Private water, public misery Privatisation of water is taking root in India, often aided by political and bureaucratic corruption. Alongside, resistance to this is also building up.
Posted on 04/15/2009 11:37:03 AM PDT by LibWhacker
Over 1,500 farmers in an Indian state committed suicide after being driven to debt by crop failure, it was reported today.
The agricultural state of Chattisgarh was hit by falling water levels.
"The water level has gone down below 250 feet here. It used to be at 40 feet a few years ago," Shatrughan Sahu, a villager in one of the districts, told Down To Earth magazine
"Most of the farmers here are indebted and only God can save the ones who do not have a bore well."
Mr Sahu lives in a district that recorded 206 farmer suicides last year. Police records for the district add that many deaths occur due to debt and economic distress.
In another village nearby, Beturam Sahu, who owned two acres of land was among those who committed suicide. His crop is yet to be harvested, but his son Lakhnu left to take up a job as a manual labourer.
His family must repay a debt of £400 and the crop this year is poor.
"The crop is so bad this year that we will not even be able to save any seeds," said Lakhnu's friend Santosh. "There were no rains at all."
"That's why Lakhnu left even before harvesting the crop. There is nothing left to harvest in his land this time. He is worried how he will repay these loans."
Bharatendu Prakash, from the Organic Farming Association of India, told the Press Association: "Farmers' suicides are increasing due to a vicious circle created by money lenders. They lure farmers to take money but when the crops fail, they are left with no option other than death."
Mr Prakash added that the government ought to take up the cause of the poor farmers just as they fight for a strong economy.
"Development should be for all. The government blames us for being against development. Forest area is depleting and dams are constructed without proper planning.
All this contributes to dipping water levels. Farmers should be taken into consideration when planning policies," he said.
Then why are the wearing the latest in dhoti and kurta fashions? The kid hanging from the front is wearing an ensemble from the Deepika Govind winter resort 2007 collection.
Look at the picture again, most are Muslim Bengalis wearing white scull-caps.
Don't be a dumb ass, i know you are better than that. I didn't say meaningless, I din't even imply that.
Now, if only their software houses would follow suit.
Private water, public misery Privatisation of water is taking root in India, often aided by political and bureaucratic corruption. Alongside, resistance to this is also building up.
lol actually clintons fault with his special deals with monsanto they sold them the bad seed
IMHO, the media chose its battles.
I imagine a lot of this is going on throughout India, Like a new gold rush. Putting good soil and water into..... cars: India’s Chhattisgarh state completes plantation of 100 million jatropha saplings; 1 million hectares planted by 2012
In India, the Chhattisgarh state minister for forests said that the planting of 100 million jatropha saplings on 40,000 hectares throughout the state has been completed. The state spent $15.1 million on the project, which will ultimately plant 1 million hectares of fallow land with jatropha by 2012, and create 1.43 billion in revenue from the sale of biodiesel.
http://www.biofuelsdigest.com/blog2/2009/02/12/indias-chhattisgarh-state-completes-plantation-of-100-million-jatropha-saplings-1-million-hectares-planted-by-2012/
considering the downward spiral of the economy, could this have been organized by an enterprising mortician?
Response to #18: I think you meant Mumbai and not Bangalore. Bangalore is yet to complete its Mass Transit Rail.
Extrapolating your data over 1 year, 6205 people die in rail accidents every year in a city of 14 million people. 48% of the 11 million people who travel by public transport take the urban train on a daily basis. That means nears 1.9 billion travelers in a year.
The casualty rate is .00032% - so small that its probably safer than any road in America.
“Yet when 1,500 innocent human beings die — each one a unique and priceless work of art — we shrug at the loss.”
Many fiendish citizens regard those 1500 poor people as a blight upon the precious Earth.
Yes but it is best to avoid thinking in those terms. The left likes to use the billion mark as an excuse to kill more people.
The highest suicide rates seem to be happening in primarily atheist countries, particularly the former USSR.
Well, at least the enviro-nazis are happy.
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