Water is the new Oxygen

Rain, rain, go away,
Come again another day;

Little Johnny wants to play,

Rain, rain, go away!

The day will come when we will admonish kids not to sing this nursery rhyme; when, instead, we will fervently pray for rain to come, to fill up all the water bodies which supply the precious element to our villages, towns and cities. 

We may not be able to enjoy a houseboat ride across Kerala backwaters.

We may not be captivated by the endearing image of an avian resident in the Sunderbans.

We may see dry temple tanks in Kanchipuram.

Do not dismiss these as rambling musings of a paranoid blogger! The reason: It is increasingly becoming evident that water is not only scarce but is alarmingly depleting. We already have States fighting over the sharing of river waters. Who would have thought that a Court of law would need to decide who gets how much water? Who would have thought that a river is not everyone’s, that it is a belonging like a physical possession? Reports have emerged about the possibility of Bengaluru running completely dry, just like Cape Town. Other cities, too, will face this horrifying possibility. The image below of a totally dry Vastrapur Lake, taken on a recent trip last month to Ahmedabad, is a stark reality.

The image above is frightening, isn't it? The scarcity of water has become such a major problem that it is being referred to as "water stress". If you look at the map below, India does face a bleak future in terms of water availability. And this map is of 2015; so what will it be like in 2025?

[Image courtesy: indiawatertool.in]

Poor water quality is also something to think about, of course, but before worrying about that we need to worry about facing drought. A lot of discussions are initiated on ways to save water, but more often than not, all the ideas simply remain in sound bytes, printed out on reams of paper, filed away and forgotten on dusty shelves. 

World Water Day was a few days ago. There were a few media reports on it, perhaps some symposiums and group discussions were organized and poster campaigns initiated. Was it just another token gesture to mark this specific day? We have to stop chattering and philosophizing. We have to start taking actual steps to preserve, conserve and stop wastage of H₂O. Water has become the crucial Oxygen (the 'O'of H₂O).

The effort begins at home

Must you install taps which gush out more water than the waterfalls in nature? We have a side tap attached to the pipe which carries water to our wash basin. It helps us to regulate the flow of water to the minimum required amount for brushing, rinsing and washing our face.

Must you keep the tap open while you stand in front of the mirror above the wash basin to shave or brush your teeth? Close that tap!

Must you fill up an entire bucket of water to bathe or stand under a continuous flow of water from the shower? We don’t have a shower. We don’t fill up the bucket under the tap to the brim – just sufficient to use 4-5 small tumblerful of water.

Must you install a flush system that, literally, throws gallons of water down the toilet? We have a flush tank which has 2 buttons, one for half-flush to be used for liquid waste and another for a full flush to be used for solid waste.

Must you fill up the washing machine to full capacity when the washing load itself is hardly a quarter of that requirement? We put in just enough water as per the number of clothes to be washed. When there are two few clothes, such as when other family members are out of town, then we use the machine only on alternate days.

Must you always drain out all the water of the washing machine? We often re-use the water. For example, if there are clothes which are not colour fast or there are bed sheets to be washed, we use the soapy water in the machine. Once in about 10 days the water is drained out into a bucket and used later to clean the toilet.

Must you throw away in the basin the water used for washing rice or vegetables? We put it in the plants or put them in the used vessels kept for washing.

Must you open the fridge, drink half a bottle of cold water and then abandon the bottle so that the water eventually gets thrown away? We keep half-finished bottles of water (brought back after coming home from shopping or work) on the dining table so that it gets finished at meal times.

Children can be ace teachers, too, in helping you in the right direction to save water! Learn from this young girl –

Coming together to harvest water

In a residential complex, tenants get together to celebrate festivals and organize cultural programs as a way of bonding and having fun in general. Why not get together, too, to implement a rainwater harvesting scheme? Rainwater can be stored in large collection tanks and used by the residents for washrooms, cleaning vehicles, watering the plants in the complex, etc. Even office complexes can get together and install a rainwater harvesting system.

Talking about complexes, as also hotels and resorts, why aim gallons of piped water or fling large amounts of water from huge watering cans? Far better is a drip irrigation system. The water drips at a gentle pace to the roots of the shrubs, trees and flowering plants. This ensures that water is equally distributed to all the greenery and there is a negligible loss through evaporation as well. Water dripped through the soil this way is water saved. It is not easy, yes, but then, every step does require some effort, doesn't it? Where there's a will, there's a way!

Save Farm, Golvad, Maharashtra is a superb example of this will - how it is possible to save rainwater on a large scale. There is a large lake which was created by the Farm owner over years of hard work; the water is also recycled. Additionally, the owner installed a drip irrigation system around his farm which is abundant with chikoo trees and flora.

At the national and global level, too, people can come together to find solutions to manage water. In India, Livpure has come up with the #CuttingPani campaign. Every Mumbaikar worth his salt knows of the half glass of tea which gives those on the move a quick, economical brew. Taking a cue from that, Livpure campaigns for not wasting even a little water left in a glass, whether at home, at work or in a restaurant. Let us support this campaign by signing their petition.

At least somebody is trying to take an initiative – even if it is a small step – to reverse the trend of water wastage.

Our beloved Earth should not die of thirst.

H₂O – precious.

Every drop.