irrigation tips from an arid country

This is response to article titled Irrigation tips from and arid country published in The Indian Express, written by Ashok Gulati and Gayathri Mohan. 



Dear Dr Ashok Gulati Ji

I always read and try to learn from your columns appeared in the The Indian Express. Your articles always provide me food for thought to question myself and try to think how I can contribute to Indian agriculture as a whole through my ideas and works. 

I found your above mentioned article in TIE daily dated July 3, 2017. Some my sincere opinion and questions which I am putting before you.

On 17th of June world celebrate UN desertification and drought day. I was to participate in the workshop held in soil and water conservation department head office in Chandigarh on behalf of my department. This workshop was organised the S&T council of Punjab and Dept. of soil and water conservation, Punjab to educate few of officers like me. It was just eye wash and formality to celebrate the day as was being celebrated in the other parts. After workshop I was left with question that 'Are we moving in the right direction?' and jotted my feelings in form of blog and shared with concerned dept people and scientists. 

After reading your piece I am questioning myself 'whether we really helping the cause to solve the problem of water crisis in Indian?' and 

'Why our policy-makers and intellectuals are missing the forest for the woods?'

How we can help the India to water self-sufficient?

India is water scarce country with water availability less than 1500 cum and 78 percent of fresh water consumption in agriculture. As demand of food production is increasing to feed large population and fresh-water is becoming scare qualitatively and quantitatively with climate change further putting us in the dark zone. We need to augment the water supplies and use water efficiently but do we following the right steps?

There is not water literacy in the agriculture universities specifically. There is not sensitivity and awareness among scientific and student communities, about value of water as precious resource. I have always writing and discussing that do not we need to integrate and dovetail the conservation of water with every component of agriculture? I have written many a times and discussing with people of agricultural community to start thinking about xeri-agriculture, xeri-landscaping, less water intensive agriculture, which is going to be the future. I have written in my above blog how water has been saved, conserved and used efficiently in IIAS, Shimla since Viceregal time, and what is happening in Punjab. Down the famous Mall road of Shimla is large water tanks to conserve water and then to supply water to city. So, is the efficient water system established in IIAS, Shimla for fire-proofing and to irrigate the Dufferin's prized English gardens. This is just mere one example how we can think and impart such thinking among our agricultural graduates and scientific community. 

Our traditional knowledge about water conservation is so much diverse, eclectic and sophisticated that it does not come into the picture and is not trusted upon to solve the problem of water scarcity of country. So, bottom line is that we need to integrate the water conservation and efficient use with the agriculture curricula and need to trust the traditional earthen engineering to solve the problems, rather over relying on the technology for over populated nation like India with poor resources in terms of finance. 

Any scaling up of technologies needs the right policy environment is prime factor if really want to serve the discussed cause. Free electricity and water whole set of people and farmers free riders in the state like Punjab and pushed the state in the dark zone and over exploitation of water. The story of Punjab and its water-use-policy do not require much to elaborate. Now, I find mentioning of can Modi government usher in reforms to price water and power appropriately for irrigation purpose is insipid and poor in taste. How can Modi government or any central government only can bring the reform and change when power and water is state subject?

Despite well documentation and lot of socio-economic studies of water-use policy of states like Punjab and their crop pattern, does any state government tried to reform it? During the inauguration of last Kisan Mela vice-chancellor of PAU, Ludhiana was mentioning that Punjab can not shift area from rice to other less water intensive crops. Rice has not less that prime place in the research and development works in the plant breeding and genetics and biotechnology departments of state. Students are illiterate about the water scarcity and challenges. Kandi area in Punjab is coming under water guzzling rice crop with availability of water. Institutions like PAU and state departments are water dependent and poorly used water as resource, how Modi govt can usher in reform?

You are correct as per Israel's water law, all water is country's common property resource and 62 percent of irrigation water they use is recycle. Do you think we can even think of such laws and integration? Do not you know how our states are fighting for the water and farmer at the end is not even getting his share of water? Israel is 2.5 times less of Punjab in size and unique in her own terms, then how we can replicate the Israel model to Indian context. This lack of common sense which really think me how we are governed by un-grounded policy makers and intellectuals? We are ready to ape and replicate the things of other world without thinking that whether it suits our country structure and needs.
Our whole political, social and economic system is outrightly different from Israel. For our politicians vote-bank politics, power comes first, who cares about water and scarcity? Even who among common people and society cares about water and efficient use? So, I am really in whirl-pool sir, where we are moving?

why not to trust the community and common people to conserve the water, and make them integral part of national programmes of water conservation? Why not to teach and integrate water conservation to agricultural scientists and students, and every form of relevant education?

How can Modi and his government only can do the reform? Do not you know basic structure and plan of smart cities? How can Modi government only make recycling of waste water for use in peri-urban agriculture an integral part of smart city initiatives? It requires will of local administration to whole set of community to make city smart. It requires awareness  and teaching of recycling, reuse and conservation since from school education to higher studies and then community education system. State govts, local govt and most important society can only bring the change. Without community participation all measures taken by govt dilute in short time frame. 

I fully support technological interventions of desalinization and potential use of long coast line. But we really need to focus on the 'small steps and big revolution' by integrating water conservation to every form of education especially main-stream agricultural education, community participation, trusting and rewarding age-old water conservation programmes, amending basic policies at the ground to really serve the cause. 

The integrated approach to solving the India's emerging water crisis involves imparting knowledge and sensitivity of recycling, reuse and conservation of natural inputs from schooling to higher studies, participating the common man in the water conservation through rain-water conservation to efficient use, rewarding and trusting the water conservation heritage of India. All other things comes second. Modi alone can not do anything.

Please take a look how department of soil and water conservation in Punjab made water available in the water scarce Kandi areas, and poor policies of state govt. encouraged the people to grow rice in the Kandi area, so this the fate our poor administration and political system.