Water everywhere but not a drop to drink : Reminding pre-poll promise
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: August 23 2017 -

Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink.

Manipur comes somewhere close to this and it would be interesting to see how the BJP goes about fulfilling its pre-poll promise of piped water supply to every household.

In the 15 years it spent in power, the Congress was not able to do anything to ensure water supply to the people and it was this failure which the BJP latched onto and assured piped water supply to the people if voted to power.

It is still to early to expect a result, but the BJP should not forget its promise and lay down the road map to ensure potable water supply to the people.

A look at the reality will tell how pathetically deprived are the people of piped water supply.

A survey conducted by The Sangai Express should give an insight to the readers on how pathetically the people have been deprived of something as basic as piped water and to think that this can happen in a place, where there is abundant rainfall through the year, is hard to digest.

Out of 2870 villages only 166 have access to reliable potable water facilities.

This means that less than 6 pc of villages in the State have access to piped water supply.

This is a pathetic figure and should jolt the Government awake.

This is also an opportunity for the BJP led Government to demonstrate that it can do what the previous Congress Government miserably failed to address to in its 15 years in power.

Forget about the villages, even in Imphal piped water supply is a myth with numerous localities receiving piped water supply only three or four times a week and that too for only a few hours.

Situation is in fact so comical that even during the days when water comes, each and every household have to rely on the water pump to draw water, so weak is the current or the flow of water supplied to the people.

Given the reality, it is therefore not surprising to see water tankers doing brisk business all over Imphal.

It is in line with this that some local manufacturing units have emerged selling drinking water in 20 litre containers.

Nothing wrong in the local units coming out with such an initiative for packaged drinking water is available all over the country, but it is not a comfortable thought to admit that many are today constrained to fall back on these packaged drinking water because the Government has miserably failed to ensure proper drinking water supply to the people.

Given the right approach, there is no reason why many parts of Manipur should reel under water shortage.

The good rainfall can be seen in the numerous community ponds all over the different leikais.

Not too long back, each and every family had their own domestic pond.

This should more than say that Manipur enjoys healthy rainfall.

The only thing that is wanting is a Government which is committed to ensuring piped water supply to the people.

This is something intolerable.

The BJP led Government is just some months old, but it should start applying its mind on how to deliver on its pre-poll promise and ensure potable water supply to each and every household in the State.

It is a shame that a place which receives heavy rain should reel under shortage of drinking water.