Photos: As water sources dry up, cattle camps are now home for 50,000 farmers in Ahmednagar

AHMEDNAGAR: For Dagru Dhayatadak (91) and his wife Parubai (80), a broken cot is the only piece of furniture in their shed made of wooden poles and a plastic canopy. Besides them, their five cattle chew on fodder.
This has been home for the aged couple since March this year after they moved into the cattle camp at Akole village in the waterstarved Pathardi taluka of Ahmednagar district.Over 50,000 farmers from Ahmednagar have moved into such cattle camps as water sources ran dry. The Ahmednagar administration set up 500 cattle camps across eight talukas of the district to ensure cattle get water and fodder. At present, there are over 1,500 such cattle camps across the state.

Each of these camps has about 1,000 cattle sheds. Usually, it is mandatory for one member of a family owning cattle to be present round-the-clock with the animals at the camps. However, considering the water scarcity in the region, many families shifted to these camps, which will remain their abode till the rains arrive.

This cattle camp at Akole village in Ahmednagar is one of over 1,500 such shelters across the state.

“There are problems galore at the camps but we have little choice,” says Dhayatadak, recalling how they had to brave a hailstorm at their makeshift settlement in mid-April.
Ahmednagar district received just 69% of its annual average rainfall last year. Farmers claimed water availability has gone from bad to worse in the last three months. The district administration roped in non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and charitable outfits to run the cattle camps. The state government pays these outfits at fixed rates. Tankers provide water to the camps daily and the administration has set up a flying squad to keep a tab on the NGOs operating the camps.

A visit to three such camps in Pathardi taluka showed that many farmers have not gone home ever since the camps began operations. Many farmers whose hamlets are located far from the camps have shifted their entire families here. They cook their meals at the camps and go looking for work.

“I have shifted my entire family of six here as my village, Dhamgaon, is far away. Two of my grandsons went to school from the camp before the summer vacation began. There is no alternative for us — my cattle have to survive to provide us with a livelihood,” said Baban Waykar (60) from a cattle camp at Mali Babhulgaon village.

A little further, Kashinath Dukre (97) and his wife have been living at the camp with the hope that the rains will arrive soon. Navdev Shirsat has not gone home for nearly two months after he shifted into a cattle camp near Shirsatwadi village. “This is our new home for me and my cattle. My wife gets me my meals. Our priority is to ensure the well-being of the cattle,” he said.
“We play cards to pass time. It is the only entertainment here. Our stay, otherwise, would have been a drudgery,” says Mahadeo Shirsat from another cattle camp at Shirsatwadi.
District officials say the camps are functioning well. “The flying squads have identified some irregularities at a few cattle camps and imposed fines. We have penalised some NGOs up to Rs 44 lakh for not adhering to guidelines like establishing CCTVs at the camps, failing to set up a separate shed for the ailing cattle, not providing proper fodder and not maintaining proper records,” officials said.
The NGOs claim that delayed payment by the administration was a problem. Water tanker owners have increased their rates as they go further in search of water to supply to the camps. Besides, fodder is not available locally.
“We have to procure fodder from Pune. Our costs of managing the camps have sky-rocketed. Unless the administration gives us funds at regular intervals, it would be difficult to operate the camps,” said Sanjay Palve, manager of the cattle camp at Akole.