Water scarcity in a land of rain and rain : Shameful annual event
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: March 27 2015 -

Water Scarcity : People fetching water on March 26 2015 :: Pix - Shankar Khangembam

Rain, rain everywhere, but not a drop to utilise.

Things may not be as bad but the situation in Manipur comes somewhere close to the situation that has just been described.

The dry season is on and it has been the same script for the last many, many years.

Difficult to believe that this has been the situation for so long, with the Government abysmally failing to address an issue that has been dogging the State for decades.

Things were not always like this. There was a time when ponds and water bodies came to the rescue of the people whenever the water pipes ran dry.

However with the burgeoning population and the resultant pressure on land, ponds which dotted the compound of every households have disappeared.

It is the same with the numerous water bodies scattered all over the plains of Manipur.

The funny thing is, come the rains and Manipur will again be at the receiving end of water logging, seasonal floods and clogged drains.

A testimony that the Government has utterly failed to come up with something called water policy.

That Manipur which enjoys heavy rainfall should face the prospect of water problems annually is more than enough indication that successive Governments have utterly failed to understand the importance of coming up with a water policy.

Defies logic that a place which receives healthy rainfall should suffer the lack of water supply annually. The dry season is on and once again Manipur is facing the problem of water scarcity.

Not surprising that the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences should issue a notification that it will no longer be in a possible to provide normal health care service to the people as there is no water.

This means that a good number of people, who cannot afford private medical institutes, will have to fend for themselves. The worrying part is the seeming indifference of the Government.

Things cannot be allowed to continue like this any longer. A shame it is that a place like Manipur should reel under water scarcity.

What thought has been given to conserve water to tide over the lean season ?

Apparently nothing much, for obviously the VVIPs, VIPs and those who come under the tag of powerful persons do not have to face the brunt.

Situation has come to such a pass that even attending nature’s call is not such a simple and straight forward thing.

The reason why ponds are dug up in almost every locality of Imphal has blown over the heads of the policy makers of the land. This is the saddest part.

Water conservation and framing water policy should not be just paper work. It should be implemented at the ground.

It is about the daily needs of the people, and look further and one can imagine the plight of the farmers and tillers of the soil. What plans has the Government got in store for them ?

In as much as the Government should be lampooned for failing to come up with any concrete policy, the people too need to be aware that they have a duty towards saving and preserving water.

Water scarcity is something which should be addressed to on a priority basis and it should also be drilled into the heads of the policy framers that Manipur has no business to face the problem of water scarcity every year.