Deficit rain to prompt farmer influx into city?

THANE: With little hopes of revival of farmlands in Marathwada region, large-scale migration of farmers from these barren lands to second tier cities like Thane and Navi Mumbai can be expected in future, say experts in the field of migration.
Scant showers this monsoon has filled the Marathwada dam up to just about 16%, providing hardly any relief to farmers here.As a result, massive influx of farmers is expected to these urban regions.
Experts believe that Thane, Navi Mumbai and other periphery cities are bound to face the heat of such distress migration as first tier cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Nashik and Pune are saturated in terms of the number of slums and resulting health, housing, sanitation, crime and other issues.
S Siva Raju, professor and chairperson of the centre for population, health and development at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), said, “Migrants come to cities in search of employment and look for reasonable housing, cheap food and other facilities for survival. While first tier cities like Mumbai have attracted migrants for years, the high population density today has saturated its resources and hiked housing prices. So, migration in satellite cities will be higher because migrants will now search for employment in first tier cities, but live in affordable slum pockets in the periphery cities.”
While experts say the magnitude of the drought this year is far worse that the fateful dry monsoon of 1971, there are short-term and long-term ways that could salvage the situation either temporarily or in its entirety.
Professor H M Desarde, head of drought mitigation and water resources management centre of Gokhale Institute of Economics, Pune, said, “During the drought and famine of 1972, there was ample ground water to pull us out of the dry spell. However, the scanty rainfall over the past few years has not resulted in accumulation of ground water. In addition to this, sugarcane farming and liquor manufacturing, which require a lot of water, is still moving at full steam. The only short-term solution is to stop these activities immediately and reserve the little available water for consumption purposes.”
He also felt that government should start utilizing the amply available MNREGA funds for providing the barren villages with basic provisions of food and water to avoid such distress migration.
“Social activists and politicians in cities, which will soon play host to these destitute farmers, should welcome them with sympathy and help them the best they can,” Desarde added.
Speaking about a long-term solution for the issue of rampant rural to urban migration, Raju said, “The one and only solution to this issue is a policy level change that incorporates a stepwise migration plan, wherein every village is made self-sufficient, making use of its strengths and providing adequate facilities of food, water, shelter, healthcare, education and employment. If this plan is followed, there will be no reason for distress migration to cities.”