Amrit Sarovars rejuvenate Haryana villages, resolve wastewater problem

Settler tanks collect household greywater via drains and sewage pipes and feed it to the ponds after treatment and filtration Gurugram, Haryana: Lulled by gentle breeze, Krishna Devi spends most part of the day sitting on a charpoy in her house located just opposite the village pond in Hariahera in Gurugram district. Up until a year ago, she would watch the wastewater almost come up to her house in monsoon season from a cesspool, which stood in place of the pond constructed last year under Mission Amrit Sarovar.It is an idyllic setting now, where ducks waddle in hot summer noon and weary travellers find solace under trees. The 1.39-acre site was developed at a cost of Rs 85.02 lakh, with benches set up and 150 trees planted as part of beautification. A boundary wall was also constructed and the water body was deepened to 4.5 m.  “Outsiders came and worked day and night to create the pond. The children are so excited that they use the swing, installed as part of pond beautification, almost throughout the day,” beams Devi. The pond is a favourite spot of not only people from Hariahera, which has a population of over 2,000, but also the residents of adjoining Alipur.The pond plays a major role in managing wastewater from households, besides promoting groundwater recharge and good ambience through beautification work. However, its impact on groundwater recharge is not yet proved as Mission Amrit Sarovar began only a year ago.Notably, Haryana has a total 19,488 ponds, including 18,589 in rural areas and 899 in urban locations. Of them, 1,856 are polluted, with a tendency to overflow in monsoons. Treating greywaterGuruJal, a non-profit organisation, is working closely with the government of Haryana to rejuvenate ponds. Its engineer Ashish Tiwari explains how wastewater is allowed to flow into the pond after being duly treated. “A 10 to 12 ft deep settler tank constructed near the pond collects the greywater from households via drains and sewage pipes. After treatment and filtration processes, the water is released into the pond,” says Tiwari, who has worked on the Hariahera village pond. Ashish Tiwari of Gurujal explains how waste water after being treated is allowed to flow into the pond (Photo - Deepanwita Gita Niyogi, 101Reporters)GuruJal has revived 17 ponds in Sohna, Pataudi, Farrukhnagar and Gurugram blocks of Gurugram district. Around 90% of these projects were completed under Mission Amrit Sarovar. In Sohna block, besides Hariahera, a water body in Daula village was revived. Many ponds in Gurugram district have shrunk in size due to rampant encroachment. Solid waste dumping is also a major issue behind the disappearance of ponds. In some cases, water bodies were sold off illegally and hence cannot be reclaimed. GuruJal works with the government and also involves the community to reverse such conditions.According to its annual report for 2021-22, 644 water bodies were present under the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority in 1956. By 2018, it came down to 123. Overall, Haryana is one of the most water-stressed states in India due to groundwater exploitation and depletion.Algae formation is a cause of concern and fish may be introduced by Gurujal to tackle it (Photo - Deepanwita Gita Niyogi, 101Reporters)GuruJal has mapped 400 water bodies in Haryana, designed the systems for wastewater treatment plants for 17 of them and reviewed about 80 Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for the government. “When we work with the government, we do surveys, prepare DPRs and give estimates, but we do not do the execution. When we do it alone, we work fully from start to end,” details Tiwari.As Mission Amrit Sarovar relies on funds under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), crowd funding and district plan fund, all these resources were used to pool in money to revive the ponds. “In some places, pond revival is done in convergence with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act [MGNREGA],” says Gurugram District Development and Panchayat Officer Virendra Singh Sandhu. He reminds that communities are the ultimate stakeholders, and hence gram panchayats should take care of the ponds once rejuvenated. True to this, the villagers have been cleaning the ponds using nets in both Daula and Hariahera every 15 days.Rejuvenated ponds have become recreational sites for village residents of Gurugram (Photo - Deepanwita Gita Niyogi, 101Reporters)Recharging groundwaterLaunched on April 24 last year, Mission Amrit Sarovar targets to develop and rejuvenate 50,000 ponds across India by August 15 this year. In each district across the country, 75 ponds or amrit sarovars will be constructed or rejuvenated as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, which marks 75 years of Independence.In Haryana, 7,691 sites have been identified, work has commenced on 3,327 and completed on 1,518. Of the 175 sites identified in Gurugram district, work has commenced on 73 and finished on 46. Of these, many ponds come within the panchayat/urban local body limits.“Under Mission Amrit Sarovar, things are moving fast. Budget estimates for many ponds have been prepared. The rejuvenation depends on funds but work has started in many places. The Haryana Pond and Waste Water Management Authority also takes care of water bodies. Labour work is carried out under the MGNREGA,” says Dharmender Singh, a Junior Engineer at Sohna Block Office.  Before the restoration of Daula pond (it is 8 km from Hariahera), which is 2.5 m deep and spread over 0.8 acres, children used to use it as a playground. The revenue records, however, showed the presence of a pond there. When the Rs 41-lakh restoration process was launched, a treatment plant was also built to deal with wastewater of the village. “When work started, a lot of mud was excavated to construct a 200 KLD (kilolitre per day) settler plant. It takes 17 hours for the water to get treated,” explains Tiwari. Daula village shopkeeper Milap Singh says the site would dry up in summers earlier, but not anymore.“We aim to recharge groundwater through this initiative. As part of site selection for pond revival, land availability was considered and resolution passed by gram sabha,” Sohna Block Development Officer Hitesh Kumar tells 101Reporters.Speaking of Amrit Sarovar, he says the minimum requirement is an acre under the mission. In Topra Kalan village in Yamunanagar, a pond measuring nine acres was developed after connecting existing water bodies.   Issues at stakeThough measures to revive ponds are progressing in many places, the readied water bodies are facing challenges. Daula resident Vijay Singh Raghav, the husband of sarpanch Bimlesh Devi, mentions the accumulation of plastic waste as a huge problem. Krishna Devi of Hariahera loves spending time near the water body (Photo - Deepanwita Gita Niyogi, 101Reporters)"We can remove some of them using nets. But it will be time-consuming if plastic piles up. In summer, the use of plastic disposables goes up. I daily ask the sweeper to take away discarded bottles. Everyone in villages these days uses disposables and soft drink bottles,” he rues. The apprehension is that during the monsoon, water from the pond may overflow with plastics choking drains.Raghav remembers a time when houses were built around village ponds. “As part of the revival, machines were pressed into action, plantations happened under the MGNREGA and the people of Daula participated. At one time, it seemed impossible that the pond’s original glory could ever be restored.” Another downside is the formation of algae in ponds as there is no reuse and overflow of water. To tackle this, GuruJal is thinking about introducing fish in them.Though revived ponds are an asset, especially during summers, there were a few hiccups on the way at Hariahera. Resident Naresh Biduri says the pond work started in 2019-2020 and could be completed only last year due to fund crunch. Work resumed after the CSR fund was pumped in. “Today maintenance work is being done by the gram panchayat, though the pond has not been formally handed over to us and is still with GuruJal.  The revived pond area was once the accumulation point of wastewater with no boundary wall. There was a constant fear of children falling into it. Now, it is an asset,” he says.Meanwhile, Tiwari clarifies that GuruJal has handed over the pond to the district administration, and that the Block Development Office will hand it over to the gram panchayat.Haryana Pond and Waste Water Management Authority Executive Vice-Chairperson Prabhaker Kumar Verma says the priority is to revive polluted and overflowing ponds that are not in use. "We want to restore such ponds and also those of historical importance.  There are 36 critically water stressed blocks in Haryana. Solid waste and cow dung mainly pollute the ponds. Nukkad nataks (street theatre) are performed to highlight the importance of water and how people can save them." Edited by Rekha PulinnoliCover photo - A view of pond in Hariahera village, Sohna Block, Gurugram (Photo - Deepanwita Gita Niyogi, 101Reporters)

Karget gets back its forest as ‘chowkidars’ stop felling, make greening drive an annual affair

With the help of the forest department and NGOs, the Gameti community nurtures a forest in Udaipur district and takes up activities related to watershed managementUdaipur, Rajasthan: Over tea served in steel bowls, Sawaji Gameti recalled those days when tree felling was rampant in the forest located near his home in Karget, Rajasthan. “People logged trees for money, which often made me worry about the forest’s future. Luckily, Udaipur-based non-profit Seva Mandir took note of the situation and held a meeting with us, in which we were educated about the ill effects of unsustainable felling,” the octogenarian recalled.Dominated by Gameti tribals, Karget and nearby villages in Girwa tehsil of Udaipur district have developed a sense of ownership over the forest from which they derive daily sustenance. “After the subsequent awareness drives, women pledged to collect only dried branches for firewood. They made trenches and worked alongside men to protect this precious resource. The forest is now healthy,” beamed Sawaji.Besides Seva Mandir, Karget residents derived inspiration from NGO Hanuman Van Vikas Samiti (HVVS), founded by Rajkaran Yadav in neighbouring Sakroda village in 1984. It was registered two years later, with an aim to prevent rampant tree felling in the area that had almost 40% forest cover. On the other hand, the villagers’ zeal inspired the forest department to form a Joint Forest Management Committee (JFMC) in 1984 itself. Though they were supposed to be dismantled after the implementation of the Forests Rights Act (FRA), 2006, the JFMC still functions in this region and elsewhere in India. Sawaji Gameti enjoys a cup of tea as he recalls the origins of community action in the area and how people chipped in to protect the forest (Photo - Deepanwita Gita Niyogi, 101Reporters)Karget resident Bhurelal Gameti was 24 when the conservation efforts began. “Back then, camels were used to transport the cut wood. To prevent this, villagers split into groups under the JFMC to watch out for the timber mafia. Once a camel emerging out of the forest was caught and the people involved were made to pay hefty fines to the panchayat. We roamed the jungle and got full support from the forest department,” Bhurelal (62) told 101Reporters.The balancing actAccording to Assistant Forester Laxmi Meena, Santu Maata protected forest covers an area of 1,704 hectares, while Amar Beed reserve forest has 401 hectares under it. The unclassified forest area comes to 213.39 hectares. Together they form the Karget forest covering an area of 2,318.39 hectares. Maize and wheat are the main crops in Karget and surrounding villages. The villagers also grow guar to extract gum and soybean, which can give good profit from oil extraction. Yet, most families cannot afford LPG cylinders to date, making them dependent on firewood from the forest. “Initially, there was too much emphasis on protection. However, after a point, people realised that their lives and livelihoods were suffering. This led to the introduction of sustainable management practices into their conservation efforts,” HVVS founder Rajkaran told 101Reporters.By carrying out plantation drives in the monsoon season, women who collect firewood ensure that the forest survives (Photos - Deepanwita Gita Niyogi, 101Reporters)“These days, women mostly prefer using dry branches of babool trees,” said Rajkaran’s colleague Hitesh Sharma. Thorny trees and neem, babool, mahua and kher are found in abundance in Karget.  By carrying out plantation drives in the monsoon season, women who collect firewood ensure that the forest survives. Sharma said they told women to plant five saplings per family member per year. The HVVS works in tandem with the forest department and gets saplings at minimal rates from the government nursery. The non-profit also takes a call on where to plant, after holding discussions with the JFMC and villagers.So far, the women have planted about 6,000 saplings of fruit trees in 2020. Besides providing refuge and fodder to birds and animals, the trees keep the water level intact in summers. Though the conservation movement of JFMC and HVVS involved six villages with its origins in Karget, it then slowly spread to at least 15 other villages.“Both men and women work for almost a month in the rainy season to plant tree varieties like sheesham, jamun and bamboo in the forest named after our Adivasi goddess Santu Maata. It has been successful to such an extent that even leopards can be spotted in the evenings. Cattle cannot be left on their own as there are chances of leopard attacks,” said Nathibai Meena, who works at a brick-making unit in Karget.The Udaipur North Forest Division also carried out tree plantation drives in 2021-22 by employing villagers on 100 hectares of forestland using funds worth Rs 40 lakh. In 2022-23, planting was done on 50 hectares for Rs 25 lakh. A former forest official distributed about 7,000 saplings. At present, the villagers and forest staff jointly take care of the plants.  Sawaji’s son Chunnilal Gameti recalled how dense and lively the forest was with its abundant wildlife before tree felling became rampant. “When the time came, many of us became chowkidars (gatekeepers) and prevented timber smuggling. But I would not say the urge to protect the forest was sudden,” said Chunnilal, a JFMC member. Chunnilal Gameti was a student when conservation work started and the community stopped camels that were being used to smuggle timber out of the village (Photo - Deepanwita Gita Niyogi, 101Reporters)Varied activitiesIn all, 2,300 hectares are protected as forestlands across the villages of Bhallon ka Guda, Karget, Bhekra, Sakroda, Sinhara and Tank by involving 1,500 families, according to HVVS. Apart from tree plantation, the forest department has carried out soil conservation work. An anicut or check dam to reduce water flow and arrest soil erosion was built recently using funds worth Rs 5.96 lakh, wherein the women’s share of labour was 60%.The HVVS also worked on natural resource management in the area by implementing a watershed project to increase the water table. “From 2011-2014, we joined hands with the government for an MGNREGA convergence project. People wholeheartedly participated in the work, which involved Geographical Information System mapping,” recalled Sharma. In all, six villages have been part of the watershed management effort.    As trees can increase soil moisture content and reduce erosion, watershed management can help conserve the natural streams from drying up, thereby promoting better forest cover. To help villagers, grazing land for cattle has been developed on the forest fringe. Asked if Karget villagers have got community forest resource rights under the FRA, Laxmi Meena said, “The people are demanding it now. This was discussed at a gram sabha meeting held a few days ago.”Cover Photo - The Gameti tribes of Karget have been consciously conserving these forests since the  1980s (Photo - Hitesh Sharma, HVVS)Edited by Rekha PulinnoliThis article is a part of 101Reporters' series The Promise Of Commons. In this series, we explore how judicious management of shared public resources can help the ecosystem as well as the communities inhabiting it.

In Rajasthan's Zawar mines, SHGs help Adivasi women taste freedom from patriarchy

The Meena women of villages in Udaipur’s Zawar mines area reinvent their worth by saving money through self-help groups and accessing bank loans to launch micro-enterprisesUdaipur, Rajasthan: Indira Meena’s world turned upside down when her partner deserted her eight years ago. A resident of Paduna in Udaipur’s Girwa tehsil, Indira was 17 when she left home for him.Now 27, she is trying to survive as a single mother with son Anil, who studies in Class 2. “I was not legally married to him,” Indira, who works as MGNREGA mate in her village, told 101Reporters. Last year, she formed the Bharti Swah Sahayata Samuh, a self-help group (SHG) with 16 members. “We focus on savings and small businesses,” the feisty woman said. There are 22 such SHGs in her village.Paduna is a part of Udaipur’s Zawar mines area, where non-profit Manjari Foundation (under Hindustan Zinc's CSR programme) has helped form 394 SHGs. Their present total savings stands at Rs 2,71,30,341. They function much like the groups formed under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), helping women open bank accounts in the SHGs’ names and gain access to loans. According to the Ministry of Rural Development, 777 SHGs got revolving funds worth Rs 116.6 lakh in Udaipur’s Girwa tehsil. In 2022-23, 380 SHGs availed of loans worth Rs 5.09 crore while 1499 have outstanding loans of 7.97 crores.  The SHG women not only make small contributions weekly, but also take part in social campaigns and help those in distress. “NGOs mainly mobilise the women through trainings and other creative means. The NRLM sends community resource persons to form SHGs,” Clara Mallick, who worked with PRADAN in Madhya Pradesh’s Betul district, told 101Reporters.  When Manjari's lead Rampal Meena visited Zawar in 2016, he recalls he could not even meet the women due to patriarchal restrictions. However, the much-needed change became visible after sustained gender sensitisation programmes. “Our staff started visiting houses and enlisted the support of village heads. Now, women hold four meetings every month,” Rampal told 101Reporters.Towards self-realisationAn Adivasi from the Meena community and a mother of four, Mangli Devi (55) resides in Amarpura, located about 10 km from Paduna. “I was married off at 14. At that time, I did not know that marriage at a tender age is harmful," she said.The change in attitude was initiated by a few women who arrived from Dhaulpur district to explain SHG’s functioning to the village women, whose lives centred around cooking, grazing goats, working in fields and collecting firewood from the forest while on the lookout for leopards. It's a big concern that women here have been more prone to leopard attacks due to the nature of their work which requires them to go into the forest in the early hours looking for firewood. According to data provided by Udaipur forest division, five women received injuries and three died in leopard attacks in the area in 2020-21. In the same period, five men were injured. Meena women from different generations are finding the courage to assert themselves thanks to the economic and social freedoms that SHGs have precipitated. Rameela Meena (top left) and Mangli Devi (top right) no longer silently weather taunts about having no children or not observing veil (Photos - Deepanwita Gita Niyogi, 101Reporters)“When I wanted to learn calculation, my husband discouraged me. But I was determined because I wanted to understand bank work,” Mangli said, adding that women felt bad when husbands refused to part with any money with them for their needs. “When SHGs were not there, many women faced abuse. Some are still afraid of their husbands. I tell them that if they remain so, the outside world will be a dream,” said Indira, who considers liquor joints as the root cause of marital discord.Women have grown confident that they do not keep a veil at all times. Even its length has reduced. Rameela Meena, who is educated up to Class 8, was often criticised for not bearing a child after being married for five years. She also had to put up with a mother-in-law who scolded her for not keeping veil.For her, SHG work opened the gate of freedom. Rameela is a samuh sakhi (friend of SHG) of Amarpura now. Her mother-in-law does not scold her anymore. She understands the need to go out into the world. Both attend SHG meetings together.Admitting that she used to complain to her son about Rameela over the veil issue, her mother-in-law Sabita Bai said, “Now, both of us know that veil is not important."Rameela formed the 10-member Heena Swyam Sahayata Samuh in 2017, with each member saving Rs 80 per month and availing of small loans to set up shops, buy atta chakki (flour grinder) and sewing machines. Her samuh’s savings stand at Rs 60,000, which is kept in a locked box. “The money keeps revolving among the members. When women need cash, they take as per their requirements. If someone wants to borrow, it is written down in the register against the name of the borrower and for what purpose. If a woman takes Rs 1,000 and wants to pay back in two months, she has to return Rs 1,040 with interest,” she said. The box is kept with the members on a rotational basis per week. Banks also give loans when accounts are opened in the name of the group, added Rameela. Amarpura has a total of 19 SHGs.At home over heartfelt dinnertime conservation, Rameela explained, “We do not want to depend on husbands always. Whenever I need money, I take SHG loans, like say Rs 10,000 on average.”There's been a perceivable change in attitude and outlook among the women, whose lives previously centred around cooking, grazing goats, working in fields and collecting firewood from the forest (Photos - Deepanwita Gita Niyogi, 101Reporters)Women have learnt the art of earning money. A woman in Rameela’s group bought a baby goat for Rs 5,000 and sold it later for Rs 14,000. SHG linkage helped Rameela build a new house and buy a car, which her husband drives for tourists in Udaipur. She took Rs 20,000 from the samuh for the house. The second-hand car was bought at Rs 5 lakh on a bank loan. The repayment of only about Rs 1 lakh is pending at present.“I had nothing when I started out with only Rs 20 as savings amount per week,” Rameela said.Taking a stand Amarpura’s Sharda Swah Sahayata Samuh was formed on April 25, 2017, with 13 members. Though the women started with savings, they gradually took a stand against domestic violence and child marriage.Mangli pointed out that realisation dawned upon women when they attended training sessions. In cases of violence, they try to intervene collectively. “We try to stop men from beating up wives and aim for a resolution. When a Paduna resident was ousted from home by her mother-in-law, we called the police.”  Indira Meena's (top left and below, collecting firewood) fellow SHG members stepped in to pressure her partner to pay child support after he abandoned her. Her neighbour Amri Devi (top right), who heads an SHG of her own, remembers how about 25 women intervened and took the matter up at the local police station (Photos - Deepanwita Gita Niyogi, 101Reporters)The collective might of SHGs came to the fore in Indira’s case. About 25 women intervened, went to the police station and demanded that Indira be paid a monthly allowance for her son. It worked as her estranged partner now pays Rs 3,000 per month, said Amri Devi, Indira’s neighbour who had set up Lakshmi Maata Samuh about six years back.In Amarpura, many women have taken loans of around Rs 30,000 individually from banks for setting up borewells, buying goats and other livelihood ventures.  Though things are progressing, it is not easy to unshackle the chains of patriarchy. “Some people still tell my husband to bring another wife. If SHGs were not active in taking a moral stand against second marriage, maybe they would have forced him to marry again,” Rameela said.It will not be wrong to say that her husband now understands her better. When this reporter met the family at night, he was nice and welcoming. He even made eggs in the dark, as there was a power shutdown.More than anything, it is the social pressure that makes men remarry. “I feel worthless when I hear people talk about bringing home a second wife,” said Kali Devi, who has been married for 20 years without a child. Luckily, her husband did not think of another marriage.Back in Paduna, Indira’s situation is still tough as her parents are not that welcoming. “My partner had even stopped sending the promised money. Fortunately, the women intervened to get it restored,” she said. Cover Photo: Members of Sharda Swah Sahayata Samuh that was formed in Amarpura in 2017 (Photo - Deepanwita Gita Niyogi, 101Reporters)Edited by Rekha Pulinnoli

In Maoist-hit Bastar, solar power brings individual tap connections to rural homes

Solar-powered Jal Jeevan Mission has given rural women in the remote Bastar district access to clean drinking water at their doorsteps.Bastar, Chhattisgarh: There is a nip in the air. The clucking of hens, the clanging of pots and pans, and the delicious aroma of chaur bhaja, a traditional rice and roasted chicken dish, keep the senses alive. Resplendent in a red saree, Dasmi Nag arranges the logs to maximise the heat in her chulha (an earthen stove).  Belonging to the Dhurwa indigenous community, Dasmi lives in Gudiya village of Bastar, a district known for its vibrant tribal life and Maoist insurgency, in Chhattisgarh State of Central India. In her mid-40s, Dasmi travels down memory lane to a time when, as a young bride, her in-laws would chastise her if the food was served late. “Can you imagine the rush to prepare pej (a rice and ragi porridge) and lunch for the entire family when everyone is hungry? It all depended on water availability. On most days, I had to go to a nearby stream located a km away for clean drinking water. The hand pump came much later, in 2012-13,” she says, remembering how her legs had felt weak and her neck and shoulders had ached due to the weight of the water pots on her head. In the winter, when darkness descends early, the women would band together for courage, carrying mashals (a long pole with a fire burning at one end) through the dense forest teeming with wildlife.Dasmi Nag of Gudiya village (above) recalls the times when fetching water from streams (below) was an arduous task, especially while traversing dense forests during winter evenings. Today, she has a tap in her home (Photos - Deepanwita Gita Niyogi)Dasmi got tap connection at home sometime back under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) run by the Ministry of Jal Shakti. The programme is aimed at connecting every rural household in India with tap water connection by 2024, covering 19.35 crore rural families. At the time of its launch, 3.23 crore families had access to tap water. As on December 12, 2022, the numbers have increased to 10.72 crore. Bastar district has seen 30.24% coverage with 49,554 out of the 1.63 lakh households having tap water connections. Touching lives  In areas where electricity grids are absent, the use of solar power under JJM helped bring tap water to rural households. The Chhattisgarh State Renewable Energy Development Agency (CREDA) and Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) have been working together to set up these solar water structures.Under the project, one horsepower (HP) solar submersible pump costing Rs 90,000 is installed and a structure, either nine or 12 metres high with a capacity to hold two 5,000-litre water tanks, is built. The whole set-up is powered by four solar panels of 300 watts each.PHED Executive Engineer SP Mandavi told 101Reporters that solar energy in water connection arrived in 2010-11. Under the Chhattisgarh government’s Nal Jal Yojana, solar was used in some instances and a common stand post was erected for water collection. The JJM added individual tap connections to that. In the absence of grid connectivity, solar energy helped in water distribution in remote areas. In the case of borewells that depended on electricity, many gram panchayats often failed to pay the bills, which ultimately led to them being disconnected (Photos - Deepanwita Gita Niyogi) CREDA Executive Engineer Damrudhar Sidar says the use of solar power in JJM has accelerated its penetration and efficiency. “Earlier, structures of four-and-a-half metres to six metres in height were built under the Nal Jal Yojana. With the JJM, the structure’s height was increased for better gravity, so that water could reach the tail end to serve 25 to 30 households in a hamlet.”Sidar says the CREDA is working only in areas having grid connectivity issues and those proposed by the PHED, which funds the structure construction. “Many gram panchayats (village councils) often failed to pay electricity bills, ultimately leading to disconnection." (Above) Damrudhar Sidar, an executive engineer of CREDA, inspects the foundation work of an ongoing solar structure in Bastar; (below) In Bastar district alone, there are work orders to solarise 199 out of the 614 water structures; 164 of these have been completed (Photos - Deepanwita Gita Niyogi)Individual connections have reduced the burden of fetching water from long distances. For years, Rukna Yadav from Bamnaras had fetched water from a chua (surface water source in fields). “I had to boil the water to use it. In the monsoon, it got dirty. I do not have to toil much now, as the nearest water stand post located just 50 m from my house started functioning four months ago.”  Prior to the JJM, many women in Bamnaras village depended on either the hand pump or a perennial chua. “Most of us had to spend at least 15 to 30 minutes each time bringing water. The manually operated hand pump made the hands ache. So many vessels, big and small, had to be filled two to three times,” says Rambati Nag. Jitri Nag (50), who used to spend about an hour daily fetching water from the stream, adds that she finds time to tend to her kitchen garden after getting the tap connection. Standing by and translating, Baliram Nag, nods. A Dhurwa community member and CREDA technician, he intimately knows how the lives of women have changed since improved water connectivity. Besides home connection, there are common stand posts where women can collect water. In a few places, the individual taps are yet to yield water as connections have not been possible.For Bamnaras resident Tara Nag, a mother of four, the common stand post is a stone’s throw away and she takes just 10 minutes to fill up her vessels each time. There is no tap in her house, which is at a higher elevation.Though many have benefitted from the JJM, it is a long-drawn process in interior villages. First site surveys are carried out, followed by foundation work, erection of structures and installation of dual water tanks on top.Overcoming problemsNoting how Tusail village has aquifers located deeper than in other places, CREDA Sub-engineer Kamlesh Kumar says some areas of Bastar have this issue. In such cases, the solar capacity could be enhanced using high-power pumps. Water can also be lifted from surface sources, but requires purification at a treatment plant. However, the JJM does not provide for that facility.CREDA Superintending Engineer SK Shukla tells 101Reporters that site selection posed problems as workers mostly refused to come to Bastar for work. Against 1080 work orders for solar pump systems under the JJM in Bastar division (encompassing seven districts), work has been completed in 883 of them. In Bastar district alone, there are work orders to solarise 199 out of the 614 water structures; 164 ofhave been completed.   In the whole of Chhattisgarh, 4,534 solar pump systems have been installed against the 5,010 work orders. For the financial year 2022-23 (April-March), the total budget allocation for Bastar district till November this year under JJM stands at Rs 28 crore.On the progress made in Bastar so far, District Collector Chandan Kumar tells 101Reporters that people, especially women, were appreciative as the JJM scheme saved both their time and energy. “By December next year, all households will be covered,” he predicts.However, issues like improper functioning of taps or yielding water in lesser quantities are cropping up. In Kanakurushpal, all 75 households have tap water connections. Mangla Kashyap, a beneficiary, now gets ample time to spend with her children. “But some women still queue up at the hand pump as taps are not functioning properly or the water flow is lean,” she says.In Irpa village of Bastanar, a region dominated by memorial pillars erected in honour of the dead, most residents belong to the indigenous Maria community. Here, a solar system has been set up in Pujaripara hamlet.The residents point out that cloud cover during monsoon slows down the supply. “During monsoon, we have to depend on the chua as the solar system charges only slowly. Nevertheless, solar adoption has made life easier for women. They can now devote more time to fuelwood collection,” says Sudru Poyam, a paddy farmer, who says the community has to clean the twin tanks every month. Several households (like the one above) now have tap connections. Even women without taps at home are now able to fill water quickly from nearby water posts; (Below) It is a common sight in Bastar, women carrying babies while going to fetch water (Photos - Deepanwita Gita Niyogi)Back at Gudiya, Dasmi’s neighbour Deoli Nag insists on proper maintenance. “What if some glitch happens and water does not come? The technical people live far away. In case of a problem, we should not be left without water, for say a fortnight.”When Pramila Maurya came to Nayapara hamlet of Raikot village after her marriage in 2007, she had to deal with the absence of power and tap water for years. “As the hand pump yielded iron-contaminated water, all women in my family went to the talab (pond). Individual tap connections started only in June this year.”Now, life is more comfortable for Maurya, the wife of a government school teacher. “I spend time watching TV serials and talking to my devranis (sisters-in-law) under the shade of a tamarind tree. We pass time comfortably with no tension over water availability.”“Earlier going to the talab entailed putting the children to sleep, but they invariably woke up, sometimes before we even started… When the village got electricity, I insisted on a personal borewell. However, the power bill ran quite high. Now I intend to use it for watering my vegetables in winter.”As November is the month of paddy harvest, work has been stalled in some areas. According to contractor SR Markandi, people are not at home all day long. “But we have to consult them on matters like pipe-laying and stand post erection, all of which are getting delayed.”Cover Image: A stand-post in Bamnaras village that is awaiting water connection (Photo - Deepanwita Gita Niyogi)Edited by Rekha Pulinnoli The story was covered with the support of a grant from Earth Journalism Network. 

Solar initiation brings cheers to farmers in Rajasthan’s Chambal belt, but is it sustainable?

Through a pilot project, farmers in Shankarpur and Gopalpura are able to cultivate wheat and a variety of vegetables. But they are also extracting water using solar submersible pumps in an area that already has a sinking groundwater tableDhaulpur, Rajasthan: Roasted bajra (pearl millet) will go well with buffalo milk tea, said Baby Devi (35), her red bangles glinting under the blazing sun. Bajra is cultivated predominantly in her village Shankarpur in Rajasthan, located at walking distance from River Chambal. A farmer and mother of four, Devi grows bajra and arhar (pigeon pea) in her uneven plot located near the river. She dug a borewell in another piece of land adjoining her house in 2016 for cultivating wheat in winter. But prolonged power cuts and a sinking groundwater table hit her hard. Though Devi cultivated wheat in 2017 by drawing water from a neighbour’s borewell, it was not sustainable due to water charges and power cuts. She finally found a solution by installing a solar submersible motor pump and three solar panels to power them. The plot now has a few guava saplings in it, but will be readied for wheat in the rabi season.  Why the allure of wheat when a normal monsoon is enough to grow nutritious bajra in semi-arid Shankarpur? Though both have Minimum Support Prices, bajra is a kharif crop, which means the land lies fallow in the rabi season. Cultivating wheat at this time will bring in extra money for farmers. However, the most apt answer lies with eating habits. As Baby Rajput of Gopalpura put it, they cannot eat bajra during summer and the relatively humid rainy months as it heats up the body. So, bajra is consumed in the winter (from November to January) and wheat almost throughout the year (February to October). “When I could not grow wheat, I had to buy it for Rs 20,000 annually. That explains the preference for wheat,” she said.Baby Devi switches on her solar-powered pump set, thanks to which she is now able to grow wheat in the rabi season (Photo - Deepanwita Gita Niyogi)A pricey choiceShankarpur, the last village of Dhaulpur district near the Chambal, has 110 households. Though the Chambal region receives monsoon rains, much of the water runs off causing soil erosion. In many places, farmers have to dig up to 600 ft to get water from the borewell.  “The land remains fallow or has only mustard crop in the rabi season. Installation of solar panels has provided farmers with an extra source of income in winters,” said Satyendra Sengar, the team leader of Manjari Foundation in Sarmathura block, under which Shankarpur falls.Both Devi and Rajput installed solar-powered pumps in their borewells in 2020, under the foundation’s Parivartan project. With an ample supply of water, Devi now grows wheat, which needs irrigation six times until harvest. Last year, she harvested seven quintals. She no longer needs to spend Rs 15,000 each every year to buy green fodder for buffaloes and wheat for personal consumption. Okra (ladies finger) and kakri (cucumber) have already found a spot in her list of summer crops.“Vegetable cultivation in summers was near impossible due to power crisis and low water levels in borewells. For us, solar is a godsend,” said Rajput, who got 20 quintals each of bajra, mustard and wheat last year. She is fond of growing bitter gourd, potato and ladies finger. Farmers like her also saves around Rs 1,000 that they spend each month on electricity. Though the project has touched only two farmers so far, about 30 more are getting the benefits by paying money. In Devi’s case, nine acres belonging to seven farmers get water, for which she charges Rs 700 per bigha and earns Rs 25,000 yearly. On average, Rajput charges Rs 350 per hour for water discharge to the nearby fields spread over 32 acres. She earned Rs 80,000 through water supply last year, with the motor working from 9 am to 4 pm.The Chambal landscape in Dhaulpur, through which runs the Chambal River, touted to be one of India's cleanest rivers. Yet the groundwater here has retreated deep due to the terrain that causes run offs and soil erosion (Photo: Deepanwita Gita Niyogi)However, Depinder Kapur, Director of Water Programme, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), warns about over-extraction. “Normally, farmers irrigate either early in the morning or evening. Solar pumps are used more during the day as panels get charged at that time. Solar power is free, so over-extraction is bound to happen. When we are promoting solar, we are not looking at water," he said.CSE’s Deputy Programme Manager for Renewable Energy, Binit Das cautioned about the need to monitor water use to keep the groundwater table intact. "Generally, people in rural areas tend to keep the pump switched on even when it is not in use." When asked about this, Sengar said even though farmers are now interested in adopting solar for irrigation, the NGO has not thought of adopting the project on a large scale. “It is not like we want to install 50 to 60 solar pumps. Also, we have already been working on improving groundwater in these areas by building ponds and anicuts, and by adopting other rainwater harvesting methods,” he claimed.    A positive spin Most farmers in Rajasthan do not prefer solar installation due to its high cost. Besides, many are not aware of the government subsidy under the Centre’s PM-KUSUM Scheme, aimed at providing energy security to farmers.As of September 2022, Rajasthan has 1,58,884 standalone solar pumps sanctioned and 49,616 installed under the scheme. However, according to Das, the subsidy is often not released on time and sometimes there is a long wait.In Devi and Rajput’s case, no government scheme was utilised. When asked about it, Senger said, “It is a long-drawn-out process. Also, we have not made use of any such scheme yet.”The total installation cost of the 10-horsepower pump and three solar panels was Rs 5 lakh. Devi and Rajput contributed Rs 50,000 each, while the rest was borne by Manjari Foundation. The pump has a one-year warranty, while solar panels have up to 15 years.  “Winters (October to February) were particularly difficult due to frequent power disruptions. Most often, we had to stay out in the cold to irrigate fields. Now I irrigate throughout the day and sleep well at night. Solar has made life easy,” Rajput beamed.  For Baby Rajput in Gopalpura, solar is a godsend. Now, she can sleep at night and does not need to stay awake waiting for electricity to irrigate her fields (Photo: Deepanwita Gita Niyogi)Puja Devi takes water from Baby Devi for her wheat and mustard crops. “As I have a small plot, there is no need to install solar panels. I can get water whenever I want.” Premvati, who has 0.25 acres of land, echoed Puja. Last year, she bought water five times for irrigating her wheat crop and managed to harvest six quintals of the grain.Another neighbour, Rekha has a borewell on her 0.75-acre plot. She is thinking of solar installation as her yearly power bills amount to Rs 10,000! In line with her thoughts, clean energy expert Manu Maudgal from the Delhi-based Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation said economic benefits were the immediate impact of a solar installation. Edited by Rekha Pulinnoli

Land titles under FRA lend dignity to 21 single women

In a first in Odisha, Boriguda women claim land titles after four years of struggle with the help of NGO Pradan; make economic progress by cultivating their newly-acquired lands, besides salvaging their position in society   Rayagada, Odisha: Sundari Huika is happy that her daughter in-law Rupai Huika, with whom she shares a cordial relationship even after her son Sanjay’s death, now owns land. Rupai is one among the 21 single women who received individual land titles under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) on January 7 last year, in tribal-dominated Boriguda village of Rayagada district. This is the first instance of single women gaining such rights anywhere in Odisha.The FRA passed in 2006 allows tribals and forest dwellers rights over forest resources. The Ministry of Tribal Affairs is the nodal agency for its implementation.Rupai placed her claim in October 2018. Though just 0.28 acres, the land helps Rupai and son Suman Huika sustain by cultivating kandulo (toor dal). “It is tasty. We store some for personal consumption and sell the rest at Rs 60 per kg,” Sundari told 101Reporters.Of the 21 single women who received individual land titles under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 12 are widows; six unmarried and three women are destitute (Photo: Deepanwita Gita Niyogi)Like Rupai, most single women beneficiaries belong to the Kandha tribe. Twelve are widows, six unmarried and the rest destitute. They cultivated paddy during kharif season, and have plans to grow brinjals and tomatoes in winter. However, irrigation facility eludes Boriguda, which comes under Therubali gram panchayat in Kolnara block. The women feel borewells will serve their purpose.A life of dignityLegal ownership of land has brought a new meaning to the lives of single women. According to an article, Understanding women’s land insecurities, written by Sonali Mohapatra and Sailabala Panda, only 15% women have lands in their names in Kolnara and Kalyansinghpur blocks.However, no recorded government data were available on the number of land titles allotted to single women.  According to Bhubaneswar-based FRA expert Ranjan Praharaj, though 70% of the forest in Rayagada is in hilly areas, the word jangal or forest is not mentioned in the government records, which makes it difficult to recognise titles under the FRA as only those in actual occupation of forestland are eligible as per law. Boriguda being a roadside village, the residents did not own much land anyways. Many people encroached on the government-owned lands.Sabitri Hikaka of Boriguda village in her 40s, busy transplanting paddy on her one-acre land has led the group of single women during their fight for land titles (Photo: Deepanwita Gita Niyogi)Elderly single women who have recieved land titles under FRA in Rayagada, Odisha find land as an asset which imparts them security (Photo: Deepanwita Gita Niyogi)Gaining access to land titles is difficult for women, especially when many claims are rejected arbitrarily. In Boriguda, altogether 75 households (52 joint titles, two single men and the rest single women) had applied for individual claims. Though the benefits are mostly economical, land possession gives social status too. Many women in Rayagada district said they felt nice seeing their names in the document, which gave them an identity.    On the four-year struggle to get land titles, Sailabala Panda said non-profit Pradan held sensitisation camps and helped the claimants to fill up the form. “When Pradan started working on the FRA in 2015-16, it found that women’s issue of inclusion was sidelined. Most land titles went to men as the records were often kept in their names. Hence, we decided to invest in the gender component.”  “While collaborating with UN Women on gender in Rayagada, Pradan organised training on gender sensitisation with the help of organisations like Jagori. In the four sessions held in Boriguda, we tried to spread the message that it was not fair for women not to own lands,” said Panda, who leads Pradan’s work on the FRA in Odisha.The awareness camps revealed that women did not know they have a right to possess land. When Pradan educated them, they raised the issue before the gram sabha, which initially rejected their claims. Subsequently, the NGO convinced the gram sabha and other stakeholders to get the claims approved.“The main problem is that people behind the implementation of FRA lack an understanding on how to include women or single women, which include widows, unmarried women and those abandoned,” Praharaj said.Under individual forest rights (IFR), a person can claim up to 10 acres of land for livelihood purposes. A family can claim the right jointly. However, Praharaj said women generally faced exclusion. “In almost all tribal communities, women can get user rights, like share of the produce as a family member, but are deprived of legal rights or share of the landed property with a title in their names.”In Boriguda, altogether 75 households (52 joint titles, two single men and the rest single women) had applied for individual claims under FRA (Photo: Deepanwita Gita Niyogi)All the 21 women in Boriguda received land measuring one to three acres on an average, classified as patra jangal or degraded grazing lands in government records. “At first, many of us were apprehensive. But after we applied for land titles, we felt optimistic. Land is an asset and I feel secure now,” said Raimati Hikaka, who made the claim after the death of her husband Damodara, a driver. The septuagenarian now grows ragi there. A positive transformationSabitri Hikaka was busy transplanting paddy on her one-acre land on a sultry day. The feisty woman in her 40s led the group of single women during their fight for land titles. Now she owns another 2.15 acres, which unlike the other comes under the IFR. “Initially, the land was dry in nature. Much work was required to make it suitable for cultivation,” Sabitri said.Besides paddy, she has planted mango and cashew trees. She got mango saplings from the horticulture division, and cashew trees from the soil conservation and watershed development division, both functioning under the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment.Sabitri worked for about 12 years in a ferromanganese plant from early 2000s for a daily wage of Rs 30 to 50. There too, she was instrumental in getting safety kits for women. The receipt of land title has secured the position of her family comprising her mother and sisters. Sabitri’s social standing has also increased, as she now guides the forest management protection committee. Owning land also means a busy schedule for these women. Notwithstanding heavy rains, Sinami Hikaka was at work in the morning itself. “All the land plots received by single women were in the government’s possession earlier and in poor condition. A lot of work went into making them suitable for farming. Bunds had to be built to slow down runoffs and prevent soil erosion,” she said.  Sinami was abandoned when her husband married a second time. Polygamy is common in several villages of the district. In her case, the 3.05 acres were jointly claimed in the name of her son Roki Hikaka and her daughter in-law Rasmita Hikaka. Sinami happily handed over the right, being an elderly.Meanwhile, Sabitri said Rasmita’s name was put first at the time of filing the claim. However, her husband’s name appeared first in the land title. Sailabala Panda said even the sub-divisional level committee, which verified the claims, was initially hesitant to help single women. But armed with their new-found confidence, the women articulated their needs well.A still from Boriguda village, which became the first in Odisha to give land titles to single women under FRA (Photo: Deepanwita GitaA gram sabha member from Boriguda, Trinath Hikaka said the village understood the importance of giving land to single women after the training sessions on gender. “Giving land titles will ensure their livelihood, besides helping them avail of government schemes.”  Praharaj felt vulnerable sections could be protected by providing land rights at both individual and community levels. “In tribal communities, especially Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Odisha, women’s land rights have never been recognised. Usually, single women-headed households are never considered a separate family!”On their part, the community and system do not allow women to speak up. “Single women find it difficult to ask for land rights from fathers, brothers and husbands. Therefore, the government officials at grassroots level should enquire about the number of such women in villages. The Boriguda development is a great opportunity to secure their future as land rights give access to government schemes,” Praharaj said.Single women and landless people can also benefit from community forest resource rights, which allow them to collect arrowroot, turmeric and medicinal plants. On August 15 last year, Boriguda received these rights for 363.71 acres, of which 208.5 acres are forestlands. The title gives Boriguda residents rights to protect and manage forest, collect non-timber forest produce and fuelwood, and graze cattle.This story was supported by the International Women's Media Foundation's Howard G Buffett Fund for Women Journalists.The cover image is of Sabitri Hikaka of Boriguda village holding a paddy bunch for transplantation, captured by Deepanwita Gita Niyogi

Torn between trouble-ridden forest home and prospect of better life, Barnawapara villagers in flux

Living inside a protected sanctuary is becoming harder for people of the 18 villages here, but relocation is not an easy option eitherBalodabazar, Chhattisgarh: As a student, Manoj Ugre memorised his lessons with his friends in the light cast by a lantern. Now, in his 20s, electricity still eludes his village Bar, located inside the Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary in Balodabazar district of central Chhattisgarh.Ugre wants to relocate elsewhere for better opportunities and many of his fellow villagers share his sentiment. “Shifting is preferable as crop damage by wild animals is high here,” he said, adding that places near Patewa village in adjoining Mahasamund district were desirable as they had good roads and electricity.However, the population of Bar is divided over the issue of shifting. Warning that it involved internal politics, Rajim Ketwas of the Dalit Adivasi Manch said, “Some people, especially the Agaria community, are eyeing government compensation for voluntary relocation. They want to settle in cities. But the adivasi folk, the original settlers, have sizeable lands here.” Such people do not want to leave, despite the problems. In Bar, people owning lands are mostly into paddy cultivation. Farmer Naresh Yadav has five acres of land and is always apprehensive about crop damage by wild elephants.In addition, they have to make do with solar power that lasts only for a few hours daily. Not just electricity, the place does not have proper roads and mobile connectivity as it comes within a protected forest area. “The villagers cannot construct homes; they cannot collect forest produce freely; and even the sarpanches find it difficult to run the panchayat,” Ketwas listed out the problems.  Bar resident Rajkumar Diwan said the village has no good schools. “We have to either send our children to Balodabazar or Mahasamund. Most families cannot afford it,” said Diwan, whose son works as a teacher in Mahasamund district.Diwan owns two acres of land suitable for paddy cultivation. The landless here are engaged in labour work.  “Some people tried to relocate a decade ago, when three other villages were resettled. But that did not happen,” Diwan said, referring to the relocation blueprint that was put down.Bar resident Rajkumar Diwan says the village has no schools and his paddy crops are under constant threat from wild animals; (right) Rampur residents have no electricity and have to use solar lamps that last only a few hours into the night (Photos: Deepanwita Gita Niyogi)  Settling down elsewhereIn Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary, the relocation of 20 or so villages located inside the forest was put in motion almost a decade ago, when Nawapara, Rampur and Lata Dadar were resettled.   Krishanu Chandraker, the range officer of Bar at the sanctuary established in 1976, said most of the families agreed to shift for better prospects. Only 10 families have stayed back in Rampur village, which lies in Bar panchayat. The rest 126 families moved to a place now called Srirampur in Mahasamund district.According to Chandraker, the sanctuary had tigers until 2008. He hoped the relocation of the remaining villages would help reintroduce the big cat to the place. If that happened, the sanctuary area may go up to 500 sq km from the present 240 sq km.Views of the Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary (Photo: Deepanwita Gita Niyagi) “Animals need a good habitat and feel disturbed due to settlements inside the forest. Human-elephant conflict is a serious issue here. Farmers who face crop loss try to scare away the animals and that is when the conflict exacerbates. All 18 villages are willing to shift, but they have to seek permission from the gram sabhas where they want to settle down in future. We have shown people potential land sites,” he added. Compensation will amount to Rs 15 lakh per adult. Odisha-based wildlife conservationist Aditya Panda pointed out that communities living inside forests have the choice of continuing their old ways of life with limited access to schools, hospitals and markets. Alternatively, people can choose improved livelihood opportunities by claiming the benefits of voluntary relocation.In Akaltara village, farmer Ramji Netam told 101Reporters that many families have submitted forms in the hope of quick relocation. They prefer to settle down in Loharkot in Mahasamund district. The gram sabha of Loharkot has approved it, according to the documents verified by this reporter. In fact, Akaltara villagers have cleared the first and most important hurdle before those wanting to relocate — finding places where they are welcome. According to Fakir Bisal, who still resides in Rampur, the forest department has asked people to search for lands themselves. The government would simply facilitate the transfer of people and their belongings. Documents indicating the intention of Bar's residents to relocate (Photos: Deepanwita Gita Niyogi)For instance, though people like Diwan got assurance about relocation from the forest department and the gram sabha gave its consent to those who wished to move out, no village has shown readiness to accept the residents of Bar. Ketwas recalled how people refused to allow a new settlement in their revenue lands when the forest department took some potential resettlers to Bade Loram village in Mahasamund to look at the land. The grass is greenerNawapara Ramsagar — it was called Nawapara before relocation — has both tribal and non-tribal residents. With a population of 749, it comes under the Bhawa gram panchayat and is located about 25 km from its original location. At the time of shifting, Rs 10 lakh was spent on each family for houses, farmlands and amenities under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA). It took two years to complete the government-sponsored housing, equipped with three rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom.“Usually, many people protest and refuse to relocate, but we left willingly as animals damaged our crops daily. Besides houses, we got five acres of land. It is much better here,” said Nawapara Ramsagar village chief Tejram Yadav. However, he admitted that the new place had drinking water scarcity. Nawapara Ramsagar, the new home of the 750-odd former residents of Nawapara, where each family has identical government-sponsored housing with three rooms and five acres of land free of wild animals. But they have a scarcity of drinking water says mukhiya Tejram Yadav (left) (Photos: Deepanwita Gita Niyagi)For many, land is also the reason for shifting elsewhere. Jayant Kulkarni of Pune-based Wildlife Research and Conservation Society said people naturally felt apprehensive about shifting. The land they newly got would also take time to become suitable for cultivation.  Ketwas said the settlers in Srirampur had complained that the lands they got were not fertile and their new houses already had cracks in walls. “In fact, when it is the mahua collection season, they come back to their old settlement in Rampur and live in makeshift shelters till the harvest. They continue to have a deep connection with the forest,” she said. To go or not to goBisal is apprehensive that shifting elsewhere would undermine the adivasi culture. A resident of Rampur, he was offered five acres of land outside the sanctuary. But he did not leave because his son, though aged above 18, was deprived of the opportunity.  Sulochana Bai, a Kandha tribal from Rampur, recounted how people happily left the village then. “The lure of five acres of land offered to every adult aged above 18 made many people leave. Now, we are being put under pressure to shift.”(Above) The last of Rampur's residents. Only 10 families remain here while the other 126 families have shifted to Srirampur in Mahasamund district; (Below) Rampur's sacred grove (Dev Gudi) that was allegedly destroyed by the forest department (Photos: Deepanwita Gita Niyogi)  “Rampur’s condition is really sad. This time, the forest department did not allow tractors to enter the area for cultivation. They have no ration cards, and their complete pension has been cut. People are sending their kids elsewhere because schools and anganwadis have been demolished. The forest department does not even employ them for any work,” Ketwas said.She added that Rampur has been taken off the map of Bar region, with the families that stayed put included in Haldi panchayat.Those staying behind also alleged that the forest department damaged their dev gudi (sacred place of faith). Yet they are adamant that they will not leave. For people like Sulochana Bai, life is comfortable in the jungle, where the lands are fertile and the air is pure. The cover picture, captured by Deepanwita Gita Niyogi, is a photograph of the original residents of Nawapara on relocation day.  

After success with mynahs, Kanger Valley ropes in tribal youth to save its Marsh crocodiles

The national park in Bastar addresses two issues at one go  — keeping the crocodiles safe from poachers and generating jobs locally.Bastar, Chhattisgarh: Mahendra Kumar’s day begins at 5 am. Armed with binoculars, he roams the Kanger Valley National Park in Bastar the whole day, checking on the Marsh crocodiles, a freshwater species listed as ‘vulnerable’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.“All my time is spent trying to spot the crocodiles in their assigned areas. I am here till dusk, though I take a nap at the forest patrolling camp after lunch,” says Kumar.Like Kumar, his friend Somdar Nag has begun to enjoy his work tracking crocodiles, something he had no experience in. He regularly stores details in NoteCam — an app used for storing photos, coordinates, dates and time — besides keeping an eye on poachers.Altogether, six youth — they have all passed Class 12, have basic digital literacy skills, and know the area like the back of their hands — are engaged in the conservation of Marsh crocodiles, also known as muggers or broad-snouted crocodiles. Their beat areas extend from five to 10 km.(Above) A mugger captured along the Kanger nullah (Photo: Dhammshil Ganvir); (Below) Two locals look out for Marsh crocodiles along the Kanger nullah (Photo: Deepanwita Gita Niyogi)Tribal communities inhabit the villages in and around the national park. They cultivate paddy in the kharif season  —  a time when the park remains closed due to rains — and do odd jobs to sustain themselves. Kumar and Somdar, who hail from villages located two km apart, have found their job as mugger mitras (friends of the crocodile) emotionally and monetarily rewarding. They joined in May for a monthly salary of around Rs 10,000. Dhammshil Ganvir, the national park’s director, is keen to rope in as many local youth as possible for the conservation effort. “We have a crocodile population in Kanger, but it is not uniform. There are some patches where the reptiles are seen basking on protruded rocks and surfaces. Overfishing and hunting/poaching by a few locals are grave issues here, and community help is the need of the hour,” he elaborates.Why community is the key According to Ganvir, securing the habitat of crocodiles is possible only with the help of locals. In accordance with this principle, people in the surrounding villages have been asked not to catch fish from the nullah that winds through the park.Also Read: Bastar catches up with coffee cultivation — though with drawbacksApart from regular fishing and hunting, there is also a demand for crocodile scales and skins among quacks and traditional healers. The forest department has involved mugger mitras to discourage such practices by constantly monitoring 15 potential nesting and breeding spots. “For the first time, we have seen the crocodiles lay eggs in six locations, and some have hatched too. It boosts our confidence,” Ganvir says. The initial funding of Rs 12 lakh for the project was provided through the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management And Planning Authority. Based on the initial success, the mugger mitra project has been extended for another two years. Though poaching is still a threat, the mitras help counter it through community engagement activities in villages during weekends, especially targeting children. Shivbhadrasinh Jadeja (third from left) with Kanger Valley director Dhammshil Ganvir (second from right) as part of the crocodile conservation project (Photo: Shivbhadrasinh Jadeja)Providing alternative livelihood to the people here by encouraging coffee plantations and promoting tourism initiatives like homestays, employment as trek guides and safari drivers could help better protect the mugger population in the park.   For instance, 11 women, primarily homemakers and farmers, have formed the Lal Gulab Swayam Sahayata Samuh, which runs a canteen serving tea, coffee and light snacks to those visiting the park. They formed the self-help group in November 2018, under the guidance of the forest department. On an average, the women earn Rs 10,000 per month from the canteen, which is a welcome additional income for their families. Mynah mitras show the wayThe inspiration for the Mugger Mitra Project came from a similar initiative taken up earlier to conserve mynahs at the national park. Gajendra Nag, one of the 12 mynah mitras, tries to spot the Bastar hill mynah, Chhattisgarh’s state bird known for mimicry. Hailing from Milkulwada, Nag joined a year ago and draws a monthly salary of around Rs 9,000.“I begin my work at dawn and patrol the forest till 10.30 am. After a break, I resume my duty from 3 pm to 5 pm. I send daily updates about the birds spotted to the ‘Bastar hill mynah’ WhatsApp group. Sighting is good in winters, and they are usually seen near water sources,” Gajendra says.Mynah mitra, Gajendra Nag (Photo: Deepanwita Gita Niyogi)The mynah mitras not only conserve the jet black bird endemic to the valley, but also work with tribal communities and urge them not to kill the birds using slingshots during the hunting festival held around June every year.“Sensitisation is important, and it cannot happen unless locals are involved. Besides tracking the movements, the youth employed at the park also hold awareness camps among the villagers to enlighten them about the conservation efforts,” the park director explains.Conservationist’s takeLauding the dedication of the youth, Shivbhadrasinh Jadeja, a Gujarat-based ecological researcher who has made the national park his focal point for conservation work on muggers, says, “Preliminary survey and secondary information suggest the presence of 12 to 15 crocodiles, but individual monitoring and camera trapping are needed to ascertain the exact numbers along the entire stretch of the Kanger nullah.”Though crocodiles have not been seen in large numbers here, Jadeja feels due protection is necessary as every animal has a specific role to play in maintaining the natural balance in ecosystems. Muggers are currently found in at least 15 states in the country. Kanger nullah and a view of Kanger Valley National Park, Bastar (Photo: Deepanwita Gita Niyogi)Marsh crocodiles need soft soil and a lot of leaf litter. The females require humidity and temperature regulation for hatching eggs. Temperatures actually decide whether eggs will produce males or females.“It is important to protect the eggs from predation by raptor birds, stray dogs and monitor lizards. That is why females prefer leafy spots, which act as good camouflage. Open areas are too dangerous for laying eggs,” explains the freelance researcher, who first came down to Kanger Valley three years ago.Though food in the form of fish is available in the nullah, identification of critical patches through GIS mapping is important to carry the conservation work forward.However, the most important component is the community involvement. “A few years ago, we used to see very few mynahs here. A social initiative was started to draw in the youth, and now the bird population has increased substantially. It is only by involving the community that we can ensure the project is sustainable beyond the two or three years of its run time,” Ganvir says.This article is a part of a 101Reporters' series on The Promise Of Commons. In this series, we will explore how judicious management of shared public resources can help the ecosystem as well as the communities inhabiting it.The cover image has been sourced under creative commons license via Flickr.

A lonely period: Chhattisgarh's tribal villages still isolate menstruating women

Social workers have been trying hard to stop period taboo among the Gonds in Mohla-Manpur-Chowki district, but the way to progress is strewn with thorns.Manpur, Chhattisgarh: Sunita Purame (20) is a college-goer. Her life turns upside down for five days every month when she is not allowed to enter the kitchen or even fetch a pail of water as she is menstruating.She spends those nights on the floor of a hut, specifically made for isolating women on periods. If she does not feel well, she is confined to a room or the courtyard in her house, but that is a rare thing. If lucky, other menstruating girls would join Purame in this lonely, solitary hut and there is some company.In the newly created Mohla-Manpur-Chowki district of Chhattisgarh, the Gond tribals still follow menstrual isolation. Forget prohibition on cooking and entering kitchens, women are not even allowed to touch hand pumps. Water for drinking and bathing is fetched by family members.In many interior villages, girls skip schools and colleges and spend time away from their homes on those difficult days. In some families, women are not even allowed to take a bath. A few camps were organised by the government to bring about a change in attitude but they haven't been uniformly successful. However, social worker Harish Chhatri said some behavioural changes were gradually creeping in. They now use sanitary pads and were willing to talk about periods, but not in front of men. Chhatri is a resident of the adjoining Rajnandgaon district and works for non-profit Jan Kalyan Samajik Sansthan, which has 30 years of experience working with the Adivasis of Manpur on water-related issues. (Above) Social workers Harish Chhatri at one of the awareness camps conducted by his organisation at Patelpara hamlet in Dhabbha gram panchayat (Photos: Deepanwita Gita Niyogi)Clinging to outdated ideasDhabba gram panchayat in Manpur has five villages under it. Here, Chhatri has been educating the mostly Gonds residents on menstrual health and hygiene for the past six months.  In Dhabba’s Patelpara hamlet with a population of about 250, the topic cropped up at times during the meetings held at the Anganwadi centre manned by Lalita Tulabi. “I always urge women to maintain cleanliness during periods. Mitanins, who are female health workers, help me spread the word. We tell them not to practice isolation, but they do not listen. On my part, I also cannot say much, as I have to work in the village,” said Tulabi, who also has not been allowed to touch hand pumps when she bled. “Even if the girls confide about the pain or other issues, it is only to their mothers. Most of them have been told not to eat sour food items, touch water sources and enter rooms and kitchens,” Chhatri said, while in the courtyard of a house where around 30 women had assembled for his educative session.Sukaro Ghaore, in her 60s, said women did not take bath for five days earlier, but they break the ‘rules’ nowadays. “Cooking is a definite no-no. If there is no one else to prepare food at home, women have to stay hungry,” added Narmada Usare. Husbands have to take up the role sometimes, in the absence of women members.Sangeeta Yadav (30), a non-Adivasi woman, arrived in Patelpara after her marriage almost nine years ago. But like the tribal communities, she also stays in isolation. “Rules have to be followed. When I bleed, my sister-in-law cooks for the family. I am confined to a room.”These isolation huts are often far removed from homes, are sparse and uncomfortable; often, especially during monsoons, they compromise the safety of the women confined inside (Photos: Deepwanita Gita Niyogi)Opting for sanitary padsYadav said many girls nowadays know about pads and use them instead of cotton cloth pieces. Women who prefer the old ways, however, dry the cloth in a separate corner inside the house.“Cloth has to be washed properly and it is difficult to dry them in a household full of men,” said Bhagyashree Yadav, a Class 11 student.According to Chhatri, his organisation has been trying to inculcate behavioural changes — a most difficult and time-consuming effort. “We have shown a couple of videos to school children in around five villages, including Belgaon village, about 18km from Dhabba. Anganwadi workers and mitanins promote the use of pads made by women’s groups.” A 2021-22 study by the Jan Kalyan Samajik Sansthan in 20 villages of Manpur with the help of mitanins has revealed that of the 3,504 teenagers, 1,387 used sanitary napkins and 2,117 used cloth. Admitting that period talk was still taboo, block coordinator for the mitanin programme, Admawati Vasnik said: “Cloth is definitely a good option, but many women use pieces of old jholas and jute sacks, which are very unhygienic. Also, they are not dried properly in sunlight.” She was attending a meeting of mitanins in Kohka gram panchayat that has six villages under it.Vasnik said pads are distributed in villages occasionally. “Girls do not like washing cloth pieces. They are ready to shell out up to Rs 30 for a packet of sanitary napkin, but desist buying it from shops.”  Mitanins like Vasnik want to end the practice of isolation. “Even shelters made of dried leaves and twigs house menstruating women. But who pays heed?” she said worrying about the safety of women during these periods.An uneasy calmMost Adivasi girls now realise that menstrual taboo is a bane, but they dare not raise their voices. “The village is dominated by tribals, so what they want prevails,” said Rashmi Katingal, who has finished college and is a friend of Purame's. Young women like Sunita Purame (above) and Sangeeta Yadav (below) are aware that menstrual taboo is a bane but are bound by social customs (Photos: Deepanwita Gita Niyogi)Purame’s mother Ankalo Bai explained why isolation was followed. “It has been in practice for generations and nobody wants to displease gods by breaking those rules. So, we send girls outside for a maximum of three to four days when they bleed. They take baths outside and spend nights on the bare floor.”Manpur-based Anganwadi supervisor Bhubaneshwari Yadav said a few awareness camps were organised in the area in 2019, but people reacted negatively. Chhatri cited how a camp organised in Sitagaon village in Manpur went awry and people were very angry with the district administration. “After that, camps could not be organised. I try to talk to them during the Suposhan Abhiyan and other programmes held at Anganwadis, but they still carry on with age-old rules.""Women are not ready to change,” Yadav vented her frustration.                        

Stretching the limits to pave an all-weather road in Maoist-hit Chhattisgarh

After splitting the 40-km road work into 19 portions and unsuccessfully calling for tenders four times, the Palli-Barsur Marg connecting Narayanpur and Dantewada districts is on the verge of completion, nearly 12 years after it was sanctioned.  Narayanpur, Chhattisgarh: This is Anil Kumar Yadav’s first work stint in Chhattisgarh. A resident of Allahabad, now officially Prayagraj, he has been engaged as the site engineer on a sensitive five-km stretch that forms part of the 39.4 km Palli-Barsur Marg connecting Maoist-hit Narayanpur and Dantewada districts of the state. Work on this last stretch in Orchha block of Narayanpur district started around 2020 and is finally nearing completion, expecting to open to the public by the year-end. “I was employed in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, for a few years. But this area is very different. Working here without protection is impossible. Sometimes, I feel apprehensive, but nothing can be done about it,” Yadav told 101Reporters on a cloudy afternoon.The interior areas of these districts have no proper roads due to left-wing extremism and Palli-Barsur Marg is a case in point. The nearly 40-km road was approved for construction by the Centre back in 2010 and had suffered multiple setbacks over the decade. According to Yadav, a BTech degree holder, many workers scoot after a few days or just refuse to come. It is one of the reasons behind the sluggish pace. “Whoever comes here joins after a lot of deliberation. Local workers also refuse to stay at CRPF camps for fear of reprisal.”Yet, it's only the presence of CRPF camps that makes construction possible. There are six CRPF camps along the 39.4-km-stretch of the Palli-Barsur Marg. Yadav, who has been hired on a contract basis, resides in one of them. “Construction is possible only for six hours every day as the road opening party is present here only for this duration. Even now, no one comes here, but before work commenced, there was not a soul to be seen,” he said.Anil Kumar Yadav (left) has been staying in a CRPF camp, overseeing the final 5-km stretch of the Palli-Barsur Marg (Photo: Deepanwita Gita Niyogi)Failure to startMadhu Kumar Bhourya, Sub-divisional Officer at the Public Works Department (PWD) of Dantewada district, informed that though work could not be carried out earlier due to Maoist disturbance, the government is consistently working towards increasing accessibility in rural areas of Bastar sub-division through roads and bridges.The Palli-Barsur Marg plan was sanctioned in 2010, but work started only five years later after the security camps were set up to ensure the safety of workers. According to Bhourya, only a few metres could be completed in a month due to security issues. The entire project faced hiccups from the first go. The first tender call happened in 2010-11 and 2011-12 for the entire 39.4 km stretch. The second tender call took place in 2012-13, when the stretch was split into six parts for convenience. The third tender call was in 2014-15, with the stretch divided into 14 parts. Each time, there were no takers. It was dissected again to create 19 parts in February 2014. The fourth tender call for the same was made in July 2014, with four companies bagging tenders. As the cost escalated with the passage of time, the Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways revised the budget to Rs 125.23 crore on January 19, against the initial budget of Rs 54.25 crore.“Tender was opened four times, but nobody participated in the process out of fear. However, when the stretch was divided into 19 parts, several agencies showed interest. The district reserve wing of the state police and CRPF are extending protection, yet it is a challenging task,” Bhourya, who has been posted in Dantewada since 2016, added.Bhourya admitted that there have been a few casualties here. “Our department used to carry out monitoring of this stretch located in Narayanpur from Dantewada district. But we faced problems in travelling a vast distance, and that is why 18.40 km of the total 39.4 km was handed over to Narayanpur and 21 km was kept for Dantewada.”Under the shadow of protectionAs the car sped on, the CRPF 195 battalion camp at Bodli in Bastar came into view. Moving forward, construction materials were seen dumped at Narayanpur. These are the chips of granite and limestone supplied from Dantewada and Narayanpur districts. The laying of the black bituminous layer on the surface is the final step in road construction.The pace of construction has been gruellingly slow; With work possible for only a few hours a day, the crew often manages to add just a few metres in a month (Photos: Deepanrita Gita Niyogi)Men were found working at the location where Yadav is in charge. Satyendra Kumar Chauhan, who is also from Uttar Pradesh, said a CRPF camp just 200m away is the reason why most workers agreed to be in the location. “Some jawans also come from Malewahi camp as well. Sometimes, work stops abruptly due to heavy rainfall,” said the JCB machine operator, who has been working here for two months. The construction site in Narayanpur is a dangerous spot. But if connected by road, commuters could use this stretch to reach Barsur and Geedam in Dantewada, as well as Bijapur, with the distance reduced by 100 km. “It is a Maoist-hit area. But work is important for livelihood and so being afraid always does not help,” Chauhan added.At the last point on this 39.4-km-stretch lies Kanhargaon in Narayanpur. Here, the road work was completed last year, and the residents, mostly farmers, have welcomed it. “It was a morrum road before, and we faced difficulty in travelling. The Maoist influence has also softened down due to security forces. There is a CRPF camp just three km away,” said Kalawati Netam, a Gond Adivasi.Dantewada Superintendent of Police Siddharth Tiwari said Maoists had earlier targeted not just the police, but also civilians in the stretch where work was on. “It is a road of strategic importance, connecting the Southern Bastar region with north and central Chhattisgarh, which will also reduce the distance considerably. It will provide a faster alternative route to the people travelling from southern India.”Kalawati Netam's village got road connectivity last year. Earlier, there was just a morrum road, and they faced difficulty in travelling, she says (Photo: Deepanwita Gita Niyogi)“It is a great feeling to see the road almost complete,” said Ramuram Mandavi, a resident of Erpund gram panchayat in Lohaniguda block of Bastar district. Earlier, people had to travel by foot in this forested area, but cars and bikes can go now.As the work progressed on the five-km-stretch, many villagers were amazed to see a bituminous road for the first time ever — with the sense of connectivity set to sink in.Edited by Rekha Pulinnoli