It is often argued that one is known by the1company he keeps. I am not sure how correct this is, but I am certain it would be correct to say that "a society is known by the water itkeeps". This is because water - earth's purestfluid - has the uncanny ability to collect thehuman society's ills, and slowly but steadilyreflect them in its own degradation.
Ultimately, the degrading waterbody getsdestroyed and, in some cases, it can just disappear without leaving a trace behind. Any polluting activity on land will ultimately pollutewaterbodies in the drainage basin. If grasslands or forests in the watershed aredestroyed, associated waterbodies will silt upand die. Therefore, the health of a river, a takeor a wetland reflects the very health of thehuman society: its ability to live harmoniously with its environment, to regulate itself andcheck its degrading activities, and to appreciate the fine web of life.
India's waterbodies are facing a slow deathand revealing signs of an equally sick anddying civilisation. I say 'civilisation' and not'society', because India boasted of a civilisation which always respected its water resources, Indian rivers are worshipped.Major temples were constructed on majorriver sources. Numerous cities were builtalong the rivers - from the famous Kashi andVaranasi to the equally famous Pataliputra.And if there was no river, artificial tanks wereconstructed - from Rajasthan down to TamilNadu. Only because of its ability to live withits water, Mughal India manifested one of theworld's highest levels of urbanisation by thetime the British arrived in India.
Today, that entire heritage - both physically and culturally - has been washed away.There is hardly a modern city which knowshow to, or cares to, respect its water resources.Ali ancient waterbodies are getting polluted orjust disappearing off the face of Hyderabad,Madras, Bangalore and various other cities.Does any politician care? Does layaWithacare? Does Rama Rao or the new charged'affaires, his son-in-law, care? Do any of theKarnataka or West Bengal leaders care?
One can even ask, do even the peoplecare? And yet, the resulting costs of ill-health,energy and labour to reach ever-so-distantwater sources, are enormous and increasingdaily. The urban wetland crisis, if Imayso callit, is eating away the entrails of Indian urbansociety. And it shows us that we no longerknow how to govern ourselves, to manage ourfilth, and to live in harmony with our very lifesource. These are signs of a morbid society,which is reflecting itself in the sickness of ourwater systems.
A 3-person team from the Centre forScience and Environment travelled toCalcutta and various cities of central andsouth India, to study the state of India's urbanwetlands. They encountered the same horrifying tale everywhere. But the fact of ecologicaldestruction per se is not so horrifying, asmuch of this is reversible. But the fact tha;very few care, is indeed, far more horrifying.
The most dramatic contrasts are seen inCherrapunji in Meghalaya, and Jaisalmer inRajasthan: one receives on an average, 15,000mm of rainfall every year, and another - just100-200 mm of rainfall. There is surely nocamparison between the 2 places. How far thedysfunction between water and society can go,is exemplified by this case. Cherrapunji, oneof the wettest places on earth, receives the fullforce of the moisture-laden monsoon cloudsfrom the Bay of Bengal. But today, due to amassive drinking water shortage inCherrapunji, the Rajiv Gandhi DrinkingWater Mission- a national programme deal-ing with water problems - is supporting itsmter-strapped villages.
Jaisalmer of the past cared for its watersources and survived long droughts by carefully collecting, storing and using water. Thecity site was, in fact, carefully chosen keepingin mind the threat of invasions and availability of water. The residents built a gloriousand fabulously wealthy city around its limitedwater resources. Today, Jaisalmer is wearingoff that part of its culture, and is becomingincreasingly dependent on groundwater - the last resort in the desert.
Cherrapunji and Jaisalmer together tellDelhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Madras -all megacities -that God may shower richeson us in plenty, but if we can't live with themrespectfully, they will forsake us.
The answers lie riot in Mother Nature, butin the nature of the societies we construct.Those few NGos and individuals from Calcuttato Bangalore and Madras who are trying toreverse the trend - while the rest don't evencare - deserve our full support and respect.They are the true leaders of India.