A land without water

We examine inner Mongolia’s fight for water and Northren India’s iceman.

Inner Mongolia has received less
then an inch of rain this year until March 19

Inner Mongolia is one of China’s driest regions.

Now global warming is being blamed for pushing the region to the edge of collapse.

Village communities have started fighting over water and the government has had to intervene.

The Mongolian government has imposed a programme moving entire communities from struggling settlements to purpose built ‘migration villages’.

Although villagers now have houses with running water for the first time, they have had to sacrifice their land.

Former farmers have to rent land from the state and are struggling to earn a living.

Local ecologists support the programme believing “there is no alternative”.

But some of the older villagers are refusing to leave their homes.

The Iceman

Chewang helped relieve his village’s irrigation
problems with the creation of artificial glaciers

Chewang Norphel has single-handedly made a world of difference to his fellow villagers in the Highlands of Northern India.

He has provided farmers with irrigation water during their dry season.

Syed Fayaz reports on the power of one man’s idea.

This episode of People & Power airs from Wednesday, April 16, 2008 at the following times GMT:

Sunday: 14:30
Monday: 01:30 and 13:30
Tuesday: 06:30 and 20:30

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