Water man claims 40% of drought is natural, rest man-made

Addressing the farmers during a conference organised by Tamil Nadu Rivers Retrieval Movement, Rajendra Singh said that the rain pattern has been changing over the years and so the farmers should change our cropping pattern as well. “Instead of cultivating water intensive crops such as paddy and sugarcane, farmers should gradually shift to pulses and sesame. I am sure that this will be a paradigm shift and would definitely ensure lucrative returns for farmers in addition to judicious use of water,” he advised.

He pointed out that man has made a serious mistake of polluting water bodies. This is the major reason for the prevailing drought. “Let us not blame nature but blame ourselves for the situation we are in today, he emphasised. Rajendra Singh also said that there should be a control on rampant sand mining in the state.

Charging that Centre and State do not favour the farmers, the waterman of India said that these governments even never bother about the Supreme Court’s directions. “Their only aim is to retain their positions and not the welfare of the people”, Rajendra Singh said.

He went on to say that instead of totally blaming or relying on the governments or elected representatives, the farmers should learn to address their needs themselves, especially as far as water conservation is concerned. By preventing over exploitation of groundwater, and removing encroachments in water body to an extent ,we can recharge and restore the existing aquifers, explained Rajendra Singh. 

The waterman of India also maintained relationship with farmers in villages of Rajasthan and had successfully conserved rainwater in the arid fields and had grown crops using the agro-ecological method.