By The Editor: Siddharth Sehgal

Gandhi who couldn’t stand wastage of a paper would have died of heart attack on witnessing the country’s parched fields and water shortages. The country is in desperate need of Bapu’s lesson of not taking more than needed.

 Recently Maharashtra High court’s objection to BCCI’s liberal sprinkling of stadiums when people are dying of thirst is just a glimpse of our outlook towards our natural resources. We bath our inanimate cars in more water than what we use to water plants. Water is a commodity these days, if you don’t believe me just look at housewives in your neighborhood who sweat profusely about the empty Syntex tank on their rooftops.

We look at lines in front of hand pumps and taps, we see water spilling out from our neighbors hose which he forgot turn off, we see tankers coming in and our of our colonies as a daily routine but we never learn our lesson. It’s always someone else’s responsibility. I am not saying I am different, I an equal culprit and contributor in this problem but as an Indian it’s my civic duty to remind others of their faults. It’s not something that we cannot overcome; few small steps here and there can and will make a big difference. Water harvesting, planting trees, saving water, repairing water leaks and many more things can be done, all it needs is initiative and will power.

 Trust me, come rainy season and we would not waste a second in going back to old habits. Maharashtra has been one of the worst affected states in the country and may be even most mismanaged state in terms of water. Farmers were already committing suicide and this toll on water will push people’s limits to the max. Recently trains filled with water were sent to Latur to help people out in scarcity and it is being alleged that 10000 liters were spent to create a helipad for mantri-ji. I don’t know it this news is true or not but we have to remember that our carelessness will cost us dearly if we don’t wake up in time. If our politicians and law makers will be seen proliferating water for personal use like public funds then what to say of the ordinary folks. They have to set an example but then who am I kidding here, expecting the unexpected from politicians is like the mirage of oasis in the desert, we know its not there but still hope for it.

We have enough land for everyone but not enough water, how about raising a glass (of water) for that.