Drought threat ignored in frenzy for votes

Subhro Maitra TNN
Malda: The early April sun has already made the ground crack, and three more months of merciless summer still lie ahead. At borind (high-lying) land in Malda North constituency, which includes Habibpur, Bamangola, Gajole and Old Malda, survival has become an everyday struggle. Thanks to years of neglect, the threat of drought looms large, with the groundwater falling way below the danger level. Villagers must walk miles in search of water, which seems to recede further every year. And when they do find water, they must pay — water comes at a steep price here. Even the canals from the river have dried up. Officials say the possibility of drought is high, but the warnings seem to have drowned in a flurry of shrill election campaigns. Leaders have come, seeking votes and selling dreams. But no one has spoken of water. Local residents are a disillusioned lot. “What will a dying man do with a basket of cookies?” a villager asks, his gaze shifting skyward, perhaps in the hope of rain. Ironically, borind land (a part of Barendra bhumi, extending to Bagura and Dinajpur in Bangladesh) has been a traditional CPM stronghold. History shows that it has been at the centre of defining people’s movements — the tribal uprising in the ’30s, the Tebhaga movement for rights over crops in the ’40s and land reforms led by communist parties in the ’60s. The battles were won, but the war, it seems, has been lost. “We got the land, but could not learn how to retain it,” said Jugal Soren, who had to sell off his land. He now tills it for a living. Soren’s story is typical of almost every household here. Poverty, lack of water and political neglect have formed a vicious circle that’s hard to get out of. The paddy fields, too, are drying up. Tube wells, thousands in number, have a symbolic existence only. Whatever little paddy is left is used by farmers to buy water from owners of submersible pumps. The charge is steep — 120 kg of paddy for every bigha. Complaints to the panchayat, says Mangal Murmu of Uttar Khurkadanga, have fallen on deaf ears. Others, like Nirmala Tudu of Raghabpur, are forced to drink pond water and fall victim to diarrhoea. Things aren’t much different in neighbouring Dhumpur, Aktail, Mangalpura and Srirampore, either. “If we cannot recharge groundwater, drought is inevitable,” said BDO Rajesh Kerketta, blaming the indiscriminate setting up of submersible pumps for the crisis. “They are illegal but some influential people manage to get permission. In Srirampore, for instance. there are 10 pumps in a 1.5-km stretch.” Prabal Lala of Bulbulchandi and Barind Development Society feels it’s high time the administration cracked the whip, but the people who are expected to bring about change are nonchalant. “People here are with us traditionally,” said CPM candidate Sailen Sarkar. Congress’ Mausam Noor is convinced that industrialization and jobs are the only answers to the problems. BJP’s Amlan Bhaduri doesn’t offer a solution. “Don’t you know the CPM panchayat samiti chief owns three submersible pumps?” was all that he would say.