What will we do when the last tree has died, the last river poisoned…?
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How would you define the significance of water in the current global context?
There is this increasing realisation that conflicts and wars over water are on the increase in villages, between states and countries.
It only highlights the irreplaceably crucial role that water plays in our survival, our children’s tomorrow and in the very existence of our planet. Since long we have been living as if water is an infinite natural resource. Now with the effects of climate change becoming evident, we are faced with the glaring fact that tomorrow is uncertain. We have to understand that water gives life. In 1992, Dr Norman Myers, the famous ecologist, warned that we have 7,000 days (approximately 20 years) left to make the U-turn required to save our planet and to ensure our survival. Today in 2008, 16 of these years have passed by. And we are just awakening to this possibility! We urgently need to be preoccupied with our existence, with the basics of our survival - water, food and good air. Else, we will experience to our unending sorrow what an ancient Cree Indian proverb foretells: "When the last tree has died; and the last river been poisoned; and the last fish been caught, we will realise that we cannot eat money." How does WOTR approach the issue? We, in WOTR, have developed the 'Wasundhara' approach whereby the village as a community takes up the challenge and responsibility of their own development. The Village Development Committee (VDC) gives special attention to its poor. They are trained and their capacities built up in technical, managerial, social, accounting and reporting skills. Institutional, governance and accountability mechanisms that make for inclusive sustainability are put in place. The approach has been implemented in 43 villages since the last 3 years to great effect. While this approach brings about dramatic changes in land productivity and in the lives of people, the sustainability of these efforts is crucial. How important are tribal communities? India’s urbanites, you and I, our children tomorrow - all of us depend on our rural and tribal communities for our very survival. It is from their lands that we get the water we need. It is from their lands that we get the food we need. It is from their lands that we will get the fresh air we breathe and the relaxation away from the crowding concrete cities. They know the pulse of their land and how it functions, even while needing technical assistance and modern inputs to raise its productivity while preserving its inherent richness. When they receive profitable returns for conserving and protecting the water sources, for conserving land resources and its bio-diversity, we all will benefit, for our future is then secured. But when land degradation and deforestation occurs, the resultant shortages of food, water and livelihood opportunities not only severely affects the rural masses, but also quickly impact our own well being. Survival forces them to migrate. Ever so often, all of us here have felt the distressing consequences of unplanned and expanding urbanisation driven by large-scale movement of people for whom the depleting countryside offers no hope of a decent living. When soil and water conservation together with afforestation is implemented along watershed lines by empowered villagers themselves, then rain water is trapped wherever it falls, the entire ecosystem is revitalised and carbon sinks, namely, forests, are established. This will ensure that rainwater harvested in the distant hills, forests and lands across the countryside will become available to us in cities as well as for our industries and businesses. With proper and adequate support from us, these villagers can help avert the impending crisis of food and water scarcity. This will become a reality when we partner them, working together with them towards a shared vision and goal. What is your dream for the future? In the next 10 years we at WOTR would like to convert at least a million hectares of degraded and deteriorating lands into hope-filled stretches of green. Where over a million and a half rural folk live in harmony with each other, secure sustainable livelihoods, enjoy an enhanced quality of life and ensure a decent future for their children. Where youth are not only able to establish and obtain remunerative income and employment opportunities but also do so in a manner that protects the environment. Where women and especially girls feel wanted, respected for their contributions and become part of the decision-making processes in their families, their communities and the places they work in. Where every home in the countryside becomes smokeless and its cooking and lighting needs are met from simple, affordable and efficient sources of renewable energy. |
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