Chhavi Bhatia
Tikri—No one knows better than a farmer to manoeuvre through the adversities of weather. And lakhs of them sitting at the different protest sites outside Delhi are exemplifying it, albeit outside their fields this time. After having endured one of the harshest winters, they are now bracing up to the hot summer that has come knocking early. Adequate water supply, thatched roofs, bamboo huts are some of the basics the anndatas are getting in place to wrestle the heat. The weather department too has predicted that the summer season will be harsh this year.
Factoring in that water supply goes scant in summers while the consumption increases manifolds, commercial Reverse Osmosis(RO) water treatment plants with a capacity to clean 10000 litres of water per hour (LPH) are put in place at both Singhu and Tikri borders by Khalsa Aid. They have set up four in Singhu and three at Tikri. The non-profit organisation at the forefront of doing sewa since the farmers dug in their heels at the Delhi border is also providing portable water purification units for each trolley parked at the sites. Distribution drives of these items are being done daily across the length and breadth of the venues.
“Of varying sizes, these can be kept by farmers inside their ‘homes’. We want to ensure that they have potable and sufficient water supply. We are well aware that water will be a major issue in summer,” said a senior Khalsa Aid official. Not only this, bore wells have also been dug for regular water supply at Singhu and Tikri both.
Meanwhile, bamboo huts have also come up at these places along with thatched roofs covering the tents. Plans are afoot to cover all tarpaulin tents with thatched roofs for cooling effect during day and night. Farmers are also bringing in charpoys to sleep out in the open at night. Ceiling fans have been set up in shelter homes while table fans are being used in trolleys. The sewa coming in here has also undergone a seasonal change. If it was quilts and blankets in winters, farmer supporters are now sending air coolers and fans. “We are fully geared up for the summer. It is also an answer to all the naysayers who had assumed we will go back. They will find us here fighting even at sizzling 50 degrees,” said Randhir Singh Malik, a farmer from Rohtak. Their nonchalance reflects in how a group of young boys are busy giving final touches to their summer special home complete with fan, water filter and thatched roof.
The farmers have also made arrangements to prevent an outbreak of malaria, a common summer peeve. Mosquito nets, coils and regular fumigation drives are part of this. The open grounds where protesters sit during to listen to speeches have also been covered to protect them scorching heat. Some of them are thinking a step ahead, readying for the rains too. Fearing that water will stagnate once monsoons arrive, farmers are digging drains in advance. “We are farmers. It is in our DNA to handle what weather throws at us. We are always prepared,” smiled Baljeet Singh Gill, a farmer from Nawanshaher.
