Amid the raging debate over the prevailing drought in Bundelkhand and people's struggle to get water, the dossiers of UP government point out that over 4250 water bodies have `vanished’ in last one decade from this rugged region.
"This is in official record that over 4250 water bodies have disappeared in the last 10 years. But how did this happen, no one seems to know. The DMs and Tehsildars of all seven districts of Bundelkhand could not explain as to where these water bodies have gone," a senior official in Revenue Department told The Pioneer' on Friday.
In 1950, the total number of water bodies in Bundelkhand was 21,785 against a total of 875435. water bodies across the state. But gradually this number has dwindled.
Till 2012 a total of 4,020 water bodies had vanished from Bundelkhand - 151 in Chitrakoot, 869 in Banda, 541 in Hamirpur and 2,459 in Jhansi.
"In the last three years, over 200 more water bodies were lost. This could be because of lack of rain in these years taking the number of lost water bodies to around 4250," the official said.
Bundelkhand has one of the lowest levels of per capita income and human development in the country, largely due to frequent droughts caused by scanty rainfall. Agriculture experts opine that vanished water bodies and community-managed ponds have resulted in fall of water level and frequent droughts.
Bhagwat Prasad of Akhil Bharatiya Samaj Sewa Sansthan (an NGO in Chitrakoot) said that these ponds acts as sponge and helps in charging of ground water during rains.
"land sharks are responsible for the disappearnce of water bodies. The lure of lucre has forced the authoirities to look the other way as builders and illegal miners exploited he water bodies of Bundelkhand," he said.
The issue came to light for the first time through an RTI application when the respondent asked for details of water bodies in seven districts of Bundelkhand.
The RTI prompted the Revenue department to take up surveys to assess the magnitude of encroachment over water bodies in UP.
At the same time in 2012 lucknow Bench of Allahabad High Court asked the authorities to ensure that no land grabbing was allowed in this way.
The court had also directed the authorities to inform about the ponds that have been covered and constructions done over them. It also directed them to furnish information about the ponds that still existed so that steps could be taken in this matter.
After the court orderm, the government said that encroachments were removed from 3,852 water bodies. But the government is not clear on how many of them are in Bundelkhand.
Bhagwat Prasad said that water is the fundamental right of every citizen. “Even Supreme Court has ordered that the protection of natural lakes and ponds honours the most basic fundamental right—the right to life—which is guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution," he pointed out.
"Now we have reached a scenario where people are grappling to get a bucket of water. All the ponds and lakes have gone dry. The water level has dropped ominously low. This has happened because we are not protecting our water bodies," he said.