For most of the year, the residents of Bundelkhand experience acute scarcity of water for agricultural and domestic use. Water sources are varied and often seasonal, ranging from ponds, tanks, lakes and streams to open wells, bore wells and irrigation canals radiating out from large-scale dams. Most agriculture is of the single-crop variety and rain fed, with supplementary water from open wells.
The State of Environment Report of Tikamgarh district, provides a summary of the environmental attributes and condition of the district and the human impacts on the environment. It also provides a public record of district authority, industry and community activities and achievements in responding to pressures on the environment.
In the wake of severe drought in the districts of Bundelkhand region, Development Alternatives and Arghyam Trust's initiative 'Water for All and Always' addresses the current need of an Integrated Water Resources Management in ten villages of Jhansi and Tikamgarh districts of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh states.
The Southwest Monsoon has broken in right earnest much ahead of schedule over northern Madhya Pradesh that was reeling under drought conditions for the past few years. Isolated medium to heavy rain is being recorded in the rest of the state.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has urged the Central government for inclusion of Tikamgrh, Chhatarpur, Datia, Sagar and Satna districts in the special category under farm loan waiver scheme so that other farmers of this drought affected districts could also be reasonably benefited under the scheme. Chouhan has written a letter to the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh urging him to advise the Union Finance Ministry in this regard.
It is not just the temperature that is rising in Madhya Pradesh but also the anxiety over water supply. Water has become so scarce that while people at some places are hiring armed guards to prevent its theft, at others they have been found using a lottery system to fill their buckets.
The present work studies gender participation in crop production and animal husbandry in the villages of Bundelkhand region in central India. 260 farmers were surveyed through open-ended questions but for detailed study 120 farmers (including 90 women) were involved from the two villages in Jhansi (U.P.) and members of 11 SHGs working on livelihood issues at community land in Chardwari area of Orchha, Tikamgarh (M.P.).
The problem this year is more acute and many are migrating to towns owing to financial problems occasioned by the drought- Anil Gulati Chhatarpur is one of the 37 districts of Madhya Pradesh, which are reeling under a water crisis and facing drought. This is winter and the worst is yet to come - the summer is yet to set in.
Tikamgarh has been irrigating its lands through water tanks built by Chandela rulers during 900-1200 AD. These stored rainwater and also recharged groundwater in otherwise semi-arid areas. It's due to its 55,000 dug wells that 57 per cent of Tikamgarh's cultivated area has irrigation facilities, compared to the state average of 23 per cent. A state government report says that the Chandela tanks in the district can irrigate 23,481 hectares (ha) besides recharging wells. Many are under the panchayats.
