Despite heavy rains in Konkan every year, tankers have to supply water when summer comes. This failure is as much a matter of governance as it is of the people there.
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Konkan receives the highest rainfall in the state. Not only this, the Konkan coast is one of the wettest parts of the country. However, when summer came, many villages in the Konkan started bombing in the name of water. In the Konkan region this year, till the end of May, according to government figures , water was supplied to 274 villages and 743 farms by 125 tankers. Despite such heavy rains, why is there water scarcity in Konkan? If this khagar of Konkan continues like this, then the green beauty of Konkan will end in the future.
The average annual rainfall in Konkan is 2500 to 3000 mm. The rainfall is generally two and a half to three times higher than the national average . However, due to lack of proper water planning, the water falling from the sky falls directly from the Sahyadri mountains to the sea. Therefore, rivers that overflow in the rainy season dry up when summer approaches. As a result, high-rise villages and hamlets face severe water shortages.
Considering the amount of rainfall in the Konkan, there is no need to prove that water scarcity is not a consequence of nature but man-made. This water scarcity has become acute as there is no adequate system to block, store or conserve rain water. Irrigation and medium works have been stalled for the last several years. Out of total 56 schemes in Ratnagiri district alone, only 6 schemes (Tulshi-Mandangad, Gopalwadi-Rajapur), Sheldi-Khed, Kasheli-Rajapur, Tambadi-Sangameshwar and Jamage Bhavra-Khed have been completed. The rest of the work is said to be underway. In the face of increasing water scarcity, this move has raised questions about the functioning of the district's soil and water conservation department as a whole.
The reason for permanent financial provision for stalled works is put forward. Due to this economic weakness, small scale irrigation in Konkan has been affected. Due to non-removal of canals in some of the projects, the area is facing water shortage. However, the government seems to be indifferent about this. Also, when irrigation is discussed at the legislature and other levels, the issue of Konkan is not taken up. In a sense, this is also a failure of the Konkan people's representatives.
The situation in Thane and Palghar districts is worse than in Raigad and Ratnagiri districts. Shahapur and Murbad in Thane, Mokhada, Jawahar, Wada and Vikramgad in Palghar, Pen, Karjat, Mahad Poladpur in Raigad district, Khed, Chiplun and Lanja talukas in Ratnagiri are facing water crisis. Therefore, water is being supplied to these areas through tankers. So it is time for the villagers to fight for a pot of water.
In fact, most of our water schemes are contractual. It is difficult to get anything out of these schemes run with the connivance of contractors, officials and leaders. Because the interests of the contractor and the authorities are taken care of rather than the interests of the people, this is the root cause of the water problem. According to experts, large dams are not needed to solve the water problem in Konkan. Large dams are expensive. Such dams do not get funding on time as there is already financial crisis. So they remain incomplete. Conversely, the cost of a large dam would be lower if small dams were built on rivers. Decentralized water will be blocked and will benefit the people around. The accumulation of this stored water in the soil can increase the ground water level.
For example, the largest Arjuna dam in Rajapur taluka of Konkan has been completed. But since there is no address of inner canals, this water does not benefit the people. On the other hand, the Jamada project has been completely shut down for the last five to six years due to controversy . Now his contract has been canceled. If these dams had been completed on time and canal works could have started from it, the water scarcity in the taluka could have been overcome to a great extent.
In the last four-and-a-half years, the news of the state government's water-rich Shivar has filled many newspapers in the state. But the state does not seem to have benefited much from this scheme, and the picture is the same in the Konkan. It is being alleged that bogus works have taken place in Jalayukta Shivar. Also, after so much work has been done, why isn't the water shortage reduced? Such a question is being asked.
Geographical reasons are also given for not being able to store this amount of water. Red soil in Konkan has low water storage capacity. Also, water is carried away due to the hilly terrain and rocky terrain. While all this is true, has every effort been made to store as much water as possible? The answer to this question is no. The people of Konkan, along with the government, seem to be reluctant to create water storage capacity. The number of dams and dams in this area is negligible. How to increase this ratio requires scientific study, planning and rigorous implementation.
Various schemes are being drawn up to increase horticulture, dairy and tourism business in Konkan. Speeches are being made to make Konkan the language of California. Efforts are being made to increase business by setting up an airport in Konkan. But, on the other hand, it does not seem that efforts are being made for the water required for all this. Today, urbanization in the Konkan is on the rise, as is the demand for water. But the grim picture is that water supply is not enough to meet this demand.
In Maharashtra, where there is a rainfed region and 800 mm of rain falls, we plant sugarcane in the drought-hit Marathwada. On the other hand, it is time to supply water by tanker to Konkan, where 3,000 mm of rain falls, which is a paradox. It is a great failure that the Konkan, which is covered with a green shawl when it rains, gets dry in April-May. This failure belongs to the people as much as it belongs to the government.
Legend has it that Parshurama created the Konkan by blocking the sea. With at least that Parshurama in mind, it is expected that the people and people's representatives of Konkan will at least implement schemes to stop the flow of water to the sea.
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