In 1961 when the Indian army liberated Goa from Portuguese rule, Soma Munda was there. Now 79 years old and living in Jharkhand, Munda is the face of the struggle to block a plan to build two hydro-electric projects across the Koel and Karo rivers which will submerge several villages and forest land. The project was first proposed in the 1950s and plans firmed up in 1970. When Munda retired from the army in 1976 and returned home he found himself in the vortex of another battle to keep the two rivers flowing, a battle he has so far won. Munda is one among many warriors fighting to save water bodies and ensure that land remains in the hands of the tiller or, in his case, the tribal.
The country has struggled to cope with two years of draught conditions and make judicious use of its water. But this struggle runs the risk of being forgotten in the light of a prediction by the Indian Meteorological Department of a good monsoon this year. Governments, both central and in the state do not have a very good reputation for judicious use of water resources. And this is troubling. Contamination of water resources seems to have become routine with total disregard for the environment or the understanding that these resources are fountainheads of life. We need more people like Soma Munda to save us from ourselves.
