We’re killing our water resources

Some day soon, people from cities will have to begin relocating because they will have run out of water. Many water bodies are drying out due to over-exploitation triggered by unsustainable growth

Mounting public anger over Delhi Jal Board’s colossal failure to re-haul the obsolete water distribution system, hamstrung by rusty leaking pipes and thefts, is fuelled by growing suspicion of a nexus between the concerned functionaries and private tankers. Many are now compelled to buy water at high cost to meet their needs. It is the same in Gurgaon, Faridabad and contiguous townships.

If western Uttar Pradesh NCR towns are as yet not afflicted by the crisis, it is because of the forcible diversion of Ganga waters via canals, first built by the British, and then, expanded by their native successors. A massive pipe also carries such water from the controversial Tehri Dam to Delhi and UP-NCR. Hindon is exploited as well while Southern Haryana is solely dependent on Yamuna, local lakes and groundwater.

But the latter two are fast disappearing as indiscriminate colonisation gains alarming momentum. Against this backdrop, for Haryana policy-makers to propose concretising the remnant of forest cover in the stretch of the Aravallis running through this arid state is criminal. Certainly, penal action would be warranted if this is allowed, in violation of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, and Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Proponents of the reckless scheme argue that the green cover is not large enough to qualify as a forest. But visionary administrators, in a region that suffers badly from paucity of green cover and water, should do their utmost to conserve whatever remains, rather than destroying it.

Early experiences of enchanted forests, obtained vicariously through fairytales and Panchtantra, are realised on venturing into the breathtaking environs of Mangerbani in Faridabad district. Ishani Dutta’s film, The Sacred Forest, brings it alive, documenting its sanctity and immense relevance for the present, as much as the awaiting doom. One learns that the Who’s Who in the country have stakes, with fragmented land-holdings being sold by individual owners. An ancient sacred forest, protected by the local Gujjars for over five centuries, it is self-renewing as the inhabitants of nearby villages still obey their guru, Gadaria Baba’s directive, never to break a twig, or harm any living creature. It is as Mr RP Balwan, former Conservator of Forests, Gurgaon, says, the last Dhau forest in the state. Filmmaker and naturalist Pradeep Kishen has extensively identified rare species. The forest harbours itinerant leopards, hyenas, jackals, hares, deer, mongoose, reptiles, and a vast variety of birds. Conservationists consider it an irreplaceable biosphere.

with thanks : The Pioneer : LINK for detailed news report.