Letter to BS: Managing water access faces a different set of problems

Vinayak Chatterjee in “Water: The next frontier” (August 6) covers almost all aspects of this crucial, all-important issue except — surprisingly — conservation of this life sustaining resource and stopping it’s criminal waste by all of us. Just as in the case of energy, saving a drop of water is the same as generating a drop of the nectar.

Of course, we must (i) embark on massive programmatic investments at a national level (ii) make more states take lead in water management and move up the index (iii) adopt optimal solutions in each state as against the policy of one-size-fits-all (iv) put a realistic, socially-acceptable price on water and (v) rope in another enthusiastic minster like Nitin Gadkari in this top priority cause. It’s just as important that we educate people and inculcate in them a deep sense of responsibility for conservation of water and make water wastage by all — individuals, societies and governments — a serious cognisable offence. Then we will succeed in our efforts. 

As a nation, we waste huge amounts of water. We do this majorly in irrigation and water supply schemes — which the governments have to address — as well as individually. Individually, the daily chores —drinking, bathing, brushing teeth, washing hands, washing cars, RO purification, washing clothes and utensils et all — may need small amounts but collectively these add up to colossal amounts when multiplied by millions. Our mind set is still one of taking water for granted and assuming that it will always be there, the ubiquitous tap will for ever keep flowing and this is wrong.

Krishan Kalra, Gurugram

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