Government
says 330 million people are suffering from water shortages after monsoons fail
By Agence France-Presse
 |
An armed guard at a reservoir
in Tikamgarh in the central Indian state of
Madhya Pradesh. Photograph: Money
Sharma/
|
As
young boys plunge into a murky dam to escape the blistering afternoon sun, armed
guards stand vigil at one of the few remaining water bodies in a state hit hard
by India
Desperate
farmers from a neighbouring state regularly attempt to steal water from the
Barighat dam, forcing authorities in central Madhya Pradesh to protect it with
armed guards to ensure supplies.
“Water
is more precious than gold in this area,” Purshotam Sirohi, who was hired by
the local municipality to protect the dam, in Tikamgarh district, told AFP .
“We
are protecting the dam round the clock.”
But
the security measures cannot stop the drought from ravaging the dam, with
officials saying it holds just one month of reserves.
Four
reservoirs in Madhya Pradesh have already dried up, leaving more than a million
people with inadequate water and forcing authorities to bring in supplies using
trucks.
Almost
a 100,000 residents in Tikamgarh get piped water for just two hours every
fourth day, while municipal authorities have ordered new bore wells to be dug
to meet demand.
But
it may not be enough, with officials saying the groundwater level has receded
more than 100 feet (30 metres) owing to less than half the average annual
rainfall in the past few years.
“The
situation is really critical, but we are trying to provide water to everyone,”
Laxmi Giri Goswami, chairwoman of Tikamgarh municipality, told AFP .
“We
pray to rain gods for mercy,” she said.
In
the nearby village of Dargai Khurd
With
temperatures hovering around 45C, its 850 residents fear they may soon be left
thirsty.
“If
it dries up, we won’t have a drop of water to drink,” said Santosh Kumar, a
local villager.
Farmers
across India
Two
weak monsoons have resulted in severe water shortages and crop losses in as
many as 10 states, prompting extreme measures including curfews near water
sources and water trains sent to the worst-affected regions.
Many
farmers are now moving to cities and towns to work as labourers to support
their families.
At
a scruffy, makeshift camp in north Mumbai, in one of the worst-affected states,
dozens of migrants who have fled their drought-stricken villages queue to fill
plastic containers with water.
Migrants
from rural areas usually come to the city in January or February to get jobs on
construction sites, but people were still arriving in March and April.
“There are some 300-350 families here. That’s
a total of more than 1,000 people,” said Sudhir Rane, a volunteer running the
camp in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar suburb. “There is a drought and there is no water
back home so more families have come here this year.”
Families
are allocated a small space in the dusty wasteland, where rickety tented homes
are made from wooden posts and tarpaulin sheets.
“We
had no choice but to come here. There was no water, no grain, no work. There
was nothing to eat and drink. What could we do?” said 70-year-old Manubai
Patole. “We starved for five days. At least here we are getting food.”
Weather
forecasters in New
Delhi
But
many, like Gassiram Meharwal from Bangaye village in Madhya Pradesh, are not
optimistic as they struggle to cultivate their crops.
Meharwal’s
two-acre farm has suffered three wheat crop failures in as many years, costing
him an estimated 100,000 rupees ($1,500 or £1,000).
“Our
fields are doomed, they have almost turned into concrete,” he said.
Thousands
of acres of land in his village go uncultivated and fears are mounting for the
cattle, which face a shortage of fodder.
Desperate
for income, 32-year-old Meharwal, who supports eight members of his family
including his children and younger brothers, left to work as a labourer in the
city of Gwalior
“There
is no guarantee that it will rain this year. Predictions are fine but no one
comes to your help when the crops fail,” he said.
“It
is better to use your energy breaking stones.”
