Nature gives us everything. But necessarily where we need it and when we need it. Maybe it was originally meant the other way round… we are supposed to be at the right place and the right time. Nothing complex to think – just look at water around you!
On one side there is water in plenty and the other there are people who have to walk miles for a potful. And we have leaders who dream of joining the mighty rivers and building dams to store more water. Perhaps what is really needed is to build a sense of responsibility in addition to all of these grand plans.
India receives fairly good rainfall in many places – but with a catch – It is usually unpredictable and the duration of the rain is short (and of course we have many extremes too). Most of this water runs into nullas and streams and ends up in the sea or in places where it is usually not required. If this water was to be harvested appropriately and used to recharge the ground water, it will severely reduce the stress on our resources.
The smallest good deed is greater than the grandest good intention.
While rules and ideas on water harvesting have been in existence, it would really make a difference if half of us practiced this in earnest. The cost is not really huge and the beneficiaries are locals. Some local government divisions and NGOs have created good awareness and have implemented this – but as a whole there is a lot that needs to be done.
You too can contribute in your own simple way. Turn down that tap in the wash basin the next time around. Don’t have leaky taps around. Educate folks around and spread the word. The time is now – And don’t worry if the saving is minimal – After all, every drop counts!
Image Credit: Randy Son Of Robert
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February 22nd, 2009 at 1:29 am
Uttkarsh,
Very timely and relevant article. The example set by Ms. Jayalalitha in Tamil Nadu is something every state could follow. While she was the CM of TN, she made it mandatory for every household, commercial and government establishment to harvest rain water. She implemented it with a single-minded dedication and threatened the imposition of penalty for those who did not comply with the government directives. The program achieved its goal in a few years and currently, the watertable across most of TN(especially Chennai) has gone up and the water quality significantly improved.
However, the people of TN were unhappy with this water harvesting project and Jayalalitha was thrown out of office during the next election(other factors also contributed to her loss). But the bottomline is, she had a long term vision and a political will to achieve her vision. If only the rest of the netas showed a similar will…
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February 22nd, 2009 at 5:43 am
I know a friend of mine who was trying hard to explain to his 4 year old son, how important it is to save water.
Hope he succeeded, but the point is that these kind of habits have to be inculcated into kids.
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