Despite a rocky topography, a high rate of evaporation and annual average rainfall of not more than 33-38 centimetres, water harvested in 1999 has helped people cope with the situation very well. From Surendranagar, I went to Udaipur in Rajasthan. It is here and not Gujarat that the drought has had a telling effect. While in Gujarat, I did not see a single carcass. The landscape is brown.
Drinking water is a luxury.
But there are some villages which have got respite. Seva Mandir, an NGO, has ensured that villages like Gail, Godan and Nara ka Kheda do not suffer like the others. After the trickle came a wave and all of a sudden every newspaper and TV channel was carrying stories on how community-based water harvesting helps in alleviating water crisis. Overnight, water mismanagement and water harvesting became the hot topic of discussion, replacing even the nasdaq and cricket. Now, the government has got down to the task of rediscovering water harvesting.