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| Upper Lake, Bhopal |
Looks like winds of change are blowing across Bhopal, especially its
iconic Lake and its sensitive surroundings that go by the technical term of
“Catchments”. A news report yesterday gave the good news of the thinking in the
MP government about changing over from chemical farming to organic farming on
the farms in the catchments of the Upper
Lake. The government is not talking of persuading farmers for the switch but is
talking of introduction, presumably, regardless of the consequences. This is
what, apparently, came out of a meeting that was held by various governmental
representatives with the local Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
In fact, this should have been
done long back. One wonders what the Bhopal Municipal Corporation, Department
of Environment and the Department of Water Resources have been doing so far.
They should have moved in the matter long back as it is well within their
knowledge that fertilizers and pesticides were being used by the farmers in the
catchments of the Lake. However, as happens in the governments all over the
country, these matters vital for the prim maintenance of the country’s assets
as also wellbeing of its people are lost sight of - with, one might add, impunity.
The question of introducing organic farming was discussed in the Bhopal
Citizens’ Forum years ago, may be seven to eight years ago. A letter was also
addressed to the MP government as a sequel to that. But there was no action
whatsoever although pollution of the waters of the Lake frequently came up in
public discourses. None in the government seems to pay any attention to what
people or groups or non-governmental institutions have to say in regard to
various matters relating to public wellbeing. There is an air in the government
of total proprietary rights to all knowledge and a kind of disdain for what
they receive from sources that are unofficial. Hence such information or
suggestion could well be ignored.
I recall having read in the
newspapers a few months ago that the government has decided to create an
organic farming zone the location for which was the district of Dindori. That
was well and good but I wonder whether the zone has taken off. However, in the
process, it clean forgot of the catchments of the Upper Lake where organic
farming is an utter need for providing purer drinking water to people to whom
its water is supplied. Virtually everybody knows that the lake is highly
polluted with the inflow of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, sewage and what
have you. If the government could cut out one of these it would serve a great
purpose. But, that is how it is with the government; each department seemingly works
in a silo knowing little of whatever is happening outside it.
Introduction of organic farming in the catchments of the Upper Lake
should not prove to be a big deal. Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have been
practicing it for about a decade now. They have also successfully tried neem-based
pesticides and fertilizers which has led to job creation in rural areas. Enough
evidence of the state’s success could be had from various sources. Hopefully
the local government will go full steam ahead in implementing the proposal
without incurring avoidable delay in finalising it.
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