A dam nearby, yet no water for village

Vijaysinh Parmar TNN Ditvas Navi Vasahat (Panchmahals): In mid-1970s, they made way so that Kadana dam could be built on river Mahi. But now, despite Kadana dam being only 20 km away, people of Ditvas Navi Vasahat — a village of those displaced due to this dam project — have to wake up at the break of dawn and walk 3 km to Sarsag village just to fetch water. Failing to do so, they have to go thirsty for the day in this sweltering heat. At the peak of summer, acute water shortage has made life miserable for these people. “For the last three years, we have been walking 3 km to fetch drinking water. We wake up at 4 am only for this,” says Kalubhai Vagadia, one of those displaced. Most hand pumps near Ditvas run dry as underground pipes are dysfunctional. Despite repeated complaints by villagers, the pipes have not been repaired. When contacted, government officials said they do not have new pipes to repair hand pumps. “They tell us they will repair the pipes when they get them,” says another resident, ML Vagadia, a retired policeman. Schoolchildren are the worst-affected due to the water crisis as they have to fetch water. Farmers in this area depend on rains as there is no irrigation facility here. The scarcity of water has forced people to migrate to cities in large numbers. “Most people in our village have migrated for survival. When drinking water itself is scarce, how can we get water for agriculture?” says Hira Malivad, another villager.