Rajasthan: Hundreds of villagers protest against admin's move to let reservoir water for irrigation

Udaipur— Residents of some 20 villages in Mavli tehsil of Udaipur district are up in arms against the district administration in support of their demand to preserve water in the Bagolia reservoir for drinking and not release it for irrigational needs. The villagers observed a complete bandh in the Mavli settlement on Monday as hundreds of inmates staged protest outside the SDM office throughout the day. More than one lakh population would be affected by the administration's decision and will have to consume floride mixed water until the next monsoon, people cried.

"The protest have been continuing since some days now following the decision of the administration and the irrigation department to let water from the Bagoliya reservoir for irrigation to the farmers in the area" informed Pradeep Vaishnav, a local activist. Bagoliya is the largest reservoir in the locality which had remained dry for past few years.

This time owing to good rains, the reservoir received plenty of water and most of the villages in the vicinity, were disappointed when the administration announced to let it open for irrigational needs. "The entire block is affected by the fluorosis problem and since the water level has increased after the heavy monsoon rains, we are little relieved. But if the water from Bagoliya pond is given away for irrigation, we won't have enough and quality drinking water," says Sangeeta Paliwal, ex-Sarpanch of Lopda panchayat who sustained injuries in a tiff a day before at the SDM office while a similar protest on the issue. Many villagers including her had laid down in front of the earth moving machine that had been deployed by the irrigation department to clean the canal before opening the reservoir gates to let out the water.

On Monday members of various commercial establishes, traders associations and localities gathered in large numbers at the bus stand and took out a rally to the Tehsil office. The people shouted slogans against the unmindful decision of the authorities, whom they said were not sensitive enough to understand the basic requirement of the villagers for quality drinking water. People also said that there is only 10 feet water in the Bagoliya reservoir that would not suffice the irrigational requirements of the farmers of the area. And hence they asserted that if the water is preserved, it would atleast serve drinking purpose for hundreds of homes in the periphery for some months.

Mavli legislator Dharam Narayan Joshi told The Mooknayak that the problem arose after a faction of villagers demanded water for irrigation from the Bagoliya talaab while majority of people were against it. The irrigation and water supply departments decided to keep half of the water for irrigation and half for drinking supply but the people aren't agreeing to it. Joshi said that a consensus would be drawn soon and the issue would be tried to settle amicably.