Volume 4, No. 8, August 2003

Jeane Dreze writes from Madhya Pradesh, " This year, chronic poverty and hunger in the area have been fatally aggravated by the worst drought in living memory. Crops have completely withered and other traditional sources of livelihood, such as collection of Mahua and tendu, have been obliterated. …. Some peasants calmly stated that they had not eaten for days…… There was nothing to eat in the house except a bunch of dried berries…. Nathu’s dwelling was a chamber of horrors. His wife is one of the recent starvation deaths. Three young children, listless with hunger and disease were hanging around with nothing to do. The family survived on the 10kg per month Annapurna scheme. A month later when I returned the scheme was withdrawn. In the Pohri area alone 52 starvation deaths have been reported. People in this area suffer from horrendous levels of undernutrition. Relief works are few and far between, and wage payments are often delayed for weeks if not months. Growing the kharif crop will call for further sacrifices, as there is no money for seeds and most draught animals perished from hunger and thirst during the summer months".

If such is the situation in MP what must be the plight of the rural populace of Rajasthan, TamilNadu, AP, Karnataka, Orissa, that faced a far more devastating drought attack than MP. Last year’s drought was the worst in three decades; on a scale similar to that of 1979 and 1987. Foodgrain production witnessed a 14% drop from the previous year, plummeting to a 7-year low at 183 million tones (compared to 212 mt in the previous year). Thousands have perished and lakhs live on the verge of extinction. Few of these facts reach the media, and when they do, the respective governments promptly deny them. The worst hit were the small and marginal farmers. Middle farmers have been pushed deep into debt. Starvation deaths are being reported from all parts of the country. Deaths by heatstroke have touched 1,500 in AP alone. On the streets of Jaipur each day four to five dead bodies are carried away — rural migrants, searching for a means of survival. And while lakhs perish mountains of grains exist in the government’s stockpiles; with grain exports reaching record levels at throw-away prices.

During British rule lakhs died in famines. In those days the govt. did not have a food security stock. Today, in spite of huge stocks the govt. is unwilling to give to the starving. What could be more criminal? What are the lakhs of NGOs doing for this huge mass of destitutes? Basically nothing, as they are more entwined with the middle and rich farmers, who have the ability to participate in their ‘developmental’ programmes, and their market-augmenting schemes. What is taking place in the country is nothing but mass murder of the impoverished, consciously, cold-bloodedly and in a pre-meditated manner. The prime culprits are the Central and State governments that refuse to sanction grains and funds for the drought-affected, refuse to undertake water conservation projects; and, on the contrary, are systematically cutting all welfare measures to the poor and hiking health, education, electricity, water and other charges.

Normally, a 19% shortfall in rain and a 14% drop in foodgrains would have been termed a famine, not a drought. However, with such large stocks of foodgrains a declared famine would sound ridiculous. Though famine-like conditions exist in large parts of the country, in the neo-liberal schema of the Indian ruling-classes, a crisis is portrayed only when markets fall, not when lakhs (who anyhow don’t come within the market framework) perish. Besides, the grain-bowl of the country, comprising Punjab, Haryana and Western UP, were able to continue with a reasonable production — so, grain purchases by the government were not significantly low. So, the government could not really care; their single concern is that drought conditions should not result in a drop in commodity spending all around. It is the markets that are the New God, not the people of our country.

Besides, while lakhs die, the government is pre-occupied in pushing through a maniacal 5.6 lakh crore scheme of inter-linking the rivers of the country; an obsessive urgency for the privatization of water (mostly gifted to TNCs), where water charges will leap 10-fold, and digging more and more ‘emergency’ bore wells to deplete the ground water even further. Ministers are pre-occupied with attending a series of seminars on the world water question (read privatization of water); so much so that one of the major resolutions of the recent G-8 gang was the provision of safe drinking water throughout the world (i.e. through its privatization). There is a massive scare being propagated in the imperialist media that the Third World War is going to be over water.

So, let us examine the economics and politics of water and the background of the devastating drought that has hit the country.

It has been a devastating drought for most parts of the country. Some States have been virtually ravaged. The extent of the devastation has been hugely underplayed by the media. For example, Rajasthan faces its 5th successive drought in a row. Andhra Pradesh is facing the worst drought in 40 years. For TamilNadu it is the worst in 70 years. Most districts of Karn-ataka, Mahrashtra, Gujarat, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh and even UP and Bihar have been badly hit. All parts of the country, including the food bowl of the country — Punjab, Haryana, West UP — have also witnessed a major fall in foodgrain production. Reports of starvation deaths are coming in from all States. The huge number of deaths due to the heat-wave is also basically due to the malnourished condition of the people.

The Central government’s main food for work scheme, the Sampoorna Gramin Rozgar Yojna (SGRY), did not meet even 50% of its own target in 2002-03, according to official figures. In the States the SGRY is absent in areas where it is most needed. Payments, less than the minimum-wage rate, is rampant with money being siphoned off by officials and politicians. Worst still, though it is supposed to be a rural employment programme, it has been increasingly used for earth-movement, utilizing mechanical equipment, where hardly any labour is used. The main benefit of this goes to the local contractors, the landed and the politically powerful. In the current year the Centre has allocated a pitiable amount of Rs.760 crores. It has committed less aid to the victims of drought this year and financial jugglery is used to trick the masses, giving a high profile media-spin to the amounts allocated. In February the Union agriculture ministry suddenly slashed the allocation of foodgrains to half. The ‘Task Force’ also put a price tag on free foodgrain. Besides the number on the BPL is to be drastically cut this year as per orders of the Planning Commission. While in the 1997 BPL census a State was allowed to notify up to 26% of the population as Below the Poverty Line; in the recent order of the Planning Commission it is to be restricted to not more than 10%. It means cutting the number of BPL cards by over half, when the number of BPL people have sky-rocketed due to the drought.

Infact while the people are starving the government has been exporting huge amounts of food grains. In the year 2002 out of every 3 tones of rice and 5 tones of wheat lifted from the FCI (govt. godowns), one tone has been exported. This massive export takes place at rates below the BPL level, involving a big subsidy.

Not only this, State government’s expenditures on water management have been drastically cut in this period of globalisation, where hi-tech, roads, power, etc. infrastructural development gets precedence over water. As a result roughly two-thirds of accessible water continues to drain into the sea. Though four years ago when some states in the West faced the worst drought of the century, even in such areas expenditure on water management dropped radically. So we find the share of water management and irrigation in total budgetary expenditure fell phenomenally in all States. To take a few examples: in Gujarat it fell from 15.3% in 1995/96 to 9.5% in 2002/03; in Maharashatra from 14.7% to 5.1% in the same period; in Punjab from 9.7% to 5.2%; and in Karnataka from 12.2% to 9.2%. Overall in the 29 major States of the country expenditure fell from 8.5% in 1995/96 to 5.6% in 2002/03. With such a drastic drop in expenditure on water management it is not surprising that the country is being continuously being ravaged by drought and floods.

And while millions of people are suffering horrendous conditions, both Central and State governments are playing electoral games of accusations and counter accusations, both of whom are desperately trying to minimize the relief to the affected population. In numerous earlier articles People’s March has outlined at length the callousness of the governments, the high levels of corruption in relief distribution, and the criminal neglect of the health conditions of the people. All this can once again be seen repeated. But, this year political blame-throwing has been coupled with high-pitched river-water disputes between some states, in an attempt to divert attention from their own neglect. In addition the government is putting forward as a solution quixotic schemes to please the money-bags and the TNCs — the privatization of water and the Tuglakian river-linking (called Ganga-Cauvery scheme).

In AP it is officially said the rainfall in 2002-03 is the lowest in 41 years and that crop coverage and crop production were the lowest in 30 years. Out of 1,109 mandals, 1,035 were declared by the State government as drought-affected during 2002-03. In 15 out of the 23 districts, all the mandals have been categorized as drought-affected. Worst still, almost all these districts have suffered a drought of similar intensity thrice during the past six years. The kharif season witnessed a shortfall in production to the extent of 1.8 million tones, and the situation worsened in the rabi season. Against an expected production of 14.2 million tones over the two seasons, actual production was only 10 million tones. Official estimates say that at least 1.4 crore agricultural labourers have lost opportunities for gainful employment, and at least one crore small and medium farmers have been forced to leave their land fallow for want of water. Migration of landless and marginal farmers have reached huge proportions, to as far off places as Mumbai and Gujarat. Distress sale of cattle for slaughter have also peaked.

At present hardly any relief operations are on now in AP. What little relief was sent by the central government, the bulk of it was sold in the open market by the unscrupulous TDP politicians and officials. Virtual famine conditions prevail in the State. While the TDP chief, at his multi-crore public function announced the distribution of mangalsutras to gather the women’s votes, millions in his state are dying. The rural health scheme has practically collapsed, due to lack of funding. For all his hi-tech posturing, due to his most faithful implementation of IMF/World Bank policies, there is probably no other state in the country where people’s conditions have deteriorated so fast. Whether it is suicide deaths, starvation deaths, heat-stroke death, now viral fever deaths; it is AP that tops the list. To divert attention he has been raving and ranting against Karnataka for its policies on tapping river waters.

Meanwhile, the World Bank President, Wolfensohn, has made a special visit to AP promising big investments in some huge irrigation projects — i.e. some more lucrative schemes for contractors, and large displacement for the poor, mostly tribals.

The 15-month spell of drought in TN was in full fury. There was a severe lack of drinking water and water for irrigation and even for industrial use. Large amounts of crops were destroyed. As early as January the State government declared 28 of the 29 districts as drought-affected. Dams, rivers, canals, streams were all dry throughout the State. Lakes, ponds, and temples tanks were also dry. It is estimated that 2 crore people from 20 districts are dependent on the Cauvery and its tributaries for drinking water. None of the rivers have water. The huge Mettur dam is dry. 75% of the population were facing acute water shortage. Out of the 2.1 lakh hectares, one lakh had been affected by drought and 81,000 hectares remained unsown. Crop loss has been about 60%. Here too there is hardly any sign of the much-touted food-for-work program-me, now renamed as the SGRY by the Centre. Criminally, the Jayalalita government is utilising SGRY funds for the profit of contractors rather than employment for the poor. For example, sophisticated excavators are being used for desilting, while the impoverished rural people look on. In Tanjavur earthmovers were forming farm ponds, etc — it too was a machine-driven programme. Added to all the people’s woes in this period of acute scarcity, the Jayalalita government has been strictly cutting all welfare measures, raising the cost of electricity, health and education and reducing the subsidy on foodgrains. Besides, with the removal of the subsidy for the handloom industry 10 lakh weavers are teetering on the brink of starvation. Even under these acute conditions, there was no let-up in the extra burdens put on the masses.

In Karnataka lakhs of people have lost their employment and livlihood in one of the worst droughts that the State has ever seen. The State ranked next only to Rajasthan in terms of drought-prone areas. Of the 27 districts, eight were drought prone. Even in good rainfall years 25% of the taluks reeled under drought, due to uneven distribution of rainfall. The current drought relief schemes have had little or no impact. Migrations of entire families to the big cities in summer is a common sight. But the new feature of the 2002-03 drought is the migration of agricultural labourers and small peasants even from the irrigated areas, that traditionally attract labour from the drought-hit areas in the dry months.

In Rajasthan’s 32 districts, 41,000 villages have been affected — 4 crore people and 5 crore cattle have been hit. There has been a fall in Rs.7,000 crore in rural income in 2002-03. While the bulk of the population is thus afflicted the Congress and BJP are busy playing an upper-caste electoral game, giving reservations to the upper castes; thereby at one stroke negating the very basis of reservations to the socially oppressed sections.

Such then is a brief picture of the horrifying conditions in our countryside, which gets scant attention by the urbanized media. With such a black-out, the gravity of the tragedy unfolding in major parts of India does not attract the attention of the urban intellectual. What is taking place there is nothing but a cold-blooded genocide of lakhs, willfully, consciously and cruelly by our ruling elite. Can we remain silent at this gigantic slow massacre of our own people?

The interlinking of river systems at a gigantic cost of Rs. 5,60,000 crores is a contractor’s paradise but an ecological and human nightmare. It is being aggressively pushed by the imperialists, so much so that even the puppet Supreme Court gave an order for its implementation.

In fact more than three decades ago K.L Rao proposed the linking of the Ganga and the Cauvery. It was followed by the Dastur Plan for a garden canal, linking all the major rivers of the country. Due to widespread criticism of their feasibility and viability they were shelved. In fact, as late as 1990 the interlinking of rivers was summarily rejected by the Centre on the advice of the then secretary of water resources, M.S.Reddy and an array of other experts. In spite of this, and with continuing opposition from various quarters, it is still being pushed through at great speed. To bypass the criticism the establishment got the Supreme Court to pass an order stating that the river-linking scheme be completed by 2015. Immediately, the PM acted on the ‘court’s directive’ and appointed a Task Force to ensure the implementation of the project by 2015.

What then is the Plan? The project comprises two aspects:

(i) The Peninsular Development Plan and (ii) The Himalyan River Development Plan (involving also Nepal and Bhutan). The first envisages interlinking of the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery Rivers and the establishment of storages in these basins. The second is in the northern region and will require agreements from neighbouring countries.

Already the third meeting of the Task Force on the Interlinking of Rivers has discussed the First Phase of a proposed Action Plan which has prioritized eight links at a cost of Rs.80,000 crores. About 37 dams are proposed to be constructed on various rivers. On Apr.30, 03 the task Force submitted Action Plan-I. The NWDA (National Water Development Agency) — an autonomous body — proposes to complete the feasibility studies for all links by 2005 followed by a detailed Project Report in a year.

Though the projects have been already opposed by such official bodies as the NCIWRDP (National Commission for Integrated Water Resources Development Plan) the government is going ahead regardless. The NCIWRDP stated (as reported in the Feb.03 issue of the monthly, "Dams, Rivers & People"): "The storage and links are of very large sizes and lengths. The costs of construction and environmental problems would be enormous. The nine links in the peninsular rivers — with the mere construction of 5 dams and link canals — will submerge 2.5 lakh hectares and require the rehabilitation of 5 million people….. the inter-basin transfer involves storage of water, construction of canals and numerous cross drainage works which will result in water-logging and other environmental impacts, more adverse than normal water resource projects….. the Tapi-Narmada link consists of 7 reservoirs and 400kms long link canal connecting these reservoirs. Taking the entire system, the cost of the water delivered will be very high and cannot be borne by farmers, unless heavily subsidised. The Himalayan component data, being classified, were not available for analysis."

Though at present, two-thirds of the water flows into the sea and there is urgent need for further tapping of surface water, such a gigantic scheme, which will entail the curtailment of river flows to the deltas, will lead to large scale ingression of saline water from the sea. This will destroy the mangroves. Hydrological officials of coastal states have already opposed the scheme.

Besides the cost factor is ridiculous. At the estimated cost the project over the 15 years will require Rs.40,000 crores a year. The 10th Plan has no provision for it. That means the project will be handed out to private parties, and with the type of money involved, the bulk are likely to be TNCs. This de facto means the privatization of the entire water systems of the country, likely to be taken over by the international giants. In other words the cost of water will skyrocket pushing it out of the reach of the crores of middle peasants, destroying the entire rural economy, while promoting the big farms and corporate farming.

Anther major problem with this scheme is the need for agreement between states which will be linked up. With just the few big schemes resulting in serious clashes between States — Punjab-Haryana/Rajasthan, Karnataka-TamilNadu, Karnataka-AP, etc — one can imagine the situation when so many States are involved. Already West Bengal, Punjab, Assam, Maharashtra, Kerala, Uttranchal, UP and Bihar have opposed this project.

What was started with the bottling of so-called ‘mineral water’, it moved on to handing over city-schemes to private TNCs, then to handing over river-rights to TNCs and now, with the giant interlinking of rivers schemes, to the wholesale privatization of the entire water of our country. It is a systematic four-step process to hand over the entire water resources of the country to the imperialists. Let alone solving the water needs of the masses, and particularly the most affected poor, it will further push the most basic necessity to life out of the reach of, not only the poor, but even the middle sections. A horrifying scenario lies before us. No wonder the imperialists predict that future wars may be fought over water.

Air and water are the two natural necessities for the survival of the flora and fauna of the country. Now one of these is being put beyond the reach of the common man.

Wanton neglect by the government of providing hygienic drinking water to the people led to the middle classes turning to bottled water in public and private purification in the homes (aquaguard, etc). While, on the other hand the bulk of the masses were forced to drink the more contaminated water, leading to an increase in disease, resulting in spiraling profits to the pharmaceutical companies.

Next came the water mafia with government after government handing over the water-supply schemes, at huge costs, to the multinationals. This cost is being pushed on to the consumer. To take some examples of the water-mafia raiding our country: The US giant, Bechtel has seized the entire Tirupur Water Supply and Sewerage project in Tamil Nadu; Suez, the French TNC, has projects in Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Nagpur; Vivendi, another French giant, has projects in Jamshedpur, Agra, Calcutta, Chennai and Vishakapatnam; and the two UK-based companies, Thames Water & Anglian Water Services are eying projects in Indore, Mysore, Mang-alore, Hubli and Dharwad. This is just the start. The government intends to hand over the country’s water at a fast pace to the TNCs so that they grab the huge $2 billion water market of the country. For this, the 2002 National Water Policy was clear about encouraging the private sector to participate in water management. Further, to hasten the process, in May 2003, the ministry of Urban development released a set of guidelines to State governments for creating a "welcoming atmosphere" for TNCs in the drinking water sector.

So, it is clear that it is only a matter of time when the entire drinking water of this country will be in the hands of foreign transnationals. The cost to be paid will be by the public, who will have to pay at least 10-fold of what is being paid today. Those who can pay, can drink; others can die like flies. Besides items like water, salt, medicine, foodgrains, are basic necessities — TNCs by entering here, can tap the entire 1 billion market, which is not possible in other items, when the bulk of the people have no purchasing power. Whatever the cost charged by the TNCs people will have to buy these items. No doubt, these higher charges will result in unbearable burden on the people. But that is what the governments at both State and Central level aim at.

Now they have even begun hiring out rivers to these companies. An example is in Chattisgarh, where rights over the Shrinath river have been promised to ‘Radius Waters’ at a huge Rs.1.8 crore guarantee payment, irrespective of consumption. Now, farmers on the banks of the river find their borewells being taxed, as they have no rights over the water on their land.

And after all these steps comes the mother of all privatizations of the water of our country — the giant interlinking of river scheme. In end June 2003, Suresh Prabhu, who heads the Task Force, was in the US lobbying for funds for the scheme. In Texas, Suresh Prabhu met with the secretary of state, Texas, officials of the Lower Colorado River Authority, Ratnala & Bahl Inc, a major engineering firm, and Skand Tayal, consul general of India at Houston. The NRI ‘Sam’ Kannappan, has, since last October, been actively lobbying with US and World Bank officials (including Bush) to invest in this project. It was he who organised Prabhu’s trip to the US, in order to turn India into a gigantic market for water.

First and foremost all the natural resources of the country must never be handed over to foreign powers as it further eats into the sovereignty of the country. Particularly water is a basic necessity, full control in their hands makes the country more susceptible to all forms of arm-twisting, blackmail and pressures to abide by imperialist orders.

Besides, such big projects have proved to be white elephants. They benefit primarily the rich, displace lakhs, submerge huge areas of fertile land and forests, destroy the environment, and are not cost-effective. They are a bonanza for the contractors and their chamchas; a disaster for the masses and the country.

In a study in AP it has been shown that the irrigation efficiency of the various projects have been very low: For the Nagarjun Sagar Right Bank Canal it was 23% and for the Left Bank canal it was 33%; for the Sriram Sagar it was 17%; for the Rajolibanda it was 32%; and for the Tungabhadra it was 46%. The situation is the same in the other States. Figures for irrigation capacity generated and utilized are just as bad. Besides, such big projects lead to water-logging and salinisation. Besides, silting is a major problem in these large reservoirs. For example, at the Bhakra Nangal 10% of the live storage and 30% of the dead storage has been lost to silting. Yet, after this negative experience the government has gone ahead with the Tehri Dam and the Narmada Dam at huge cost to the local citizens, lakhs of whom have been displaced.

Today, the successive droughts in the country is a man-made problem and not a natural disaster. Also, the looming tragedy of acute water shortages will be the further creation of the rulers due to their privatization schemes.

The main cause for the present shortage is: low government expenditure on water management, which has dropped drastically in the globalisation period; a reckless policy of tapping ground-water as a cheap alternative, thus reducing the groundwater table to unsustainable levels; rampant forest denudation (and in parts, replacement by monoculture — like teak, eucalyptus, etc.) resulting in poor water retention and greater irregularity in water precipitation; salination of vast tracts of soil due to lack of crop rotation and large-scale and unscientific use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides; irrational use of water by industry (e.g. Coca Cola, Pepsi, etc) and pollution of river systems by industrial effluents and urban refuge; neglect of traditional schemes and scientific methods of water management; and now, worst of all, turning water into a source of profit.

Till now, as it was not a source for profit-making, it was neglected; as soon as it has become a potential source of profit, it is being privatized. Profit, and not the well being of our people, being the only motive, in either case the masses have been the sufferers.

The only solution to this problem is to turn over our natural resources to the people through their committees, and through them: regenerate the forests; build lakhs and lakhs of mini-reservoirs and various kinds of storage schemes; introduce ecologically sound agrarian methods reducing dependence on chemical fertilizers and pesticides; and ensuring equitable distribution of the land and water resources. As part of all-India policy there is need to: kick out private enterprise and profit-making from water management and distribution; invest large amounts of public funds into water management schemes rather than in infrastructure for TNCs and hi-tech big business; protect the rivers from urban rape; and ensure that agriculture is not for profits, but to serve the needs of the people.

May 15 2003

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