Villages without Amrit Sarovar facing severe water crisis in MP

हिंदी में पढ़ें । Chhota Khedi village is 30 kilometres away from the bustling city of Bhopal, the state capital of Madhya Pradesh. Despite its picturesque surroundings, the village struggles with a severe water crisis. 

“Here, the onset of January signals the premature drying of wells, forcing residents to take on arduous journeys of up to 2 kilometers to fetch water every day after boreholes dry up,”

says Pritam Thakur, a village resident.

Two years ago the Central Government unveiled the Mission Amrit Sarovar Scheme. The ambitious plan aimed to repair or construct 75 ponds in each district by August 15, 2023. The initiative wanted to revolutionise water management practices nationwide. Yet, for Thakur’s village Chhota Khedi, the promise of transformation remains elusive. Highlighting the stark disparities in access to essential resources.

What is the Amrit Sarovar Scheme?

Two years ago, the Mission Amrit Sarovar Scheme was launched by the Central Government to rejuvenate water bodies. Under this mission, work was to be done to make or repair 75 ponds (Amrit Sarovar) in every district and make them fit for use. The scheme aimed to build a total of 50 thousand Amrit Sarovars across the country by August 15, 2023.

According to the information given by the Central Government in the Lok Sabha in December 2023, a total of 83 thousand 531 Amrit Sarovar projects were started, out of which 68 thousand 119 projects were completed till 28 November 2023. This means that more Amrit Sarvars were built or redeveloped across the country than the target.

PM Narendra Modi himself acknowledged the achievement, stating,

"The speed with which Amrit Sarovars are being constructed across the country is going to fill new energy in our resolutions of Amrit Kaal."

Amrit Kaal is a concept introduced by PM Narendra Modi, known as 'The Era of Elixir', to the entire nation. It embodies the Prime Minister's vision for 'New India' by 2047, symbolising a new dawn that presents the opportunity to fulfil the nation's aspirations.

Chhota Khedi: No to Amrit Sarovars yes to the water crisis

However, Chhota Khedi village missed out on getting any Amrit Sarovars in the last five years of the Amrit Kaal. The village is not included in this scheme. Though such a scheme should have been implemented here first, says a village resident.

Senior village resident Narayan Singh reflects on the village's transformation, noting that it was once primarily an agricultural society. However, nowadays, apart from the rainy season, villagers must work as labourers.

Nevertheless, the presence of brick kilns in the village provides employment opportunities, reducing the need for migration. 

Despite this, the scarcity of water poses significant challenges for the residents. With water becoming increasingly expensive, running a brick kiln has become more costly. Pritam, who operates one such kiln, elaborates on this issue.

“15 to 20 tankers of water are used for the kiln in a month. A tanker costs Rs 700. In this way, more than 10 thousand rupees are being spent only on water,”

In this village, there are no ponds available. Villagers inform Ground Report that they must travel two kilometres to fetch water from a drain. Although there is a government tube well in the village, it only yields 600 litres of water per day, which falls short of meeting the needs of the population.

Bhopal’s depleting groundwater

Bhopal, known as the city of lakes, is experiencing a rapid decline in groundwater levels. According to the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), the groundwater level in this district decreased by 66.7 per cent between 2012 and 2022.

Research conducted on Bhopal's groundwater levels from 2000 to 2020 reveals that, during the pre-monsoon period in May, groundwater levels range from 12 to 17 meters below ground level. However, following the monsoon season in November, this drops to 6 to 8 meters.

Despite receiving 1866.02 mm of rainfall in 2022, which is 68.61 per cent above normal levels, as per data, Prahlad Singh of this village expresses concerns,

“It rains well but there is no water left. There are neither wells nor ponds in the ground. Everything flows away.”

According to the Amrit Sarovar Portal, a total of 6 thousand 613 Amrit Sarovar sites were identified in Madhya Pradesh. Out of these, work started in 5 thousand 950 places and till now 5 thousand 783 works have been completed. Whereas in Bhopal, 78 places were identified and out of these, work has been completed in 76 places.

However, despite these statistics, villages excluded from this scheme continue to face water scarcity. Located approximately five kilometres from Chhota Khedi is Gol village, where a pond lies by the roadside. However, the pond's condition is so deteriorated that it appears no different from a patch of ground.

Another thirsty village

According to Barelal Rajak (64) of Gol village, the pond was never repaired in his village. Describing the water problem in the village, he explains that households with tube wells sell water to others due to the lack of access to reliable water sources.

“I give Rs 700 to my neighbour every month. “He lets us fill water by running his bore (tube well) for 15 to 20 minutes a day,”

Rajak shares.

He further explains that water is supplied to 20 to 25 houses from a single tube well. However, by the end of April, these tube wells also failed. Subsequently, the villagers rely on buying water from water tankers. Rajak believes that deepening the pond could have potentially alleviated the water problem. However, he accuses the administration of corruption, stating, 

"Ameer aadmi apni jeb garam kar leta hai aur hamen aag main jhonk deta hai" (officers fill their pockets but our troubles remain the same.)"

The Secretary of Gol Village Panchayat informed Ground Report that the pond was last repaired in 2016.

'Nirjal' Jeevan Mission

Additionally, tap connections were installed for water supply in the village under the Jal Jeevan Mission of the Central Government. However, these taps only provide air instead of water, he lamented.

“There is a water tank of 20 thousand litres in the village. Everyone was supposed to receive tap connections, but despite laying the lines, no connections have been provided,” the Panchayat Secretary explained.

When questioned about the reason for this, he directed us to the officials of the Public Health Engineering Department (PHE). According to reports, tap connections have been provided in 70,335 (70.11%) villages out of 1,317 in the Bhopal district under the Jal Jeevan Mission.

In contrast to Gol village, most residents of Khajuri Sadak village, located on the way from Bhopal to Sehore, receive water under this scheme. While some individuals raise concerns about pipeline bursts, they note that the Sarpanch promptly arranges for repairs.

Lack of awareness of groundwater

The water supply in Khajuri Sadak village is sourced from a nearby canal, utilising surface water for drinking purposes without attention to groundwater recharge. Similarly, the condition of the only pond here mirrors that of Gol village. However, unlike Gol village, there is no discussion of repairing the pond. Despite not being included in the Amrit Sarovar scheme, many residents do not perceive this exclusion as significant. Nevertheless, complaints about tube well water depletion in late February are also common here.

However, apart from the Amrit Sarovar Scheme of the Central Government, farmers can also dig ponds for irrigation in their fields under the Balram Talab Scheme of Madhya Pradesh. But Narayan of Chhota Khedi says,

“The farmers here have small fields anyway, if they dig ponds in them then where will they grow the crops?”

Narayan believes that the government itself should get work done to build new ponds in every village. According to Narayan, the people of the village will get immediate benefit by getting MNREGA wages, and by increasing the groundwater level, the expenditure on water can be saved in future also.

As the Lok Sabha elections in Madhya Pradesh reach their midpoint, discussions about Amrit Kaal fill election rallies. However, amidst the election buzz, the plight of thirsty villages longing for Amrit Sarovar seems to fade into the background. Groundwater exploitation persists, yet there is a lack of concrete plans for its recharge.

Pritam Thakur from Chota Khedi village believes that if people grasp the direct impact of the environment and the pond, they will prioritise these issues. However, currently, there seems to be a lack of awareness among the public, preventing these issues from becoming key voting concerns.

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