Drought-hit Dholera `nomads’ migrate to less scorched pastures

Dholera, located on the Ahmedabad-Bhavnagar highway, is not an example in isolation, other villages of Bhangarh, Ratalav, Mingalpur and Mahadevpura have suffered similar fate forcing the residents of these villages out of their native place to explore areas where water is not such a rarity. They had suffered total crop failure and hence have no means of livelihood.

A resident of Dholera, Dharmishthaben Thakker, says, “We get drinking water once in eight days and have to rely on brackish well water for the household chores”. Sharifaben Yusufbhai of the same village says, “My husband works for the State Transport Department and hence had to stay back in the village, otherwise with the given condition of water scarcity, living here is not possible”.

Says Kishorebhai Vaghela of the same village: “The village has a pipeline coming from Ahmedabad but not a drop has trickled out of it in the last eight months”.

Most of the people have moved to Bhavnagar, Surat, Ankleshwar and some other areas where water and employment is available. Those, who stayed back in the village, have done so out of lack of choice and as they either had no place to go or had no place to keep their cattle, the only treasure of these villagers.

Laments Ratibhai Patel, chowkidaar of Swaminarayan Temple in the village, “People have gone to their kins in Surat and Ankleshawar where there is less water problem and they can earn a living as daily wages workers”. However, Patel optimistically states, “The migration is temporary and all of them will return during “chowmasa” (monsoon)”.

Sulemaan Malik of Bhato village has walked over 25 kilometers to bring his camels to Dholera for drinking water. Dholera is considered among the better off villages in terms of water scarcity.

Situation worsens as we move interior in the area. Mingalpur has a sad saga to tell the world. It is well past two o’clock in the afternoon and Amjiben Sakadia of Mingalpur has been waiting since malasku (dawn) to get water for her family and the saviour “Sarkari” tanker is nowhere in sight. Chitarbhai Patel says, “We just get one pot of water per person which is not enough by any standards”. He added that they had to share the saline water in the village pond with the cattle for their daily chores. In a place where water is not enough for drinking and potable water a rarity, bathing by any stretch of imagination is a luxury. Seven-year-old Mangubhai Patel chewing a sugarcane smiles and says, “We bathe one in a fortnight with the cattle in the pond”.

Mahadevpura consists of a cluster of about 20 hutments has not a single resident left behind to share their tale of misery.

Villagers of the area say that a tanker of 10,000 litre water capacity comes once in five days to serve a population of 5,000 people, which means two liters per capita for five days!

Just 100 km away from the state’s power capital people are still braving the water crisis even as the state government continues to maintain — we are trying our best for the relief work.