Whose Water?

This film explores the notion of state ownership of natural resources

In India, the state owns all natural resources unless otherwise decreed. The conflict begins when communities revive, protect, produce from, and stake ownership to natural resources. In the state of Rajasthan the laws are slightly more derisive. On water they have laws which, while reinstating ownership, further restrict any diversion of the flow or any structures being built to do so and make it punishable by imprisonment. Few 'crimes' can be so heinous as to sanction arrest without a warrant!

But Rajasthan is also the state where 1,000 villages have been revolutionised by bringing back water into their life. Tarun Bharat Sangh, a motley group of people headed by a certain Rajender Singh arrived in the village of Gopalpura in Alwar district 15 years ago and started their modest work on water. They acted as a catalyst and inspiration for the communities and galvanized them to revive their traditional water harvesting systems. their Johads and small mud bunds.

Conflicts with the government and their notion of ownership started with this resource revival. Fight and fear were the dominant emotions among the villagers. Fight for their stake and fear of the insidious government laws and moves to stake ownership.

The film travels through some of the areas which have been radically revived and documents some of the conflicts which people have warded off or are still fighting. It seeks opinion from the custodians of state laws to place their arguments alongside the communities. Finally, the film amplifies the people's concerns and pleads for more people-sensitive laws and policies on natural resources.

Written and Directed by
Krishnendu Bose

EarthCare Films production 2002

Funded by
UNDP

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