Sudhirendar SharmaA citizens’ initiative to protect the hundreds of ecologically sensitive
ponds in Bihar’s Darbhanga city from the prying eyes of real estate
developers and illegal encroachersA relentless battle is underway in the historic city of Darbhanga in Bihar,
in which neither is fire being exchanged nor are bombs being hurled. It is
a battle that is silent but creepy; the proponents having unleashed
calculated attack on the rich heritage of one of the ancient cities of
Mithila. At the centre of the battle are its innumerable ponds of various
shapes and sizes, which the real estate developers have set their eyes on.
If doctoral research work by S.H. Bazmi at the city’s L.N. Mithila
University is any indication, Darbhanga could easily be called a ‘city of
ponds’. From as small as 500 sq. metres to as large as 190,000 sq. metres
in size, there are no less than 213 ponds in the town of little over
300,000 inhabitants. The city’s history dates back to the times of the
Ramayana and the Mahabharata, when it was a part of the cultural hub of
Mithila extending into present Nepal.
Not only for its rich history and intriguing mythology, Darbhanga has also
been known for braving recurring floods. Situated in the floodplains of
rivers descending from the Himalayas, the district is literally surrounded
by rivers on all sides. The Bagmati, Kamla and Tiljuga rivers flow through
the district. Not only have ponds in the district been usually fed by these
rivers, these water bodies have played a flood moderating role by storing
excess flow during monsoons.
Given that the entire Mithila region has been flood-prone, the districts of
Supaul, Sitamarhi and Madhubani in north Bihar have had a rich tradition of
ponds. According to records, the Darbhanga district has 9,115 whereas
neighbouring Madhubani has as many as 10,746 ponds. Despite their immense
ecological and cultural significance, as ponds have historically been
venues for fairs and festivals, these water bodies now present a picture of
utter neglect.
Ironically, some 50 ponds in the city have been completely levelled to real
estate interests. Sensing the decline of its rich water culture and the
impending water crises, local resident Narayan Jee Choudhary has mobilised
eminent citizens of Darbhanga to launch a campaign to save ponds under the
aegis of Talab Bachao Abhiyan. In a recent memorandum, the group has sought
the administration’ s intervention towards restoration and reclamation of
ponds in the city.
“With each encroachment in a pond, a bit of history gets erased,” says Mr.
Choudhary. Three of the largest ponds — Dighi Museum, Ganga Sagar and
Harahi — cover an area of 41, 28 and 22 hectares respectively and were
built by then rulers between the years 1136-1324 AD. While the
administration has turned a blind eye, dumping of wastes and subsequent
encroachment of ponds has been more of a norm than an exception within the
city limits.
In an apparent case of a fence eating the grass, many encroachments have
either been made by the district administration or by the concerned gram
panchayat. While a primary school has cropped up on the bed of the Dighi
pond, a fish market has been built over an acre of encroached area in Ganga
Sagar. “If such is the plight of historic ponds, smaller ponds disappear
much before anyone takes a note of them,” laments Mr. Choudhary.
Citing several cases wherein the Supreme Court and some High Courts have
highlighted protection of commons for water security and biodiversity
conservation, the Talab Bacaho Abhiyan has been acting like a pressure
group to protect the cultural heritage of Mithila. There are several
provisions in the municipal rules that the campaign is trying to invoke for
protecting the water bodies from pollution, misuse and encroachment.
If the plight of ponds and lakes across the country are any indication, it
is a long drawn battle to which Mr. Choudhary and his colleagues have
committed themselves. Given the fact that wetlands are neither in the State
List nor in the Central List, and not even the Concurrent List, protecting
ponds and lakes has not been provisioned under the law. No wonder, the
country is losing wetlands to real estate interest systematically and most
unlawfully.
“Nothing can be more shocking,” says wetland conservation expert Dr.
Dhruvjyoti Ghosh, “than the fact that between 1984-2011, not a single
question on disappearance of urban or peri-urban water bodies was debated
in Lok Sabha.”
Given the political neglect and official apathy, it is left to citizen’s
movements like Talab Bachao Abhiyan to draw attention to the protection and
conservation of commons. The Hindu via Waterwatch Yahoo Group.
