Dhangars, traditional pastoralists of Maharashtra demand dedicated grazing lands

Dhangars, nomadic pastoralists of Maharashtra demand dedicated grazing lands for their livestock

The Dhangar community, a pastoral and nomadic tribal group in Maharashtra, has intensified its efforts to reclaim traditional grazing lands as rapid urbanisation is leading to shrinking availability of farmlands for grazing their sheep and goats. The Dhangars are well known among the state for their migratory shepherding practices and traditionally travel large distances to ensure the sustenance of their livestock.

They practice seasonal migration and mainly travel during the summer and  return to their base areas during the monsoon season. However, they have been facing a number of challenges to their survival due to rapid shrinking of commons resources such as grazing grounds.

On August 20, 2024, members of the community gathered at the Khamgaon sub-division office in Buldhana district, demanding designated grazing corridors. The community had first raised these concerns in 2022 by sending 20,000 postcards to the state government, highlighting the urgent need for the restoration of traditional grazing lands. However, their demands went unheard, prompting this latest march to the sub-division office (Down To Earth). 

Nursery langars save Punjab from massive crop losses during floods

When Punjab was flooded during the southwest monsoon of 2023, there was a breach in rivers due to the down flow of rainwater that caused a massive inundation of fields in Punjab. The floodgates of the Bhakra (on the Satluj) and Pong (on the Beas) dams remained open for many days and heavy rains in catchment areas alarmingly increased the water level in the reservoirs. Approximately 2.21 lakh ha of area under paddy was submerged due to floods in Punjab threatening to devastate the farmers.

However, a unique initiative called community nursery (CN) or ‘Nursery Langar’ saved the flood-hit farmers of these areas, finds a study. As a part of the initiative, a number of volunteer farmer groups were encouraged to raise paddy nurseries and such places were geo-tagged along with the mobile number of nursery growers being made public through advertisements on various social handles and vernacular newspapers.  

Awareness camps were arranged in different parts of the flooded areas to make farmers aware this initiative by the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) and district administration. The KVKs and regional centers under the aegis of PAU came forward to help and assist such farmers who were raising CN demonstrating the technology and also distributing the nursery to needy and poor farmers free of cost. Such efforts motivated small and marginal farmers to re-plant short duration varieties (SDVs) to compensate for the losses and helped to raise the state average yield of rice by 260 kg per ha, i.e by 4 percent inspite of floods (Down To Earth).

Delhi embraces technology to deal with its water woes

The Delhi government is collaborating with tech companies to scale up innovative water management solutions for improving access to clean water and reducing wastage by investing in modern technologies for water purification and desalination.

Thus, smart water purifiers are being improved with multi-stage water filters that can effectively remove all harmful impurities and at the same time use minimal water. Another notable initiative is the deployment of Water ATMs across public spaces in Delhi that are being developed in partnership with technology startups, replacing traditional open water taps, which often lead to significant water wastage and health risks. 

The government is also working with tech companies to upgrade the city's water infrastructure by installing smart water meters and IoT-enabled devices across the water distribution network with an aim to leverage technology to create a more sustainable and resilient water management system. 

Data analytics is also a crucial tool being planned to be used in managing Delhi's water resources and predicting future water needs, playing a key role in addressing the city's water challenges. Through the integration of data analytics with IoT-enabled devices and smart water meters the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) plans to collect and analyse vast amounts of data on water consumption, flow rates, and system health.  This data will be used to identify consumption patterns, detect inefficiencies, and forecast future demand based on factors such as population growth, seasonal variations, and historical trends (Zee News, India).

Indus water dolphins face the threat of extinction and need urgent conservation efforts

The Indus river dolphin (Platanista minor) is listed as endangered by the IUCN Red List and is found only in the lower Indus river system in Pakistan and in India and its habitats have been shrinking due to the construction of irrigation barrages, and only around 2,000 fish have been currently recorded to have survived.  It has now been recognised as a priority species by both the Indian and the Punjab state government, but the Beas river population is so small that the loss of even a single individual could jeopardise the entire population and  achieving zero mortality is thus crucial for the survival and recovery of the fish.

Concerted efforts at removing fishing nets from dolphin habitats to prevent accidental entanglement, implementing measures to reduce river pollution, ensuring adequate river discharge to maintain a healthy aquatic ecosystem, and monitoring dolphin movements through the Harike barrage and into adjacent canals need to be urgently made by taking along riverside communities in conservation efforts to protect the dolphins. Thus immediate and coordinated efforts are needed from conservationists, local communities, and governments  to save this endangered species and ensure their comeback in its natural habitat (Mongabay, India).

Demand for water diviners rises as borewell costs spiral

Water divining, or “dowsing”, is a traditional practice largely regarded as pseudoscience by geologists and hydrologists. While its effectiveness remains controversial, water divining is believed to be the only reliable method to locate groundwater for people living in hard rock areas. This is because as costs of drilling a borewell are skyrocketing amidst scarcity of water supplies, and scientific surveys are highly expensive while digging a borewell without consulting anyone is a risk few want to take.

Water divining involves using rudimentary metal instruments, such as a chain with keys, or natural materials like forked twigs and coconuts, and holding them above the ground. The diviner acts as the conductor between the ground and the instrument.

Even though India’s ability to generate scientific information on groundwater has expanded significantly since independence, several factors such as accessibility and cost continue to make people choose water divining. Water diviners charge a  rate between Rs 5,000 and Rs 15,000 to locate a bore point  (The Scroll).

This is a roundup of news updates from 15th to 31st August 2024. Read our policy updates here.