National

The politics of water

Severely depleted water resources will impact on the Kerala elections, with the focus on Plachimada, says G. Prabhakaran

WATER is as hot a political issue as it can get in Kerala's elections this scorching summer. The issue of the extraction and exploitation of this resource, once abundant but now depleted across the State, touches a raw nerve especially in semi-urban and rural areas that don't have the luxury of piped water.

Nothing illustrates this better than Plachimada, a village close to the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border in the Chittoor Assembly constituency of Palakkad district, which has been in the eye of a storm for the last four years. The struggle by its residents against Coca-Cola, which started operations here in March 2000, brought it international media attention.

Palakkad is a `rice bowl' of Kerala. Its three rivers and six dams, coupled with groundwater, have sustained the predominantly agricultural district. Though Chittoor falls in a rain shadow area, the Coke unit was set up here with an eye on its rich groundwater potential.

The area depends on the inter-State Parambikulam Aliyar Project (PAP) for a major share of its irrigation needs. But in monsoon-deficit years this water is not available.

After an year of the company's functioning, residents found that their wells were contaminated or going dry. A tribal colony of 100 families live along the eastern wall of the unit. Water from a well here rapidly turned brackish and milky white.

Unfit for consumption

Residents complained of upset stomachs after drinking the water, which was by then unfit for cooking or for drinking. They had no alternative but to fetch water from distant wells.

The company said Coke was being singled out for attack, while other industries in the area consumed more water. During the April-June peak soft drink season, it consumed only 6 lakh litres a day while during the off- season it was 3.5 lakh litres, it said.

However, as the water shortage intensified, the local people started an agitation, which gradually attracted a confluence of socio-cultural and voluntary organisations. Perhaps this went parallel with the `water wars' elsewhere in the world. Soon, international organisations and activists reached Plachimada.

While this struggle has swept over the region for four years, for the first time a State-level electoral verdict is being sought here. For the last four years the main accusation was that the State Government and the people's representatives of the area did not effectively get involved or identified with the struggle. Naturally the question emerges whether the issue will decisively influence the people's verdict.

An objective analysis indicates that there is every possibility that the issue, which was caused distress to the local inhabitants, will influence their electoral choices.

Apart from the water issue, there is an additional dimension here. The controversy brought to the fore the question whether the management of the resource comes under the domain of the local panchayat.

The State Government had erred in divesting Perumatty panchayat, as well as other panchayats in Kerala, of their right to protect local natural resources, it has been argued.

The panchayat's decision to cancel the company's licence was annulled by an executive order. Over this issue, it was being asked what right the executive had to override a panchayat's decision, contrary to the spirit of panchayati raj and the constitutionally mandated devolution of powers to panchayats.

In Plachimada, the direct effect that the State Government's action had on the lives of the people has been the source of a lot of distress and anger.

The main rival candidates, K. Krishnankutty of the Janata Dal (Secular), backed by the Left Democratic Front, and sitting MLA K. Achuthan of the Congress, backed by the ruling United Democratic Front, are now trying to prove that they have been with the people of Plachimada on the issue.

In recent times, towards the fag end of its tenure, the State Government has of course tended to find common ground with the Plachimada agitators.

Rights of communities

The issue is very much alive across the constituency and the question of the rights of local communities over natural resources is being hotly debated.

The neighbouring Pudussery panchayat in the Malampuzha Assembly constituency, where a Pepsi unit is located, has a CPI(M) MLA. Though an agitation was started here too along with Plachimada, it did not gather the kind of momentum that the one in Plachimada did.

Local sentiment is running high on the issue and political parties are certain to seek to make it a weapon in electoral battle.

Another organisation that has been involved here is Solidarity, a Muslim-oriented outfit that has sought to use the issue against the UDF.

Janata Dal State president M.P. Veerendrakumar, a Member of Parliament who has consistently championed the cause of the people of Plachimada, said recently that water piracy would not be permitted. "If we die for want of water, why not die fighting for it," he was quoted as having asked.

CPI(M) Polit Bureau member V.S. Achuthanandan, contesting from the Malampuzha constituency, said while inaugurating an election campaign in Chittoor: "Whatever be the political colour one should oppose denial of water to people."

Plachimada Solidarity Committee leader R. Ajayan wants both the cola units to be closed down as Palakkad is a water-deficit area.

At the same time, the closure of the Coke unit has left nearly 300 workers, about 200 of them local people, jobless. They have complained that the LDF has denied them job opportunities. Ironically, these two companies were brought in during the tenure of the previous CPI(M)-led Government.

For various reasons the party played down the issue initially but Mr. Achuthanandan has been very active all through both at Plachimada and Pudussery — almost as a lone fighter. That should work in his favour and the LDF team as a whole.

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