The Hindu : They assert their right with checkdam

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Nov 11, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh-Hyderabad

They assert their right with checkdam

By K. Venkateshwarlu

HYDERABAD Nov. 10. In a unique example of deprivation and adversity spurring the community into action, tribals of the remote villages of Cherukupalli and Tarkalagudem in Khammam district `built' a checkdam with 5,000 sandbags across `Ginnelavagu' recently enabling them to draw water for irrigation, a source denied to them in a calculated manner by non-tribals.

The tribals were starved of the lifeline even though the perennial stream, `Ginnelavagu', flowed by the side of their villages in Sattupalli mandal. While the tribals suffered, non-tribal farmers of Kistaram village in the downstream reaped a rich harvest, utilising the water fully, according to Capt. J. Rama Rao, an environmentalist, who visited the villages recently.

For nearly four years, the tribals used to irrigate about 400 acres utilising the water from springs in the `vagu' (stream), by creating a sump and in a painstaking job manually lifting the water by `donelu', buckets made of galvanised tin sheets. The non-tribal farmers, who could not digest this, dismantled the sump and the feeder channels.

On an appeal by the tribals, the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) took up a lift- irrigation scheme on `Ginnelavagu'. But even this became an eyesore for the influential non-tribal farmers as it reduced the supply of water to their farms. They started harassing the tribals by disrupting the power supply to the lift-irrigation scheme, damaging the power lines, throwing a cycle chain and disconnecting the supply.

The electricity, revenue and police authorities were aware of the problem but remained silent spectators under pressure from non-tribals. The latter went to such an extent that they even stalled work on checkdam, taken up by the tribals under the `Food-for-work' programme.

The severe drought conditions this season, frequent interruptions in power supply to lift-irrigation scheme and withering of the kharif crop, made the tribals sit up and ponder over the ground realities, unite and assert their rights over water from `Ginnelavagu'. They knew that the assurances and promises of the elected representatives and authorities, remain unfulfilled.

They decided to build a checkdam with sandbags pooling whatever resources they had and not a pucca structure as it would be expensive and mean taking external help. They built the checkdam at a point where the stream takes a curve having lower velocity of water with a width of 12 feet and the height of ten feet. A perennial source of water for irrigation purposes has thus been created.

The height can be increased later to impound more water to meet the irrigation needs of the tribals. The dam is located on the land owned by tribals. A feeder channel of 300 meters was also dug through the land belonging to tribals.

``It goes on to demonstrate how tribal community, driven to the wall, bounced back, organised itself, pooled resources and did wonders,'' Capt. Rao added.

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