Jalna (Maharashtra): While drought-hit farmers struggle to find water in several parts of Jalna, in some other parts, an oasis of water sprinklers stays turned on throughout the week. In the village of Hiwre Bazaar, a common-sense water policy is going a long way in mitigating acute water scarcity.
Ex village sarpanch Popatrao Pawar was quoted as saying, 'We had nothing, no water for miles. People became alcoholics.' In the 1990s, he started the rain harvesting and tree plantation program. Using the state's employment guarantee scheme, the villagers built bunds and trenches to create a water shed.
In a region where there had been a sustained abuse of groundwater by frenzied digging of bore wells, villagers unanimously banned the digging of private bore wells in 1994. Cultivation of water intense crops like sugarcane was banned and a new cropping pattern was adopted.
Vijaya Nemse, a resident, said, "Conserving water means we can get water at 7am every morning." Despite the drought, Hiwre Bazaar has a profitable onion yield and sustained milk collection. In times of acute water scarcity and the state's worst drought in 40 years, the village has set an example for Maharashtra to follow.
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