Riots for water

HERE is something for those who would not believe that the wars of this century will be fought over water-related issues. Three people died and 20 were injured on December 14 in Falla village, 28 km from Jamnagar town of Gujarat, when the police opened fire on a mob of about 300 people from the neighbouring rural area. The people had gathered to protest against the state government’s decision to reserve water from the nearby Kankavati Dam for Jamnagar town — a decision favouring urban people at the cost of rural folk.

The dam has become the only source of water for about 60 villages near Falla, and has very little water. This year, the rainfall recorded in this area was 148 millimetres (mm), compared to the annual average of 550 mm. People of the area point out that the groundwater has become saline due to overextraction (see: Standing the test of drought).

But the most worrying part of the situation in Saurashtra region of the state is that summer is a good four months away, and nobody seems to have a clue as to how the administration will deal with water scarcity when the problem is unmanageable in the winter. Already, 14 villages including Hadiyana, Limbuda and Jodiya are being supplied water from the dam by tankers.