Leaving no one behind

Sunil Seth
What if the World saw people living in poverty, not merely as recipients of aid but as catalysts for change? What if most disadvantaged were actually empowered to be the change makers to better their own lives, thus, freeing them to achieve their full potential. For that, in 2010, the UN recognized “The Right to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation” as a “Human Right” that is essential of life and all “Human Rights”. And, then here comes the slogan “Leaving No One Behind” coined for the “World Water Day” celebrated on 22nd of March every year. As the country’s water demand is projected to be twice the available by 2030 and the “Sustainable Development Goal i.e. SDG6” aims to ensure availability and sustainable management of “Water for All ” by 2030. Though 70 percent of the Earth is covered with water, only 2 percent of it is fresh water. Further, complicating the issue is that 1.6 percent of the fresh water is contained in Glaciers and Polar Ice Caps. With the planet’s second largest population at 1.3 billion and expecting further a growth of 1.7 billion by 2050, our country finds itself unable to serve the vast majority of that populace with safe drinking water. Supporting 16 percent of the World’s inhabitants is a daunting task. And it is even more so when recognized that the maximum population is crammed into an area one third the size of United States, that too possessing only 4 percent of the World’s Fresh Water. Reports warn that 21 Indian Cities will run out of water by 2020 like Shimla crisis seen the last summers. 163 million Indians lack access to Safe Drinking Water. India is on the verge of being declared as a “Water Deficit” country as the statistics reflect that the “Average Annual Per Capita” availability has fallen by 15% between2001-2011. It is predicted to fall another 13% by 2025 and 15% again by 2050; which means that in another 30 years each Indian Household will have about 1.1 million liter of water per year down from 1.8 million liter in 2011. And a country is considered to be suffering from “Water Scarcity” when availability is less than 1 million liter per capita per year and our country will reach that number by 2050. Problem of safe drinking water in India can be weighed on following perspectives which are probably “Man Made” :
More than half of the rivers in our country are highly polluted with several others at levels considered unsafe for drinking purpose by safety standards probably because of lack of stringent regulations in respect of “Domestic Waste Disposal” and “Industrial Waste Disposal.” Depleting “Ground Water” reserves at unsustainable rate which accounts for 40% of “Water Supply” and that too contaminated with Arsenic and Fluoride both and Uranium contamination in “Aquifer” drawn “Ground Water” in 16 States: Over the past 50 years, policies have allowed what amounts to a ” Free for All” in “Ground Water”. Estimates put India’s “Ground Water Usage” roughly one quarter of the “Global Usage” with total usage surpassing that of China and United States combined. With farmers provided electricity subsidy to help power the ground water pumping, the “Water Table” has seen a drop of 4m in some parts of the country, is again indicative of irresponsible behavior of we the Indians. In modern times, though the concern has moved from the “Surface to the Ground Water”, and it is there when India’s ‘Fresh Water” is under the greatest threat.
“Regional Disputes” where in six states are involved in battles over river the sharing of water; with Yamuna in the North; Narmada in the middle and Cauvery in the South. Disputes taking a Global scale in with Pakistan over river Indus and Sutlej in the North and West and with China and Bangladesh in the East over river Brahmaputra which too is a man made problem.
Burgeoning “Middle Class” with raised demands on clean and safe water and the “Rural population” crying for survival, We have a dichotomy of two very different populations desperately pulling at the same limited resource.
China , a country with roughly 50 million more people than our country but using only a quarter of fresh water than what is being used by we Indians clearly reflects the response of Indians to be described as “Highly Irresponsible”.
Crisis for the “Safe Drinking Water” cannot be attributed to the “Nature and the Mother Earth”, which has given us this gift in abundance but we the “Human Beings” are not sensible enough to utilize this precious resource. Chaos is just because of “General Neglect”;”Mismanagement” and lack of “Stringent Regulations”. We do not value the thing which does not have a “High Tag Price”, probably the case of “Water” here. Concept of “Water ATM’s and Water Credit” needs to be given impetus to make people understand the value of “water” erstwhile lying “dormant” in their “minds”. Crisis will automatically vanish if the “Water” too is taxed as per the usage like “Electricity”. We are ready to pay high price for “Petrol” needed to run the “Non living” entity; for any and every thing we are using, be it “Mobile” or “Entertainment”, which are not needed for sustaining life but shun away to pay the price for “Water” needed to run the most beautiful creation on this Mother Earth-the man and the woman-probably the “Attitude and “Ignorance” unexplained.
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