Delhi is near, yet so far
How stigmatisation of Mewati Muslims is depriving them of basic facilities
Just about 70 to 80 kilometers south of New Delhi lies one of the most backward districts of India.
According to Niti Aayog’s Multidimensional Poverty Index 2021, Mewat (renamed as Nuh in 2016) was identified as the poorest district in Haryana. In its 2018 index, Mewat was the poorest district in India.
One would assume Mewat has made some progress over the last three years, however, the ground reality is different.
Governments came and gone; several schemes and policies made, but all in vain. Nuh continues to remain in shambles.
Lack of basic facilities such as clean drinking water, proper education and health infrastructure, and employment plague the region, which is mostly dominated by Meo Muslims.
Severe Water Crisis
The backwardness of the district manifests itself in the daily struggles such as having to walk miles to fetch water from the wells. The water scarcity is prevalent across the district.
Digging the ground for water is not an option here. Mewat has a double problem of saline groundwater and inconsistent government water supply. 78 percent of the district has saline groundwater. Due to high salinity, there is no use of this resource.
As a result, informal water markets are on the rise even though the quality of water is not guaranteed. The residents are forced to buy water from high-priced private tankers.
The cost of the water varies between Rupees 800 to 1,500 per tank. Those who can’t afford it are compelled to rely on water from open wells, tube-wells and untreated sources such as tanks and ponds.
Most people in Mewat have built underground reservoirs or kundas at their homes. Those who rely on water from these private tankers also need to additionally spend around Rs.20,000 on installing these kundas.
Maintaining these kundas is a hefty task. Insects, and lizards can be seen lying around the entrance of these chambers. Oftentimes, the water in the kundas is stored for so long that it starts smelling. “Regular cleaning of the reservoirs is required, but not many can afford it.The children in our village suffer from Typhoid and Measles because of lack of clean drinking water”, said Asif.
For women, the water crisis is personal.
They are responsible for finding a water source that their families will need for drinking, cooking, sanitation, and hygiene. They have to choose between death without water and a possible death from illness brought on by contaminated water. Measles is among the prevalent diseases across the district.
“Gandagi failti hai, ganda paani aata hai, pet me jaayega toh nuksaan toh hoga hi (If our children drink such dirty water, then they are certain to fall ill), said Parmina of Ferozepur Namak.
Water may be in short supply, but the schemes, not so much.
The water in Haryana is supplied under the aegis of Rajiv Gandhi Rainy Well Project launched in 2005.
Under this scheme, the water in Mewat was to be made available from Yamuna floodplains. For this, the government laid pipelines of 60 kms and constructed chambers to store water.
“Most of the lines are ten to fifteen years old now. The water lines that were laid are all damaged. All the Kundas are blocked with waste and trash now. People have no other option but to drink that contaminated water”, said Samay Singh, a BAMCEF (Backward And Minority Communities Employee Federation) worker and a social activist from Salamba, Nuh.
GROUND WATER MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
The Ground Water Estimation Committee (1997) has fixed periods for testing the water quality in Nuh: post-monsoon and pre-monsoons when physical and chemical testing is done. The quality of water before the rain is compared with the quality of water after the rain.
Another testing is bacterial testing. Every month, two or three villages are selected for bacterial testing of water.
Chemical and physical testing is done for the sources of water while the bacterial testing is done for the supplies of water.
District Nuh is divided into five blocks. The water samples are sent from each block for the quality testing. “The water quality at Nuh is in poor condition as compared to the other blocks. The groundwater here is not fit for drinking.”, said Tahir Hussain, District chemist at the water testing lab in Nuh.
Highlighting rainwater harvesting as the only solution, he added, “Under the water security dam project at Pathkori in Nuh district, dam construction can help preserve the water that flows through the Aravalli and Shivalik hills. In this manner, rainwater can still be utilized for drinking and irrigation”.
POLITICS SANS DEVELOPMENT
Nuh is different from the rest of Haryana. It is the only Muslim majority district in the state. Around 79 percent of Nuh’s population is Muslim. Hindutva nationalist groups and right-wing news media have been targeting Nuh for a long time now.
In June 2020, Sudarshan News ran a multi-part series claiming that the Muslims in Mewat are oppressing Hindus.
In May 2021, a Hindutva mahapanchayat was held in Mewat’s Indri village. It witnessed several anti-Muslim hate speeches made by Hindutva leaders.
Due to a spurt in polarization within the country, the Muslims of Mewat often find themselves embroiled in issues like Love Jihad, Beef Biryani, etc. This takes away the focus from important issues that need to be addressed such as water and sanitation, education, railways and transportation.
“The preamble of our constitution says We The People Of India, but we the people of Mewat don’t feel like we are a part of India. The governments treat us like second class citizens. This district is so stigmatized that we don't get jobs anywhere. No one in Gurugram or NCR is ready to rent us a room. The government keeps changing the name of Mewat but would do nothing to change the substandard living conditions here. We are so close to Delhi and Gurugram– which is a major IT hub– and yet so far”, said Samay Singh, reacting to Nuh figuring at the bottom of the Niti Aayog’s 2018 list of 101 most backward districts in the country.
