WATER RESOURCE SCARCITY AND ITS IMPACT ON MASSES IN BUNDELKHAND REGION: A CASE STUDY OF MAHOBA DISTRICT (U.P.) INDIA

Abstract: Water deficient areas, especially where geographically lesser availability of water resources in the form of Ground Water and Surface Water, constitutes a major part in the fulfillment of water needs of the people’s daily life. Acute scarcity of water resource in the past few years due to both natural and manmade factors in the Bundelkhand Region had drawn a very thin line by imposing problems like drinking water, water for household needs, water for agro-activities and large scale mining and other means of activities has integrated these problems further to the population base of Mahoba District. These problems have made its impact on the various sections of the society in a different way; where females have to make arrangements for drinking and household water needs and for this they devote a long period; whereas the males make sure for the economic needs of the family and for this they have to relocate themselves from farm activities to industrial laborers in nearby cities or states (making it to become) more severe trends of last 25 years, where migration activities left a large negative impact on the economic and social life standard among the population base. The females and children are the most affected and vulnerable sector (agents) of the society showing a large-scale impact made by the water-borne problems in the Study region. The present adversities of water resources are making impacts on crop and agricultural patterns, livestock population, trends of urbanization, and degree of land-use change which further acting as active agents of change in socio-economic development over the temporal timeline in the study region.

Keywords: Mining, Fulfillment, Industrial, Migration, Land-use Change

Introduction
Presently the entire study region is suffering from a lot of problems related to water. The existing water resources in the study region are extremely variable in quantity and quality. With regard to the water, the most acute and major problems of the Mahoba District are viz., water depletion, drought, water scarcity, deforestation, water erosion, declining quality, and quantity.

All the major problems of the whole study region have been explained considering vast deforestation, irregular climate, and sparse with low-density natural vegetation and uneconomic use of land resources followed by mismanagement of water resources both ground and surface. Due to very low and erratic rainfall, non-existence of any perennial system, failure of monsoon, and potential aquifer system the problem related to water are more acute and rather grave than other problems which have occurred in the entire belt of the semi-arid region where there prevails chronologically rising water table, quality and supply of water, shallow water table followed by water pollution. There is no worldwide water shortage in that capacity, however, a great many of regions and areas are incessantly having less quantity of water. Mahoba region in Uttar Pradesh was announced a ‘dark zone’ On 13 October 2014.

The term implies up images of gloom, despair, and perhaps even death and in the study region, the case is accurate as grim because it sounds. The government demarcated some areas as Dark zones where the over-exploitation of groundwater is heightened, and where the withdrawal and usage of groundwater exceed its recharge. Mahoba district is afflicted by one of its worst water deficits in decades, moving over a quarter of its populace, emptying its reservoirs, and making adversity in the livestock population. The Study region is the most water crisis-affected region in the country, accounting for 13 percent of the water scarcity-prone area of India. The problem of water is confined not only in the study area but also covers large tracts of adjoining areas also.

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BY:

Devendra Singh Yadav¹ and G.S. Chauhan² ¹Research Scholar, Department of Geography, M.L.B. Government College of Excellence (Jiwaji University), Gwalior (M.P.), India ²Former Head, Department of Geography, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar College, Delhi, India Email: devyadavgis@gmail.com