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Understanding rehabilitation and co-existence in Sariska No Man’s Land No Man’s Land echo echo JANUARY 2013

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Page 1: JANUARY 2013 - Centre for Science and Environmentcdn.cseindia.org/userfiles/Echo_Magazine.pdf · 2020-05-01 · Sharmila Sinha, Deputy Programme Manager, Education & Training, Email:

Understanding rehabilitation and co-existence in Sariska

No Man’s LandNo Man’s Land

echoechoJANUARY 2013

Page 2: JANUARY 2013 - Centre for Science and Environmentcdn.cseindia.org/userfiles/Echo_Magazine.pdf · 2020-05-01 · Sharmila Sinha, Deputy Programme Manager, Education & Training, Email:

Challenge of the Balance (December 17, 2012 to January 5, 2013)

‘Challenge of the Balance’ is an interdisciplinary environmental orientation program involving participants from around South Asia.Keeping this in mind, the first phase of the program has been designed in such a way that the participants from variousdisciplines and background can arrive at a common understanding of contemporary environmental concerns including theclimate change and environment – development debates. Experts from Center for Science and Environment (CSE) and otherinstitutions came as resource persons and conducted interactive lecture sessions.

In the second phase of the program, a field visit was organized where the participants got the privilege to visit Alwar andJaipur districts in Rajasthan to observe people-led traditional water harvesting systems and several lakes in and around Jaipurincluding the revived Mansagar lake. A safari inside the Sariska National Park and visits to villages relocated from inside the parkprovided important insights into the complexities of relocation and the conflict-ridden rehabilitation process.

The third phase involved preparing a journalistic product, in this case a magazine in which participants report theirexperiences from the field. This phase is significant as it helped participants dig deeper into situations and communicate theirreportage to a wider audience.

2 echo « January 2013 »

TRAINING VENUE: Anil Agarwal Green College, 38, Tughlakabad Institutional Area, New Delhi–110062

COURSE CONTACTSAditya Batra, Programme Director, Education & Training & South Asia Programmes, Email:[email protected] Mobile: +91-9810825775

Sharmila Sinha, Deputy Programme Manager, Education & Training, Email: [email protected]; [email protected] Mobile: +91-9818482018, Office Tel: +91 (011) 29955124 +91 (011) 29955124/125, Fax: +91 (011) 29955879

Centre for Science and Environment41, Tughlakabad Institutional Area, New Delhi – 110062

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3« January 2013 » echo

Content

Editorial ................................................................................4

Pets: Pedigree paradox ........................................................5

Urban lakes: Constrained by concrete ..............................7

Heritage: Lake, palace, restored ........................................8

Arvari Sansad: A river runs because of them ....................9

Watershed recharge: Fringe benefits ..........................10

Digram: Water water everywhere ....................................11

Cover: No Man’s Land ......................................................12

Sariska relocation: Broken promises ............................14

Foresters vs. dwellers: Point counterpoint ..................16

Tiger spotting: Chasing stripes ......................................17

Community forest: Oran Puran ....................................18

Household workers: Domestic discord ........................20

Comment: Of rugs and riches ..........................................22

Travelogue: Romancing Rajasthan..................................23

Jungle game: Forest conundrum ....................................24

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The countries of South Asia share similar concerns of environmentalconservation, sustainable development and the impending threat of climatechange. The programme ‘Challenge of the Balance’ organized by the Centre

for Science and Environment gave us the opportunity to examine all these concernskeeping regional needs in mind.

Doha 2012 has been in the news, and there is tremendous debate aboutissues related to climate change. But to the communities we interacted with at Alwarand Jaipur, climate change was an abstract idea, and they were more concernedwith their immediate situations. To villagers who have been relocated out of Sariska,they could not understand why they had to leave the land they had tilled forgenerations, for land that they cannot call their own. To those who live in what wasonce an arid water-less area, their concerns were more the proper use of the waterthey had so painstakingly managed to conserve. The extent to which they areinvolved in the processes of their environment demonstrate how traditional wisdomcould be instrumental in formulating and implementing state policy.

It was through this exposition that we all came to understand that theenvironment is everything around us and we all need to act in our individualcapacities rather than wait for higher authorities to take action. However, if anyconservation endeavour that does not properly include communities, there is alwaysthe risk of not being able to balance developmental and conservation needs. Thisis best exemplified by the dissatisfaction and angst amongst the villagers relocatedout of Sariska Tiger Reserve.

During the safari ride through Sariska, we saw a few villages within the corearea which are currently doomed to be relocated. The very fact that such villageshave existed in tiger inhabited area for centuries forced us to raise a question as towhy conservation today requires ‘inviolate spaces’. We received two contrastingviewpoints- that of a forest official as conservator and the other of a communityrepresentative calling for coexistence.

We observe that whenever a community has a stake in its surroundings andthe resources it depends on, conservation becomes a part of its culture. This sameprinciple applies in the cities. As seen in Jaipur, the absence of interest on the partof locals resulted in the deterioration of Mansagar lake and other urban lakes. Thesame trend is seen across South Asia.

With rapidly changing lifestyles and a culture of materialism, people in urbanareas are becoming more and more disconnected from their immediateenvironment, and less empathetic towards the people and animals they share itwith. This shows in the increasing trend of abandonment of pet dogs and the ill-treatment of domestic workers.

This magazine is a part of our attempt to reconnect with our environment, toquestion what we see, and to report the different issues that affect both cities andvillages, people and animals. ■

EDITORIAL

4 echo « January 2013 »

EditorsSaher BalochShalu Agarwal

Copy-EditorsApoorva BhatiaShreya Bhat

Design & IllustrationsShowvik Das Tamal

ReportersA B M Adnan FaisalAzam KhanApoorva BhatiaBhawana GurungDeep Raj UpretyH Daminda Prasada SumanapalaKrishna Kumar SahaMonika AgarwalPrabin PokharelRazoana MoslamSaher BalochShalu AgarwalShreya BhatShowvik Das Tamal Subhas KarkiSubhash AcharyaSumeet SharmaTariq MureedTaslima Islam

Cover photoShowvik Das Tamal

Sincere thanks to Centre for Science andEnvironment for publishing this magazine. Special thanks to Aditya Batra, Sharmila Sinha, Pratap Pandey Surender Singh, Kirpal Singh D S Bains, and the entire DTE Team.

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Chunky watches, stone washedjeans, shoes, perfumes, sun-glasses and even handbags. In

an upwardly mobile society whereʻbrandedʼ is beautiful and ʻdesignerʼ isin, itʼs not surprising that dogs too havebeen added to the list of must-haves.Dogs are the posh and wealthy Indianʼsnew fashion accessory. And breed is thebrand that rules the market.

Money can buy you doggy loveExotic breeds such as the Beagle, thesquash-nosed Pug, and large breedssuch as Labradors, Mastiffs, GermanShepherd, Siberain Husky, St. Bernard,and Great Dane are in demand not fortheir companionship, but for their valueas status symbols. In Delhi, the Nationalcapital, people gift expensive puppies totheir friends and corporate partners,without considering that a pet meanshard work and responsible care.

Dr. Sunita Nauriyal, President ofCure and Care Animal Help Foundationsays, “It now seems to be a socialrequirement to have a big dog to matcha big house. These large breeds likeIrish Setters, Mastiffs and Rottweilersare prized as guard dogs and statussymbols, but most people donʼt knowhow to handle them.”

The price tags on these dogs canborder on the absurd. While ever-popular Labradors can go for anythingaround Rs.10,000, the more exoticbreeds such as Chihuahua can go foranything between Rs. 50,000 to evenRs. 70,000. Some breeders also claimto have imported highly pedigreedMastiffs and Danes for exorbitant ratesrunning into lakhs.

Dear but disposableHowever, it seems that a lengthypedigree and a five-figured price tag do

not guarantee a life time of rubber toysand dog biscuits for these canines.Local animal shelters in Delhi arereceiving a large number of abandonedpedigreed pet dogs on a daily basis,many of whom are found wandering thestreets starved, diseased andtraumatized. Most of them die painfuldeaths from disease, starvation or roadaccidents. They are attacked byterritorial street dogs and suffer grievousinjuries. Only a lucky few get picked upby animal welfare organizations, likePeople for Animals, Cure and CareAnimal Help Foundation, Friendicoesand Red Paws Rescue which then try tore-home them.

A lucrative job offer in another cityor abroad, or the addition of a baby tothe family provide sufficient pretext forturning a dog out onto the streets.Sometimes pet owners do not have thepatience to get their dogs treated whenthey fall ill or get injured. Maxi, ahandsome two-year-old Beagle, wasbrought to a vet with maggot infestationin his ear and mouth. After being told ofthe treatment required, the ownersimply left Maxi on the street near theclinic and walked away.

Old dogs are the most prone to beabandoned. In a heart-rending case,Tabasco, a 14-year-old Daschund, was

5« January 2013 » echo

Feature

Pedigree paradoxAn excess of money and dearth of compassion often leads to pedigreed pets being abandoned

By Shreya Bhat, New Delhi

Tara, a black Labrador, was abandoned because she grew too big for her owners’ flat

Maxi, a Beagle, was abandoned by his owner at a shelter with maggot-infested wounds

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sent to the shelter of Cure and Care with a driver, withinstructions that he should be euthanized. The ownerʼsreasons were that the dogʼs sight was failing, and it was toomuch trouble to care for him. Tabasco was fortunately lateradopted by a family who were prepared to see him through hiswaning years.

Amin Khan, an animal rights activist, describes a casehe was involved in where a Daschund was found left starvedand weak in the compound of a house a couple of weeks afterhis owners had moved away. “Certain people who arefrequently transferred from city to city, keep a dog in one andthen leave it behind, only to buy another dog in the next city,”he says. This practice of buying expensive dogs on a whimand later discarding them or replacing them – in the way onewould upgrade oneʼs car, computer or music system – pointsto the treatment of pets in purely materialistic terms and theabsence of an attitude of genuine care.

Ill-considered decisionsMany prospective pet owners are clueless about theresponsibility that comes with keeping a pet. There are severalcases of people approaching animal shelters, voluntarily giving

up their pets for adoption because they can no longer providethe proper care for the dog.

Several breeds of dogs have specific dietary andexercise needs, and are of delicate constitution, unlike their sturdy ʻindieʼ counterparts. “It has become a socialrequirement for a big house to have a big dog as either a guarddog or as a fancy item to show off to oneʼs friends,” says Dr. Nauriyal. Some people go as far as to buy dogs like the Siberian Husky and St Bernard which are not suited to thehot dry weather of Delhi. Many dog owners have these bigdogs of large breeds, and these dogs are not given theexercise they need.

This can badly affect their gait and their psychologicaldevelopment, and they turn into aggressive and hyperactivedogs. A sad consequence of such ill-treatment and neglect isthat when such dogs that have turned vicious end up atshelters, they sometimes have to be euthanized. This is not afact animal welfare NGOs like to openly acknowledge.

The problem with breedingTo meet the high demand for specific breeds, unscrupulousbreeders often breed the same pair over and over again. Suchunregulated breeding not only affects the health of the female,but also that of the puppies. Inbreeding between closelyrelated dogs and bitches produces puppies that are prone togenetic defects and psychological disorders.

Some activists claim that vets and breeders work hand inhand to reap profits from this thriving business of dogbreeding. There is an increasing trend of unlicensed ̒ backyardbreedingʼ wherein inexperienced and uninformed individuals,sensing a lucrative business opportunity, simply buy a pair ofdogs and breed them. There are reports of vets whoindiscriminately issue certificates of health and details ofpedigree and vaccinations for the dogs. This is howunregulated breeding practices fuel the entire phenomenon ofpet abandonment.

Scars of abandonmentThe ailments and injuries these dogs suffer during their ordealon the street fade with time. But the psychological effects ofabuse and abandonment can be far more lasting. Danny, a 3-year-old Golden Retriever and a resident at the Cure andCare shelter for the last eight months, has been depressedever since he was rescued. He does not socialize with other dogs, and gets aggressive when approached by visitorsto the shelter.

Doll, a Terrier who was rescued last year, had apparentlybeen so badly treated by her owner, that she would attack anyman who tried to approach her. Three attempts at getting heradopted failed when she attacked the male members of thefamilies she was sent to.

Cases of failed adoptions like these are rare. But Dr.Nauriyal vouches for the success of the adoption of adult dogs.“It is a misconception that adult dogs that have beenabandoned cannot successfully adjust to a new home. Theyjust need to be treated with patience,” she says.

It is the responsibility of vets, breeders, and pet shopowners to properly inform prospective pet owners about petcare and the pros and cons of keeping a dog of a specificbreed. “Education and consciousness are the most importantfactors that could prevent more such cases of abandonment ofpets,” says Dr. Nauriyal.

Better regulation of breeding too is required to ensurethat the dogs are in good health and are of good stock.Customers in turn need to be sure about their reasons forkeeping a dog, and must consider whether they have thespace and resources to care for the dog. After all, a dogʼswhole world revolves around itʼs owner, and if abandoned, itfeels bereft.

In times where consumerism is king, it is surprising that such pedigreed dogs are not being meted out bettertreatment. Such cases of apathy and abandonment point to a fundamental lack of compassion and to the extraordinaryprevalence of materialistic tendencies in our personalrelationships and attitudes.

As imported cars trundle on the streets of Delhi, andmalls fill with eager shoppers in pursuit of the best brands andbargains, these stories of dogs now out of fashion should notget lost in the cacophony of the Capital. ■

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Feature

Doll, a pedigreed Terrier, spent her last year in a shelter

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Traditions of collective, commu -nity- led conservation of lakes,ponds and wetlands are

increasingly under threat from rapiddevelopment and from narrow concernsof commercial gains. Urban waste addsto the agony of the remaining few while those responsible for action sitcomfortably ignorant of nearingdisasters.

For a dry region like Rajasthan,water bodies act as a reservoir thatmeet ecological and human needs.Barkheda lake, for instance receivesonly 500-600 mm of rainfall every year.The lake spreads across a massive 25sq km during the monsoons. Post-monsoon, water levels in the lakerecede, with most water percolating intothe groundwater table or evaporating.

Agriculture, especially cash crops,thrives in close proximity to thisimportant water source. According tothe rules of peta kasht, a long-standingtradition codified in local law, thefarmers of the area have rights toplough the dried up lake bed. However,in an abuse of tradition, local farmersnow artificially pump out the water from

the lake to make more lake-bedavailable for growing cash crops.

Mr. Harsh Vardhan, a well-knownorinthologist known for his activism forthe restoring action of Bharatpurwetlands and Jaipurʼs Mansagar lake(see next page), sees little hope inprotecting the regionʼs many lakes. Hesays no government or local body isready to stop this malpractice. Even theNational Lake Conservation Authorityhasnʼt shown any interest, he said. Inhis opinion, if this continues, Barkhedalake will disappear in five to sevenyears.

Incessant urbanisation has hadimmense impacts on the health of theselakes. The Chandlai lake suffers frommassive sedimentation, so much that anisland of silt has formed amidst this lake.Normally affecting river beds, siltation ismost uncommon in lakes. But constantdischarge of untreated waste fromJaipur has resulted in the occurrence ofthis unwanted process. The alkalinity ofwater in this lake has increased to alevel significant enough to affect thenatural growth of flora around the lake contours.

This has affected the ecologicalbalance of the region with a decrease inthe population of resident and migratorybirds as the most prominent conse -quence. As a result, micro organismcolonies have thrived in the lake sincethere are fewer birds to feed on theseunwanted species.

Vardhan suggests some reformsfor better management of the sewagethat enters the lake. Firstly, dredging ofthe lake bed to scour out the sludge andsolid waste is necessary followed by thecreation of artificial islands with moundplantations of important tree speciesthat attract birds. The trees should haveartificial silt mounds around their trunksto prevent their contact with alkalinewater. This would boost the growth andlifespan of these important bird habitats,and restore the lost ecological balance.

But Harsh Vardhan alleges that inspite of continuous activism forconservation, the government is unwillingto take any action. “The government isnow more interested in politicalcampaigns. Let the lake vanish in fiveyears, let us all suffer. Then the authoritieswill take action”, he said. ■

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Report

Constrained by concreteLakes in and around Jaipur face the squeeze from a burgeoning city and its needs

By Apoorva Bhatia, Jaipur

Jaipur’s booming suburbs have started to encorach upon the Chandlai lake, once a haven for migratory wildfowl

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The very heart of Jaipur lies in its history. Although thereis plenty of evidence of thoughtful architecture, onemonument still stands out – the Jal Mahal, also

called the Jewel of Jaipur, which sits in the middle of theMansagar Lake.

The Mansagar lake may now fascinate the beholder, butit has seen the most terrible times in the recent past. Fordecades, it has received the cityʼs sewage channeled throughthe Brahmpuri and Nagatalai Nallahs. By 2000, the lake lookedlike an excavated ground used as a dumping site for the cityʼswastes. The natural water had dried up completely and all thatremained was a stench as a result of years of sedimentationof the untreated wastes. With no sign of water or life, the lakeceased to exist by 2005.

Since the 1990s, the government made many efforts torestore the lost lake, but all ended in vain. In 2002, thegovernment floated the proposal to rope in private players todevelop the lake through a PPP (public private partnership)mode. This attracted several private hoteliers, but all backedout when they discovered the high investments needed tobring the lake to life. Finally, Jal Mahal Resorts Pvt Ltd(JMRPL) entered into a partnership with the government andtook much awaited revival measures.

The two nallahs were bypassed to prevent untreatedsewerage from flowing directly into the lake. This sewage is nowchanneled downstream, treated partially and used for irrigation.Only stormwater now enters the lake. But as stormwater is

inevitably contaminated with the sewage from coloniesunconnected to the cityʼs sewage network, the project set up anin-situ settling basin with sedimentation tanks to reducesuspended solids. Only the overflow from the sedimentationtank is allowed to enter the lake.

New species of aquatic vegetation were introduced fromthe Bharatpur wetlands. Eight earthen islands were createdusing the dredged silt, and planted with vegetation to serve ashabitats for resident and migratory bird species.

The results have been impressive, with project reportsshowing a dramatic decrease in both the biological oxygendemand and chemical oxygen demand (BOD and COD) to 11-21 and 65-90 respectively.

The deal with JMRPL involved the transfer of 100 acresland to the company on a 99-year lease, for which thecompany pays Rs. 3 crore each month. The floor spaceindex, or the propotion of total built up area has been kept toa low 0.13, to prevent the area from becoming a concretejungle.

However, today, after JMRPL invested heavily to restorethe palace, the privatization of the restoration project has beenchallenged in the courts.

Allegations have been made of the promoters fixing thetendering process to win the bids. Promoters on their partinsist that they won the project bids fairly, and that they havealready spent upwards of Rs, 50 crore in restoring the lake andthe palace.

The walls are adorned with miniature inspired frescoes.The terrace gardens, Chameli Bagh, has been restored in thestyle of the classic char bagh mughal style, with water waysand marble fountainery lit up from beneath by the latest LED lighting.

However, the legal wrangles have put a stop to allconstruction activities on the leased land. The site is open tovisits by special invitation only. ■Chameli Bagh, the roofttop garden at the restored lake palace

8 echo « January 2013 »

Report

Custom-built boats to ferry tourists to the Jal Mahal

Lake, palace, restoredJaipur’s Jal Mahal is restored to magnificencethrough prudent use of the city’s wastewater

By Apoorva Bhatia, Jaipur

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Elderly men in dhotis and pagdisare seated on a durrie in the dimwinter sunlight. One by one, they

step up to the centre of the group andspeak. The meeting of the ArvariSansad (parliament of the river Arvari)is taking place at the premises of TarunBharat Sangh (TBS), an NGO workingtowards rural development through the restoration of local ecology.Rajendra Singh, who heads theorganisation, sits in a corner and listens quietly.

Arvari Sansad beginnings The Arvari Sansad is a unique regulatorybody comprising represen tatives from 72villages in and around the district of Alwarin Rajasthan that have a stake in the riverArvari. In the 1980ʼs, the area witnesseda severe drought that almost dried up theriver Arvari. In 1987, local communities inassociation with TBS started to constructrainwater harvesting structures in anattempt to address the problem. Theyused traditional engineering techniquesof water management involving theconstruction of johads or small earthendams to collect and store rainwater. By1996, the nearly dead Arvari hadbeen transformed into a thrivingriver, its deep pools stocked withfish.

When the government triedto auction fishing rights to outsidecontractors, locals objectedvehemently. A public hearing in1998, which attracted much mediaattention, led to the establishmentof the Arvari Sansad.

Kanhaiya Lal Gujjar,secretary of TBS says, “Peopleworked hard to give life to the deadriver, the dry, grey forests and anew life to themselves. But then asecond party intervened. Peoplemade the dams, they stored thewater, they did everything toconserve nature. But when thegovernment came to claim thebenefits, we decided to form ArvariSansad.”

By 1999, the Arvari Sansad hadformulated its own rules to conserveand manage water and other naturalresources (see box, below). TheSansad today consists of 250members drawn from 72 villages in theArvari basin, who meet twice a year, inaddition to convening emergencyhearings. A Coordination Committeeobserves the functioning in the villages.

The Arvari Sansad has helpedrevive six other rivers in Rajasthan, andhas inspired other peoplesʼ campaigns,including the national water awareness

campaign, save the rivers campaign,Tarun Jal Vidyapeeth (water university),and the Rashtriya Jal Biradari (waterbrotherhood), among others.

The 29th sessionThe 29th session of Arvari Sansad washeld on December 28 at the premises ofTarun Bharat Sangh in villageBhikampura, about 80 kms from Alwar.Representatives from 72 villages thathave a stake in the Arvari river attendedthe meeting.■ Sansad members reported how

certain farmers in the Arvari basinwere over drawing water, such asover aterig their wheat crops. Theyagreed that greater control andmonitoring of their water supplywas required. ■ Some members reported theincidence of logging and illegalmining in areas around the Arvari river, which could potentially affect water quality. TheSansad agreed to encouragevillagers not to cut down trees inthe area.■ Some pointed the silt load goingup in the Arvari caused by thebreaching of the Government-builtdam at Hamirpur after the firstrains this year. members decidedto petition the government to carryout the desilting of the Arvari, andto ensure proper reconstruction ofthe dam. ■

9« January 2013 » echo

Report

A river runs because of them Members of the Arvari ‘Parliament’ enact rules to restore a river

By Bhavana Gurung

The 29th session of the Arvari Sansad in session in Bhikampura, Alwar

Rules of the Arvari Sansad

• The Arvari basin shall not have sugarcane, paddy & chilly.People growing these will be penalized.

• No one shall draw water from the river from Holi (March toApril) up to the monsoon (July).

• Bore wells are not to be allowed in the Arvari catchments.• The recommended crops are barley, makka, bajra in the upper

reaches and vegetables in the lower reaches of the river.• No axe can be carried to Bhairodev people's sanctuary,

which is the catchment of the source of Arvari River.• Fishing in the Arvari can be done only for food.• Large-scale trade of food grains and vegetables is banned.

Local production and consumption are to be emphasized.• Village people are to help people from other areas for

implementing water harvesting structures.• Cattle outside the region are not permitted for grazing.• Rotational grazing is to be followed by farmers in their own

pasturelands.• Industrial units are prohibited within 450 sq km of the

Arvari basin.

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10 echo « January 2013 »

These are the words of Kanhaiya Lal, spokesperson ofTarun Bharat Sangh (TBS), to the query whether theyare allowed by government to build johads, or small

earthen check dams, on government owned forest lands. The answer reflected the strong sense of belongingness

and ownership that the villagers harbor for their commonproperty resources which legally belong to the government.And this can be understood through a short history.

New lease of lifeMany villages in Alwar district in Rajasthan witnessed massive outmigration in the 1980ʼs, following poor rainfall, thesubsequent decline in livestock, and due to poor agriculturalyields and drinking water shortages.

These villages were revived by the grassroots efforts ofTBS working closely with villagers by building rainwaterharvesting structures.

Sanwatsar village in Alwar, Rajasthan also adopted thistraditional system of water harvesting. In this village of 100families, a total of Rs 1.5 Lakh was collected while TBScontributed another Rs 4.5 Lakh. Families unable to contribute incash, did so by offering their labor. which was calculated as beingequivalent to digging 1500 sq ft of land per head.

Together, the local community could dam and treat theirwatershed in a year. Within a month of first monsoon showers, theBawari stream that had dried up for years was revived. A walkthrough the watershed, from the uppermost structure to the valleyfloor clearly conveys the changed picture.

The sheer ingenuity of rural engineering is obvious. Aftercareful planning, a series of bunds are constructed. Thecatchment-wide treatment method follows a ʻridge to valleyʼapproach. The Parwala bandh (largest of the earthen dams) isthe first built upstream. It is designed to allow excess water toflow out to prevent it from breaking. Next in the series is ajohad, a smaller earthen check dam. About 400 metresdownstream is an anicut, a smaller concrete check dam.

Here, the benefits of the catchment treatment areobvious – water seeps out from the ground, a veritable wetlandset amidst the dry surrounding landscape.

How effectiveVillages which have strived to catch the rain where it falls bymaking johads have seen revival of dead streams, regenerationof biomass and significant rise in agricultural productivity.

The johads have directly helped solve the water crisis,says Kanhaiya Lal. “The construction of dams recharged alarge number of wells which were dried for last many years” hesaid. According to Rajendra Singh, popularly called theWaterman of India, the forests have increased by around 30per cent because of the increase in the water table in the area.

Johads, literally meaning a structure that joins two hills,also acted as social connectors between the villagers whowork together in its construction, maintenance and usage.

Traditional caste divides are overlooked when it comes towater, which these villages have now in surplus after greatefforts, confirms Tara Singh (ex- revenue officer) fromBhikampura. “Due to round the year availability of water,incomes from animal husbandry also increased manifold,” headds. In many villages, the real annual income from animalhusbandry per family rose by three times more.

The johad experience has been transforming to theextent that villagers now question the effectiveness ofgovernment initiative to build a small dam in Hamirpurvillage. One made in 2003, worth Rs. 2 crore, broke just afterthe first rains and heavy runoff. While the johad, as RodaramGujjar boasted, made by villagers with only Rs. 2 lakhsurvived. The dam is being rebuilt again from December 25,2012 onwards.

The villages of Alwar district are now transformed. Withthe availability of water every aspect of society is in the grip ofvillagers. Once dry villages are now seen with the plenty oftrees. People are harvesting more than they used to harvestbefore. For this they have not done big things neither did theyresort to modern technologies or huge investment. They onlyused their traditional knowledge and skills which were inpractice since time immemorial.

Rajendra Singh of TBS says “Land, water, forests arebeing destroyed. So we need to act on our own and not waitfor government to act.” ■

Fringebenefits“Gaon ke logon ki jamin hai,kanoon mein likhne se farak nahinparta. Log vo karenge jo gaon kofayada de” (Irrespective of its legal status, this land belongs tovillagers. People will do whatbenefits the village)

By Tariq Mureed The entire watershed around Sanwatsar was treated and tapped for rainwater

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Report

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11« January 2013 » echo

Wildlife has returned to these once barren lands

This Baoli, or traditional step well, has been revived

1. Parwala Bandh made by the villagers

2. The Johad (downstream), vegetated

3. The Anicut, which today stores water year-around

DiagramWater water everywhere By Shalu Agarwal & Showvik Das Tamal

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NO MAN’S LAND

The idea of wilderness or wild, uninhabited area left in its pristinecondition, as conceived by colonial rulers, was instrumental inshaping the forest laws of India. Beginning with the Forest Act

of 1927 till its amendment of 1980, the pursuit of pristine forestsprovoked the forced evictions and harassment of traditional forestdwelling communities over the years.

Indian forests, however, have never been unpopulated tracts ofwilderness. Between the preservationists and those favoringcohabitation, ‘People versus Parks’ have become a contentious pointof debate. Under Project Tiger, the conception of core area as aninviolate space further heightened this tension. As a watershed, in2006, the Forest Rights Act recognized the traditional rights of forestdwellers, but it still awaits implementation. It was furthercircumscribed by the Critical Wildlife Habitat notification of 2007.

Although the Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) Act of 1893applicable for protected or reserved forests is iniquitous, the R&Rpackage for tiger reserves inhabitants based on recommendations ofTiger Task Force (TTF) seemed to be well framed. But an insight intothe lives of villagers relocated out of the Sariska Tiger Reserve raisesquestions about the TTF recommendations as well as theirimplementation.

Can Delhi frame a single policy for habitats which areecologically, geographically and socially so varied? Or should it?

Can state define and maintain the limits of wildlife range which areinterregional and vary with time? If not, then even with inviolatespaces man-animal conflicts will continue to arise. Is it then ourfailing that we still have not been able to conceive a conservationpolicy which ensures harmonious coexistence?

The issues that arise in relation to conservation-induceddisplace ment of villages in Sariska indicate problems in theimplementation of the R&R Act and the guidelines laid down by theNational Tiger Conservation Authority. These problems and variousother queries arise when one examines the ground realities. Theanswers are not obvious. But what is obvious is that a proactive roleon part of policy makers and forest department, cooperation betweencentre and state, and involvement of communities in wildlife as wellas habitat management is an immediate imperative.

The following articles examine the various issues concerningSariska Tiger Reserve, its people, and the magnificent animal at thecentre of it all – the tiger.

As part of cover story, the following three stories try to uncoverthe layers off the conservation debate.

● Broken Promises by Azam Khan and Krishna Kumar Saha● Point Counterpoint by Shalu Agrawal● Counterpoint by Shalu Agrawal

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NO MAN’S LAND

The idea of wilderness or wild, uninhabited area left in its pristinecondition, as conceived by colonial rulers, was instrumental inshaping the forest laws of India. Beginning with the Forest Act

of 1927 till its amendment of 1980, the pursuit of pristine forestsprovoked the forced evictions and harassment of traditional forestdwelling communities over the years.

Indian forests, however, have never been unpopulated tracts ofwilderness. Between the preservationists and those favoringcohabitation, ‘People versus Parks’ have become a contentious pointof debate. Under Project Tiger, the conception of core area as aninviolate space further heightened this tension. As a watershed, in2006, the Forest Rights Act recognized the traditional rights of forestdwellers, but it still awaits implementation. It was furthercircumscribed by the Critical Wildlife Habitat notification of 2007.

Although the Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) Act of 1893applicable for protected or reserved forests is iniquitous, the R&Rpackage for tiger reserves inhabitants based on recommendations ofTiger Task Force (TTF) seemed to be well framed. But an insight intothe lives of villagers relocated out of the Sariska Tiger Reserve raisesquestions about the TTF recommendations as well as theirimplementation.

Can Delhi frame a single policy for habitats which areecologically, geographically and socially so varied? Or should it?

Can state define and maintain the limits of wildlife range which areinterregional and vary with time? If not, then even with inviolatespaces man-animal conflicts will continue to arise. Is it then ourfailing that we still have not been able to conceive a conservationpolicy which ensures harmonious coexistence?

The issues that arise in relation to conservation-induceddisplace ment of villages in Sariska indicate problems in theimplementation of the R&R Act and the guidelines laid down by theNational Tiger Conservation Authority. These problems and variousother queries arise when one examines the ground realities. Theanswers are not obvious. But what is obvious is that a proactive roleon part of policy makers and forest department, cooperation betweencentre and state, and involvement of communities in wildlife as wellas habitat management is an immediate imperative.

The following articles examine the various issues concerningSariska Tiger Reserve, its people, and the magnificent animal at thecentre of it all – the tiger.

As part of cover story, the following three stories try to uncoverthe layers off the conservation debate.

● Broken Promises by Azam Khan and Krishna Kumar Saha● Point Counterpoint by Shalu Agrawal● Counterpoint by Shalu Agrawal

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Broken promisesOne year after their relocation to outside the Sariska tiger reserve,

residents of Devri and Umri still wait for compensation and a little hopeBy Azam Khan and Krishna K Saha

Sariska Tiger Reserve has been in the news for all thewrong reasons in the recent past. The complete loss oftigers from the reserve, the reintroduction program that

followed, and the program of village relocation that is in progresshave all been very controversial.

“People are more worried about spotting the tiger thanwhat we are going through here,” says an elderly resident ofMojpur Roondh village, of Alwar district in Rajasthan.Three years ago Sultan Gujjar, 60, moved bag and baggagefrom Umri to Mojpur Roondh, hoping for a better future. And now,he curses and regrets his decision.

The move was part of the Forest Departmentʼs plan torelocate villages out of Sariska Tiger Reserve in an effort toprotect the remaining tigers in Sariska. More than 350 peoplefrom 82 families in Umri, a village in the core area of Sariska tigerreserve, were moved to a new location a few years ago.

According to government officials, there are 11 morevillages in the tiger reserve that have to be relocated to ensure the habitat is protected. However, in the process ofrelocation, there have been numerous altercations betweenthe villagers and the government officials over promisedcompensation and land ownership. These issues still remain unresolved.

Forest officials are busy painting a rosy picture insistingthat more people are ready to move. The recently relocatedresidents of Devri and Umri were quite happy with the

resettlement but now a year later, they claim they are getting lessthan what they were promised.

In his interview, Raghuveer Singh Shekhawat, the FieldDirector of Sariska, said that there were problems in thebeginning but people are gradually moving out. “Initially at least,some families wanted more time. A little bit of persuasion froma visiting Forest Minister Bina Kak and the fact that the mustardcrops they have planted in their newly allocated land are ripening, made them go — rather happily, I would say,” he added.

Almost three years after the first village Umri was re-located from the Sariska Tiger Reserve, a second village, Devri,was moved in February 2012. The population of about 250Gujjars (84 families) and twice that number of cattle havemoved to Mojpur Roondh. According to the Chief Conservatorof Forests (Wildlife), Rajasthan, this has made available nearly50 sq km of land for wildlife of the reserve.

Much has been said, argued and debated about whetherrelocation of villagers out of Sariska Tiger Reserve is necessaryat all. There are also several issues related to the mode ofcompensation and its distribution.

Though forest officials insisted many a time duringinterviews that people are moving out voluntarily and are beingcompensated well, the people whose lives have been affectedpaint a completely different picture. “We were promisededucation for our kids, medical care for our people, and most

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importantly, ownership of our land,” explains Gujjar, sitting in thecourtyard of his new home. “But the promises made to us, havenot been met.”

Not agriculturalistsThe relocated villagers from Umri are livestock herders, and noware faced with the challenge of learning a new skill set – farming.Facing a vast green patch of agricultural land in front of his home,Gujjar says the land is “useless” to him. “My ancestors werelivestock herders. And we are being forced to learn agriculture,which is like an insult to all those years of honing our skills,” headds dismally.

Before moving to Mojpur Roondh, villagers were promisedland, livestock, and cash worth 1 million rupees. However, thevillagers said they are still waiting for compensation.

“Compensation money is being given to us in installments,”says Ratan Lal Gujjar, another villager. “Also, we havenʼt yet gotfull ownership of the land we are living in.”

Showing what he called a ʻletter of rightsʼ (or AdhikaarPattra) given to relocated villagers by the Divisional ForestOfficer (DFO), Ratan Lal alleges that it is the only letter theyhave. And also, he is not fully aware of its legal value. However,there is one family that refuses to see the relocation in a negativelight. Khushi Ram, 28, moved from Umri to Mojpur around sixmonths ago. With his wife and one-year-old child in tow, he seesthe move as a sign of “progress.”

“We have got more land than we had in our village. I likethe fact that there is a hospital nearby. In our village we used towalk for hours to get access to one,” Ram added.

As for learning agriculture, Ram said he is fine with it, as itwill add “one more skill” to his name.

Disproportionate relocationA few kilometers away from Ramʼs home, is the area where theresidents of Devri village in Sariska are being relocated.Construction of homes is underway and small group of villagerssits and watches near a tea stall.

While relocating has been difficult for most villagers, theresidents of Devri are not pleased that they got less land thanthose of ʻlower caste.ʼ

Moreover, they do not even have the ʻletter of rightsʼ thatthe residents of Umri have received.

Ramesh Kumar Meena, an elderly farmer, was quick toreject any argument for relocation. “We were fooled. Can yousee any home or land worth looking at in this area, forget livingin?” he asks pointing towards the nearby mountains and vastagricultural land. He adds that people of Umri are happy with thecompensation package because they had nothing of their own tobegin with.

Ramesh explains that out of the 28 villages within the limitsof Sariska Tiger Reserve, 3 villages namely Rajorgarh, Devri andIndhok had their own land. The Meena caste, Ramesh claims,owned 2.5 hectare of land each. But after relocating, they havereceived only 1.5 hectare of land as compensation. “We losteven what we had in the bargain…” retorts Ramesh.

Is coexistence possible?The decision to relocate the villages out of Sariska came aboutafter several reported instances of conflict between the villagersand tigers. The recent poisoning of a tiger within the reserve,allegedly carried out by villagers in revenge for the attacks onlivestock, created quite a stir.

Smirking, Ramesh denies any such “allegation” and saidthat they had no problems living with a tiger around. “What theseforest officers refuse to understand is that we have been livingwith wild animals for decades. And there is no conflict per se thatthey (forest officials) are trying to create at present,” he adds.

Those who seem to know the issues on ground, haveinformed others back home to not relocate, Ramesh adds.

"Whatʼs the use? We lost our herds, our ancestral homesand everything that belonged to us. When we conveyed ourgrievances to the Forest Department, one official, said 'sorry, weprobably made a mistakeʼ…” ■

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Report

Mojpur Roondh: Sultan Gujjar’s home

Sultan Gujjar’s Adhikaar Pattra

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Following the revelation thatSariska had lost all its tigers,it was clear that India’s wildlifeconservation strategy hadcollapsed. Shalu Agarwalcaptures the dilemma inseparate conversations withR S Shekhawat, field directorof Sariska Tiger Reserve, andwith Aman Singh, founder ofKRAPAVIS, an environmentalNGO in Alwar

Why the decline in tigers?Citing poaching as major cause,Shekhawat said that the Bawariyacommunity, in tandem with Kalbeliagangs of Haryana, is chiefly responsiblefor the killings of the big cats. Thesetribes form a crucial link in the organizedpoaching sector.

More tigers often impact thelivelihoods of villagers who arepastoralists. “Thirty years back, peoplewere hard working, sincere and happywith only two to three cattle. In the recentpast, families often keep 40-50 buffaloesand cows. So the chances of encounterswith the tiger are high. When forestdwellers lose their cattle, tigers becametheir enemy.” Villagers retliate, forinstance in 2010 when local villagerspoisoned a tiger when it mauled two oftheir buffaloes.

Aman Singh of KRAPAVIShowever, has a seriously divergent view.

He argues that locals cannot be declaredculprits for the declining tiger numbers.For centuries, forest dwelling villagershave coexisted with wildlife. As againstthe claims of the conservationists, forestdwellers consider the presence of tigersauspicious and this belief has existed forcenturies. Many forest dwellers believethat tiger excreta protects their cattlefrom disease. Some believe the prsenceof the tiger keeps unwanted invaders out of the forests. The prey-predatorrelationship keeps the Neelgai andSambhar population under check, whichotherwise are destructive to agriculturalcrops in the buffer zone.

Aman Singh adds that poachingcannot occur without the connivance ofthe forest authorities. It is way too difficultfor poachers to intrude into the forest andkill a tiger, especially when the securityin the core zone is high.

Space for conservationThis is a contentious issue. According toShekhavat, creating inviolate spaces ofa minimum of 400 sq km, together withprotecting the park boundaries,strengthening anti-poaching measurestogether with ʻscientificʼ habitatmanagement to maintain the ecologicalcapacity of forests are the minimum pre-requisites for wildlife conservation.

Shekhavat points out that inSariska, even after an ʻinviolateʼ corearea was declared and breeding tigersbrought into the park in 2004, nobreeding happened as tigresses are self-aborting, and abort their pregnancy if they canʼt perceive conduciveenvironment for raising their young.Inviolate space are therefore aprerequisite, he says. He also said cattlegrazing and indiscriminate use of fuelwood destroys forest habitat.

Singh differs with this assessment.He argues forest dwellers have a directstake in the well being of forests, and thatforest management without communityinvolvement is impossible. In fact, in theabsence of the villagers, the state wouldhave less compunction to divert forestlands for non-forest purposes to reapcommercial rewards. Also, villagers keeppoachers out by reporting on them or bytaking collective action, he points out. He

agrees there have been some instancesof connivance between poachers andforest dwellers, but this is becauseunthinking conservation measures havemade forest dwellers the enemy of thetiger.

Relocation and rehabilitation With the push for creating ʻinviolateʼspaces for the tiger, the debate hasbecome sharper on how to bestcompensate and rehabilitate forestdwellers relocated from the core areas oftiger reserves.

Shekhawat says those who choseland as compensation are the clearwinners as land prices tend to increasemanifold over years. Singh however points out that manyforest dwellers were given forest lands,without pattas to establish ownership,making it impossible for them to beeligible for loans.

He also points to how governmentauthorities have consistently not fulfiledtheir promises of providing schools,roads, electricity and health centres in the resettlement colonies. Those who chose the Rs. 10 lakh cashcompensation instead of land could notpurchase good agricultural land given thehigh land prices.

Besides, says Singh, forestdwellers do not know how to managelarge amounts of cash, and manyfamilies spent their compensation onwasteful expenditures. ■

16 echo « January 2013 »

Debate

Point-counterpoint

R S Shekhawat, field director, Sariska tigerreserve

Aman Singh, founder and chiefcoordinator, KRAPAVIS

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It was a perfect morning for a chase.Fog drifted past our faces. Our hands,though feverishly gripping digital

cameras, were numbed with cold. Wewere at Sariska Tiger Reserve inRajasthan, and we were all keen tocatch a glimpse of that elusive, majesticbig cat – the tiger.

All 19 of us were piled into an open-top canter. Some of us were shivering –partly with cold, and partly withexcitement, and we wrapped our scarvesand shawls closer around us. I had heardmany a tale of a tiger chase from wide-eyed friends and acquaintances, andhad eagerly devoured details of thrillingpursuits. I hoped against hope that Iwould be lucky on my first trip into thewild and get to see a tiger.

We laughed, we chatted and weclicked photographs of nilgai andsambar. We giggled at the sight of podgylittle piglets of wild boar, and whoopedalong with langurs that bounced frombranch to branch, showering us withleaves. We marveled at the sight of treepies and kingfishers, but there was nosign yet of the magnificent beast we hadall hoped to see.

And then, a breakthrough.There were excited whispers

between the drivers of the three touristjeeps. A tiger had been sighted, they said.And we were off! The chase had begun.Jeeps carrying groups of eager touristsscreeched and swerved onto a dirt path

and the whole convoy of four jeepsstarted to race to the place where the tigerhad last been seen. The excitement waspalpable. Finally, what we had all beenwaiting for. Trees and shrubs whizzedpast, and my heart was racing.

On several occasions, the jeepswould stop and the forest guard wouldshush us, listening for chital alarm calls.Silence and we would be on the moveagain. This happened a few times, and

my excitement began to wane. At onepoint, we found what looked like freshtiger pug marks, and tourists that hadjust passed that spot a few minutesbefore we got there said that they hadspotted the tiger crossing the pathahead of their jeep. And the chase wason again. I couldnʼt help but wonder –were we really following a tiger at all inthe first place?

A researcher with a GPS trackerappeared in a jeep, and tried to

ascertain where the tiger was headed.During the weary hours that followed,we often heard the alarm calls of thevarious deer, but in spite of ourtechnological assistance, we saw notiger. All throughout, the driver of ourjeep kept assuring us that we were hoton its trail, and we should remain silentif we wanted to spot it.

Finally after several ʻnear missesʼand ʻnearly theresʼ, we gave up andreturned to the gate of the reserve. Thetiger, it seemed had played a prank on us,and had led us on a wild goose chase.

I was not annoyed, but I was mostdefinitely skeptical. Were we really on thetrail of a tiger, or was it all an elaboratehoax? Did the forest guards and driversall fake the pug marks and manipulate usgullible tourists into believing we had justmissed an encounter with the big cat?Nevertheless, believe we did. And hopewe did.

Most of us who were in the canterare possibly more interested in thescandalous private life of Tiger Woodsthan the decline in the number of tigersin our country and the threats ournatural resources are facing. But thisexperience of chasing stripes, I think,made us all realize how important it is tobelieve in change. To have faith that nomatter what tragic extinctions andcatastrophic events may await us in thefuture, there are no limits to humancapability. All we need is a commonvision, and the collective will.

Maybe next time, Iʼll catch a tigerby its tail. ■

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Comment

How I very nearly caught aglimpse of the big cat

By Sumeet Sharma

Chasingstripes

A camera trap

The ‘beep beep’ of the GPS tracker

Sariska: People excited by what the guides called ‘alarm calls’ by a Cheetal

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18 echo « January 2013 »

Report

Oran PuranCommunity-managed sacred groves, vital biodiversity reserves, face extinction

By Adnan Faisal and Showvik Das Tamal

Chursiddhi Oran, Alwar

Awalk through the mustard fields ofthe village Pagdandi, and onefinds oneself in a lush green

grove. The air is laden withe aroma ofwet soil, and trees of khair, ber, ket anddate flourish. One cannot believe thatwhile a stream runs through the grove,there are parts of Rajasthan adjacent tothis very spot where there is very littlerain and no water. This forest if one of the25,000 Orans or ʻDev vanʼ in Rajasthan.

Sacred community forestsThe Chursiddhi Oran, one of the manyOrans in Siliser Cheend, nearBakhatpura village of Alwar acts as amicro bio-diversity reserve and is acommunity managed ecosystem. Theselocal forests vary in size from a hundedto five hundred bighas, and usuallycontain a source of water. Each Oran isassociated with a deity, hence the nameʻdev vanʼ or abode of God. Thesecommunity managed groves epitomise

a centuries old tradition of forest andwater conservation.

Nanak Ram Gujjar (72) ofBhakhatpura describes a sevenmember elected committee, traditionallyknown as Thain, that makes rules andregulations to regulate the managementand use of natural resources from the

Oran. It is mandatory for all villagers tofollow collective decisions.

A Saint (Mahatma), usually fromanother village, is entrusted with the

responsibility of guarding and preservingthe Oran, and enforcing the rules laiddown by the Thain. His primary dutyhowever is to take care of the shrine ofthe deity of that particular Oran.

Orans have a series of waterharvesting structures made by thecommunity. An upstream dam of looseboulders, some earthen johads orbunds, and finally a masonry check damare used to obstruct the rapid runoffafter rainfall. As the area is usually drysloping land prone to soil erosion, thesebunds and check dams also helpprevent soil loss. In turn, the increasedpercolation allows the recharge of thewater table, and provides surface waterwhich is used for agriculture or livestockneeds. The ample soil moistureencourages plant growth and providessubsistence for fauna, and livelihoodneeds of the local livestock dependentcommunities.

Orans are a source of fodder, fuel,

The traditional practice ofconserving Orans is indanger as many Orans

have degraded, shrunk,dried up or been diverted

for non forest uses

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19« January 2013 » echo

timber, berries, roots and medicinalherbs. Grazing of livestock is done inturns and in certain seasons, and minorforest produce can be collected onlywith permission and not for commercialpurposes.

Shrinking heritageHowever, it is unfortunate that theseDev vans are facing a threat. Thetraditional practice of conserving Oransis in danger as many Orans havedegraded, shrunk, dried up or beendiverted for non forest uses. TheChursiddhi Oran is one of the fewrevived by collective efforts ofcommunity and with help fromKRAPAVIS (Krishi Avam Paristhitiki

Vikas Sangathan), an NGO led byAman Singh.

Singh explains that legally Oranswere once categorized as cultivablewasteland. Since the 1950ʼs these weredivided into protected forest land and

revenue land. Now, Orans are classifiedas being revenue land and communitieshave no ownership over them. Now,this land is often diverted by thegovernment for mining or other non-forest purposes without consulting thecommunities dependent on thesegroves, rendering them devoid ofaccess to natural resources andpushing towards further marginalization.

Silver liningThe Rajasthan Forest Policy, 2010 for the first time included a section on Orans. It recognizes Orans ascommunity managed systems whichwould be provided necessary legal andfinancial support. It also envisages the

preparation of a district-wise databaseand inventory of Orans. So effectively,communities have now acquired abargaining power and a voice to preventany future diversion of these sacredgroves in arbitrary manner.

However, the ownership comple -xities have not been addressed and theland continues to be governmentowned. Further, the policy allowsformation of a committee consisting oflocal members or temple trustees formanaging the Orans. This wouldinstitutionalize the committee as a bodyparallel to Panchayati Raj Institutions orPRIs which can give rise to conflicts. Atthe moment, Panchayat agrees todecisions of the committee in mattersof Oran. This is also because of the factthat Thain also have representativesfrom Panchayats.

The committee mentioned is notmandated to be elected and thereforeruns the risk of domination by sociallydominating castes. In Chursiddhji Oranmanaged by two major castes Meenaand Gujjar, conflicts have recentlyarisen. Notwithstanding these concerns,the Rajasthan Forest Policy has gives.Further legislation and regulations tofacilitate independent and fearlessmanagement of Orans are required.Orans are sacred and integral to theway of life of these communities. Their significance can only beunderstood by witnessing the landscapeitself, and the close relationship itscommunities have with it. ■

Legally Orans were once categorized as cultivablewasteland. Since the 1950’s these were divided intoprotected forest land and revenue land. Now, Orans

are classified as being revenue land and communities have no ownership over them

Mahatma’s temple, Alwar

Report

Gosainkunda lake of Nepal is a fineexample of 360 degree colla -boration of people and institutionsfor lake and biodiversity conser -vation, driven by the norms ofreligion, culture and socio-economic imperatives. Governmentof Nepal, district developmentcommittee and community based‘Gosainkunda Area DevelopmentCommittee’ work together through‘Tourism for the rural povertyAlleviation Programme’ (TRPAP).Eco clubs in school, womenassociations manufacturing handi -crafts and campaigns by LamaGurus further ensure thatconservation itself becomes a normrather than a need.

— Subash Acharya

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Sitting amidst friends and colleagues early on a Sundaymorning, Phulkeriya Minz is busy making arrangementsfor the day. A domestic workersʼ meeting is expected to

start any minute now.Chota Nagpur Working Women Association (CNWWA),

located in West Kidwayi Nagar, has been a placement agencyfor domestic workers in Delhi since 1982. This weekly meetingis a chance for the domestic workers to talk. Mostly, they talkabout the problems they face and the treatment meted out tothem by their employers.

“Think of it as a way of venting,” explains Minz. Most ofthese workers hail from Jharkhand. This is the only placewhere workers are allowed to fearlessly speak their mind.Their conversations and complaints get documented, she adds.

With the death of the victim of the Delhi gang rapeincident recently, the debate at the association has shiftedmore towards ensuring the physical safety of domesticworkers. Even though a recent inclusion of domestic workersin a long awaited Sexual Harassment Bill was lauded in August2012, many workers at CNWWA think it has nothing to do withthem.

“Who cares for us exactly?” asked a middle agedwoman, introducing herself as Shanti, (last name not given).

“What can a piece of paper guarantee? I know for a fact that Ihave to take care of myself; no law can do that for me.”Shantiʼs opinion is shared by most of her colleagues, who nodin agreement. They mention a host of other abuses that arenot reported at all.

Just last week Minz went to Gurgaon to meet anemployer of one of the women from CNWWA. The complaintwas that the woman was asked to sleep under a staircase witheven a blanket or a pillow. In another case, a worker reportedthat she was beaten by her employer in Ghaziabad after sheused the common bathroom in the apartment. “You donʼt needa law to make people behave or to feel for the other (sic),”adds Minz angrily, while the chatter in the room fizzles out.

It is to avoid such incidents that CNWWA pre-arrangesthe terms and conditions of employment before placing adomestic worker.

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Domestic discordDomestic discord

“You don’t need a law to make peoplebehave or to feel for the other”

Amidst the brouhaha around the Delhi gang-rape case, concerns are raised whether legislationalone will ensure the safety and rights of domestic workers across the country

By Saher Baloch, New Delhi

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« January 2013 » echo

Minz negotiates every detail, rightfrom salary to the domestic workerʼsmeals and sleeping arrangements. Thisis done in the presence of bothemployer and employee. For instance,the initial salary is fixed at Rs. 6,000 amonth and above. There is a clausespecifying working hours, which is notsupposed to be more than 8, and anadded section about bedding. Inanother clause the employers are askedto give the employee a two hour break every day. Most of these clauses are accepted by the employers,Minz added.

However fiery and forthright thesewomen are in theirspeech, they do not saymuch when it comes tosharing instances ofsexual harassment atthe workplace. Recently,a 13-year-old girl wasrescued from anapartment in Dwarkaafter her employers hadlocked her in and gone on holiday. Thisis just one of the many cases thatexpose the vulnerability of the domesticworkers to abuse and exploitation.

When asked whether or notworkers report sexual or physicalabuse, Minz was quick to clarify, “Look,so far we havenʼt come across suchincidents at all. Thatʼs the only reasonwe donʼt place younger women, onlymature ones.”

This decision came after a recentincident, where one of the youngworkers in Kidwayi Nagar quietly left heremployment without citing the exactreason. One of her friends later reportedthat the girl was molested by heremployerʼs husband. Though placementagencies insist they are in constanttouch with the women they contract outfor employment, it remains unclearwhether they can ensure their safetyfrom within the confines of anemployerʼs home.

Jaya Iyer, a social activist,believes that no amount of legislationcan bring security. However a legalframework is needed and isimportant. “Legislation is not enough.Mindsets and cultures have to bechanged and the perception of privacyor ʻghar ki baatʼ must be breached. Itʼshigh time,” she says.

At the same time, she adds thatefficacy of the law is impossible until adomestic worker reports abuse or poor treatment.

Big exodus to urban areasWith an estimated number of half amillion domestic workers, Delhi hasseen many phases of external andinternal exodus. In the 70ʼs, men fromNepal would come in hordes to the citylooking for menial jobs, mostly asguards and servants. The 80ʼs saw aninflux from West Bengal, Orissa andChattisgarh.

“From the 90ʼs and onwards, there

has been an internal migration goingon,” adds Iyer. Most workers wereflocking in from Central India.

For the past one decade though,with natural disasters like the tsunami in2004, and an overall unrest in sometribal areas, the city has seen an influxof migrants from Jharkhand and otherconnected areas.

With no knowledge of languageand the life in cities, many women cometo Delhi either to look for betteremployment to support their families orto support their own education. Butsomewhere in the middle they fall intothe trap of people on the look out to earna quick buck.

Minzʼs CNWWA is among the2300 placement agencies in the city outof which only 269 are properlyregistered. Most of these agencies areon a tricky platform to redress abuses,thus demonstrating a need for a national policy or guideline for the rightsof workers.

With the ongoing debate ondomestic workers rights, activists likeIyer feel that it might take anotherdecade to properly see the recentlyamended Sexual Harassment Billthrough. The bill initially excludeddomestic workers but after protests

from civil rights activists, the domestic workersʼ rights were includedin mid-2012.

Citing an example, she said that,the Domestic Violence Act was passedin 2005 after being ʻdiscussedʼ for eightto 10 years. “The fact of the matter,”she adds, “is that the administrationhasnʼt got its act together, even asabuse of workers increases. At thesame time the laws canʼt work withoutthe social support of people,” citing theexample of the recent Delhi gang rapeincident, in which people from all walksof life took to the streets in support ofthe victim.

In the meantime,there are a lot of abusestaking place that gounnoticed. Out of thesecases only a select fewcome out in the open,depending on the extentof barbarity.

“It is more aboutsocial interven tion at

every level. It needs to be aboutempowering workerʼs groups, validatingintervention and for people like us to be more sensitive to such incidents,”Jaya adds. ■

“Legislation is not enough. Mindsets and cultures

have to be changed and the perception of privacy ,

or ghar ki baat must be breached. It is high time”

Report

● The Sexual Harassment ofWomen at Waorkplace Bill 2012 defines domestic workeras a woman employed to dohousehold work in anyhousehold for remunerationwhether in cash or through anyagency on temporary, part timeor full time basis but does notinclude any member of thefamily of the employer.

● An earlier version of the draftleft out domestic workersprovision in 2010.

● In 2012, it was unanimouslypassed in the parliament.

● Fine of upto `50,000 will be charged in case of non-compliance of the law.

● Unlike legislation in many othercountries the bill does notprovide protection to men.

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It must be a scam is a thought that usually comes up whensomeone is discussing the work of a not-for-profit organizationor a philanthropist. Ethics are questioned, and it is tempting

for one to be skeptical and even cynical of any positive benefitsthat may result from corporate social initiatives.

It held quite true during a visit to the small village ofNarhet, Rajasthan this December. Jaipur Rugs Foundation(JRF), a not-for-profit organization is working with the women ofthis artisan village, helping them earnby using the skills they inherited fromtheir ancestors.

An obvious benefit of anassociation with JRF was that mostpeople were making good money byworking from home. JRF offers thewomen of the village free training inthe process of weaving rugs, andalso provides them each with a loom,or an informal community unit to workat. It also claims to provide healthcare, education for women andchildren.

Some people who wereunhappy probably, and that is onlymy opinion, prefer a less laboriousway of earning money. That is fine,as long as they make their choice. Because the whole point ofthis exercise is to empower them at the end of the day.

The women were usually the happier bunch and sharedstories of how they can take care of their kids and earn moneywhile sitting at home. A woman named, Mina Devi, 42, wascomfortable with the fact that she doesnʼt need to spend anymore time working in the fields, as weaving and working on ahandloom is what she likes doing the most. Earlier, the cost ofhaving a handloom to work on held her back. Secondly, shementioned how she accompanies her husband to the market, topick and choose what she wants to design, something shewasnʼt allowed to do previously.

Within minutes of speaking to a number of women whowere either very happy to earn money or wanted more, most ofus prepared to see the conflict. ʻWhy they are not questioningthis forced labor?ʼ commented one. ʻThey are probably tooimpressionable to even know the difference,ʼ commentedanother. Without even trying very hard, we compartmentalizeda bunch of people into a herd and thought they should bequestioning the earnings they are making. And why not?Werenʼt they better poor and helpless? The way they aresupposed to look most of the time?

Out of the many people that we met in Narhet in relationto rug making, only two families came up and said they arehaving problems. And the sad part was that everyone focusedon those two stories, out of the many good and positive onesthat we heard. Notes were quickly scribbled down, and the

thought that we have a ʻconflictʼ of interests to report,overshadowed every other positive, rags-to-riches story that wecame across.

A married couple, Sita and Rajesh, spoke about how theystarted off by earning Rs.6,000 with the help of JRF and wenton to earn Rs.20,000 by gradually making their own contacts inthe handloom market. And with more efforts, and meeting moreacquaintances, there is a chance for them to earn more. Vijay

Singh, a middle-aged widower wasquite pleased with working on thehandloom instead of working in thefields, as it paid him more and “madeuse of his actual skills.” At present, he isnot only designing prints in Rajasthan,but his designs also go to other citiesand are sold at a high price.

It must be added though, that oneneeds to question things, but selectivequestioning is of no use. We generallytend to be suspicious of big businesses,particularly those that profess toempower communities, or engage incorporate social responsibility (CSR)exercises. What one needs toremember is that while a business mayhave to keep its eye on the bottom line,

it may well be possible that the occasional philanthropic CEOmay genuinely want to reach out to the masses. We may beskeptical of his motives, but we cannot turn a blind eye to thegood that comes out of such social endeavours. Organizationslike JRF may not be doing enough for communities, I feel, but itis giving a proper leg-up to people who might not have had achance to improve their lives otherwise. To ignore this fact wouldbe a big mistake. ■

22 echo «January 2013»

Opinion

Of rugs and richesBy Taslima Islam

Neelam, 26, is happy to work with her child in her lap

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23« January 2013 » echo

Travelogue

If someone were to ask me for the one thing I remembermost about Rajasthan, I would reply: its opulence.

We were greeted by thick fog at Alwar on our very firstnight. It was a new experience to stay in a dharmshalaand to taste the mouth-watering food of road-sidedhabas in Rajasthan.

The vast array of colours we have seen – in localmarkets, on our plates and in the forest – all reaffirmwhat we have heard of Rajasthan, and reflects thevibrant spirit of the people.

Whether it was the marvelously restored Jal Mahal wepassed while going towards our guest house in Jaipur,

the clear waters of the Arvari River glistening in thewinter sun, the endless yellow fields of mustard, or thelush green forest of Sariska National Park in Alwar –everything looked otherworldly. Rajasthan offers us cityfolk a reminder of the beauty we never get to see in thecity, and memories which we can take home with us.

Long after coming back to New Delhi, the sounds andcolors of Rajasthan continue to haunt me. Rajasthan hasbeen in my travel bucket list for a while, and now I canfinally cross it off.

Text by Razoana Moslam Pictures by Subash Karki

Romancing RajasthanRomancing Rajasthan

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