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First,
the river Arvari that flowed down the Aravalli hills in Thana Gazi
tehsil in Alwar district of north-eastern Rajasthan was brought
back to life. Now they have a sansad (parliament), with 150
members from 70 villages of the basin area, to manage it.
A
parliament to administer a rivulet?
The
Arvari is no ordinary water course. It's the result of a unique
experiment in people's participation at the grassroots level that
has helped transform the lives of the people and regenerated
traditional water sources.
Somewhere
in western Rajasthan, scientists from the Central Groundwater
Authority and the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) are trying
to track the course of the mythical river Saraswati. In their
rediscovery of the Arvari, the villagers of Thana Gazi have
discovered their own Saraswati which has turned out to be their
Laxmi (goddess of fortune).
Recharging
groundwater
The
Arvari Sansad's mandate is not confined to the river alone, it
also decides the agricultural practices of the farmers and
cattle-owners of the area. Pledges in the Arvari Sansad's
Constitution, adopted on January 26, 1999, include keeping the
river flowing and adopting measures to recharge groundwater.
The
rebirth of the Arvari, which occurred some time in 1995, was the
result of 15 years of conservation efforts by the Alwar-based NGO,
Tarun Bharat Sangh (TBS). "Frankly speaking, when we started
our water-conservation work we had no idea that the river would
come back to life. Luckily, we decided to have johads in
the upper reaches of the river as well," observes Rajendra
Singh, general secretary of the TBS.
A
body to administer the rules
The
Arvari river, with its two streams originating in the Bhavta and
Agar villages, is roughly 45 km long and has a watershed area of
503 sq km falling within the districts of Jaipur, Dausa and Alwar.
The TBS, which set up an ashram at Bheekampura in Thana
Gazi, in 1985, has so far constructed 3,500 water-harvesting
structures called johads, of which 200 are in the Arvari
catchment area. The need for a body to establish the rules
pertaining to the rejuvenated rivulets, and also properly
administer them, was felt in 1994 when the river turned out to be
perennial. Men who had left the area for Delhi and other cities
began to return to farm their lands.
The
first confrontation the villagers had with the government was over
fishing rights. When the rivulet was confined to the monsoon
season the government had no interest in the abandoned
countryside. When it later re-emerged as a perennial water source,
however, the story was quite different. In 1996, the authorities
began quoting laws -- the Rajasthan Tenancy Act and the Irrigation
and Drainage Act -- to issue fishing rights to contractors from
outside the region.
Villagers
fight back
Incensed
by outsiders being allowed to harvest fish from a river they had
helped bring back to life, the residents of Hamirpur and Samra --
villages along the river's banks -- rose in revolt. They thwarted
all attempts at fishing in the river. On complaints from the
contractor, the Fisheries Department issued notices to the TBS. At
a meeting in Hamirpur on December 26, 1996, the people informed
the officers that the river was theirs and that they would not
allow any fishing activities to take place in it.
The
government was unrelenting. On January 27, 1997, the villagers
were threatened with legal action. Undaunted, they resolved to
fight for their rights and, at a well-attended meeting in
Hamirpur's Thai, on January 28, 1997, they undertook a satyagraha
against the Rajasthan government.
The
government was forced to give in. Since 1998, no licence has been
issued for fishing in the Arvari waters. This development was
unprecedented. According to existing rules, the state government
has full rights over river waters; not even the panchayats have a
say in this matter. (In later amendments, Rajasthan transferred
control of its smaller water bodies to gram sabhas.)
"We
had to decide on various aspects ourselves. The concept of joint
management was brought in. After the fishing episode, there were
also issues like overuse of water by some," observes Singh
while explaining the emergence of the sansad concept.
During the 1996 campaign in the region -- 'Jal bachavo johad
banao' ('Build johads, conserve water') -- the issue
was debated in the gram sabhas.
A
formal decision on the Arvari Sansad was taken at a meeting of
village representatives at Hamirpur on December 18, 1998, where
the villagers strongly reiterated their rights over the management
of the river. Among those weighing the pros and cons of the
initiative were noted environmentalist Anil Agarwal, former chief
justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, Justice Gulab C Gupta,
Rajendra Singh and a host of others.
Consultations
with the villagers continued for some days, during which the gram
sabhas elected 110 representatives from 70 villages. "The
elections were unanimous. The main consideration for choosing (the
representatives) was their individual contributions to social
work, especially water harvesting," Singh explains.
Sustainable
rules
The
Arvari Sansad took an oath on the banks of the rivulet in Hamirpur
on January 26, 1999. Nonagenarian Sarvodaya leader and patron of
the TBS, Siddhraj Dhadda, presided over the first session which
lasted four days. The Sansad came up with a set of rules for the
70 villages under the purview of the Arvari Parliament. These
pertained to sustainable cropping patterns and agricultural and
animal husbandry practices.
The
rules were formulated keeping in mind the needs of the people and
the possibilities of the land which had been rendered barren due
to reckless use and the lack of irrigation facilities. Industrial
units within the 405 sq.km Arvari basin were prohibited; hunting
and the cutting of green trees were banned.
From
the 11 cardinal rules, the first stipulates that the Arvari basin
shall not support sugarcane, paddy or chilli crops. The second
says that no one shall draw water from the river from the time of
Holi (March/April) right upto the monsoons in July. Crops
recommended by the parliament include barley, makka and bajra.
In the lower reaches of the rivulet, vegetables may be grown.
No
one is allowed to carry an axe to the Bhairu Dev People's
Sanctuary in the upper reaches of the Arvari. This forest, now
declared a sanctuary by the TBS and the villagers, is a bonus from
the water-conservation programme. Locals like Dhanna Gujjar, from
Bhavta village adjoining the sanctuary, firmly believe it is the
regeneration of the forests in the upper reaches and the
construction of johads that has led to the rebirth of the
Arvari.
The
entire region adjoining the famous Sariska Tiger Reserve has been
declared a bio-diversity area where hunting and the felling of
trees are illegal. Villagers are permitted to fish here only for
food. Restriction on trading extends to foodgrains and vegetables
as well, though there is scope to locally market agricultural
produce. The emphasis is on local production of required items.
Where
the strong help the weak
The
Arvari Sansad proposes to construct a temple in the river's name.
It also plans to set up a treasury and establish a secretariat. In
order to strengthen grassroots democracy, stronger gram sabhas are
to help out weaker ones. Any gram sabhapati (head of the gram
sabha) who fails to deliver the goods will have to voluntarily
step down. Representatives who do not attend meetings can be
fined.
The
Arvari Sansad rules also require the villagers to help people in
other areas develop water-harvesting techniques. The aim is to
prevent future droughts and floods. The experiment has already
shown success over the past two years when the rainfall has been
less than normal. "Not one among the 90 villages in the
region has been affected by drought this time, when over 22
districts in Rajasthan are now reeling under severe drought
conditions," observes Kanhaiya Lal, a Sansad co-ordinator.
The
water has already transformed the lives of the people in the
Aravalli heartland. Large-scale migration to urban areas has
declined; families originally falling below the poverty line now
earn Rs 40,000-50,000 a year. The water level in wells and ponds
has risen dramatically and the valley is now a lush green.
Return
of the tiger
The
long-lost tiger -- pride of the Aravalli villages -- has made a
comeback to these parts; animals have been spotted in the bushes
of the Bhairu Dev People's Sanctuary. (According to Cheeter Meena
of Kolyala, the presence of the tiger in the neighbourhood drives
away certain diseases and brings all-round prosperity to the
inhabitants of the area.) Arvari
laws do not permit the entry of cattle, for grazing, from outside
the region. Rotational grazing is followed by the farmers on their
own pasture lands.
The
Arvari Sansad has also decided to provide free water to Rudmal
Meena's family and other displaced families (yes, the Arvari
submerged six bighas of land). It is also expected to
provide compensatory land to the affected families. A steering
committee, comprising 22 persons, will work on executing the
decisions of the parliament. This committee will meet every three
months, while the Sansad has two sessions a year -- one in June,
the other in December. The gram sabhas meet once a month.
Regarding
the sustainability of the Arvari Sansad, the villagers point out
that attendance at the sessions has been regular. Parliament
decisions are taken seriously and quickly executed. "We take
decisions to implement them. What we cannot implement we do not
resolve," says Chajju Gujjar, a co-ordinator.
In
fact, December's session looked specifically into cases of
implementation and found, to its satisfaction, that except in two
cases that pertained to the lifting of water, all the rules had
been complied with. Two more committees were formed to exert
social pressure on those families that didn't abide by the laws.
The session also decided to increase the Sansad's strength and
accommodate more women. "The Sansad wanted more women
members. At present, women are under-represented, at 22. The
decision is to have at least 40 women members," says Singh.
Inter-caste
harmony
It
is interesting to see how the various caste groups co-exist
harmoniously in the Arvari Sansad. Most of the ethnic groups and
sub-groups of the Indo-Gangetic plains are to be found in the
Alwar district. This particular region supports a fair number of
Gujjars -- a backward caste -- and the scheduled tribe of Meenas.
The Gujjars have their hamlets in the hills, their main occupation
being animal husbandry. The Meenas farm and rear cattle.
Both
the Gujjars and the Meenas are traditionally vegetarian, while the
Bhalais and Raigers, Scheduled Caste communities, eat fish and
meat. "The Meenas are averse to the concept of eating fish as
they have a traditional bond with meen (fish)," Singh
points out. He discovered that every community had one tree and
one animal attached to it, from time immemorial. "Yet there
has been no quarrel over the Bhalais fishing in the river,"
he adds.
How
have the local people taken to the Sansad and its laws? "Yes,
there was some resistance from the functionaries of the panchayati
raj system. But they were made to understand (the situation). Now,
the panchayat system is a part of the Arvari Sansad," says
Singh.
With
the formation of the Sansad, the people's voice now carries more
weight. "The Arvari Parliament has strengthened village
institutions. The villagers' opinions are taken more
seriously," Ramdhan, a local, points out. One of the
intentions of the newly-formed Sansad is to help people out in
other places as well, including other districts and states. People
from all over the country have been making a beeline for
Bheekampura, the headquarters of the TBS, to learn more about the
water-harvesting techniques. This correspondent met one of them,
Anil V Sorathia, a civil engineer from Surat, Gujarat, who had
made the journey there with his friend Rajesh. Sorathia wanted
Singh to visit his area to teach the people his methods for
harvesting water. And they were not the only ones. The former
Union Water Resources Minister, Som Pal, the present Union
Minister of State for Water Resources, Bijoya Chakroborty, a
delegation of MLAs from Andhra Pradesh
sent by Chief Minister Chandra Babu Naidu...the Tarun
Ashram is overflowing with curious visitors. In fact, following a
visit by some MLAs from Gujarat, Saurashtra has already initiated
steps towards better water harvesting. They also had a padyatra
along the lines of those organised by the TBS in the villages of
Alwar, in the past.
Singh
wants the Indian Constitution to put its seal of approval on such
grassroots bodies as the Arvari Sansad. According to him, the
experiment could be successfully carried out anywhere, albeit with
a few minor changes. "Yes, replication is possible. But it
will happen only when the people do it at the local level. They
have to work continuously for at least five years towards
this," he says. "It is a process."
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