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Thar villagers have an answer for climate change | Through discussions and cross-sectoral sharing like at the Climate Change workshop held in Rajasthan's Barmer district recently, people have taken it upon themselves
to act in small ways to the huge problem of change in environment and the climate.
According to Charkha Features, those with half-acre of land decided against the
use of tractors. They said: "We will save local plants and we will not use plastic
bags and stop the people who use it." Each participant vowed to create awareness
and share the knowledge they gathered amongst five people. These are small steps
but in the long road to equity in climate and responsibility for ones own life
and environment not only laudable but an example for the powers that be to emulate.
Thar, the desert has a unique eco-system, harsh climatic and terrain conditions
coupled with an amazing grace that life and practices speak of, which conserve
the natural resources. Interestingly enough the heat generated in the atmosphere
actually helps to draw the monsoon in the region. Though there is a water shortage
but traditional water management has still kept the desert moist. The immense
stretches of sand dunes and a coarser kind of sand does not allow for agriculture.
Yet it also has the incredible 'Khejdi', a hardy, gnarled tree which provides
life-giving fodder. 'Sevan', 'Dhaman' and other countless plants which provide
succor to the life-forms there. The ubiquitous camel is itself a natural marvel,
so totally adapted to the climatic and geographic conditions that life in the
desert virtually centres around it. Home to the wildlife like deer, blue bull,
wolf, desert fox, rabbit, Barasingha and birds like vultures, great Indian bustard,
grey francolin, common quail and peacock, the desert humming with diverse life-forms.
Yet something fundamental is changing in the Thar. Ghowaram, former Sarpanch of
Pataudi, Barmer, says: "Weather and its cycle are changing. Summer is getting
longer and winter is becoming shorter day-by-day. Monsoon comes either before
time, or very late. Drought and famine, the desert has never seen such changes.
We have not seen such heat in November and December. Famine comes every now and
then." This insight would have possibly remained buried in the Thar but for the
workshop on "Climate Change and its impact on community livelihood", held in November
2009 at Balotra block of Barmer district. Organised by Idea in association with
Oxfam, this brought together not just experts from the fields of agriculture,
forestry and science but also rural communities, who are often left out from such
debates. It is from this constituency that what was really happening on the ground
emerged. Without even knowing the term 'Climate Change' which has taken up reams
of paper and hours of air-time and the immense resources to hold an international
summit, the rural population are deeply and perhaps silently conscious of the
change around them. And the way their lives are getting affected. According to
them, animals like deer, rabbits, 'Godvani', part of the desert-scape are not
so common now and vultures have completely vanished. The mainstay of the desert,
plants like Sevan, Dhaman, Phog are also fast disappearing. Even the 'Khejdi'
is becoming rare. The desert is expanding and soil erosion increasing. But can
all these 'environmental' factors be linked to the larger issue of 'Climate Change'?
This was the point leading to much brainstorming. Agricultural, animal husbandry
and environmental experts presented their analytical explanations. Rural communities
spoke of their insights from the ground. What then emerged was a link between
the vast changes in agriculture, animal farming and people's lives and the deeper
dimension of Climate Change. Practices which violate the fundamental principles
of the environment not only contribute to factors leading to Climate Change but
in turn are affected by this change which pushes them further to adopt environment
unfriendly practices. A case in point is the use of tractors unsuitable to the
terrain in the Thar. Even the non-irrigated fields are so soft, it does not require
tillage through tractors. Yet they are used and destroy plant-life. The result
is shortage of fodder and wood for fuel thus directly affecting animal husbandry,
an important source of livelihoods The use of tractors has another disastrous
fall-out. The destruction of plants, which bind soil has increased soil-erosion.
The fertility of land has been affected. People believe that farms, which once
produced 8-10 quintals of grain, are now producing only 3-4 quintals per hectare.
The desert has huge but unexploited grasslands which could be tapped for fodder.
But a combination of government and social apathy is destroying this green gold.
Exploitation of ground water continues at a relentless pace. The water-level is
going down and in some areas, wells have dried. Jodhpur, once famous for producing
onions and chilly, is in dire straits today because of drying up of wells and
falling soil fertility. The much-touted Indira Gandhi Canal, meant as a drought-prevention
structure has led to environment related problems. The canal has encouraged the
move towards irrigation agriculture thus eating up grasslands. The government
has compounded the problem. It is converting grasslands into farms and selling
it, destroying the traditional base of not only agriculture but the eco-system
as a whole. Perhaps as a result of such short-sighted policies, over the last
three decades, there has been a perennial shortage of water in the canal. How
do the experts view these changes in the Thar? Scientists from Central Agricultural
Resources Department Institute at Kajri believe that global warming is causing
western storms during summer, which is driving moisture-laden monsoon winds away
from Rajasthan. According to satellite data of American Space Agency NASA, the
climate of Thar is expected to be unstable over the next few years. There will
be periods of drought and periods of heavy rainfall. Though the monsoon will be
active, it may pour over certain area while leave others bone-dry. Floods and
drought are literally as two sides of the coin in the Thar, which earlier had
a distinct pattern of rainfall. Agricultural patterns were tuned to it, now will
be disrupted. There is a response from the ground to these dire predictions, There
is growing awareness, even preparedness to understand and address the changes
which are detrimental to life in the desert. |
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