Water: an eco-friendly and energy-efficient resource for milling in rural Arunachal Pradesh

摘要

Water is an essential natural resource for human and living organisms. We use water for various purposes like drinking, cleaning, agriculture practices, transportation, etc. It is the prime resource for the hydel power station, providing electricity for domestic, industrial and commercial purposes. Among the northeastern states, Arunachal Pradesh is endowed with vast natural resources because of its geographical location and climatic variation. The state has 26 major tribes and over 110 sub-tribes1 whose lifestyle totally depends on natural resources2–4. This reliance has created an indivisible bond between the ethnic communities and the natural environment. Consequently, their cultural, spiritual and religious beliefs often influence the natural resources of the area where they live. The Monpas, one of the major tribes, inhabit the West Kameng and Tawang district of western Arunachal Pradesh. The region is well known for its glittering landscape. However, life in the remote villages of the hilly terrain is so harsh that most people depend on agriculture for their subsistence. Because of the terrain, inaccessibility and poor roads, the villagers totally depend on forest and other natural resources. Even today, many of the villages have no electricity and are deprived of modern facilities. These villagers use a water-powered mill called the ‘chakki’ for grinding agricultural crops like rice, maize, finger millet and papur, and making flour for daily use.