AGARIYA COMMUNITY, GUJARAT

Agariyas are the traditional salt-making community in Little Rann of Kutch (LRK) who toil hard in extreme desert
conditions for 10 months/year to make organic salt.
They are a community of around 1, 02,103 workers who work in the saltpans of the Rann of Kutch.
They mostly belong to Nomadic and De-notified Tribes (75%), Schedule caste (10%), Schedule Tribes (10%) and
others backward communities (5%).
OVERVIEW:-
Way to lrk
people who make salt
since Gujarat produces about 5% of the worlds total salt
consumption(73% of India).
Non-recognition by the government as traditional
saltmakers, provision of basic amenities like
water, electricity, medicals services and sanitation is very poor.
Lack of schools
Very few groups are working in this area to provide support and
facilitate the empowerment of Agariyas.
To get the salt to your plate, they typically work 8-10 months in a
desert, completely isolated from the rest of the world.
socio-economic condition
Occupation: production of salt from the brine of earth , sold to
traders at 12p -15p/kg.(80.46% are landless villagers)
Literacy: 47.6%: (8-9 months in desert)
75.76 % of the traditional Agariyas fall into deprived category
when they are evaluated through 15 indicators such as food
intake, health expenses, debt, land holding, fuel used, etc.
main problems they face
Inaccessibility to Security measures being Un-organized Sector
Susceptibility to Natural Disasters leading to life and livelihood loss
Ecological degradation
Lack of Awareness and inaccessibility to education facility
Absence of basic health care, housing, sanitation and water
facilities Health issues from occupation
Lack of opportunities for alternative income generation activities
Evacuation notice by Gujarat Government for sanctuaries.
Living condition
living area is far from the
nearest settlement.
Source: Jog. Pankti,PPT
Saltpan workers of
Gujarat, NGO Janpath
R
O
H
I
T

K
U
M
A
R
,

M
O
N
I
K
A

A
H
I
R
W
A
R
,

N
I
L
A
N
J
A
N

M
A
I
T
I
,

A
N
K
U
R

M
I
T
T
A
L
,

A
D
I
T
Y
A

Y
A
D
A
V
Agariya Community KUTCH :
75.0%
10.0%
10.0%
5.0%
DIVISION OF AGARIYAS
NOMADIC & DENOTIFIED TRIBES SCHEDULED CASTE SCHEDULED TRIBE OBC
Little Rann of Kachchh.
Little desert of Kutch is a salt marsh located near the Great
Rann of Kutch in Kutch district, Gujarat, India.
This is one of the hottest areas of India - with summer
temperatures averaging 41C and peaking at 49.5C. Winter
temperatures reduce dramatically and can go below 0 C
(32 F)
CLIMATE
The Rann of Kutch is a seasonal salt marsh located in the Thar
Desert in the Kutch District of Gujarat, India. It is about
7,505.22 square kilometres (2,897.78 sq mi) in size and is
reputed to be the largest salt desert in the world.
In India's summer monsoon, the flat desert of salty clay and
mudflats, which average 15 meters above sea level, fills with
standing waters. In very wet years, the wetland extends from
the Gulf of Kutch on the west through to the Gulf of Cambay
on the east.
GEOGRAPHY
Salt is obtained from brine of salt pans.
Wildlife such as Wild Ass for which it is nominated by the
forest department to be a biosphere reserve under UNESCO.
Shrimp farming(shrimps).
NATURAL RESOURCES
HAZARD
CYCLONES
EARTHQUAKE
INDO PAK BORDER
R
O
H
I
T

K
U
M
A
R
,

M
O
N
I
K
A

A
H
I
R
W
A
R
,

N
I
L
A
N
J
A
N

M
A
I
T
I
,

A
N
K
U
R

M
I
T
T
A
L
,

A
D
I
T
Y
A

Y
A
D
A
V
OVERVIEW:-
Housing Type:-Traditional rural house in Kutch region of India (bhonga)
BHONGA is a traditional construction type of the Kutch district of Gujarat state in India, which has a very high seismic hazard.
A Bhonga consists of a single cylindrically shaped room.
The Bhonga has a conical roof supported by cylindrical walls.
Bhonga construction has existed for several hundred years.
This type of house is quite durable and appropriate for prevalent desert conditions.
Architectural Features :-
Openings
A Bhonga generally has only three openings one door and two small windows.
The typical separation distance between buildings is 3.0 meters
DESIGN ADVANTAGES
Bhonga is circular in plan, with cylindrically shaped walls and topped with conical roof.
The inner diameter of the Bhonga is typically between 3m to 6m.
Modification of Buildings
Recent Bhongas constructions have used wide variety of construction materials.
These include the stone or burnt brick masonry either in mud mortar or in cement mortar.
Traditional roof consists of light-weight conical roof, while some recent constructions have used
heavy manglore tiles on roofs.
Some recent constructions have used circular strip footing below the wall, while traditional
construction simply extended the walls below ground level.
GUJARAT- BHONGA :- HOUSING TYPOLOGY
Socio-Economic Issues
Patterns of Occupancy
A Bhonga is occupied by a single family. Sometimes, a single family housing unit may consist of
several Bhongas.
The variation depends on the size and economic condition of the family.
Typical building in Bhonga- Gujarat
-A Bhonga has a circular plan to withstand high
Speed winds.
-A circular plan form distributes seismic forces evenly.
R
O
H
I
T

K
U
M
A
R
,

M
O
N
I
K
A

A
H
I
R
W
A
R
,

N
I
L
A
N
J
A
N

M
A
I
T
I
,

A
N
K
U
R

M
I
T
T
A
L
,

A
D
I
T
Y
A

Y
A
D
A
V
Agariya Community KUTCH :- HOUSING TYPOLOGY
Number of Housing Units in a Building
1 units in each building.
Additional Comments: Each Bhonga is a single room housing unit. Depending on the economic condition of the owner, a housing unit may consist of
several Bhongas.
Description of Building Materials
Construction Process
These constructions are carried out by local village masons. The locally available
soft stone can easily be cut or chiselled into rectangular blocks, which are used for
wall masonry.
The local soil is used for mud mortar and to make adobe blocks. Locally available
timber and bamboo are used for roof.
The entire construction process, which is carried out by the mason with very few
unskilled labourers, can be completed within 30 days.
Typical Problems Associated with this Type of Construction
These structures are not very durable due to the use of mud mortar. The use of light-weight
roof also causes problems during cyclone season.
Several instances of roof damage after cyclonic winds are reported every year.
However, due to its light weight, the flying roof debris do not cause major secondary
damage.
Seismic Strengthening Technologies
Description of Seismic Strengthening Provisions
R
O
H
I
T

K
U
M
A
R
,

M
O
N
I
K
A

A
H
I
R
W
A
R
,

N
I
L
A
N
J
A
N

M
A
I
T
I
,

A
N
K
U
R

M
I
T
T
A
L
,

A
D
I
T
Y
A

Y
A
D
A
V
Agariya Community KUTCH :- GOVERNMENT INTERVENTIONS
SCHEMES
The population of the community is about 1,02,000.
There is no Government schemes for this community which require special attention and they have benn mainly supported by NGOs like Janpath.
NEED
For housing, the need of the hour is housing of pucca materials based on the indigenous designs in the villages to provide protection from cyclones.
In the desert.
THERE ARE VARIOUS SOCIO-ECONOMIC NEEDS WHICH REQUIRE ATTENTION:
To Recognize and protect Agariyas right of using LRK land for 8 months for making of salt by traditional method as customary Rights of the
communities (and not individuals) of using Resources.
To Initiate a process of recognizing traditional, customary user rights of Agariya community inside LRK for making salt. Any such process initiated by
the government should be transparent, consultative with community and inclusive
The saline water (brine) availability in LRK is also limited. Brine availability fairly depends on the inflow of fresh water from seven rivers that meets LRK
and also creek at Maliya side of LRK which is only narrow strip from where saline water of sea enters into LRK, and water from LRK goes into sea. Thus
Multi national companies should not be permitted to make use of brine for making salt as commercial activity. It should be purely community rights
recognized as their livelihood options
Source: Jog. Pankti,PPT Saltpan workers of
Gujarat, NGO Janpath
encyclopaediaofearth.org
R
O
H
I
T

K
U
M
A
R
,

M
O
N
I
K
A

A
H
I
R
W
A
R
,

N
I
L
A
N
J
A
N

M
A
I
T
I
,

A
N
K
U
R

M
I
T
T
A
L
,

A
D
I
T
Y
A

Y
A
D
A
V