Thanks to the blistering onset of summer, one of the upper Kumaon district in Uttarakhand is facing a water crunch with tap drying up, daily living affected in the villages even before peak summer arrives.
The issue of water scarcity has now forced locals into desperate measures, to walk miles upon miles for a potable water. The perennial problem of water scarcity is being very much felt in the upper Kumaon hill districts, which are famous for their scenic beauty and tourist attractions.
This year the problem has become worse, as villagers come to report their old sources of water are vanishing fast.
This has only compounded the crisis with the drying of springs and streams and even poorer water infrastructure to provide the bare minimum.
Water supply issues at Bageshwar district have been a big concern in the district of Bageshwar. Daily activities such as cooking, cleaning and sanitation are disrupted when households are unable to meet their basic needs as residents struggle. It is not only affecting the agricultural sector, as the regional images of famines are re-ocuring with lack of water ensuring many families will have no other choice but to work the fields.
Upper Kumaon villages are not facing water scarcity for the first time, but the onset of crisis is very early this year. If you ask the cause of problem to experts, they will say that it is erratic rainfall patterns, deforestation and non-sustainable water management practices. In addition there is a fast shifting climate that is playing a major role, reduced snowmelt and extended periods of dry lends not only exacerbated the problem but also made it worse.
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Water crisis in these places is a stark reminder of how dependent rural communities are to the availability of water; An emergency which came to some villages here in Indian villages. Waterborne, local officials are urgently deploying water tankers to villages that have been without potable water for a couple of days. But the measures are not adequate enough to deal with the pending requirement.
This is a situation that needs immediate and lasting water scarcity solutions; Experts feel the answer is a combination of rainwater harvesting, watershed development and recharging of wells to the pre-kharif levels.
Atta, water supply and distribution infrastructure need to be improved to guarantee universal access to the flow.
The condition of the hill villages in the upper Kumaon forces one to seriously consider, sustainable way of water management in rural India. Local governments and the government at the Center need to collaborate on the long term solutions to this recurring problem of water access, which must not stay as luxury but should right be a every man’s right.
