BAPUGAON COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT APPROACH
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- BAPUGAON COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT APPROACH
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Centre for Community Economics and
Development Consultants Society
(CECOEDECON)
CECOEDECON is a non-profit organisation, which has
been working relentlessly for the downtrodden and the
marginalized section since 1980s. CECOEDECON’s
mission is to take direct action to build the capacities of
its target groups - Scheduled Castes and Scheduled
Tribes, marginal farmers, the landless and the deprived
women and children, so that they are able to take action,
independently and effectively, to secure their long term
well-being thereby, promoting their self-reliance and
empowerment. CECOEDECON’s core programmes run
in the areas of natural resources management, health,
gender and development, child development,
- the local
orking and
ndia, along
t the state
CONTENTS;
Preface
1. Introduction
1.1. Agro-Climatic Zone and Characteristics
1.2. Bapugaon Village
1.3. Strategy and Intervention
2. Process of Impact Assessment
2.1. Selection of Area for Impact Assessment
2.2. Methodology of the Impact Assessment
2.3. A Brief Note on Field Visit and Observations
2.4. Impact Assessment
2.4.1. Socio-Economic Impacts
2.4.2. Environmental Impacts
3. Role of the Village Development Committee
4. Other Related Aspects
4.1. Controlling Soil Erosion
4.2. Empowerment ofVillage Community
4.3. Promotion of Gender in Developmental Issues
4.4. Linkages with Panchayati Raj Institutions
4.5. Children’s Education
s
4.6. Awareness Campaign for Voters
5. Summary and Conclusions
PREFACE
Natural Resource Management is one of CECOEDECON’s major
area of intervention. The purpose of the NRM programme is
two-fold, firstly, to increase the sustained productivity of its partner
communities’ natural resources, secondly to build the institutional
capacities of the partner communities to manage the natural
resources. For CECOEDECON’s partner communities, soil and
water are the main resources that are used in agriculture - their
major activity. This issue has been addressed by the organization
through its work in watershed development.
Effect of deteriorating ground water situation became apparent in
the early nineties in the form of low agricultural production and
social consequences. CECOEDECON began its interventions on soil
and water management in the year 1994 with the formation of a
Village Development Committee. Since then water recharging
structures and land development activities, etc. have been taken up.
This publication stems from the need to assess and document the
impact of CECOEDECON’s field interventions.
In the context of watershed development CECOEDECON has tried
to assess the ecological, economic, social and institutional impact of
its interventions. The study documents the experiences of seven
villages located in the vicinity of a major water storage and
recharging structure. The effects expeinenced range from water
availability and water quality to agricultural productivity, gender
issues, community-based systems of maintenance of assets created,
and empowerment of village community.
I would like to thank Mr. Arun Kumar Singh for preparing this
document. I would also like to thank Mr. Rajesh Soni for his
contribution in text editing and graphic layout. I earnestly hope that
the findings of this study will enhance our understanding of the
impact of management approaches adopted for natural resources.
Wishingyou an insightful reading.
(Sharad Joshi)
Secretary and Chief Executive Officer, CECOEDECON
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1. INTRODUCTION
The presence of water source in a village is often a focal point
around which the rural populace can weave a series of
developmental and economic activities. This assumes greater
significance in arid areas, where availability of water becomes an
issue of survival and existence. Often the women-folk have to
travel a long distance for fetching water, which may be even unfit
for human use as per the established standards. Consumption of
such water over longer period of time can lead to prevalence of
water borne diseases among the population consuming sub
standard water, resulting in their inability to work and thereby
affecting their income. The situation is further compounded by
the recurring droughts in Rajasthan, especially since last 8 years,
with the exception of somewhat normal monsoon in 2003 and less
than average rainfall in 2004. This has increased plight of rural
population manifold in Rajasthan.
The pink city of Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan. At present, the
Jaipur district has 13 tehsils, Chaksu being one of them.
CECOEDECON, a non-governmental organization and
primarily an agro-action group, engaged in the field of agriculture
and natural resource management, has been actively engaged
with the rural communities towards improving their economic
life since last two decades in Rajasthan, including Chaksute/is/7.
1.1.
Agro-Climatic Zone and Characteristics
In the nation-wide classification of India based on agro-climates,
Jaipur falls in the Agro-Climatic Zone III-A, along with Dausa,
Tonk and Ajmer. Banas is the only major river flowing in this
zone, originating from the western slopes of the Aravali mountain
ranges.
Annual rainfall in this zone ranges from 50-60 cm and the
average number of rainy days in a year are 32-33, except Ajmer
where it falls to 25. Temperatures in summer and winter are not
as extreme as in the desert of western Rajasthan, but still reach
around 45" Celsius in summer and may plunge to 8° Celsius in
winter. The water table varies from 20-30 meter but the annual
fluctuations are steep, especially in case of failure of yearly
monsoon and the replenishment of groundwater is low. Since
there is almost no major river in this zone, withdrawal of
groundwater is going on at a very high rate, as the demand for
water is ever-increasing, resultingin the steady fall of water table
in the zone.
The natural vegetation is a mix of xerophytes and mesophytes but
the excessive felling of trees has robbed the surface of its most
precious constituent - top soil. The major crops of the zone are
Wheat, Mustard, Barley and Gram in the Rabi season and Bajra,
Sorghum and pulses in the Kharif season. Productivity of the
soils of this zone is relatively better than the productivity of the
area west of the Aravali mountain ranges.
1.2.
Bapugaon Village
Bapugaon village falls in revenue village Rupadi Khurd,
Chaksu tehsil of Jaipur district, and is spread over an area of
625 ha. The caste-wise break-up of the village community is
shown in Table-1. Bapugaon started facing water crisis since
1980s. The situation was aggravated in 1986 when the river
Dhund, an important water source for Bapugaon, went dry and
since then quantity and quality of water, both, started gradually
deteriorating. Main occupation of the villagers is agriculture and
animal husbandry. Major crops of Rabi are Wheat and Mustard
and Kharif are Bajra, Groundnut and Gwar. Due to rain-fed
nature of irrigation till 1995, coupled with degraded agricultural
lands and depleted natural resource base, low agricultural
productivity was prevalent, adversely affecting human and
cattle, both.
Table-1
Caste-wise Break-up of Families in Bapugaon
S. No.
Caste
Number of Families
1.
Jat
40
2.
Brahmin
35
3.
Bairwa
25
4.
Raigar
25
5.
Rajput
20
6.
Meena
10
7.
Kumhar
10
8.
Baniya
02
Total No. of Families
1.3.
167
Strategy and Intervention
CECOEDECON’s interaction in Bapugaon began in 1994, in
which non-availability of a water source and resultant loss of
productivity often came to the fore. In 1995, an 11-member
Village Development Committee (VDC) was constituted in
Bapugaon. This was done after a meeting in which
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I
representatives of all the families of the village participated. The
committee has representation from all castes and class of the
village and works towards the overall development of the village,
especially the marginalized sections. As an unwritten law, no
incumbent Panch or Sarpanch has ever been elected to become a
member of this village development committee. This ensured
that the local skirmishes of Panchayat body do not spill over to
VDC. Though, a few former Panch and Sarpanch, once their
terms expired, have joined this committee after following the due
process of nomination and election.
This was first important step towards intervention because
CECOEDECON, as a principle, does not work with individuals
but with the entire village community, in order to promote village
level institutes. Secondly, this agro-action group, again as a
policy, does not bear the total cost of any work undertaken by it.
The 33 per cent of the total expenditure incurred must be borne by
the community, in the form of cash, services or man-days, and the
remaining 67 per cent is contributed by CECOEDECON. The
philosophy hidden in this arrangement is to inculcate a feeling of
‘belonging’ and ‘ownership’ of the asset thus built, among the
community, without which the sustainability of the assets
created can not be ensured. In addition, people also understand
the true worth of any utility in which they have invested their
own money, time and efforts.
CECOEDECON, concerned with the non-availability of water in
the village, in conjunction with the community, started exploring
various options for building a water storage utility in the village.
In the first phase several meetings-cum-awareness generation
sessions were held with the members of VDC. It came to the
knowledge that water flowing over 150 ha of pastureland during
monsoon just goes away as run-off and so attention was paid to
convert this run-off into water storage and its better utilization.
This issue was seriously discussed and 1995 onward smaller
earthen bunding was done on the ground, as per the slope and
gradient, to ascertain the most effective direction for maximizing
water storage.
6
This site also has an interesting history. Earlier, about 20-25
years back, there used to be a small pond at this site. When this
pond went dry during one of the droughts, the Forest Department
took up this site under its control and developed it as a nursery.
Meanwhile, another piece of land, adjacent to this nursery, was
taken up for building a new small pond to store water. After a few
years, the Forest Department abandoned this site of nursery and
this area was once again merged with the newly built pond, thus
enlarging the total area of the pond. Due to the meager rainfall,
most of the aye a was never filled with water and it was used as
pastureland, because the sub-surface moisture trapped in this
trough encouraged growth of grasses and weeds.
Finally in 1996, construction of an earthen-dam with anicut was
taken up in the pastureland, at the aforementioned site, lying
2.5 km east of Bapugaon (an anicut is designed to harvest water
that flows during the rainy season and raises the local water level
through ground water recharge thereby catering to the needs of
drinking water for the human beings and livestock and irrigation
and checks soil erosion). Total length of structure is 800 meters at
a cost of Rs. 239,000/-. This structure is an excellent example of
co-ordination among four different agencies, striving towards a
common goal - CECOEDECON, Gram Panchayat (Bapugaon),
Village Development Committee (Bapugaon) and Panchayat
Samiti (Chaksu). The contribution made by the three agencies
involved is shown in Table-2. An employment of about 2,250 mandays was generated during its construction, which took three
months at a stretch for completion, ending on June 30th, 1996. For
increasing the storage capacity, the structure was further
extended in 2000. The total capacity of this earthen-dam is the
quantum of water standing at a height of 5 feet in 150-200 ha. The
sad part is that after the completion of this structure, it has never
been filled to its capacity to demonstrate its immense true worth
and utility, due to erratic rainfall.
Table-2
Cost of Earthen Dam and Anicut at Bapugaon
No. Contribution towards Cost
Total Amount (Rs.)
1.
CECOEDECON
76,400/-
2.
Panchayat Samiti
125,000/-
3.
Village Development Committee
37,600/-
Total
239,000/-
One of the remarkable features is that it is strictly prohibited to
withdraw water directly from this storage and this rule is
followed very rigidly. The primary, and in fact the sole, function of
this storage is to recharge the ground water through seepage and
run-in, thereby augmenting the water level in the existing wells.
The water from the well is subsequently withdrawn for irrigating
agricultural fields. Since irrigation by wells is the most common
mode in the area, every fanner has a well or two in his fields. It
thus ensures the equitable distribution of water to all the farmers
of the village.
2. PROCESS OF IMPACT ASSESSMENT
The Bapugaon anicut was completed in 1996 and its storage
facility was enhanced in 2000 by increasing its length. It is
therefore an appropriate time to make an impact assessment of
this structure on the nearby area, in general, and Bapugaon, in
particular.
2.1.
Selection of Area for Impact Assessment
For this assessment, an area broadly within a 5-km radius was
selected. The primary reason for selecting 5-km radius was
extrapolated from the size of the structure, assuming that it
would benefit this area. This study becomes important in the
light of the fact that Rajasthan has been reeling under drought
since last ten years, barring two years, and the efficacy and utility
of this structure was thus put to utmost test, right from the onset.
There are seven villages falling within the 5-km radius, which
namely are Bapugaon, Rupadi Khurd, Radoli, Maharampura,
Bibi ka Baad, Bilaspura and Sawai Jaisinghpura. The relevant
information of these seven villages, including agricultural land
and number of wells, is shown in Table-3.
9 I
Table-3
Primary Information of Villages under the
Impact Assessment
Village
Families/
Agri. Cattle/ Gochar
Population Land Goat
(ha)
Wells
(ha)
Bapugaon
167/2,250
2,500
2,000/
3,000
none
125
Rupadi Khurd 50/650
225
300/100
7
35
Radoli
300
1,000/
500
17
150
Maharampura 45/600
125
300/400
none
15
Bibi ka Baad
100/1,000
125
150/250
5
25
Bilaspura
40/350
200
300/100
17
25
SawaiJaisinghpura
80/700
1,100
250/300
15
40
127/1,265
Out of these seven villages, due to topographic elevation of three
villages (namely Maharampura, Bibi ka Baad and Bilaspura)
and their location upstream of the earthen-dam, no impact was
expected, in any case. The capillary action of water, necessary for
its lateral spread and maintaining moisture, can not work
against the force of gravity beyond a certain point, especially
when the downstream offers a smooth capillary flow.
However, field trips were made to these three villages too because
they provide a cryptic clue to the situation prevailing in the entire
area of study before the construction of the earthen-dam and
hence these villages are important in establishing benchmark for
the present study. From this point, it is also pertinent to look at
the agricultural yield per hectare in these three villages vis-a-vis
the remaining four villages.
2.2.
Methodology of the Impact Assessment
The methodology of the impact assessment involved a three
pronged approach. The first was to collect primary data by
intense interaction with the farmers during the field trips to the
concerned villages. Second was to make careful direct
observations in the field and collecting as much ground truth as
possible for cross-verification of the data gathered from the
villages as well as extrapolating newer information, if any. And
the last is to gather data from the official records, and other public
sources, wherever possible. All the data thus generated was
subjected to analysis and interpretation for reaching inferences.
The lack of crucial background relevant data (necessary for a
comparative account), at Panehayat and tehsil levels, both,
restricts the present assessment and evaluation to a limited
contemporary time frame of about ten years only.
2.3.
A Brief Note on Field-Visit and Observations
Based on the above-mentioned methodology, data was collected
from the area identified and selected for the impact assessment. A
brief note on the field visit to the seven aforesaid villages and
observations, with reference to impact assessment, is being given
here.
Bapugaon is the closest village to the earthen-dam and hence it
is naturally expected that the maximum impacts will be observed
in this village. In 1996, the total population of the village was
1900 spread among 150 families. The non-availability of water for
irrigating agriculture fields, forced half of these families to
migrate to nearby towns in search of work as daily wagers. About
80 per cent of these migrant families were land-owners and the
remaining were landless labourers. After the completion of the
earthen-dam with anicut in 1996 there was not substantial
11
change in ground reality for the next two years, as the Rajasthan
was undergoing an extraordin ary longer spell of drought,
continuously since 1996. Owing to failure of monsoon, storage in
the earthen-dam never reached to the level. However, with the
feeble rains during the next three years, despite the continuing
drought, scenario began to change slowly. At first, moisture was
retained in the subsurface and it was reflected in the slight
increase in production per unit area. Moreover, the empty part of
the structure showed lush growth of grass and weeds which was
excellent for the cattle.
Encouraged by these gradual changes, in consultation with all
stakeholders it was decided to enlarge this earthen-dam by
extending the existing embankment. Therefore anotherappendage was added to this structure in 2000, as already
mentioned. Due to this addition, the total storage-area of the
earthen-dam was increased substantially. Consequently, the
moisture retained underneath too expanded exponentially.
It is important to have a look at the rainfall pattern since 1996,
when the first phase of the structure was completed. From
1996-1999 there was drought condition prevailing in the area. In
2000 there was somewhat normal rainfall in Jaipur district. This
resulted in an immediate rise of the water table in the village, as
testified in the rising water level in the wells. Again in 2001 and
2002 there has been very' weak rainfall leading to drought
conditions in these years, but the village was protected from the
ill-effects of the drought, courtesy the earthen-dam.
Since 2000 onwards, most of the fanners started taking three
crops in a year - in addition to normal Rabi and Kharif, another
crop of Jayad is also being taken in the village [Jayad is the
practice of growing vegetables when the fields are empty between
the two main seasons of Rabi and Kharif], Most commonly grown
vegetables under Jayad in this village are - Tomato, Chilly, Arbi
and Watermelon. This practice continued in next two drought
years also. Increased humidity for longer spell in soil-moisture
zone, emanating from the storage of water, directly resulted in
12
Box - 1
Badri is a farmer with 6 ha of land and three wells. Till 1996 he
was taking only one crop in a year and the productivity was
very low, for Wheat and Mustard it was hardly 4.5-7.5 Q/ha.
After 1996, initially, per unit yield started showing some
increase, which encouraged him to go for two crops from the
next year. It was only in 2000, that the yield of Wheat gave a
bumper harvest of +48 Q/ha and Mustard gave a return of
24-30 Q/ha. He also started takingJayocZ in between.
Jagdish, another farmer, has 3 ha of land with one well and he
is also taking two crops per year since 2000 onwards,
compared to earlier one crop a year with lower yields. The
harvest of Wheat comes to 48-54 Q/ha and Mustard is 24 Q/ha.
Rajesh has 23 ha of land with 4 wells. After 2000, his yield of
Wheat is 60 Q/ha and Mustard has risen to 30 Q/ha. Another
farmer Laxman Singh has 25 ha of land with 3 wells. He grows
wheat as a major crop which gives him a return of48-60 Q/ha.
Kudda is one farmer with a relatively smaller land-holding of
less than 1 ha with one well. Prior to 1996 he was forced to go to
Jaipur, since poor yield made farming a losing venture.
However, the things have changed for him and now he is
getting a return of60-72 Q/ha for Wheat.
Another farmer Shrikrishna has 8 ha of land with 4 wells. He
is also taking two crops per year from 1999 onwards Wheat
giving a return of 60 Q/ha. Similarly Omprakash is taking two
crops per year with a return of 48-60 Q/ha. All the farmers are
getting an average yield of Bajra at 24-30 Q/ha.
Slowly the water of anicut is absorbed as run-in, and this
newly emptied part starts having lush green grass consumed
by cattle. Moreover, the part of reservoir lying empty again
provides good fodder for cattle. This is accessible for all the
cattle ofthe village without any discrimination.
13
more than average yield of agricultural produce per unit area.
In 2003, again there was normal rainfall in Jaipur and about
50 per cent of the structure was filled, though only to an average
height of 2-3 feet, even this showed very good result, in terms of
agricultural yield.
The growth of cattle wealth in the village is a direct indicator of
better and easier availability of fodder. In 1996, for example,
there were 1,000 cattle (restricting to cows and buffaloes only) as
the fodder was difficult to get. Today in 2004, the number of cows
and buffaloes in the village has risen to 2,000. In addition to
these, there are 3,000 small animals that includes goats and
sheep, in the village. And all this increase has been registered in
spite of the fact that the village does not has agochar (community
pastureland).
This has also added another related positive dimension. Due to
the easier availability of fodder for cattle, farmers of the village
have now started raising improved species of cattle which
produce higher quantity of milk, thereby supplementing the
family income. Since the cattle-raising and domestic milk
management primarily rests in the hands of women-folk, the
income too goes to the women. It leads to their economic
emancipation.
The water in wells started falling in early 1980s and by 1986 the
water started vanishing for most part of the year and this
continued for the next ten years. The roots of this were embedded
in the drying up of river Dhund, flowing close to the village.
After the construction of this structure, slowly but steadily water
level in the wells of the village started going up from 1996 itself
(year of construction of the earthen-dam). In the following years
the duration of availability of water in the wells started
increasing in terms of months and now from 2000 onwards water
is available in all the wells of the village throughout the year. This
easier accessibility to water in village has indirectly affected to
better public hygiene and sanitation, as these are directly linked
to the availability of water. This has reduced the health-related
expenses to the minimum, on the one hand, and increased the
nutritional intake, in general, on the other hand. The net result is
relatively much improved health indicators of the village.
But the most profound impact has been noticed regarding the
quality of water. The quality of water in Jaipur district generally
is brackish or saline, Bapugaon being no exception. The villagers
recall that the increase in the hardness and salinity content of
water was noticed with the decreasing quantum of water
availability, implying an inverse relationship between the two.
Since 1996 onwards, the quality of water started showing gradual
improvement and by the year 2000 it has improved to a
substantial extent. The process continues till today and the
villagers feel that now water in their village has almost reached
to the potable standards.
Yet another significant social impact is the restoration of human
dignity and increase in the social status of the villagers.
Migration of land-owner farmers to work as labourers inflicts a
severe dent to their psyche, making them undergo an inferiority
complex, which only they can feel. This kind of indirect benefits
can never be quantified in monetary value (see Box-2). After all is
there any formula which can fix a value for the loss of human
dignity? Can the humiliation and insults heaped on an individual
be quantified in equivalent money?
Box - 2
It would be relevant here to cite the inferences of a world-wide
survey of poverty carried out in 2000, in more than 100
developing nations of Africa, Asia and Latin America. The
primary objective of this survey was to understand what poor
think of their poverty, so that the poverty alleviation
strategies are designed to be more effective. One question
asked from all the poor persons participating in this survey
was common - What will be the single most important thing
which they would need to remove themselves from the
clutches of poverty? The obvious answer which comes to our
mind is - of course they would ask for money. But it is not the
line of thinking of the poor themselves. More than 85 per cent
of the poor, cutting across the geographical boundaries,
replied that they want a dignified life first. The way they are
looked down in society should stop, they should be recognized
with an equal status within the society, irrespective of their
monetary position, rest of the things they would manage
themselves, including how to come out of the poverty. Poor
people feel that it is this rejection and neglect by the society
which crushes their innate self to the extent that they adopt a
feeling of neutrality towards the life, leaving themselves to
the turn of events. The morale of the story is that social
dignity is of paramount importance for rural poor people.
It is in this context that this community asset has played a
decisive role. The migration form the village started registering a
declining trend post-1996 and has come to a virtual halt since
2000. The landless daily wagers too have stopped their seasonal
trips in search of work, as the newly better economic state of
farmers provides them an opportunity to take help of these daily
wagers on their farms, to ease their physical burden.
This increase in social status is reflected in another newer trend.
Villagers having their sons of marriageable age have suddenly
found themselves flooded with offers to marry their daughters in
16
this village. Because the families of the prospective brides know
that their daughters will not have to undergo daily drudgery for
fetching water, which is readily and easily available in the village
itself.
The Rupadi Khurd village is located 2.5 km eastof Bapugaon in
the downstream. Here too, prior to 1996, water shortage was
acute, as the wells have gone dry and remained so practically
throughout the year. Post-1996 there has been improvement in
the availability of water. Throughout the drought of 1997-1999
wells always have water for the villagers remained functional
throughout the year. From 2000 onwards water has been
available in plenty in the wells. Thus the drought proofing of the
village has been very effective.
After 1996, there has been an increase in the availability of fodder
and fuel wood, initially marginally and post-2000 significantly.
This is a direct result of increased water in the soil moisture zone
for longer duration.
Here too, the remarkable improvement is noticed in the quality of
water. The deterioration of water quality began with the
decreasing water quantum and by early 1990s water was very
hard and saline, eventually vanishing completely. The
reappearance of water in wells and increased quantum is coupled
with the improvement of water-quality. The earlier salinity has
disappeared and water has become potable.
Presently a nursery of Babool (Acacia) has been established at
gochar. This serves the purpose of providing fodder for goats and
fuel wood to the villagers. There is a Gram Seva Samiti in the
village which is responsible for selling the twigs and fodder to the
villagers in need and uses the money thus generated in the
developmental activities of the village.
Laduram Jat is a farmer with 15 ha of land with 2 wells. He
started taking two crops every year since 2000 and the yield has
doubled - Wheat (30 Q/ha), Mustard (12-18 Q/ha), Bajra
(12-18 Q/ha), and Groundnut (9-12 Q/ha). He grows crops only in
half of his land. He informed that since 2000 water is now
available in the wells round the year,
Omprakash Choudhary has 5 ha land with 3 wells. He too is
taking two crops in a year since 2000 and his yields too have also
doubled - Wheat (24-30 Q/ha), Mustard (12-15 Q/ha), Bajra (3-12
Q/ha) and Jowar (3-12 Q/ha). He too is very happy at the
availability of water throughout the year. Harnath has 2 ha of
land with 2 wells. He says that in his 62 years of life he never
imagined of taking two crops in a year and it is hard to believe
that he is doing this from 2000. His yields have also registered
very high returns, compared to earlier periods, just like other
farmers. He recalls that post-1996 throughout the long drought of
five years the wells remained functional in the village, which he
considers a miracle.
All the other villagers have the same story to tell. Jagdish with
less than 1 ha of land with one joint well is happy with the smaller
land holding for the first time in his life as it has yielded very good
results. Similarly, Kamlesh with 3 ha of land with 2 wells is
taking two crops since last 4 years. Ramrai has also started
taking two crops on his 4 ha with the help of his two wells. The
yields of all these farmers are same as of the other farmers in the
village today.
The villagers are unanimous in their opinion - the increased
yields and water availability in wells round the year in their
village is a direst result of the earthen-dam constructed at
Bapugaon. They consider it their good luck that they are also
reaping the fruits of this community effort made by people of
Bapugaon.
Maharampura is characterized by lower agricultural yields.
There is no direct water source and it has resulted in the overexploitation of groundwater to such an extent that now water
table has gone as low as 400-450 feet. Normally Wheat requires
4-5 watering during its entire three-month life cycle and Mustard
demands at least 2-3 watering and the absence of water is root
cause of lower productivity. So irrespective of the size of land
holding the lower yields are uniform throughout the entire
18 Hi
village. For example, Ganga Bakhsha and Bomaram both have
5 ha of land with one well each whereas Laxminarain Meena has
less than 1 ha of land with 4 wells. The average yield for both the
farmers is same - in case of Wheat it is 7.5-9 Q/ha and for Mustard
itis4.5-9Q/ha.
But one significant change has taken place. Since last two years,
without any effort of village community, the water is available in
their wells throughout the years. At least one important aspect of
their day-to-day life (searching for water) is taken care of, though
the lower agricultural yields continue to be a matter of concern.
That the water availability has touched this village is indeed a
miracle as it is located 4 km upstream of the earthen dam. The
delayed impact can be understood from this. However, the water
is now increasingly being consumed, as farmers in Bapugaon and
Rupadi Khurd have started taking two crops per years, little is
left for its sub-surface spread.
Moreover, this has also to be taken into consideration that the
earthen-dam has not been filled to its capacity during the seven
years of its entire existence. Even the 40-45 per cent filled up
earthen-dam to a height of hardly 3-3.5 feet (against an average
standing water column of 5 feet, as per its total capacity) has
provided complete drought proofing - in terms of agricultural
yields and round the year availability of water over the last four
years in two villages and in terms of water availability in one
village additionally in last two years.
Therefore the significance of Bapugaon earthen-dam is not lost on
the residents of Maharampura. They acknowledge that the water
present in their wells has come from there and they now want to
increase their agricultural yield. They have an easier solution increase the depth of this earthen-dam to store more water which
will finally increase its area of influence and impacts. And they
are so convinced of this approach that during discussions when it
was pointed to them that the dam has never been filled to its
capacity in last seven years, so increasing its capacity will not be
effective, they simply shrugged.
19
•3
In Beebi ka Baad / Baad Firozpur, the nature of the soil is
generally sandy, quality of which has further deteriorated after
the floods of 1981. Since then only one crop is taken in the village.
Very rarely, if the monsoon season offers good rains, then farmers
opt for the second crop. The only source of water in this village is
nearby river Dhund, which is lying dry since last five years.
A farmer Gopal (1.5 ha land with 1 well) told us that the yield is so
poor that he is afraid of applying any input to his farm as it will go
waste, in the absence of water. The average yield for all crops is
4.5-7.5 Q/ha. Another farmer Jagdish Saini has 5 ha of land with
one well but he too is not very enthusiastic about his occupation of
farming because of low return of 4.5-7.5 Q/ha. Ramnarain too has
less than 1 ha of land and hardly takes one crop a year. Farmers in
this village barely manage to meet their ends with their land.
Bilaspura has a majority of Jat community. Neither there is any
community organization to address the problems of the village at
a collective forum nor any Panchayat. Because of low
productivity, migration from the village to nearby towns is
common. In the drought of 2003, one member of every family
worked as daily wager in the drought relief work.
There are 300 cattle in the village, which also has agochar spread
over 17 ha. However, the gochar serves the purpose only during
rainy season (if there are rains) otherwise most of the time it has
no vegetation. During drought, the problem of cattle is
compounded. Taking loans for purchase of fodder is prevalent in
the village, sometimes to the tune of Rs. 20,000-25,000. Because
of repeated crop failures, it becomes very difficult to pay back
these loans and more difficult to procure loans in future,
sometimes leading to the death of cattle. The farmers are thus
trapped in a vicious cycle of indebtness. There is no family in this
village which is not buried under loans, often heavy.
The farmers like Bajranglal (8 ha), Govindilal Dangi (2.5 ha),
Ramsahai (5 ha), and Ramkalyan (8 ha) all have 2-3 wells. Thenyield is 4.5 Q/ha when crop is rain-fed, and in case of good rains it
is raised to 9 Q/ha. Despite heavy loans they feel if water crisis is
g-20 jMM
somehow solved then they will be able to pay back their loans.
Farmers are willing to contribute in any effort aimed towards
resolving their water problem, but they arc not willing to take any
initiative. The seat of Panch from this village is reserved for
scheduled tribes and the Panch has no interest in the problems of
village dominated by Jat community, making the matters worse.
Radoli has a 50-yeai- old pond in the village. Earlier it was
smaller in size but over the years it has been enlarged by digging
for increasing its storage capacity. Despite the pond and gochar,
fodder is a major problem - availablegochar for only 3-4 months
of rainy season. Another aspect is that about 10-12 ha of gocharland has fallen in the submergence of pond and hence is lost
permanently.
The lower productivity of agricultural land, in spite of the pond is
intriguing. But in recent years (post-2000) the productivity has
been increased substantially. For example, Babulal has 1 ha of
land and one well. In 1995 he was taking crop in only half a
hectare and the yield of Wheat was 6 Q/ha and for Barley it was
3 Q/ha. In comparison, in 2004 the yield of Wheat is 42-48 Q/ha
and for Mustard it is 24-30 Q/ha. Another farmer Babulal Gujar
has 2.5 ha of land with one well. He informed us that compared to
the yields of 1994-95, the yield today in 2004 have doubled. Today
he is getting the yield of 28.5 Q/ha for Bajra, 24-30 Q/ha for
Wheat, and 9-12 Q/ha for Mustard. Other farmers like Jagdish
(half a hectare of land and one well), Brijmohan Sharma (less
than 1 ha of land and two wells) and others have also experienced
doubling of their yield in last three-four years.
It was important to explore this dimension further. Because pond
has been in existence since last 50 years and the yields have only
increased in recent times. First, why pond failed to contribute
even though it had sufficient water? Discussions with farmers
cracked this mystery. One farmer Kaluram (with 1 ha of land and
one well) informed us that there is a hard pan underneath the
pond and hence the water in pond is unable to spread laterally in
the sub-surface. Kaluram says if the percolation holes arc made
in this hard pan, then pond will serve as an effective source of
irrigation through spreading water underneath. He has already
discussed this issue in the Gram Panchayat meeting, three
months back, which is now deliberating on the course of action, in
this matter.
Kaluram is convinced that water from the earthen-dam
(Bapugaon) has played a decisive role in the increased yield in the
village in last 3-4 years. He further corroborates it by pointing to
the fact that earlier boring the wells too failed to bring water in
wells but after the construction of earthen-dam, water reappears
in the well after the boring.
111
I I I I I II
There are other factors too responsible for this increased yield,
along with the increased content of water in soil moisture zone.
Village was provided with electricity in 1989. Awareness was
generated among farmers regarding the improved agriculture
practices, importance of humus content, application of organic
manures, controlled use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides,
and necessary training was imparted to them. Farmers also got
their soil tested to ascertain the best suitable crop for obtaining
better yields. A Gram Sevak, in-charge of 14 villages, regularly
visits this village every Tuesday to discuss the problems of
farmers and offer remedial measures. He also attends the
Gram Panchayat meetings. Radoli is headquarter of the
Gram Panchayat, representing six villages. The increased yield is
a cumulative result of all these above factors.
Village Sawai-Jaisinghpura (Bapugaon Panchayat) is reeling
under acute water shortage, so only one-third of its total
agricultural land is used for cultivation. There is no water in the
wells and even during the rains water stays hardly for 2-3 hours
in the wells and then disappears. There is a pond in the village
covering 50 ha but in reality water exists only in 8 ha. Seven years
of continuous drought have further aggravated the situation. Due
to lack of water availability, only one crop is taken, mostly it is
Bajra, with a yield of 4.5-9 Q/ha, and sometimes Mustard with a
yield of 4.5-7.5 Q/ha. The nearest source of water river Dhund is
22
!5 km away from the village. Though the river has gone dry since
last 5 years, the villagers believe that it has sufficient water
underneath it. This sub-surface water should be transported
through a pipe, villagers proposed.
2.4.
Impact Assessment
On the basis of detailed discussions with members of village
community, office bearers of VDC, SHGs and Mahila Mandals,
and observations made during the field visit, following significant
impacts are specifically recorded, under socio-economic and
environmental categories:
2.4.1. Socio-Economic Impacts
1.
The earthen-dam with anicut built in 1996 has provided
food security to three villages, namely Bapugaon, Rupadi
Khurd and Radoli through increased agricultural
productivity.
2.
The agricultural productivity of the land, in fact, has
increased four times, considering the fact that yield per
unit area has more than doubled, and both Rabi and
Kharif crops are now being taken per year. And here we
are not taking cognizance ofJayad (Table-4).
3.
The structure has turned out a boom to the cattle of the
villages where it has made positive impact through
increased availability of fodder. 5,000 cattle have been
directly benefitted by the structure, in addition to others.
Moreover, the villagers of Bapugaon are also engaged in
improving the breed of the cattle for increasing their
productivity.
4.
The overall economic life of the people of three villages,
namely Bapugaon, Rupadi Khurd and Radoli has been
qualitatively enhanced. A population of 4,165, distributed
in 344 families has been directly benefitted so far.
23
Table-4
Agricultural Yield in Villages under the
Impact Assessment
Village
Crop
Agricultural Yield
Pre-1995-96
Post-2000
Bapugaon Rabi
Wheat
4.5-9 Q/ha
48-60 Q/ha
Mustard
4.5-7.5 Q/ha 24-30 Q/ha
Kharif Bajra
12-15 Q/ha
24-30 Q/ha
Groundnut 7.5-9 Q/ha
24-30 Q/ha
Jayad
not taken
Tomato,
Chilly, Arbi,
Watermelon
Rupadi
Rabi
Wheat
7.5-12 Q/ha
36-44 Q/ha
-Khurd
Mustard
4.5-7.5 Q/ha 24-27 Q/ha
Kharif Bajra
4.5-7.5 Q/ha 20-24 Q/ha
Groundnut 7.5-9 Q/ha
21-24 Q/ha
Jayad
not taken
Tomato,
Chilly, Arbi,
Watermelon
Radoli
Rabi
Wheat
7.5-9 Q/ha
36-44 Q/ha
Mustard
4.5-7.5 Q/ha 9-12 Q/ha
Kharif Bajra
4.5-7.5 Q/ha 20-21 Q/ha
Groundnut 4.5-7.5 Q/ha 12-20 Q/ha
Jayad
not taken
Tomato,
Chilly, Arbi,
Watermelon
Maharam Only 1 crop/year, yield of Wheat 7.5-9 Q/ha,
-pura
Mustard 4.5-9 Q/ha
Bibi ka
Only 1 crop/year, average yield for all crops is
-Baad
4.5-7.5 Q/ha
Bilaspura Only 1 crop/year, average yield of Bajra
4.5 Q/ha (normal) - 9 Q/ha (good rains)
5.
The cost-benefit analysis shows that the structure has
recovered its total cost, has started giving profits and will
yield enormous benefits to the population of the area for a
long time, given the proper maintenance, up-keep and
care of the structure.
6.
Increased participation of community in the village level
institutions has strengthened democratization in the
village functioning. Self Help Groups of women have been
formed in the villages, bringing women to the core of the
developmental activities.
7.
The level of awareness among farmers regarding their
livelihood resources, neighbouring environment and its
management has shot up considerably.
2.4.2. Environmental Impacts
1.
Land quality has been improved in about 2,900 ha
through better soil and water management, coupled with
advance agricultural practices.
2.
Around 25 ha land, highly susceptible to erosion, has been
covered under the farm field bunding. To ensure the safety
of the earth work, waste-weirs were constructed at
appropriate places to facilitate easier drainage of excess
run-off.
3.
The structure has provided effective drought-proofing by
making water available to three villages round the year
namely Bapugaon, Rupadi Khurd (since 1997 in both
cases) and Maharampura (since 2002). A total of 310 wells
have been enriched by the earthen-dams.
4.
The earthen-dam has been instrumental in natural
transformation of the quality of water, from brackishsaline to potable, in three villages - Bapugaon, Rupadi
Khurd and Maharampura.
5.
The structure has increased water-content in the soil
\ 25
moisture zone in its area of influence. This is very
important for maintaining physical, chemical and biotic
character of the soil, which finally determines its fertility.
Moreover, it is equally essential in maintaining the
balanced level of micro-nutrients.
6.
The overall number of healthy well-grown plants has
increased and the rate of survival of plantations has also
shown improvement in the area of influence.
7.
The general standard of public health and hygiene has
gone up, courtesy easier access to quality water.
8.
Fishing is being done in the dam-reservoir (for the first
time in the area) since 2001. The contracts are being
awarded season-wise in an open conclave to the highest
bidder. Income is deposited in the name of VDC. Details of
the contracts are as follows:
Year
Amount
2001-02
Rs. 15,000/-
2002-03
Rs. 20,000/-
2003-04
Rs. 25,000/-
2004-05
Process due for Oct.-Nov.
3. ROLE OF THE VILLAGE
DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
After construction, this earthen-dam with anicut was handed
over to the community, i.e., the Village Development Committee
of Bapugaon in 2000. Since then the VDC is directly responsible
for the management, operation and co-ordination of this
community asset. The VDC has taken steps to ensure the
sustainability of the structure, listed below:
1.
In order to maintain the health and well-being of the
earthen-dam, upstream catchment of about 150 ha was
treated.
2.
In 2000, a part of embankment was on the verge of
collapse. VDC mobilized the villagers and carried out the
necessary repair work protecting the structure.
3.
The top of this earthen-dam was slowly getting
weathered, as a result of natural process, to the extent of
beginning to threaten the structure in last one year. VDC
prepared a plan of action and submitted a proposal to the
Gram Panchayat in 2002. Finally in 2004, the necessary
amount of Rs. 1.25 lakh was procured and the required
retro-fitting of the top was done immediately.
4.
The erosion of the slopes has now started as is evident by
the presence of visible gullies and rills on the slope of the
earthen-dam. VDC has embarked on an ambitious plan of
stone pitching the entire slope of the earthen-dam. For
this purpose, VDC has submitted a proposal under the
state government’s MADA Scheme in 2003-04, at a cost of
Rs. 5 lakh. VDC is actively engaged in pursuing this
proposal in official circles, along with the Gram
Panchayat. Sustained efforts of VDC in this direction will
soon show positive result, in the form of getting the
proposal sanctioned, according to office-bearers. This will
take permanent care of the erosion of slopes.
27
Thus the community asset jointly constructed by
CECOEDECON and village community has been
successfully managed by VDC since last four years. It is a
beautiful example of building community asset through
joint efforts and then its subsequent operation and
management by the village community. This experience
also shows that the coming together, VDC and Panchayat,
jointly have a potential to work for their common goal inducing qualitative improvement in village-people’s life.
4. OTHER RELATED ASPECTS
It is important to understand that making a water source
available to a village is not an end in itself. After building a
community asset, and handing it over to the community, it is more
important to rightly address the larger issues concerned with
optimum utilization of water, sustainability of the community
asset built, appropriate agricultural practices, restoring health
and well-being of the catchment area through various techniques
of treatment, management, operation and control of the
community asset, regular maintenance and upkeep of the
community asset, and other related factors, for its efficacy and
sustainability.
The real challenge therefore starts after the completion of a
community asset and its taking over by the community. The all
round balanced development of any area demands an integration
of all natural, physical, man-made, technical, economic and
financial resources, existing within its territorial boundaries,
leading to optimization of output on a sustainable basis.
In this backdrop, CECOEDECON has initiated other related
activities, crucial for the all-round development of the village,
with a long-term perspective in mind. It will be relevant here to
briefly overview these works.
28
4.1.
Controlling Soil Erosion
Agricultural fields often suffer from soil erosion, leading to
substantial decrease in the yield per unit area. It is essential to
check soil erosion at the earliest, as it is relatively cheaper to
arrest this menace in the beginning itself. The intervention of
farm field bunding calls for construction of earthen bunds
(embankments) around the affected land. In addition to checking
soil erosion, this also helps directly in maintaining soil moisture
by storing water run-off. This technology has been a great success
in the area and farmers have readily adopted it.
Around 25 ha land, highly susceptible to erosion, has been
covered under the farm field bunding. To ensure the safety of the
earth work, waste-weirs were constructed at appropriate places
to facilitate easier drainage of excess run-off. The result of this
intervention is reflected in twin benefits generation of 750 mandays for employment and increase in the total yield by 30 per cent,
compared to the current production level.
4.2.
Empowerment of Village Community
Training module was designed on sustainable agriculture and
improved technologies to impart among the beneficiaries aimed
towards enhancing their capacities and capabilities.
4.3.
Promotion of Gender in Developmental Issues
Women constituted 50 per cent of the population in Bapugaon
and it was important to involve them in income generation and
productive activities. For this purpose, ‘Parvati’- a Self Help
Group is constituted, having 20 members. Each member is saving
Rs. 50/- per month since last two years. The group has opened a
saving account in the bank with Rs. 30,000/- and is actively
involved in thrift and credit works, both, at the organization and
personal level. The members have started inter-loaning among
themselves and credit is being used for both consumptive and
productive purposes like, health, marriage, agriculture, livestock
purchasing, children’s education, etc. Interest rate varies from
18 to 24 per cent per annum on reducing balance.
The socio-political empowerment of women is achieved through
linking them with various development institutions like, banks,
insurance, dairy and action committees. Training is being
provided to these members on several subjects of relevance to
day-to-day life such as, Panchayati Raj Institutions, micro
enterprises, etc. The members of this SHG are also being involved
in various advocacy roles of the organization like drought
monitoring, minimum support price, girl child education, etc.
4.4.
Linkages with Panchayati Raj Institutions
CECOEDECON has adopted the Institutional Development
Programme as a major strategy' to bring about a qualitative
change in the lives of the people in this village. As already
mentioned, VDC is vibrant in facilitating the people’s demands to
reach the Panchayati Raj Institution. The primary objective of
VDC is to make a platform available to the village community to
deal with the village problems on a community basis. Similarly, it
is also facilitating various Panchayat schemes and programmes
to reach to the people of the village. The organization, with the
help of the people and various other stake-holders has been
instrumental in the construction of a community asset, which has
literally transformed the economic life of the people of the area.
The formation of Self Help Groups and Mahila Mandats has
catalyzed the process of women’s participation in community
level activities in the village.
4.5.
Children’s Education
It has also facilitated the starting of a school for the children of the
village since no educational facility exists in Bapugaon. Earlier,
villagers through Gram Sabha have submitted a proposal to the
(i ' <
.. - 30' 7' .
*■- TT
Gram Panchayat to open a school in the village. Somehow due to
reasons best known to them, Gram Panchayat did not accept this
proposal. Therefore, the organization decided to provide
educational facility and a local teacher was identified from the
village, imparted with the necessary training and provided with
an opportunity to teach the children of the village. The ready
access to school for the children has helped in reducing the
illiteracy in the village.
4.6.
Awareness Campaign for Voters
Through different trainings and various awareness programmes,
the organization played a vital role in helping people to become
aware of their voting rights and the values of democratic process.
This exercise has paved way for a fair election process in the
region, which in its own turn has helped in selecting leaders
contributing to the overall development of this area. This in no
way should be misconstrued as the organization’s support to any
political party. It is primarily focused at making people aware of
their legal and constitutional rights and their duties as
responsible citizens.
5. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
The example of Bapugaon offers some valuable insights.
Conservation and enrichment of natural resource base is of vital
importance for ecological and environmental reasons and
benefits accruing to dependent rural population. Community
participation in this exercise is a decisive element. It emphasizes
the need to replicate such smaller water harvesting structures in
the villages, operated, managed and regulated by the community
through village level institutions. This requires enhancing
capabilities and building capacities of the community, hand in
hand. Networking at district and state level is an important tool.
Advocacy with government apparatus and elected
representatives is equally essential. Only a blending of all these
elements can ensure the sustainability of a community asset. The
Bapugaon presents a good example of all these components.
The immense benefits and related transformation of the rural
economy accruing from this community asset highlights the fact
that similar initiatives must be replicated on a large scale in rural
areas, with the active involvement of local community. The case
also demonstrates that community has the basic capacity,
capability, talent and skill to manage, operate and maintain such
assets for their sustainability, provided, a conducive atmosphere
is created to it along with other inputs.
More significantly, the Bapugaon example offers cryptic plausible
clues to the failure of co-operatives movements in 1950s and
1960s. These co-operatives were largely state-driven, too
bureaucratic, cumbersome in structure, procedural-ridden in
functioning, and controlled by rural elites; consequently were illfated to doom. This failure virtually destroyed the basic skeleton
of co-operation among the village community. The case of
Bapugaon shows that co-operation among different sections of
the community at village level is possible, if an institution created
is truly democratic in functioning, participatory in nature, and
beneficial to the community as a whole, cutting across all the
barriers of political and economic stratifications existing in the
village.
Centre for Community Economics and Development Consultants Society
(CECOEDECON)
SWARAJ Campus, F-159-160, Industrial & Institutional Area, Sitapura,
Tonk Road, Jaipur-302022 (Raj.) INDIA
Tel: 0141-2771488/2770812/3094834-35 Fax : 0141-2770330
E-mail: cecoedecon@indiatimes.com, sharadjpl@sancharnet.in
Website: www.cecoedecon.org/www.fincoalition.org
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