In winters, Kutch is decorated like a bride for Rann Utsav but soon the beauty withers off when summer kicks in. During this period, the area becomes a ghostland.
Banni welcomes lakhs of tourists during the Rann Utsav but soon after it, the land becomes a deserted place due to the migration that follows.
Let’s dive into the hardships faced by people living in the zone. Livestock owners are more worried about their animals than themselves. Just like parents migrate to a city to get a better future for their children, livestock owners migrate to some other places for three months to keep their animals alive.
Their tragedy is pretty much understandable through their quotes. A Migrant said: “We have left. Although, the lands has forced us to leave with our cattle, but still, I love my land Banni…”
To them, migration and moving to a different land is no longer an action, it has become like a weather, which comes to their lives with the same regularity just like season change.
People living in the area drink salty water water that is supplied for animals. Even they do not have access to sufficient water.
To make a living, these people are leaving their land while livestock owners are carrying their animals on carts and trucks.
Nana Sarado, Samooh Gram Panchayat’s Sarpanch, Gulam Meetha Khan told News18: “There is a clear dearth of grass for animals. Due to uncertain supply of water, wells have dried up so much that anyone can light fire in them.”
The ex-Sarpanch of the Panchayat, Faqeermad Jat said, “The ponds in the village are now at its lowest… and they are dirty. Trough is not receiving enough water so animals are forced to drink this undrinkable water. This makes them sick and that in turn hurts milk production. Due to scarcity of water, many buffaloes, that were pregnant with five to six-month-old kids, suffered miscarriage.”
The people in villages under Nana Sarado Samooh Gram Panchayat in Banni area like Nana Sarado, Bada Sarado, Rabhu Wandh, Sanvalpur Wandh have no water to drink. Their tanks receive water just once in a day for an hour.
The women are forced fetch water in pitchers and buckets. One among them , Jeejabai, goes to fetch water every day with a child on her shoulder while holding a pitcher in another.
This is to remember that last year, while inaugurating a hospital in Kutch, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had expressed his concerns for the sufferings of livestock owners of Banni area and had requested them not to leave their village.
However, these people are compelled to do so. If not for us, they have to leave their village for their cattle.
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