Water crisis, A problem we knew was coming…

He wakes up in the morning before you open your eyes. He prepares for your meal months before you get the desire to eat and yet, he eats his meal after you eat. He toils day & night because that is his profession. Does this job profile sound familiar to you? Yes, He is our farmer. India is known to be an agricultural country, but it is today the most unplanned and neglected sector of the nation. In the wake of the current water crisis it is predicted that India will have to import water by 2025

What We Know – Almost 1/5 of Maharashtra state has been declared drought-hit. More than 2,000 farmers’ suicide cases were reported due to agrarian reasons in 2015 with highest number of 1,841 cases in Maharashtra alone.

Battling drought in 28,000 villages, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on May 7 sought increased funding. Groups of people have been banned from gathering near water sources in the Latur district to prevent riots over water. It’s an unprecedented step, but in a region where water tankers arrive only once a week, what could be the possible solution?

In India one in two persons has no access to safe drinking water. Piped water supply caters to only 63% of the population and sewage networks to less than half even in urban India.

The Problem – Marathwada has always been a rich belt for pulses. But, since the last 40
years the cropping pattern changed & farmers moved to producing more water consuming crop like sugarcane. A state which receives an average rainfall of 600-700 mm started cultivating sugarcane which requires 2,200 mm of rainfall. Sugarcane requires 70% water for growing & 30-40% for crushing, due to which the underground water has been exploited and bore wells have dried up. This is a major reason for famer suicide & if you see today we have a terrible shortage of pulses in our country.

The Solution – A problem running for 40 years can only be reversed by change in the cropping pattern. Farmers need to start cultivating different types of crops and not just sugarcane. Also Learn to conserve available water. Restore & rejuvenate rivers, plant more trees, switch to organic farming & practicing water shedding are so e of the solutions to the current crisis

We have not stopped eating, but have stopped cultivating food. How will we survive & for how long? In our day-to-day life living in the city, we are often disconnected with the problems faced by the farmers. Here is your chance to bridge the gap, to get involved by showing them your love and concern. Let’s do something for our farmers. Let us not wait till the problem knocks our door. Plant One Tree.