Novanita Sharma
Writing an editorial on 22nd March 2022, the World Water Day ensues me to draw everyone’s attention upon the significance of water conservation in the present times. Being one of the 7 billion human beings, the most populous species of this planet, I do share the burden of overconsumption and misuse of Earth’s natural resources by my species, which also includes water. At the same time, I do feel responsible to act and do the needful to halt the impending water crisis situation of my planet. The invincible Homo sapiens sapiens who rule the exclusive blue planet of this universe knows everything regarding the importance of water, the elixir of life – where the primordial ancestry of life originated on earth 3.5 billion years ago. We have accumulated exhaustive amount of information regarding water, its elemental nature, its sources, its future availability, the impending threats to water security of this planet; every possible scientific data, every possible statistical information is available with us. In this age of information excess, human world is exceptionally empowered with information regarding aqua-vulnerability of our planet. We have left no stone unturned in gathering information, our efforts are worth an applause in this regard. From satellites to deep sea expeditions, we have done more than enough in collecting facts and figures about the most important element of nature without which life cannot exist. This information has also revealed our faulty actions and unsustainable models which has led to the present-day water crisis situation of earth. Agriculture, industrialization, urbanization – most aspects of human civilizations has been either water intensive or water destructive. We have contributed to either unprecedented siphoning of the precious groundwater or have caused irreparable damage to lakes, rivers, seas and oceans with dumping of untreated industrial and urban waste into the aquifers. Water crisis of the planet is entirely a man-made problem, the solution lies in our actions. To be honest lack of sincere action on our part is the hurdle we have to deal with. The plethora of information haven’t proved powerful enough to propel humanity towards effective actions to thwart the impending threats to water security of the planet. International mega events have been mere show down in this regard, people find it very difficult to negotiate and arrive at an agreeable consensus when it comes to water, whether it is regarding river water, ground water, sea or any other natural source of water. The root problem to this entire water crisis is lack of motivation and to a great extent lack of empathy. Earth’s natural resources are scattered, this disparity is clearly visible in our own nation; despite the fact that India is blessed with natural bounty of all kinds, access to clean drinking water to every Indian and availability of river water in every state of India varies. This disparity often leads to conflicts due to lack of empathy and cooperation amongst human beings. Disputes can be easily avoided if we take a holistic approach in mitigating the issues. This holistic approach constitutes measures of water conservation, equitable sharing of river water between partner states and collective contribution towards benefit of others in the community. Such measures prerequisites the presence of empathy and altruism amongst people, scientific data and information alone are powerless without these motivational values. We ought to think about a holistic model of water conservation to make it effective, we can take inspiration from our traditional methods of water conservation practiced for generations by our ancestors. Our ancestors have taught us to respect the mountains and protect the forests, the natural perennial sources of water in various ways. The mighty Himalayas covered in sheets of snow and glaciers are a significant source of fresh water for many Asian countries. The Himalayan glaciers situated in Tibet are source 10 major river systems of Asia including the Indus, Sutlej, Brahmaputra, Irrawady, Salween and Mekong which originates in top of the world and flows downwards to enrich the lives of millions in the downstream countries. These rivers constitute the life support system of millions of human beings and other lifeforms in one of the most thickly populated and biodiversity rich regions of this planet. The Tibetan plateau is thus known as the water tower of Asia. The ecological well-being of the Tibetan plateau is vital for future water security of Asia which will further govern geo-political, ecological and cultural safety of the downstream people. Tibet is often referred to as the third pole, the fragile ecology of the Tibetan plateau decides the future course of climate change and related environment conditions of the entire world; hence, preservation of the Tibetan ecology is critical in mitigating the water crisis faced by all of us. The fate of our rivers depends on the ecological conditions of Tibet, our rivers will exist if Tibet can be saved. The Yarlung Tsangpo of Tibet flows down to be known as Siang in Arunachal Pradesh and Brahmaputra in Assam. We are brothers and sisters of the same river line, we share our cultures, we share history, so thus we share common problems. Water conservation policies are meant to include the regional factors in its ambit and for Northeast India and for many other Asian nations the preservation of Himalayas and the Tibetan plateau is indispensable to ensure water security in future. This will require rigorous environment campaign to rescue the fragile Tibetan environment and its rivers from further ecological damage, as it has been subjected to for the past 63 years under the exploitative rule of communist China. The Indian water conservation policy will fail to act and contribute towards the cause if we don’t act to save the Tibetan plateau before it is too late. I hope our scientific work, our collective efforts for water conservation find its call and contribute meaningfully towards future water security in Northeast India and sets an example for rest of the country.
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