MGNREGS has implemented a slew of projects, but to hardly any effect. We need to look at the problem afresh
Photo: Getty Images The Narendra Modi government’s second innings started amid concerns of drought: 44 per cent of the country’s area was already affected by early April. The government has announced the ‘Jal Shakti Abhiyan’ (literally, Water Power Campaign) to tackle this. The plan is to fan out senior bureaucrats to 255 districts to focus on harvesting rainwater and conserving rainwater.
That may sound good, but is it the remedy India needs?
Under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), thousands of such works have been implemented since its inception in 2006. Since 2014-15, India has gained:
Completed water-related works under MGNREGS
|
|
Soil and water conservation | Groundwater recharge | Farm ponds as part of irrigation work |
|
2014-15 |
2,06,871 |
26,286 |
1,77,090 |
|
2015-16 |
2,01,124 |
36,664 |
1,41,552 |
|
2016-17 |
3,31,787 |
74,225 |
3,08,727 |
|
2017-18 |
2,61,262 |
48,465 |
3,50,479 |
|
2018-19 |
3,62,980 |
44,162 |
1,93,320 |
|
2019-20 |
981 |
10 |
425 |
|
Total |
13,65,005 |
2,29,812 |
11,71,593 |
Source: Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India
Such projects have been carried out across the country, but the focus has been greater on Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Karnataka and other states of the south.
Major initiatives for recharging groundwater have been taken in Karnataka particularly, according to the ministry’s data.
Another 17 lakh farm ponds were also constructed under a special MGNREGS drive in the same time. Around 43 per cent of them were constructed in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Farm ponds as special drive
| Year | Farm ponds |
|
2014-15 |
38,580 |
|
2015-16 |
1,52,087 |
|
2016-17 |
6,10,120 |
|
2017-18 |
5,22,569 |
|
2018-19 |
3,45,875 |
|
2019-20 |
38,580 |
|
Total |
17,07,811 |
Source: Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India
How viable are such ponds though? It was unclear whether ponds, that are rainfed, will bring relief to drought-affected areas, according to hydrologist and member of the erstwhile Planning Commission A Vaidyanathan.
Farm ponds are also not viable for drought relief in areas with hard rocks, according to a section of experts.
The effectiveness of groundwater recharge structures was also under doubt. In Telangana, around 19,000 tubewells / borewells were abandoned, unused or defunct there, the state’s rural development department recently said.
This at a time when 34,000 soil and water conservation structures and 35,000 recharge structures were built there between 2014-15 and 2018-19. The state’s average groundwater level reportedly dipped by almost 2 metres from approximately 14 m below ground level (mbgl). At places it reached more than 42 mbgl.
A large number of dugwells and wells in Maharashtra, constructed under MGNREGS, also ran dry.
Clearly, there is now a question mark on the efficacy of such initiatives on water conservation and groundwater recharge. The current batch of officials to visit the 255 water-stressed districts, thus , should emphasise on planning, designing as well as monitoring such structures.
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