Saving a drop for future: Rainwater harvesting, Mindset in general should change

        Change, change in every field and it has become the mantra of the day. What about changes in agriculture? 

         Yes, there’s change in agriculture too. There have been many positive changes and achievements in the farming sector for last few decades. And it has consistently been happening with many new objectives of improving agriculture scenario in the state and country.
         All these have catapulted in increasing or improving the farm productivity in the unit area by the farmer and increased the total out put in the state. 

        All these positive changes did succeed in bringing confidence in the face of hardship. But, have any one consciously observed number of negative changes that have also come along with the positive changes?
       What are the negative changes? How these changes had come to the existence? General opinion is the more persuasion for changes would also bring negative changes. 

         In the midst of several positive changes of course, there may be least numbers of negative changes. Then, negative changes although however seems to be in little number, but their affects are profound.
         Their ill affect could last long and may pose totally hazardous affect in whole farming system. It can, if not abetted, result in myriad result and could become the curse of nature. 

         Now out of many such negative changes, take the case of water scarcity in farming sector. Why theirs is water scarcity and drinking water problem? Is it due to changes in climatic condition? May be, but what role did we play to abet the problem. Did we take any steps to check this? 

        There have been several instances of once prominent paddy field becoming fallow due to want of water and moisture. Many water logged fields that maintains rice based ecosystem almost no longer exist. Many lunga lands become fallow and non-productive to paddy and other crops. 

         The reason is water. Water crisis and less moisture in the soil have finally led to land become fallow. Of course, reason of these impacting changes would be many to list as said. However, now the point is water crisis and how to over come the situation?
        The ongoing saga of farming, productive land turning to fallow and non suitable should be the agenda. 

          There are multi various agencies or departments which in fact look after the matter. Hopefully, they would come with desired techniques and solve all these recurrent problems. 

           However, there are many things that we encounter in day to day lives but do not make it helpful upon application of mind. Take the case of rainwater harvesting and its conservation!
        Has anybody could tell the mindset of the people about abundant rainfall? Have anybody thought of its conservation for future endeavor? 

          There may be people to think for it but by and large it is not so by many. We consistently fight for; we hear a lot about drinking water crisis, leave alone your field moisture stress. It is evidently in public domain in every year. 

         There’s drinking water crisis, but, once monsoon sets in, we tend to forget everything. This is the case with farmers too. It would be prudent to blame farmer alone for their ignorance. Even our intellectuals minds fail to realize to foresee the problem and take proactive steps to check this natural loss. 

         The last resort to save the precious resource is by preserving rainwater and checking the run off loss. It is fact that in every year, we receive good amount of rainfall due to prominent south west monsoon and less dominant south east monsoon.
           In India, leaving few states and provinces, almost all states receives good amount of rainfall. 

         It is also fact that most of the rainfall is lost untapped and this lost is serious owing to the state of condition that is prevailing due to water. It would be unjustifiable to ever think of preserving even 10% of total rainfall.
        The lion share of total rainfall is to get released in the atmosphere for hydrological cycle to form and remaining 10% is quite enough in terms of total water that could be stored and used for future endeavor. 

         Let’s think for 10% of the total rainfall for conservation for future utility and farming endeavor. 

         However, this fraction of share of rain water conservation would not be possible if general people and farming communities do not realize the very concept and conceptualize for the future. 

         This 10% of rainwater conservation target should be step by step and phase by phase involving all people either directly or indirectly associated with the concerns for water conservation, and its subsequent utilities. 

                                                 Let us save rain water.

                                                Agritangkol dated 31.08.2012