THE WATER OF TRANSFORMATION

 

Rafeeq on the water harvesting structure

Naseera Begam smiles as she proudly shows her prized Holstein-Friesian cow. A Murrah buffalo and another H-F heifer calmly chew cud lined up in the neat and clean cattle shed. “She gives 30 litres of milk worth two thousand rupees a day!” explains Naseera Begam as she pampers the invaluable cow. On average, she needs about more than a quintal of green fodder every day to feed her livestock that contributes a major share in her family income. The entire green fodder is produced from her agricultural land throughout the year. A decade ago, Naseera Begam owned low milk yielding non-descript breed of cattle, that grazed in the forests while some green fodder was purchased at a premium from another village. Her land was parched and degraded that grew not much of greenery. Today, her land is fertile and irrigated to grow a variety of crops and fodder. This is the story of Naseera Begum and other households in a less known village of Himachal Pradesh. 

Naseera Begum with her prized possession

I am at Basuni - a small village in Behar Jaswan Gram Panchayat – inhabited by about 150 individuals. Basuni exemplifies a prodigious transformation of socio-economic and ecological parameters through prudent water and natural resource management.  Set in the Shiwalik hills of lower Himachal Pradesh in Una District, the region receives low rainfall and consists of Northern Tropical dry deciduous forests and scattered patches of Shiwalik chir pine forests that are spread over village common land locally known as shamlat. A few years ago, these forests were degraded and devoid of regeneration. Some sixteen hectares of land was cultivated by the people of Basuni, completely dependent on vagaries of monsoon. The rainfed fields were put to wheat cultivation yielding an abysmal quantity that barely earned any substantial income. Much of the productive soil got eroded across the undulating terrain through seasonal streams every year along with rainfall runoff. The crippling crisis of fodder imposed unyielding constraints in raising livestock in Basuni. After rains receded, the fields stood dry and bare while the pastures looked stark. But things changed in 2012, for good!

The deep reservoir of water harvesting structure

It was in the year 2012 that the Himachal Pradesh Forest Department made an entry into Basuni village with its ambitious project of integrated management Swan river watershed area. As the people watched with suspicion, the forest officials won their confidence through a series of interactions and entry point activities. Decentralized planning held the key to success of any intervention in the village. A concrete masonry water harvesting structure – about 5m in height was designed and constructed across a seasonal stream supported by a series of smaller check dams. Soon the furiously gushing rain water runoff slowed down and got impounded in small reservoirs behind the structures.  Guided by the forest officials, the farmers of Basuni saw an opportunity. Soon, electric water pump and a simple network of irrigation pipes were put in place. Nine Scheduled Tribe families were identified as beneficiaries who

Fodder crop at Basuni

were organized into a User Group. Thus four hectares of land belonging to nine families were brought under irrigation throughout the year. Now, with irrigation, the four hectares of land yield about a hundred quintals of wheat annually which is ten times more than the yield realized prior to 2012. The distant dream of growing potatoes and vegetables has turned into a reality for members of the User Group. “A decade ago, I couldn’t even have dreamt of growing potatoes on my land! But last season, I harvested 150 quintals of potatoes from this very land! We also grow onion, garlic and other vegetables….our fields are never barren now!” said Rafeeq a member of the User Group, as he walked with me through the fields. He also showed a couple of old check dams on smaller streams that still provide water for irrigation. Better temporal and spatial water availability from the check dam paved way for cultivation of fodder like berseem, sorghum and other hybrid grasses in the fields and bunds. There was a shift from poor milk yielding cattle to high yielding cows and buffaloes. The average milk yield per cow was just four to six litres per day that has now been transformed to an enormous quantity, the highest being 15 to 30 litres per cow per day! Stall feeding with nutritious fodder replaced uncontrolled grazing in forests and pastures thus bringing in much needed restoration of the forest ecosystem. Women were organized into Self Help Groups (SHGs) to empower them for financial and social independence.  The User Group was assigned the responsibility of sustained management and regulated use of water resources from the check dam. Members of the group irrigate their land in turns, based on mutual understanding and contribute towards repairs and maintenance of the facility.

Eucalytpus plantation on Rafeeq's marginal land

The water harvesting structure and irrigation facility has now become a Common Property Resource (CPR) of the village which is judiciously managed by the User Group. Sustainability of natural resource management intervention has very often remained a blank question once the project implementation period is completed. Disintegration of community institutions associated with CPRs post project withdrawal is usually observed in many places. But it’s altogether a different picture at Basuni. Outweighed by the benefits of water harvesting and soil conservation, people have set aside their differences for continued institutional management of the water resource. Even after nine years of project completion, the User Group and SHG are still actively sharing the responsibility of maintaining the water harvesting structures, operating the water pump and sharing of water. A few families, including Rafeeq grow Eucalyptus clones on marginal lands they own. “We harvest Eucalyptus trees every six years. It fetched about nine hundred rupees a quintal last year,” remarked Rafeeq. As we walked down to the check dam on the stream, Rafeeq’s young son pointed his finger towards the still water, showing me a large fish, they had introduced some time back into the impounded water. Rafeeq hoped that the User Group would catch at least a couple of quintals of fish from the check dam in the coming days. Water spurted out of the GI pipe, as he opened a valve to demonstrate the power of water pump they had installed for irrigation.

The unfading enthusiasm of Rafeeq and Naseera Begum is nothing but a sample of the transformed lives of families in Basuni village courtesy soil and water conservation efforts of the Forest Department and progressive cooperation by the villagers. A single water harvesting structure has led to a revolution in a small discreet village of the Himachal Shiwaliks.  Much water has flowed down the stream and also irrigated the dry lands in Basuni since 2012, but people of Basuni stay motivated and prosperous even today. As I leave Basuni, I believe that water can transform lives!