The unusual weather conditions that are threatening a drought in many parts of India, including Uttarakhand, are being blamed on climate change. Is that a way of escaping responsibility using the excuse that it is beyond any one person or government to control? The fact is, there are ways to anticipate what may occur and deal with it effectively. People will realise soon enough that communities which have taken steps to conserve water and introduce new techniques in farming will get through the crisis in a better way.
The State and Union Governments should initiate the emergency measures possible soon because the consequences of drought may severely influence the coming General Elections. It is extremely painful to see full-page advertisements of the Punjab Government, for instance, celebrating the foolish decision to provide free electricity to tubewells. This is the ultimate manifestation of the harmful and out of date agriculture practices prevalent in that state. Not only does it produce crops that are unsuitable to the region, it is draining underground water in highly disproportionate amounts. The fact that farmers do not have to pay for the power used to run tubewells means there is absolutely no incentive to conserve water. The farmers only wake up when underground water is depleted and deepening the tubewell costs money. Small farmers are finding it impossible to practice agriculture, are selling their land and heading to Canada. Then they ask why it is happening.
Uttarakhand with its diverse terrain faces an even bigger challenge. Its glaciers provide water to much of north India, but lack of snowfall means they are rapidly depleting. The region then becomes even more dependent on waters stored in the dams from the last monsoon. Unfortunately, the remedies suggested by certain people are so radical that these do not find general acceptance. Instead, every individual should be motivated to adopt water conservation practices at their level in small but effective ways. The extravagant manner in which people wash their cars on almost a daily basis, or develop gardens that require exorbitant amounts of watering, are a case in point. The agriculturists and horticulturists should have varieties of plants available from the scientists that are more resilient and require less water. The millets movement is an example of the required change. On their part, consumers should also support such initiatives, which they would do if properly informed on the choices. Failure to cope with this coming change will rapidly transform India from a booming economy to a severely challenged one.
