The Sun playing Hide and seek -The beautiful Sun -by Sudhir Mishra Bolangir/11th February 2014.

By
Sudhir Mishra/Bolangir
11th Feburary2014
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The beautiful Sun.
Since time immemorial The Sun is giving us light and has supported human life and other living beings in this planet.while its early morning and Sunset rays looks beautiful and beneficial ,the mid day sun is harsh.

However today all of a sudden around 4pm suddenly sun was engulfed in cloud and it went behind cloud for few minutes.I captured few photographs of sun-rays coming from them and coming out of it.

 (4 photos)

Climate Change actionplan ignores vulnerable communities -By SudhirMishra

AN old story- survey reveals irregularities in ICDS in Padampur- BySudhirMishra

Traditional Paddy varities becoming extinct in Bolangir by Sudhir Mishra

Another story inWater Integrity Network blog Odisha Groundwater Bill shortcomings Written by Sudhir Mishra/Bolangir,

Odisha Groundwater Bill shortcomings

Written by Sudhir Mishra, a Balangir (Odisha) based journalist working with The Pioneer, a leading Indian newspaper. His contact email is sudhirmishra1@rediffmail.com

The Odisha Groundwater (Regulation, Development and Management) Bill, 2011, which was placed before the State Legislative Assembly in the monsoon session, suffers from many loopholes, as felt  by the Odisha Water Forum.

While the forum appreciates the initiative of the Government of Odisha to regulate development and management of ground water, it is concerned about the fact that the Bill does not address the fundamental concerns regarding ground water management.

The bill proposes to form Ground Water Regulation Authority (GWRA) that will regulate extraction of ground water in the notified areas (where water is scarce).  But, without bringing ground water into the public trust domain, the authority of the GWRA might be challenged in the court of law, as the land owner has the right to ground water under the Indian Easement Act, points out a Press release of the Odisha Water Forum.

Similarly, the Bill exempts extraction of ground water for the domestic and agricultural use in the notified areas from taking permission from the authority. But, the definition of agriculture in the Bill could very well include industrial agriculture, commercial agriculture and the allied industries. The bill again does not mention about the right of the landless on ground water, role of the Gram Panchayats in the management of ground water, equity and environmental concerns.

Since 1970, the Government of India has been urging the States to legislate for the regulation and management of ground water. Though four decades have passed since the Government felt its urgency first to regulate ground water, Odisha has not been successful in enacting law for ground water. This bill has not been put in public domain to get the feedback from the concerned citizens and organizations, which contravenes the spirits of the State Water Policy 2007, the forum said.

Meanwhile, the forum has appealed to the State Legislature to postpone the enactment of law for the time being and do it after referring the model bill of July 29, 2011, incorporating the present concerns and consulting the citizenry.

While Odisha has waited so long for this legislation, it won’t hurt to wait for a few more months to achieve an all encompassing legislation on ground water, the forum maintained.

Water Shortage in Western Odisha due to deviation from traditional water and land usage-one of my stories published inthe waterintegrityblog.com/category/south-asia/‎

December 6, 2011 

• by Water Integrity Network
• in South Asia
• 1 Comment

Water Shortage in Western Odisha due to deviation from traditional water and land usage(

South Asia | Water Integrity Network blog)

waterintegrityblog.com/category/south-asia/‎

Written by Sudhir Mishra, a Balangir (Odisha) based journalist working with The Pioneer, a leading Indian newspaper. His contact email is sudhirmishra1@rediffmail.com 

This year in 2011, a grim reality of acute water shortage has been looming large over the western Odisha’s rural populace (an area in eastern India that is prone to droughts) , thanks to the scanty and erratic monsoon and rapid decline in the traditional water bodies and traditional water conservation practices. It is greatly affecting the agricultural operations and crop production and the rural economy as a whole.

This crisis is going to compound in the coming years, as the traditional water conservation mechanism of western Odisha has been declining rapidly over the years due to the compulsions of the developing society like the population explosion, changing land usage and modern agricultural practices. Since time immemorial, the traditional water bodies conserve rainwater to meet the water needs of the people, to recharge the groundwater and to provide irrigation to the crops. In the undivided Balangir and Kalahandi districts of western Odisha, there were about 300 traditional water harvesting structures (TWHS) that irrigated 33 per cent of land, which is now down to 5 per cent only.

In Kalahandi district of Western Odisha, there were 120 TWHSs, out of which around 85 have now been converted to residential plots. Following the conversion of the TWHSs into residential plots for the housing purpose, the problem of flash floods in the habitations has now arisen, as the rain water finds no place to be stored during the heavy downpour and creates floods.

The population explosion has led to clearing up of the forests and loss of forests resulted in more soil erosion resulting in siltation of water bodies. The encroachment further aggravated the woes. In addition, more emphasis is being laid by the government-industry-contractors nexus on large-scale irrigation projects following which the popularity of water harvesting structures has declined. The Government is promoting farm ponds to provide assured irrigation, but small farmers having land less than one acre, find it difficult to dig such a pond. Instead, the Government should emphasize on digging of TWHSs in the fields which can be dug in small areas and water can be stored till five to six months.

The traditional tribes like the Kuda tribe of Balangir and the nomadic Bhunjia tribe were experts in digging wells and ponds and could predict the presence of water in an area just by viewing the soil. They are now working as daily wage labourers, as no new water bodies are being created in the area, leaving very less skilled people having the traditional knowledge.

The past generations inhabiting this area had great scientific knowledge of water management. They had also anticipated the climate change and ill-effects for which they had developed such a large network of traditional water bodies to save crop besides meeting their other basic needs and the traditional cropping pattern was done according to the water availability.

One local saying very beautifully sums up the importance of TWHSs, ‘khet ke muda te, ghar ke bhudha te’. It means that there should be a water harvesting structure for the providential need of cultivable fields that saves us from the drought just like the very presence of an elderly person guides the family in crisis.

Ironically, we are blindly following other models which have brought a lot of unseen problems for the poor farmers of this region and it is time be looked back towards our traditional wisdom to use the scarce water resources.

Acute water crisis looms large over western Odisha February 05, 2011 7:21:08 AM Sudhir Mishra | / The most significant aspect of thisstory .It has been posted in the South Asia | Water Integrity Network blog waterintegrityblog.com/category/south-asia/‎

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 1) BHUBANESWAR | Saturday, February 5, 2011 | Email | Print | | Back 

Acute water crisis looms large over western Odisha
February 05, 2011 7:21:08 AM

Sudhir Mishra | Balangir

Besides being in a state of shock following the unseasonal rain-hit 
massive crop loss recently and currently reeling under an intense cold 
wave, another grim reality of acute water shortage and water insecurity 
is looming large over the western Odisha rural populace and farmers, 
thanks to the scanty and erratic monsoon and rapid decline in the 
traditional water bodies and conservation mechanism.

This year, monsoon had reportedly been deficit in several parts of 
western Odisha. Balangir district recorded only 69.28 mm rainfall 
against the normal 202 mm in June, a 65 per cent deficit. However, it 
received excess rainfall in July. Against the normal rainfall of 360.50 
mm, it received 370.70.mm, an excess of 2.8 per cent.

Again in the crucial month of August, it received a deficient rainfall 
of 252.7 mm against the normal 333.60 mm, a deficit of 24.3 per cent. 
Similarly in September, it also received a little excess rainfall than 
its normal average, said an agriculture official.

The monsoon arrived here late. Although widespread distribution of 
rainfall was received till the first week of August, the subsequent 
erratic and deficient rainfall affected the agricultural operation in 
many parts of the district following which the crop production was 
affected, stated the agriculture official.

Besides, the less quantity of rainfall is going to trigger acute water 
crisis in the forthcoming summer as the traditional water conservation 
mechanism of western Odisha, namely muda, kata, bandh, bandhali, sagar 
and others, has declined rapidly over the years.

Earlier, the traditional water bodies used to conserve rainwater not 
only to meet the water needs of the people, but also to recharge the 
groundwater and provide the life-saving irrigation to the crop. In the 
undivided Balangir and Kalahandi districts, there used to be large 
number of traditional water harvesting structures (TWHS) like muda, 
kata, bandh, bandhali, jor, naal chhuan, chhala and sagar.

Earlier, there were around 300 traditional TWHSs, while Patnagarh town 
alone had 100 water bodies of its own. In the erstwhile princely State 
of Patna, 1, 31,744 acres of land were irrigated by around 9,087 TWHS. 
“In each village, there were around five water bodies irrigating 75 
acres of the village land. However, 60 years thenceforth, the total 
percentage of the land irrigated by the TWHS has declined from 33 per 
cent to a mere 5 per cent,” pointed out Sanjay Mishra.

The Kuda tribe of Balangir possesses the unique ability of predicting 
the presence of water in an area just by viewing the soil as they are 
experts in digging wells and ponds, informed Sanjay and rued that they 
are now working as daily labourers.

There had been a nomadic tribe called Bhunjia who used to dig a pond 
where ever they stayed for two to three years and departed. They had 
better water science knowledge and could locate the place to detect 
water.

“They had dug a bandh, known as Bhulia bandh, near Juba in Belpada,” 
said Jatin Patra of Patnagarh. There used to be an area called 
Jalchhar, now being encroached and converted into bahal land (low 
cultivable land). “It had also been a general belief then that digging 
of a muda or kata was a punnya kama (pious work) following which the 
zamindars and gountias (village lords) used to dig numerous mudas and 
katas, especially beside the roads, to provide drinking water 
facilities to the travellers,” said Ghashiram Panda.

Besides Balangir district, the age-old system was also practised in 
Nuapada district. The muda is a kind of checking small streams built 
across a slope to arrest the rain water having high embankments on the 
three sides and the fourth side is open. The structure basically 
harnesses the rain water flowing from the slope and it helps the lands 
below in the perennial passing of moisture.

The kata is an ordinary water tank constructed by putting a soil/stone 
embankment across a land where the rain water is preserved and it is 
easily cut down to irrigate the cultivable land below at the time of 
dry spell.

The bandh is a four sided water tank, usually excavated below a kata. 
“Such traditional system of rain water harvesting has been practised by 
the native peasants of Nuapada district for centuries which suits the 
local topography and the water tanks are also used for pisciculture and 
bathing,” said Abani Panigrahi of Lok Drusti in Nuapada district.

Patnagrah town was famous for chhakodi bandh and naakodi tota. As per 
local parlance, one kodi means 20 and accordingly, chhakodi means 20 x 
6 =120 and naakodi means 20 x 9 =180. Besides Patnagarh town of 
Balangir district, the same thing is also found in other parts of 
Kalahandi district. Chhakodi bandh aru naakodi tota was the symbol of 
Junagarh in Kalahandi district as there had been 120 bandhs and 180 
mango orchards in Junagarh area out of which around 85 bandhs have now 
been converted to homestead plots while there are only four large mango 
orchards left out currently in the area.

“Following the conversion of the TWHSs there into homestead plots for 
the housing purpose, the problem of flash floods in the habitations has 
now arisen as the rain water finds no place to be stored during the 
heavy downpour and creates floods,” said Dilip Das of Antodoya in 
Kalahandi.

To boost pisciculture and earn revenue, the State Government has now 
decided to take up pisciculture in the water bodies and its ownership 
has been passed on to the Panchayats since 1955, but the Panchayats 
could not manage it properly due to the lack of resources, dishonest 
officials, loss of forest cover, population explosion and following of 
new techniques, sources revealed.

The population explosion led to clearing up of the forests and loss of 
forests resulted in more soil erosion resulting in siltation of water 
bodies. Besides, the encroachment further aggravated the woes. In 
addition, more emphasis is being laid on large-scale irrigation 
projects following which the popularity of water harvesting structures 
has eventually declined.

Irrigation projects, like the Lower Suktel, have been given more 
importance to reap the multipurpose benefits of irrigation and 
pisciculture and also to boost allied activities. 

Even though the project was sanctioned way back in 1996-97 at an 
estimated cost of `217 crore, it is yet to be taken up even though the 
project cost has touched around `1043 crore after a decade.

Even though the Government is promoting farm pond to save farmers and 
to provide assured irrigation, it has been found that many farmers, 
having less than one acre, are finding it difficult to dig such a pond.

“The Government should give thrust on digging of chuans in the fields 
which can be dug in small areas and water will also be stored till 
February and March,” pointed out an NGO activist.

With rainy days becoming less, rapid decline of TWHSs, deforestation 
and uncertain rainfall, acute water shortage is going to be one of the 
major problems for the rural poor in western Odisha.

Our forefathers had great scientific knowledge of water management. 
They had also anticipated the climate change and ill-effects for which 
they had developed such a large network of traditional water bodies to 
save crop besides meeting their other basic needs. 

Moreover, their cropping pattern was also done accordingly. Ironically, 
we are blindly following other models which have brought a lot of 
unseen problems for the poor and farmers of this region, the locals 
here view.

The local saying goes khet ke muda te, ghar ke bhudha te. It implies 
that there should be a water harvesting structure for the providential 
need of cultivable fields as it could save from the drought and the 
very presence of an elderly person in each house could guide the family 
in crisis. 

“It is high time we followed the popular adage to save our poor 
populace and farmers,” insisted the NGO activist. 

SudhirMishra
Journalist
The Pioneer
Balangir(Odisha)