The Kosi river in Uttarakhand is the lifeline for the areas it flows through. However, now the demands on its water are increasing. Supply of water to army cantonments and to cities has severely depleted its flows. The forests and villages that it nourished are now starved of water by urban thirst. But this story proves that villagers are more than passive victims. Once, they contributed to the problem by indiscriminate use of natural resources. Today they are its proud protectors. Their inspiration is a tireless and committed woman. This is her story- and the river's too.
The Kosi near its source (Photo: Chicu)
The child widow:
Basanti was married at 12, but her husband passed away soon after. Kind relatives recommended that she be sent to a Gandhian Ashram that they had heard about. And so it is that in 1980, a young child widow came to the Lakshmi Ashram in Kausani (Almora district, Uttarakhand) to learn weaving and knitting. She had studied till the 4th standard, but was barely literate. Here, she passed her 12th standard, and then continued to study further.The teacher:
The social worker:
The activist:
Basanti behen (Photo: Chicu)
The negotiator:
- Neither the forest department nor the villagers cut wood
- The forest department recognizes the villagers’ right over dry wood.
At that time, there was a lot of antagonism against the forest department, and any attempt at arriving at an agreement was seen as ‘siding with the forest officials’. Basanti convinced the villagers that the forest belongs to them, and not to the government, and that they have a responsibility to protect it. Gradually, the villagers accepted this viewpoint and began fighting forest fires and conserving the forest.
Watershed of the Kosi. Compare the dense young growth with the sparse older forest (Photo: Chicu)
The results:
- Forests: Where there were sparse pine forests, now broad-leaved trees are coming back in. The forest floor has saplings of rhododendron (buraansh), oak (banj), and myrica nagi (kaafal). All this through natural regeneration.
- Water: Seasonal naulas (springs) are now flowing throughout the year. The naulas at Rauliyan and at Kaphadi would dry up in the summer. For the last couple of years, they are perennial.
- People: Acknowledging that they are the stewards of their ecosystem and working towards its protection has vastly increased the social capital in the area. Today, the Mahila Sanghatan where Basanti behen works is actively involved in the gram panchayats. It is in this area that women sarpanches are far more than a token nod to equal representation.