A large part of the state of Maharashtra continues to face acute scarcity of water due to scanty rainfall, which has had a serious impact on the livelihoods of people who live in these areas. This article "Ajuni Kordech Aad" meaning "The wells are still dry" published in the magazine Anubhav highlights the extreme hardships, lack of employment opportunities, forced migration due to negative impact on agriculture and livestock, and poverty and deprivation that people living in these areas have to face due to this water scarcity. The article argues that this lack of water not only affects agriculture and livelihoods, but also has an impact on education, health and welfare of the people in these areas. The article is highly critical of the apathy and neglect shown at the policy level to these areas and draws contrasts between the unequal development in these regions and nearby cities such as Pune and Mumbai, which continue to have large supplies of water diverted to its people.The article presents cases of the poorly managed governmental programmes for water management at the village level and also highlights some of the positive initiatives taken up at the village level by the people.
The article ends by questioning the very direction of development in the state and argues that this development that is unequal, based on the needs of a selected few, while at the time time neglecting the basic food, water and livelihood needs of people from the rural areas, would not be sustainable in the long run. This development model can lead to serious consequences for the state due to increasing poverty, deprivation and migration, can have a negative impact on the well being and quality of life of certain sections of the population, besides negatively impacting the agricultural sector in the future.
A copy of the entire article can be downloaded from below:
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