought.htm more
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Mr. Vijayasarathy, You are cent percent right. All the water ways and lakes have disappeared, due to 'encroachment' by Politicians or people close to them ( both the DMK & ADMK are to blame in this case); and if still remaining they are 'dry' due to the canals (called Vaikkal in tamil) feeding these tanks and lakes being encroached upon. A system of lakes/ponds/temple ponds being fed by a system of water-ways or canals called 'Vaikkal' , was made by the Tamil kings ruling the area hundreds of years ago; When one tank was filled, due to collection of rain water or from an over-flowing river, a canal carried the surplus water to the next lake and so on. Thus surface water was in plenty and the ground water was also recharged. This system has been completely dismantled due to the greed of the politicians and their supporters. What the Government need to do now is to go back to the land records of over 50-60 years,'confiscate' the 'Vaikkal' and 'Eeri (Lake) Poramboke' lands that have been encroached upon, and rebuilt the systems of lakes and canals once again, so that agricultural can be made possible; It is better to give the people who are dependent on agriculture( more than 70% of the population) solutions to their problems like water supply, electricity supply, availability of quality seeds,fertilisers & safe pesticides and technological and marketing support, than in 'wasting' scarce resources in giving the people 'freebees', doles, loan waivers and 'discounted food' , except in the case of the very poor and deserving. more
Jun 23
I collect the entire water from my large area of my roof and store it in a well specifically made for this. Why don't the govt mke it compulsory for all building permits to have this implemented. Water shortage will be history... more
Jun 23
Adding to your point, in Tamilnadu lot of lakes and waterways have disappeared, thanks to illegal occupants, politicians and real estate people. What I suggest is instead of building small dams (unless they are necessary based on the geography of the area) govts should renovate the existing water reservoirs. Is there any public-private partnership in this area? As you have mentioned our govts are not looking at low cost traditional solutions. Instead they go for high-cost schemes. Our traditional methods are time tested and effective ones. When I say time tested, imagine how many droughts it would have crossed in thousands of years of our history? Govts simply want to make political gains and goes for attractive schemes rather than effective schemes. India gets enough water, Indians dont know to manage it. more
Jun 23
