Sustainable drinking water source ‘a distant dream’ under changing climate- an observation from southern Maharashtra
Effective regulation is needed to ensure water for drinking water schemes
Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) focuses on regular water supply in adequate quantity and quality. The JJM emphasizes sustainable water sources for water supply schemes. It recommends source strengthening and augmentation measures to secure a water source for water supply projects. In reality, even if there is a sustainable water source, protection from sectoral competition is required.
In May 2023, 14 tail-end villages in the Gadhinglaj block of Kolhapur district in Maharashtra faced a strange situation when their water supply schemes stopped receiving water from the Hiranyakeshi River, a sustainable water source, for eight days. The water allocated to them did not reach the intake structures. The water security of these villages was jeopardized. Interestingly, 12 villages reported 100% functional household tap connections. People relied on other sources when their taps ran out of water. This was the result of the ineffective regulation of water. Failed pre-monsoon rains highlight the competition between the agricultural and drinking water sectors.
The Hiranyakeshi River is a small river in the Krishna Basin. A dam was built 23 years ago to support the agricultural and drinking water schemes. It has a gross capacity of 1800 MCFT (Million Cubic Feet). Ideally, it should irrigate 5850 Ha of land, but in reality, it is irrigating more, approx. 6500 Ha. Large farmers have lift irrigation systems on it, and they carry water up to 6 km from the river to each side. Sugarcane farms can now be seen on once-rain-fed lands far from the river. Irrigation efficiency is supposedly high as there are no canals and only lift irrigation systems on the entire stretch of the river. River also supports the drinking water schemes of 66 villages. It is considered a sustainable water source for drinking water, but this is not true for tail-end villages when rain fails.
Changing climate and increased competition….
Generally, premonsoon rains help water managers delay the water rotations and save water. Gadhinglaj block receives around 31–55 mm of rain between April and May. Last year it received around 75mm and 86mm in April and May respectively. But this year, there is little to no rain in this region for the whole summer. A remote sensing product CHIRPS also confirmed this for the Hiranyakeshi watershed (graphs below).
This was reflected in the increased demand for water from the sugarcane belt in the region. The first rotation for agriculture was released in January and until June, six rotations were completed. Irrigation consumed approximately 1,200 MCFT of water. By the end of June, Chitri Dam had retained 288 MCFT storage, reserved for domestic use.
The demand was so high that drinking water supply schemes in the tail end did not receive water during the peak summer. Every time water was released, a ban was imposed on lifting water for irrigation for a few days so that water could reach tail-end villages. The irrigation department monitored the ban imposition, yet farmers were successful in pumping water throughout the ban period.
As the ban was imposed in April and May, a peak summer, it led to protests from the farmers’ groups. Ban was delayed or relaxed immediately after the groups entered the picture. This allowed the farmers to lift more water during this period.
Sometimes farmers used illegal electricity from drinking water schemes when irrigation lines were off, and other times they relied on diesel engines to lift water and irrigate.
This resulted in a water scarcity situation in 14 villages situated on the tail-end side of the dam. Jackwell (intake-water structure) could not get water for 8 days in the third week (15–23) of May. Resulting in people wandering for water.
This incident shows that the effects of climate change are seen in the increased competition between sectors. In this case, failed rains triggered panic among farmers, and to avoid crop loss, they started pumping as much as possible.
This also highlights that even a sustainable drinking water source, such as a river supported by a dam upstream, can fail. Although for a short period, the population affected by this is around 45,000 of which 7,322 were from weaker sections.
A Tale of invisible source….
As part of ATREE’s research to understand the rural drinking water supply in a village, we visited Devaraya Samudra Gram Panchayat (GP) in the Kolar district of Karnataka. While interacting with villagers, we were informed that GP borewells dried very quickly during drought and that the water supply scheme stopped supplying water. Water was then supplied through private agricultural borewells using tankers (pers. comm.). Private agriculture borewells yield sufficient water to support the drinking water needs of the village when the GP borewells dry (pers. comm.).
Water is inaccessible to water supply schemes, owing to increased competition from agriculture. Private players have flexible intake structures that allow them to reach the water easily and quickly. Farmers could reach the middle of the shrunken river and pump water in the case of surface water. In the case of groundwater, farmers could dig deeper than those GP borewells.
Also Read “Rural water planning: Challenges and the way forward”
Something to think of….
From a financial point of view, a water supply scheme built under JJM or any other program turns into a non-performing asset for a certain period, owing to source failure; in this case, it was for eight days. This might happen in many villages across the country. This undoubtedly affects a large population, particularly the weaker sections of society. Along with building infrastructure, we must ensure water for drinking water schemes.
Water can be ensured in two ways: by conserving it and by regulating what we have conserved or stored. To regulate stored water, effective mechanisms on the ground are needed to ensure water for drinking water schemes. A change in cropping patterns will also be part of regulations to save water. In this case, water-intensive sugarcane is the main crop. A recent report by the agriculture department confirmed that this year, the total sugarcane area in the Gadhinglaj block has risen to 13,000 ha, which is 1000 ha more than in the previous year. Soon, this might turn into more water scarcity days for tail-end villages if rain fails.
Water regulation is necessary to realise the efforts of water conservation programs and to deal with uncertainties. Climate change is going to make water management tricky with the increasing frequency of extreme weather events. We must remember that pouring a ton of water in a pool with leakage is half the solution, we must fix the leak.
References:
- Daily Sakal, Kolhapur Edition dated, 19th ,25th, 29th May and 1st, 8th, 12th June 2023
- Daily Precipitation by Spatial Thoughts: https://spatialthoughts.com/2020/10/28/rainfall-data-gee/
- For a quick map: https://code.earthengine.google.com/f9bd230c7fbc29a232dcd5223b5e4df9
