Drought and Child Rights Situation in Mahoba District, Uttar Pradesh

Mahoba is one of the drought prone districts of Bundelkhand region in Uttar Pradesh.  Recurring drought in the district has led to serious impact on food security and livelihood of people in the areas. This has also increased vulnerability of children especially children’s access to education, nutrition and protective environment. The region is severely hit by drought in 2004, 2007, 2009 and 2015.

Mahoba district is one of the districts of Uttar Pradesh  and Mahoba town is the district headquarters. As per the census 2011, Mahoba has a population of 875,958 of which 466,358 were male and 409,600 were female. Overall sex ratio of the district was 1000:878. Total Child population under 0-6 years was 128129 of which male children were 67720 and female 60409. Child Sex ratio of the district was 1000:892. Literacy rate of the district was 65% of which male literacy rate 75.83 and Female Literacy rate 53.22%

Major Government Initiatives to tackle Drought Situation:

• Samajwadi Food Relief Yojna:  This programme has been launched the State government as part of food relief to distress families of drought affected areas. Under this programme, families under BPL and Antodaya card holders covered to receive the benefit under the scheme. Food relief under this scheme is provided through Food Kit consists of food items including: 10 kg wheat, five kg rice, five kg pulses, 25 kg potato, five litre mustard oil, one kg ghee and one kg milk powder every month. The distribution point of food relief is block headquarter
• Status of the scheme:   Since the distribution point is block headquarter, there is issue of accessing the benefit due to distance as well as travel cost. Date of distribution for different panchayats not informed to people and thus, benefit of the scheme is not reaching to people

·         Kisan Relief Grant: The programme is to give compensation to farmers against loss of crops in drought situation. The Sub-divisonal Magistrate ( SDM) has undertaken survey in villages through local government staffs to assess the impact  of drought on crops and finalize compensation for the same based on amount fixed by the government

Status:

• Few people have received compensation under Kishan Relief Grant
• The grant released is not enough to meet the requirement as share by the government officials at block level

·         Drinking Water Scheme/ Water Facilities :

o   There is scheme for digging pond with government support of Rs.50,000/- ( Rupees Fifty Thousand) per beneficiary.

o   In intervention areas, there is issue of drinking water as well as water for other household use as ground water table has gone down. 12 water tanks created in intervention areas has no water and thus, not being used. 

·         MGNREGA:

• The state government has announced 50 days addition work under NREGA in drought areas along with 100 day guaranteed employment so as to enhance household income. However, implementation of MGNREGA is very poor and people also not taking interest in work due to their past experience of delay wage payment.  Work productivity has also been low due to extreme hot climate.   

Drought’s Impact on CR issues in 10 intervention villages

Health:

• Water table in the areas have done down and thus, fetching water for drinking as well as other households consumption has been very challenging. There is increasing burden on women and Adolescent Girls and Children to arrange water from different sources for daily consumptions.  Not a single well left in the whole intervention villages to provide water locally. Most of the wells have been dried up.  People (especially women & children) have to major portion of their time in collecting water for their homes.
• It has been reported that people from Kachanpurwa, Majhol, Dabka and about a dozen villages are forced to drink contaminated water because of lack of any alternative source of water.
• Cases has been reported that people are suffering from Diarrhoea, skin disease diseases mostly due to lack of safe drinking water as well care. This may pose challenge to district administration due to lack of adequate health care institutions in the areas

Nutrition:

•   Though government has started giving food relief in form of Food Kit, people have been facing difficulties to know the data and time of distribution of the same. Also, there are issues related to travel to block headquarter to get Food relief kit and travel cost.

• Since adult members have migrated along with their children in search of employment, children attendance in Anganwadi centre as well as in accessing School MDM has been impacted. In many villages children are staying with their grandparents where parents have migrated with small children for employment. Children attendance in school has also been gone down due to vulnerability at household’s level.

Education:

·         Poor attendance of children in school due to migration or they are being engaged in household  chores in absence of adult members

·         Children being engaged in fetching water for household consumption

·         There are issue of even drinking water in school as well as impact on MDM due to poor attendance

Protection:

·         Since adult members have migrated to nearby town or cities in search of livelihood, children who are left at home are dependent on older people. Both the children and age old people who require care and protection of able adult are surviving with lots if difficulties. In one of the intervention villages, Majhol village, approximately 86 % people have migrated to other places in search of employment. 

·         Majority of the children in the villages are engaged on labour to support their families.

Others:

·         Due to recurring drought, people in the areas reeling under debt trap. While drought has been bane for people, it has been boon for the local moneylenders who are charging high rate of interest.  In absence of formal credit system and difficulties in getting govt loan, people have taken loan for moneylenders.

• According to local media, 1,58,435 families have been severely affected by the drought. About 57 % families from Mahoba district migrated to other districts/ states.
• Depleted water level in the areas has increased water scarcity in the areas

(Source: Kriti Shodh Sansthan (KSS), Mahoba,UP)