The villagers depend heavily on a good monsoon to cultivate their crop; the ‘resolution’ passed by them. (Express photo The villagers depend heavily on a good monsoon to cultivate their crop; the ‘resolution’ passed by them. (Express photo

Forty five villages in the drought-prone Mangalvedha taluka of Solapur district have threatened to “join” Karnataka if their demand for inclusion in a government scheme, meant to boost agriculture in rain-fed areas, is not met. The over 1.5 lakh local residents of the taluka, who are struggling with another spell of drought, have also decided against celebrating Diwali this year.

With an annual rainfall of only 600 mm, Mangalvedha has been suffering from acute shortage of water for years. The two main rivers in the area, Bhima and Man, supply just enough water for villages located along the river banks and near the canals. Both Mangalvedha and its neighbouring Pandharpur were hopeful about better water supply from the proposed Ujani irrigation project, which eventually didn’t take off. Their demands for availing water from the Tembu irrigation project, located in neighbouring Sangli district, have fallen on deaf ears.

The state government has failed to provide water to the parched area, said Ankush Padavale, a resident of Khupsangi village in Mangalvedha. “It has been over 60 years since independence, but the daily struggle continues for us,” he said.

Farmers in the taluka mostly cultivate rain-fed crops like jowar and maize, said Padavale, adding, “Dairy is also an important secondary source of income for us”. Padavale and other farmers, who depend on a good monsoon to cultivate their crops and earn a livelihood, have no other recourse in years with insufficient rainfall.

The situation is worse this year as local residents say they are facing the worst drought in the last 50 years. “For us villagers, it’s a question of survival and we don’t see any immediate solution,” said Padavale.

Agriculture in Maharashtra is heavily dependent on monsoon, as only 18 per cent of the state has access to irrigation facilities. In an effort to boost agriculture in rain-dependent areas, the state government has launched a special mission under which selected villages would avail special subsidy for soil treatment, introduction of special drought resilient crop varieties, micro-irrigation schemes, among other benefits.

Residents of Mangalvedha taluka have demanded to be included in the scheme as, they say, drought-like conditions have become an annual reality for them. The state government’s initial reluctance to declare a drought and the regular hardships faced by the local villagers are sufficient reasons to “leave” Maharashtra, they said. A few days ago, residents of Mangalvedha taluka met in Nandeswar and passed an unanimous resolution to that effect.

“We are giving the state government three months to include us in the list, otherwise we will call senior ministers from Karnataka and become part of that state,” said Padavale.

Faced with another bout of crop loss and drought-related hardships, the villagers have also decided not to celebrate Diwali this year as, they say, “there is nothing to cheer for”.

While villagers of Mangalvedha have threatened to join Karnataka, closer home, in Baramati, many villages are grappling with the same issues.

Rajendra Dhavan Patil, a local farmer, said around 60-65 per cent of the taluka was completely rain-fed and had no source of irrigation. “It’s the collective failure of people’s representatives and the administration that they have failed to address this issue,” he said.

Dhavan Patil pointed out that while NCP chief Sharad Pawar, who had served as the Union agriculture minister, had been elected from the area over decades, no steps had been taken to address the issue.

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