Rajendra Singh
Prolonged neglect of the
environment and deforestation, were the nightmares of the rural people of Alwar
District of Rajasthan. Degraded lands, droughts, poverty and loss of control over
the common lands, stared in their faces. The young and able-bodied men migrated
to faraway towns in search of jobs.
Lack of vegetation led to land
degradation. Monsoon run-off washed away the topsoil. Crops failed regularly.
Agriculture was fast becoming a thing of the past. Women had to walk long distances
for mere pots of water. The naked ranges of Aravallis looked ravaged. For years
villages remained all women villages, with the men-folk working in faraway
towns.
Grazing grounds dried up. Cattle
perished in large numbers. Only 3% of all cultivable area was irrigated. 90% of
the villagers were marginal farmers. Debt-traps imprisoned them. There was no
difference between the landlord and landless. Everyone was poor. Economic and
social degradation followed ecological destruction. Illiteracy stood at 85%.
School attendance dwindled to 3%.
Low rainfall, 600 mm per year, with
500 mm in the monsoon, could not support much of agriculture. Mountain slopes
could not support forests, agriculture or wildlife. Charcoal contractors,
lumber buyers, log suppliers to new railways have all but finished off the
mountain-slope forests in the first half of the century.
There was no groundwater
recharge. Wells dried. Rivers, once the lifelines, became sand-streaked
memories.
Ravines defaced the agricultural
lands. Monsoons shrank from 101 days per year (in 1973) to mere 55 days in
1987. The groundwater level fell by 60 metres and the water table by 5-10
metres.
On 2.10.1985, Gandhi Jayanthi
Day, the Tarun Bharat Sangh (TBS) led by Rajendra Singh started working. A
village-elder advised the group "Do not talk too much; dig tanks and build
johads—you will get the results." (Johad is a water harvesting structure).
Guided by traditional wisdom and
helped by no engineers, the TBS has built 3000 water-harvesting structures in
650 villages of the Alwar district of Rajasthan. Prosperity is returning to the
villages. The five rivers of the region have started flowing perennially after
decades of drought, a direct result of conserving water in johads. More water,
better crops, better conditions of soil, health, education and a rich community
life ensued. Migration numbers came down, improving community and family
relations. For every 100 rupees invested in johads, economic production rose by
400 rupees approximately.
A 426 metre long damaged old
johad was repaired. Dry wells in nearby villages had water seeping in them,
after the next monsoon. Smaller johads are also being constructed. To stall the
degradation of soil in the catchment area, the forests had to be protected, and
regenerated. Soil erosion had to be halted. The TBS built not only johads, they
also built consensus among the people of the villages on projects to be taken
up on priority basis.
Spreading news of achievements
through word of mouth, TBS involved more people, more villages. Annual Pani
Yatras (water marches) bring more and more people within the aura of awareness.
In the beginning, the community
participation was low, (30%) leaving the TBS volunteers to do much of the
labour. But as the movement grew, the participation, involvement and experience
grew too.
Qualified engineers and
independent evaluators, inspected the structures and certified their strength,
safety and structural viability. The structures have stood the test of time.
Continued maintenance and protection call for social cohesion, alertness and
sustained sense of purpose. The johads caught not only the water that was
running off, they caught too the beauty of spirits in different villages. Even
migrants started returning in trickles.
Village councils (gram sabhas)
were formed to take decisions, on sharing of resources generated and
enforcement of social codes like ban on liquor consumption. All assets are
owned by gram sabhas. TBS is only a facilitator. 6500 sq.km of land in 650
villages has been regenerated. The crude, formal and envious political
resistance has been overcome by the informal gram sabhas. The official sources
have conceded now that the forest cover has risen to 40% from 1%—15 years ago. No less than
70% of land is under green cover. Birds have come back, wildlife has survived.
Groundwater wealth has increased. Wells have come alive. Groundwater level went
up by 6 metres. Water became the focus of life and factor in social coherence.
Food for work schemes were introduced. Self- reliance, cost-sharing, community participation,
protection of grazing land and women's welfare have now become characteristcs
of this area.
Dry rivers, five in number have
become perennial. Milk production, business flow, productive and
self-sustaining agriculture have brought about material prosperity. In some
villages, 100% of agricultural lands have come back to the plough. Women
participate in greater numbers in decision- making forums. School attendance
has improved. New schools have come up. Crime rate has gone down. Education and
health consciousness have crept in.
Sri Rajendra Singh has been
awarded the prestigious Magsaysay award for his constructive work. This prize
has thrown a number of political and government doors open for him and his
movement.
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