Indian Farmers Fear New Ethanol Plants Will Restrict Water Access
A wave of protests is sweeping through rural India against new ethanol plants, as residents fear these facilities will restrict their access to water and land. Despite India's focus on ethanol for clean energy and energy security, its production largely relies on corn and sugarcane, crops that demand significant water and land. This has sparked strong resistance from farmers in various regions, such as Tibbi town in Rajasthan.
A wave of protests is currently sweeping across rural India, fueled by residents' fears that the construction of new ethanol plants will severely restrict their access to vital water resources and land.
India, heavily reliant on oil and gas imports for 80% of its needs, has placed ethanol production at the heart of its clean energy and energy security plans. The country has significantly increased the ethanol blend in gasoline from 1% in 2014 to 20% last year. However, the majority of this ethanol is produced from crops like corn and sugarcane, which demand substantial amounts of land and water. This has ignited strong resistance in numerous rural areas.
For instance, in Tibbi town, Rajasthan, hundreds of farmers marched late last month to protest a proposed ethanol plant. Farmer Madan Dugesar, involved in a series of protests against the facility, stated, “This factory will take our water. No one consulted us before construction began.”
According to local residents, police arrested protest leaders and dispersed a demonstration last November. However, these police actions, far from quelling the unrest, instead drew more people into the streets. Residents of Tibbi reported that they only became aware of a large ethanol plant being built when machinery arrived and drilling commenced last year. Some farmers even traveled to the neighboring state of Punjab to understand the impact of a similar plant there and how local protests led the state government to close an ethanol facility. They are deeply concerned about the depletion of groundwater resources.